2001 Ford Focus Engine Problems

2001 FORD FOCUS ZX3 STALLS WHEN DRIVING AND ALMOST CAUSED SOMEONE TO REAR END MY CAR. NOW WONT STAY RUNNING WHEN IDLING. CAR CUTS OFF AT LIGHTS OR STOP SIGNS OR WHEN BREAKING OR ENGAGING CLUTCH.

CAR WAS DRIVING FINE RUNNING A FEW ERRANDS. STOPPED AT A STORE FOR ABOUT FIVE MINUTES , WHEN I GOT BACK IN AND STARTED THE ENGINE ALL I HEARD WAS A LOUD CLANKING NOISE AND THE IDLE WAS ROUGH. DID A LITTLE RESEARCH ABOUT THE CAR AND DISCOVERED ALL THE COMPLAINTS ABOUT ENGINE FAILURE . SO THATS WHAT HAPPENED TO MINE . DROPPED VALVE SEAT.

MY CAR IS 2001. I STARTED TO HAVE PROBLEMS WHEN TURNING ON. I THIUGHT IT WAS STARTER. BUT MINES THATS STILL GOOD. I THOUGHT ALTERNATOR OR BTTERY BUT THEY ARE NEW. SO THEY CHECKED WITH CAMERA AND VALVE PISTNS NOT WORKING. I LOOKED UP REVIEWS ABOUT CAR MAKE AND YEAR. MANY COMMENTS READ VALVE BENT. PISTONS GONE BAD. NOW IM ANOTHER OWNER WITH SAME PROBLEM. THIS CAR IN REVIEWS IS CONSIDERED A LEMON. GOOD THING IT DIDNT WANT TO TURN ON WHEN IT WAS PARKED ALREADY AT HOME. I READ OTHERS OCCURRED IN MOTION.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 FORD FOCUS. WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THE ENGINE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND THE VEHICLE RESTARTED NORMALLY AFTER SOME TIME. THE FAILURE RECURRED SEVERAL OTHER TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 107,333.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 FORD FOCUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE TIMING BELT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 105,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 FORD FOCUS. WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE WOULD SUDDENLY STOP ACCELERATING AND RESPONDING WHEN DEPRESSING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL.THE SPEED OF THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT INCREASE PAST 30 MPH. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO REPLACED THE SPARK PLUGS, BUT THE FAILURE CONTINUED TO OCCUR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT INFORMED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 200,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2001 FORD FOCUS. WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH, THE VEHICLE CAUGHT FIRE. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED AND TOWED TO THE SALVAGE YARD. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS UNKNOWN. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 111,000.

AFTER A 2~ HOUR DRIVE, ENGINE WAS TURNED OFF AND RESTARTED 5MIN LATER. AN INTAKE VALVE SEAT DROPPED AND IT INSTANTLY SMACKED THE PISTON ON THE FIRST TURN OF THE ENGINE, IT HIT HARD ENUF TO BLOW THE PISTON APART AND THE CONNECTING ROD PUT A HOLE THRU THE PISTON LINER. PUTTING COOLANT IN TO THE CRANK CASE, AS IT WAS NO LONGER CONNECTED TO THE PISTON ANY MORE. NEEDLESS TO SAY IT WAS NOT ABLE TO DRIVE. I REPAIRED THE AUTO WITH A AFTERMARKET HEAD FROM HTTP://CIFICINC.NET/ AND A SHORT BLOCK OUT OF A PARTS CAR. AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH IM NOT THE ONLY PERSON TO HAVE THIS FAILURE, THERE ARE FOCUS ALL OVER THE NET THAT HAVE HAD THIS FAILURE. I SEEM TO BE LUCKY AS ITS MUCH MORE COMMON FOR IT TO HAPPEN AROUND 110/140K THEN 206K THE ESCORT ALSO HAS THE SAME ENGINE OR ONE OF THE SAME SPI SOHC 1.9/2.0 ENGINE FAMILY AND CAN ALSO HAVE THIS FAILURE. . . I REPAIRED THE AUTO ONLY BECAUSE OF ITS ABOVE AVERAGE MPG, HAD IT NOT GOTTEN HIGH 30S OR BETTER, I WOULD HAVE GOTTEN RID OF IT. AS THE VALUE OF THE AUTO IS AROUND 1,400~ AND THE REPAIR WAS ABOUT HALF THAT, DOING ALL THE WORK MY SELF...TAKING IT TO A SHOP WAS OUT OF THE QUESTION AS THE COST TO REPAIR WOULD HAVE BEEN 2X THE VALUE OF THE AUTO OR WORSE....

1.ENGINE FADES OR LOSES POWER RAPIDLY DURING EXECUTION OF FREEWAY- SPEED TURNS (OFF RAMPS FOR EXAMPLE) WITHOUT BRAKING; I HAVE GONE FROM 50 TO 20 MPH WITHIN 1-2 SECONDS WHILE IN FRONT OF ANOTHER VEHICLE AND SEMI (VERY DANGEROUS). THE VEHICLE WAS TUNED AND TYPICAL PARTS REPLACED FOR SMOG CHECK A FEW MONTHS AGO AND PASSED SMOG CHECK WITHOUT COMMENTS. THIS PROBLEM STARTED AROUND 100K AND HAS HAPPENED TO OTHER DRIVERS WHO BORROW MY CAR. THE FORD DEALERSHIP (SERRAMONTE FORD) WAS UNABLE TO RECREATE THE PROBLEM SO I PAID 150 DOLLARS FOR A CAN OF FUEL ADDITIVE AND LOST USE OF THE CAR FOR 8 HOUR EVEN THOUGH I WAS ASKED TO DROP IT OFF START OF MORNING. 2. NOW IT STUTTERS OR HESITATES DURING HIGH ACCELERATION (IE PASSING LANE OR GOING UPHILL) ON HIGHWAY; THE VEHICLE IS NO LONGER RELIABLE ESP. IF YOU SHOULD NEED TO RAPIDLY INCREASE POWER. I HAVE READ OF POSSIBLE CONNECTION RELATED TO EITHER A FUEL PUMP OR DEBRIS FROM THE FUEL TANK INNER COATING/MATERIAL COMPOSITION DEGRADING OVER TIME. *TR

I WAS DRIVING ON INTERSTATE 5 IN PORTLAND OR. MY ENGINE JUST STOPPED!! RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE LANE OF TRAFFIC. LUCKILY IT WAS EARLY RUSH HOUR SO IT WAS STOP AND GO TRAFFIC. BUT, WAS VERY SCARY AND DIFFICULT TO GET MY CAR OFF THE FREEWAY. I WAS TOLD THAT 2001 FORD FOCUS'S HAVE A FUEL LINE PROBLEM THAT HAS BEEN RECALLED. I PURCHASED THIS CAR IN 2008. THERE WAS ONLY 1 PREVIOUS OWNER. THIS RECALL WAS NOT REPAIRED ON THIS CAR. PLEASE HELP. THANKS *TR

AS I WAS DRIVING HOME AFTER DROPPING MY DAUGHTER OFF THE CAR JUST STOPPED. I LET IT ROLL TO A COMPLETE STOP AND THEN PUT IT IN PARK. I TRIED TO CRANK THE CAR AND I GOT NOTHING. ALL THE LIGHTS, HORN, AND ALL STILL WORKS BY THE ENGINE DOES NOTHING. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 FORD FOCUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE PARKED, SHE HEARD A LOUD GRINDING NOISE AS OIL AND RADIATOR FLUID LEAKED FROM UNDER THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSIS. THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THE ENGINE WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED BECAUSE THE VALVE STEM HAD FRACTURED, CAUSING THE PISTON TO DETACH FROM THE ENGINE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 90,000. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 FORD FOCUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ENGINE EXPLODED WHILE SITTING IDLE AT A TRAFFIC STOP. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 197,000. *TR

I WAS AT THE GAS STATION FILLING UP THE CAR WHEN I WAS FINISHED I WENT TO START THE CAR ONLY TO HEAR A SOUND THAT REMINDED ME OF RUNNING OVER COINS WITH A VACUUM AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN THE VEHICLE TURNED OFF AND WOULD NOT RESTART. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO MY PLACE OF RESIDENCE AND MY FATHER-IN-LAW LATER ON HAD IT TOWED TO A MECHANIC SHOP. THE MECHANIC THERE SAID THAT THE VALVE SEAT BROKE OFF AND MESSED UP THE HEAD AND CANNOT BE REPAIRED IT HAS TO BE REPLACED. I HAVE SINCE BEEN WITHOUT A VEHICLE. I ALSO HAVE BEEN DOING SOME RESEARCH ON THIS MATTER AND HAVE FOUND THAT THIS HAS BEEN AN ONGOING PROBLEM WITH OTHERS AND THEIR FORD FOCUS. *TR

FORD MOTOR COMPANY KNEW AND HAS KNOW FOR YEARS ABOUT BAD VALVE SEATS IN THEIR 2000-2004 FOCUS'S WITH 2.0L SPLIT PORT INJECTION ENGINE. WHERE EVER THESE HEADS WERE MADE , THE QUALITY CONTROL FOR THIS PART WAS NOT EVALUATED PROPERLY. THE ENGINE DROPS A 'PRESSED IN' STEEL VALVE SEAT THAT FALLS INTO THE CYLINDER AND PUTS TOO MUCH STRESS ON THE PISTON, BORE, AND CONNECTING RODS OF THE ENGINE. UNDER THIS STRESS IT GENERALLY WILL CAUSE RODS TO BREAK, WARP OR COME THROUGH THE BLOCK WALL. (WHICH IS WHAT HAPPENED TO MY ENGINE). IT MAY BE A COOLING PROBLEM, IT MAY BE FAULTY DESIGN OR POOR CRAFTSMANSHIP. REGARDLESS, IF THIS CAR WON SO MANY AWARDS OVER IT'S LIFETIME FROM MOTOR TREND OR OTHER INSTITUTIONS....THEN THEY SHOULD BE BACKING THE MANY PEOPLE WHO HAVE HAD TO FORK OUT THOUSANDS IN ENGINE REPAIRS AND PARTS TO FIX THIS PROBLEM. IT SEEMS TO SHOW UP AT VARIABLE MILEAGE...WHICH I'M SURE IS DUE TO EACH INDIVIDUALS DRIVING HABITS. AND IT'S OBVIOUS IT'S A DEFECT --DUE TO THE SIMILARITY EACH PERSON HAS EXPERIENCED. IT ALMOST ALWAYS HAPPENS TO THE SAME CYLINDER (NUMBER 4) AND IT'S ALWAYS JUST THIS PARTICULAR ENGINE...THIS IS NOT COINCIDENCE...THIS IS POOR QUALITY CONTROL...AND SHOULD BE ADDRESSED AS SUCH. I BELIEVE A RECALL BY FORD IS IN ORDER....WITHOUT QUESTION BY FORD MOTOR....THEY'RE CEO MAKES MILLIONS...HOW ABOUT FIXING THESE CARS....IT MIGHT EXPLAIN WHY SO MANY PEOPLE STOP BUYING FORDS AND GO FOREIGN....AND I CAN HARDLY BLAME THEM WHEN THEY DO! YOU NEED TO COME HALF WAY WITH THE PEOPLE ON THIS MATTER FORD MOTOR---IT'S HURTING YOUR RELIABILITY AND DEPENDABILITY ISSUES. I REPLACED THE ENGINE FOR A WHOPPING $2896.00 AND WILL NEVER BUY A FORD ANYTHING. *TR

2001 FORD FOCUS. CONSUMER REQUEST REIMBURSEMENT FOR REPAIRS AND INVESTIGATION FOR POSSIBLE RECALL. *SMD THE CONSUMER IS REQUESTING AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE COMMON PROBLEM OF VALVE SEAT BREAKAGE IN FORDS OLDER ENGINES. THE BREAKAGE WAS DUE TO INTAKE VALVE SEATS THAT WERE MADE OF A POWERED METAL THAT SHATTERED EASILY. THE CONSUMER WROTE TO FORD REQUESTING REIMBURSEMENT FOR THE DAMAGE CAUSED TO HER ENGINE. ON SEPTEMBER 17, 2012, ROUGHLY TWO MILES AFTER EXITING THE HIGHWAY, THE CONSUMER CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP AT A RED LIGHT. WHEN THE LIGHT TURNED GREEN, SHE ENGAGED THE GAS PEDAL, AND THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO MAKE AN UNUSUAL NOISE AND JERKED LOUDLY AND VIOLENTLY. SHE WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE ABUT TWO MORE FEET, BEFORE THE STEERING SEIZED. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT GO INTO NEUTRAL AND IT DIED COMPLETELY AND HAD TO BE PUSHED TO A PARKING LOT ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE VEHICLE WAS THEN TOWED TO A MECHANIC AND A DIAGNOSIS REVEALED, ONE OF THE PISTONS, CYLINDER #1 WAS EXTREMELY DAMAGED, DUE TO THE VALVE SEAT FAILURE WHICH SHATTERED THE PISTON AND BROKE OFF PIECES OF THE PISTON SKIRT AND BENT THE CONNECTING ROD. THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO THE CYLINDER WALL, AS PIECES OF THE PISTON SKIRT WERE FOUND IN THE OIL PAN AND PIECES OF THE PISTON CROWN WERE FOUND IN THE BOTTOM OF THE INTAKE MANIFOLD. *JB

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 FORD FOCUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE FLOOR MAT BECAME WET. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A PRIVATE MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE CONDENSER BOX TO THE AIR CONDITIONING UNIT WAS CRACKED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 FORD FOCUS. THE CONTACT WAS TRAVELING 30 MPH WHEN THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED SHORTLY THEREAFTER. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND CONFIRMED THAT THE VIN FAILED TO QUALIFY UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER:03V482000 ( FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE). THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 157,000...UPDATED 01/30/13 *BF THE CONSUMER STATED THE DEALERSHIP FOUND PCV HOSE AT THE BACK OF THE ENGINE COLLAPSED (REPAIRED), PERFORMED FUEL INDUCTION SYTEM FLUSH, AAA REPLACED ENTIRE COOLING SYSTEM. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN REPAIRED AS A WHOLE. UPDATED 2/5/2013 *JS

ON 7/27/2012, THE CAR CAUGHT ON FIRE WHILE BEING DRIVEN. THE SMOKE STARTED COMING INTO THE INTERIOR THROUGH THE VENTS. WHEN ATTEMPTING TO PULL OVER,THERE WAS NO BRAKE (MY GUESS IS THAT THE BRAKE LINE HAD MELTED.). MY HUSBAND USED THE E BRAKE AND PARK TO STOP AND SOMEONE YELLED...GET OUT OF THE CAR.MY HUSBAND AND SON JUMPED OUT AND THE CAR BECAME ENGULFED. THERE IS NOTHING LEFT. HE TOLD ME THAT JUST BEFORE THAT IT STARTED HESITATING SOME,LIKE IT WAS GOING TO CUT OFF, BUT DIDN'T. FOR A MORE DETAILED STATEMENT PLEASE CONTACT HIM. I AM SO THANKFUL THAT THEY GOT OUT... THANK YOU, *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 FORD FOCUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS THE VEHICLE OVERHEATED WITHOUT ANY WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER MULTIPLE TIMES WHO WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 92,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 93,000.