NHTSA Complaint #10026109 — 2000 FORD FOCUS

FUEL DELIVERY PROBLEM, POSSIBLY VAPOR LOCK/FUEL PUMP RELATED (A COMMON $450-$600 REPAIR WAY TOO EARLY IN THE LIFE OF THE 2000 & 2001 FORD FOCUS ACCORDING TO ANECDOTAL E-MAIL EVIDENCE ON INTERNET CHAT SITES), BUT EQUALLY LIKELY TO BE RELATED TO EA02-022. 1ST SYMPTOM WAS LOSS OF POWER UPON SHIFTING INTO 2ND GEAR. SPEED THERE WAS ACCELERATION FROM 12 MPH UP INTO 2ND GEAR. THE CAR RECOVERED AFTER A NEAR STALL WITH ONCOMING TRAFFIC APPROACHING. 2ND INCIDENT WAS THE NEXT DAY (TODAY) WHERE I WAS SHIFTING FROM AROUND 25 MPH INTO THIRD GEAR IN MORNING RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC AND WAS NEARLY REAR-ENDED BECAUSE THE VEHICLE STALLED. FORTUNATELY I WAS ALBE TO PULL OVER TO THE SHOULDER, WHEREUPON THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE IN ANY GEAR/WAS COMPLETELY ASTHMATIC. AFTER TWO MINUTES IN PLACE THE VEHICLE RECOVERED AND I WAS ABLE TO PROCEED. THE MECHANIC WANTS TO REPLACE THE FUEL PUMP, FUEL FILTER, FUEL FILTER HOSE AND FUEL RETURN LINE....BUT IF THE PROBLEM IS SYSTEMIC TO THE FUEL DELIVERY SYSTEM PRIOR TO THE FUEL PUMP PURSUANT TO THE REFERENCED STUDY, THEN A NEW PUMP WILL BE ABLE TO DRAW FUEL BETTER/SERVE AS A TEMPORARY FIX. BUT, LIKE THE ORIGINAL, IT TOO WILL FAIL EARLY DUE TO THE HIGHER DEMAND ON DRAWING THE FUEL THROUGH THE BLOCKAGE. THE TANK WAS APPROX. 1/4 FULL AT THE TIME OF BOTH INCIDENTS. *AK