NHTSA Complaint #10065958 — 2000 FORD FOCUS

FIRST IGNITION KEY COULD NOT BE INSERTED INTO IGNITION, AFTER 30 MINUTES OF FINAGLING, IT FORCEFULLY LET ME PUT IT IN (WE WERE ON VACATION AND NOT NEAR HOME) NOW THE KEY CAN NOT BE REMOVED FROM THE IGNITION. I DON'T WANT TO FORCE IT BECAUSE THEN I PROBABLY CAN'T GET IT BACK IN, AT LEAST THIS WAY I CAN DRIVE. I CALLED THE FORD DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID THE TUMBLERS ARE LOCKED ON AND IT WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED AT $89.00 AN HOUR FOR LABOR, $100+ FOR PARTS AT 2-3 HOURS OF LABOR, SO THAT IS A GRAND TOTAL OF $350 TO $420 FOR A PROBLEM THAT SEEMS TO BE A COMMON OCCURENCE. THIS NEEDS TO BE A RECALL ISSUE. MY FOCUS IS 4 YEARS OLD AND ONLY HAS 32000 MILES ON IT, I HAVE NEVER HEARD OF ANYTHING SO ABSURD AS THIS. INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, THE LOCKSMITH CAN DO IT FOR 98.00 FOR PARTS AND 20.00 FOR LABOR, WHICH HE SAID TAKES ABOUT 45 MINUTES. GO FIGURE, LOOKS LIKE FORD HAS A REAL RACKET ON REPAIRS, I THINK THEY ARE CROOKS. I JUST HAD IT IN FOR FUEL PUMP RELATED INSSUES AND THE FUEL PUMP HAS BEEN RECALLED. IT HAS BEEN OVER 3 MONTHS WAITING ON PARTS TO FIX THIS RECALL - AGAIN, A BUNCH OF CROOKS, WHEN IT'S COMING OUT OF THEIR POCKET!*AK