NHTSA Complaint #10082962 — 2000 FORD FOCUS

I OWN A 2000 FORD FOCUS COUPE WITH 119000 MILES. ALTHOUGH THIS IS HIGH MILEAGE, MY NORMAL DRIVE IS 30-60 MILES. ON 7-27-04 I ATTEMPTED TO START THE CAR AND WAS UNABLE TO GET THE KEY TO TURN IN THE IGNITION. THE TOW DRIVER FROM AAA WAS ALSO INITIALLY UNSUCCESSFUL, BUT AFTER CONSULTING WITH A LOCKSMITH HE SAID THAT THE LOCK TUMBLERS WERE STUCK; HE GOT IT TO TURN BY HITTING THE BUTT OF THE KEY. THIS WAS OBVIOUSLY NOT SOMETHING TO CONTINUE DOING, SO I TOOK THE CAR THE NEXT MORNING TO FORD OF UPLAND, WHERE THE SERVICE WRITER TOLD ME THEY HAD SEEN MANY FOCUSES WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. I ASKED IF THERE HAD BEEN A SERVICE MEMO FROM FORD AND HE SAID NO. NOT WANTING TO RISK THE CAR HAVING A DISABLED IGNITION WHILE AN HOUR FROM HOME, I HAD THE DEALER INSTALL A NEW IGNITION FOR $318. HOWEVER, I TOLD HIM THAT THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME I'D EVER SEEN A PROBLEM WITH AN IGNITION SWITCH ON ANY CAR I'VE OWNED, INCLUDING THE LAST THREE CARS I'VE OWNED, WHICH ALL LASTED OVER 160000 MILES, AND THAT EVEN THOUGH MY CAR HAD A LOT OF MILES, BECAUSE OF MY LONG AVERAGE TRIP, THE NUMBER OF STARTS WAS EQUIVALENT TO A CAR WITH 40000 MILES DRIVEN LOCALLY. I THEN DID AN INTERNET SEARCH AND FOUND LITERALLY DOZENS OF SIMILAR COMPLAINTS, SOME BY PEOPLE WHO HAD HAD MULTIPLE IGNITION REPLACEMENTS. ALSO, IN A PREVIOUS PROBLEM WITH THIS CAR, FORD HAD DENIED THAT THERE WAS ANY PROBLEM WITH THE FUEL PUMP WHEN I INQUIRED ABOUT A PROBLEM WITH THE CAR DYING ON HARD RIGHT TURNS, ONLY TO SEE A RECALL TWO MONTHS LATER, SO MY SUSPICION IS THAT THEY ARE ALSO WELL AWARE OF THIS IGNITION PROBLEM (THE DEALER SAID AS MUCH).*AK