NHTSA Complaint #10129264 — 2001 FORD FOCUS

TWO NIGHTS AGO, AT A PARKING GARAGE IN A LOCAL MALL, WHEN TRYING TO LEAVE, I WAS UNABLE TO START MY CAR. I COULD INSERT THE KEY IN THE IGNITION, BUT IT WOULD NOT MOVE. IT WAS AS IF THE STEERING WHEEL WAS LOCKED UP. I ALSO NOTICED THAT MY KEY WAS WORN DOWN A BIT, SO I FIGURED MAYBE THE KEY WAS NOT "CLICKING" PROPERLY WITH THE IGNITION. I HAD MY CAR TOWED TO MY APARTMENT BUILDING AND ATTEMPTED TO USE MY SPARE KEY TO SEE IF THE KEY MADE A DIFFERENCE. IT DID NOT. THE NEXT DAY I HAD MY CAR TOWED TO THE LOCAL FORD DELEARSHIP. I WAS TOLD THAT THE IGNITION CYCLINDER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AND MY KEYS NEEDED TO BE RECODED. I WAS ALSO TOLD THAT MY WARRANTY DIDN'T COVER ANY OF THIS. SO I PAID $650 TO HAVE THIS WORK DONE. ADDITIONALLY, I WAS TOLD THAT TWO RECALLS NEEDED TO BE ADDRESSED AT NO COST TO ME. BOTH WERE ADDRESSED, HOWEVER, THEY CHARGED ME $36.08 FOR "MECHANICAL LABOR." I SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN CHARGED FOR ANY WORK DONE ON RECALLS. THIS EVENING I LOGGED ONTO A WEBSITE CALLED "AUTOMOTIVETALK.NET." I WAS AMAZED AT THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO HAD THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM. SOME OF THE POSTINGS DATED BACK TO 2003. I DON'T SEE HOW A PROBLEM LIKE THIS IS CONSIDERED NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR, OR WHY THE OWNER (ME) WOULD HAVE TO BEAR THE BRUNT OF THESE OUTRAGEOUS SERVICE CHARGES.