NHTSA Complaint #10199703 — 2000 FORD FOCUS

2000 FORD FOCUS-AIR INTAKE MANIFOLD (FAILURE). SYMPTOMS, ROUGH IDLE, STALLING, CAUSES COMPUTER CONTROL SYSTEM TO MAKE ENGINE RUN LEAN FURTHERING THE PROBLEM. ON THE LOWER SIDE OF THE AIR INTAKE MANIFOLD IS WHAT APPEARS TO BE AN AIR INTAKE CONTROL VALVE. THE MATERIAL DISINTEGRATES OVER TIME WHICH ALLOWS EXCESSIVE AIR INTO THE AIR INTAKE MANIFOLD, CAUSING THE OXYGEN SENSOR TO DETECT TO MUCH OXYGEN AND SENDING THE COMPUTER A SIGNAL TO INCREASE THE AMOUNT OF FUEL. THE ENGINE SPEED AT IDLE DECREASES TO AROUND 500 RPM AND STALLS. AT HIGHER SPEEDS, THE ENGINE RUNS ROUGH AND HAS SUBSTANTIAL LACK OF POWER AND MISFIRING. DEALER EXAMINED VEHICLE AND TRIED TO DEFRAUD ME BY ENCOURAGING ME TO REPLACE NUMEROUS ITEMS AT THE SAME TIME. INSPECTION COST WAS EXCESSIVE, SO I TOOK THE VEHICLE HOME AND RAISED THE HOOD TO INVESTIGATE FURTHER. AN AIR SUCKING SOUND WAS HEARD AND IT WAS DISCOVERED THIS AIR STOP OR VALVE HAD DISINTEGRATED. THE WAY IT WAS DISCOVERED WAS BY FOLLOWING THE SOUND TO THE PART AND TOUCHING IT TO CONFIRM A VACUUM INTO THE ENGINE. WHEN TOUCHED THE PART DISINTEGRATED INTO MY HAND. I PROCEEDED TO TEMPORARILY SEAL THE LEAK WITH DUCT TAPE AND THE IDLE INCREASED TO NORMAL SPEED AND THE VEHICLE QUIT STALLING. THEREAFTER, I WENT TO MY LOCAL KRAGEN AUTO SUPPLY AND PICKED UP A RUBBER HOSE CAP ABOUT 3/8 INCH DIAMETER INTERNALLY. THEN I TOOK THE DUCT TAPE OFF AND FORCED THE RUBBER HOSE CAP OVER THE AIR VALVE WHICH SEALED THE LEAK. SINCE THEN I HAVE NOT HAD ANY PROBLEM. THE DEALER RECOMMENDATIONS WOULD HAVE COST ME AROUND $1,000.00 IN REPAIRS. THE ACTUAL REPAIR COST ME AROUND 0.35 CENTS. FORDS ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT PART SHOULD BE ON RECALL BECAUSE IT SHOULD NOT DISINTEGRATE. I CAN UNDERSTAND WEAR AND TEAR AND MECHANICAL FAILURE, HOWEVER I CAN NOT AND WILL NOT ACCEPT PRODUCT DISINTEGRATION AS ACCEPTABLE IN CURRENT AUTOMOBILE TECHNOLOGY, AND NEITHER SHOULD OUR GOVERNMENTS NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION AND SAFETY ADMINISTRATION. *JB