NHTSA Complaint #10251912 — 2000 FORD FOCUS

DUE TO A FAILURE OF THE POWER LOCK ACTUATORS IN A 2000 FORD FOCUS SE (S/W), THE PASSENGER DOOR AND THE REAR PASSENGER DOOR HAVE JAMMED DOOR LOCKS. THE DOORS CAN NOT BE OPENED ANY LONGER BY KEY, BY INSIDE DOOR OPENING HANDLE OR BY THE REMOTE FOB. THE CONSEQUENCES ARE THAT THE ONLY EGRESS FROM THE PARTICULAR CAR IS VIA THE 2 DRIVER SIDE DOORS, MAKING HALF OF THE CAR UNUSABLE. PASSENGERS WHO SHOULD ENTER VIA THE FUNCTIONING DOORS OF THE VEHICLE INTO THE SIDE OF THE VEHICLE WITH THE JAMMED DOORS DO NOT HAVE AN ESCAPE ROUTE IN CASE OF ACCIDENTS THAT INVOLVE THE FUNCTIONING SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THIS IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION FOR ANY DRIVER OR PASSENGER. AN INTERNET SEARCH FOR "FOCUS JAMMED DOOR" OR "FOCUS JAMMED DOOR LOCK" RETURNS NUMEROUS INSTANCES OF THE SAME PROBLEM, OCCURRING ON ALL FORD FOCUS DOORS INCLUDING TRUNK/HATCH. DRIVERS ENTER THEIR VEHICLES THROUGH THE PASSENGER SIDE OR EVEN THROUGH THE TRUNK BECAUSE SOME DOOR LOCKS ARE JAMMED DUE TO FAILED POWER LOCK ACTUATORS, WITH ALL SAFETY-RELATED HAZARDS AND CONSEQUENCES. THE JAMMING CAN OCCUR AT ANY TIME; THERE IS NO WAY TO PREDICT IT AND TO TAKE PREVENTIVE MEASURES. A REPAIR IS EXORBITANTLY EXPENSIVE DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE DOORS CANNOT BE OPENED BY KEY OR DOOR OPENING HANDLE TO GAIN ACCESS TO AND REPLACE THE POWER DOOR ACTUATOR THAT IS THE CAUSE OF THE JAMMING. FORD IS NEITHER WILLING TO ACKNOWLEDGE THIS WIDESPREAD PROBLEM NOR PARTICIPATE IN THE COST OF REPAIRS, THUS FORCING PEOPLE TO TAKE UNACCEPTABLE SAFETY RISKS. BECAUSE OF THE SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD THAT THE JAMMED DOORS PRESENT AND THE UNPREDICTABILITY OF AN OCCURRENCE OF THE PROBLEM, A SAFETY RECALL ACTION SHOULD BE INITIATED BY THE NHTSA TO FORCE FORD TO MAKE REPAIRS FREE OF CHARGE. *TR