NHTSA Complaint #10258506 — 2000 FORD FOCUS

FAULTY IGNITION SWITCH. THE SAME MAJOR PROBLEM EVERYONE ELSE IS HAVING WITH THE FORD FOCUSES. IGNITION CYLINDER LOCKED UP ON ME WITHOUT WARNING. STOPPED TO GET GAS AND WHEN I WENT TO PUT KEY BACK INTO IGNITION IT WOULDN'T EVEN GO IN AT FIRST. I THOUGH I WAS IN THE WRONG CAR. FINALLY FORCED KEY IN IGNITION. IT TOOK ME A LONG TIME BUT I FORTUNATELY WAS ABLE TO FINALLY JIGGLE IT FREE AND GET ENGINE STARTED. FIRST WARNING SIGN WAS IN 2006 WHEN IT TEMPORARILY GAVE ME A PROBLEM, BUT NOW IT WAS BEING A CONSTANT PROBLEM. I HAD DONE MY RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET AS WELL AND CALLED AROUND TO DIFFERENT LOCKSMITHS. I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE VEH TO A LOCKSMITH AND HAVE A NEW IGNITION CYLINDER REPLACED. THEY DID NOT HAVE TO REPROGRAM THE KEYS AS I SEE FORD IS CHARGING ALL OF THESE PEOPLE BESIDES THEIR RIDICULOUS LABOR ON THEIR DEFECTIVE PARTS, IN WHICH THEY ARE STILL REPLACING DEFECTIVE PARTS. IT COST ME UNDER $100 TO HAVE REPAIRED WITH REASSURANCE THE IGNITION WOULD OUTLAST ANY KEYS THAT I HAVE TO THE VEH. FORD IS PATHETIC FOR NOT ADMITTING THIS DEFECT AND HAVING A RECALL. YES IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE!!!!!! WHEN YOU NEVER KNOW THAT UNSUSPECTING YOUR KEYS LOCK UP AND WON'T TURN THE IGNITION. *TR