NHTSA Complaint #10395620 — 2001 FORD FOCUS

THE EVENTS LEADING UP WERE INTERMITTENTLY SPACED THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING SINCE I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE FROM A PRIVATE OWNER IN 2004. WHEN I WOULD PUT THE KEY IN THE IGNITION THE WHEEL WOULD NOT TURN AND FEEL LOCKED I WOULD SIT FOR 10-20 MINUTES AND WORK ON IT BY PUSHING THE KEY IN HARD AND TURNING THE WHEEL AS HARD IT WOULD COME LOOSE AND THE IGNITION WOULD TURN. THIS IMPACTED MY LIFE AS A NUISANCE. RECENTLY IN DEC OF 2010 THE OCCURRENCES BECAME MORE FREQUENT TWO TO FOUR TIMES A WEEK CONSTANTLY BEING STRANDED UNTIL I COULD GET THE IGNITION AND WHEEL TO TURN. HAPPENING FREQUENTLY WHILE AT THE STORE, WORK OR SOMEWHERE AWAY FROM HOME AND AGAIN CAUSING A GREAT NUISANCE AND FRUSTRATION AS IT HAS MADE ME LATE FOR WORK SEVERAL TIMES, ALLOWED ME TO BE VULNERABLE IN SITUATIONS THAT COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED WITH PROPER RECALL. THEN AROUND DEC 20TH 2010 THE IGNITION STOPPED WORKING. I WAS AT WORK LEAVING FOR THE DAY AND I SAT THERE FOR OVER AN HOUR, NOT KNOWING ANY OF THIS WAS A NORMAL RECURRENCE WITH OTHER FORD FOCUS OWNERS. AFTER WORKING ON THIS MYSELF I HAD TO CONTACT MY SPOUSE TO COME AND TRY AND HE WAS UNSUCCESSFUL AS WELL. I HAVE KEPT UP THE MAINTENANCE ON MY FOCUS AND IT IS IN VERY GOOD CONDITION FOR THE YEAR. CURRENTLY IT HAS NOT BEEN FIXED ONLY TOWED TO MY HOME RESIDENCE. THE COST IS SO HIGH FOR THE IGNITION REPLACED I HAVE BEEN GIVEN ESTIMATES OF $500 PLUS EXTRA FOR TOWING. THIS COST COMES AFTER MONTHS PREVIOUS I HAD REPLACED THE RADIATOR TANK AT A $400 COST. THIS CAR SEEMS TO HAVE SOME OF THE HIGHEST AMOUNT OF RECALLS AND SERVICE BULLETINS AND I DO NOT UNDERSTAND HOW THE MAIN POWER TO THE CAR, THE IGNITION, IS NOT SEEN AS A HAZARD TO THE PUBLIC WHO PURCHASED THESE VEHICLES. *TR