NHTSA Complaint #10454929 — 2005 FORD FOCUS

BOTH REAR DOORS ARE STUCK CLOSED AND CANNOT BE OPENED. BROUGHT VEHICLE TO FORD DEALER TO SEE IF THIS REPAIR WAS COVERED UNDER THE WARRANTY FOR DOOR LATCHES. I WAS TOLD THAT THIS VEHICLE WAS NOT COVERED. FORD QUOTED ME A PRICE OF OVER $700 TO REPLACE THE HARDWARE INSIDE OF THE DOOR THAT HAD "OXIDIZED". THE PASSENGER SIDE REAR DOOR STOPPED OPENING A FEW YEARS AGO BUT THIS WAS NOT A MAJOR CONCERN AS I RARELY HAVE PASSENGERS IN THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE. ABOUT A WEEK AGO THE DRIVER'S SIDE REAR DOOR STOPPED FUNCTIONING FOR NO APPARENT REASON. IT IS INTERESTING THAT THE PROBLEM WITH THIS VEHICLE IS ALMOST IDENTICAL TO THE RECALL THAT WAS ISSUED FOR THE DOOR LATCHES, YET IT SEEMS THAT THERE ARE MANY OTHER FORD FOCUSES THAT ARE NOT COVERED UNDER THE WARRANTY BASED ON VIN#. THIS COULD BECOME A SAFETY ISSUE IF THE DOOR WERE TO OPEN WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION OR IF PASSENGERS WERE UNABLE TO EXIT THE VEHICLE IN AN EMERGENCY SITUATION (FOR EXAMPLE, AN ACCIDENT IN WHICH THE FRONT DOORS WERE DAMAGED, THERE WOULD BE NO EXIT FROM VEHICLE IF BOTH REAR DOORS ARE STUCK). I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE NEW IN 2005 AND THE BACK DOORS WERE RARELY USED. *TR