2002 FORD FOCUS Power Trainclutch Assembly Problems

CLUTCH ASSEMBLY HAS A LEAK OF FLUID INTO THE INTERIOR OF THE CAR (DOWN THE CLUTCH ARMATURE TO THE CLUTCH PAD AND TO FLOOR MAT, IF SIGNIFICANT LEAKAGE) WHICH HAS A) CAUSED THE CLUTCH PEDAL PAD TO BECOME SLIPPERY AND FALL OFF DUE TO THE FLUID SEEPING BEHIND THE PAD [AFTER MARKET REPLACEMENTS NOT AVAILABLE DUE TO RELATIVE YOUTH OF CAR, THEREFORE NECESSITATING SERVICE AT DEALER], B) CAUSES THE BRAKE LIGHT TO COME ON SPORADICALLY DUE TO A DROP IN BRAKE FLUID (CLUTCH HYDRAULICS SHARE A RESERVOIR WITH BRAKE SYSTEM), ALTHOUGH NO FINDING OF CORRESPONDING BRAKE TROUBLE CAN BE MADE [PROBLEM TEMPORARILY DISAPPEARS WHEN FLUID LEVEL TOPPED OFF] AND C) CAUSES SPORADIC CLUTCH "SOFTENING" AND DECREASED EFFECTIVENESS. ISSUE HAS BEEN BROUGHT TO THE ATTENTION OF BOTH DEALER AND INDEPENDENT SERVICE PROVIDERS SEVERAL TIMES, BUT NONE CAN FIND A FAULT WITH THE BRAKING SYSTEM AS INDICATED BY THE ERROR LIGHT AND...

FAILING CLUTCH MASTER CYLINDER. THIS IS NOT A PART THAT HAS A RECOMMENDED REPLACEMENT TERM. THIS PART HAS FAILED PRIOR TO THE TUNE UP MILEAGE. IT FAILED LESS THAN 2K MILES OUT OF WARRANTY. *JB

IGNITION WILL NOT TURN. CLUTCH MASTER CYLINDER LEAKS. *JB

45,000 MILE CAR HAS LEAKING CLUTCH MASTER CYLINDER. CLUTCH PEDAL IS WET AND SLIPPERY WITH BRAKE FLUID. I'VE HAD TO ADD BRAKE DUE TO THE LEAK. I'M AFRAID THAT MY BRAKES WILL GO OUT OR THAT MY FOOT WILL SLIP OFF OF THE CLUTCH PEDAL. I STILL HAVN'T HAD IT FIXED YET BECAUSE THE REPLACEMENT PART WILL LIKELY FAIL ALSO. IT'S A COMMON PROBLEM ACCORDING TO THE DEALER I TOOK IT TO FOR AN ESTIMATE. *NM

THE CLUTCH MASTER CYLINDER LEAKS AT A PREMATURE MILEAGE. I ONLY NOTICED IT AT AROUND THE 42K MARK BUT IT HAS HAPPENED FOR AN UNKNOWN AMOUNT LONGER. THE LEAK GOES THROUGH THE CLUTCH PEDAL AND INTO THE INTERIOR OF THE DRIVERS SIDE CABIN. IT GETS ALL OVER THE CARPET AND CAN CAUSE FUTURE DAMAGE TO MY CARPET AND POSSIBLY FLOOR. THE FLUID IS VERY CORROSIVE AND SINCE ITS ON THE SAME SYSTEM AS THE BRAKES IT ALSO AFFECTS MY BRAKES. THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS PROBLEM AND I WAS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY SINCE IT WAS OUT OF WARRANTY EVEN THOUGH THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS PROBLEM THAT SEEMS TO BE HAPPENING TO A LOT OF FORD FOCUS OWNERS OUT THERE. *NM

THE EVENTS LEADING UP TO THE FAILURE WERE DAILY USE. THE CLUTCH MASTER CYLINDER IS LOCATED INSIDE THE VEHICLE. IT IS A VERY COMMON FAILURE FOR IT TO BEGIN LEAKING, DRIPPING ON THE CARPET AND EVENTUALLY CAUSING THE RUBBER PAD ON THE CLUTCH PEDAL TO FALL OFF. THIS IN ITSELF IS DANGEROUS, BUT THE HYDRAULIC CLUTCH UTILIZES THE SAME FLUID RESERVOIR AS THE BRAKE SYSTEM, SO THE BRAKES COULD BE AFFECTED BY A LEAKING CLUTCH. ON MY VEHICLE, I REPLACED THE CLUTCH MASTER CYLINDER MYSELF. WHEN I WAS UNDER THE CAR, I NOTICED A DRIP FROM THE DRAIN HOLE IN THE BELL HOUSING- THE SLAVE CYLINDER IS LEAKING, TOO. THESE ARE NOT "CONSUMABLE" PARTS OF A CAR. THE SIMULTANEOUS FAILURE OF BOTH INDICATES THAT EITHER THEY ARE WOEFULLY UNDER-ENGINEERED, OR THE SEALS THEY USED ARE NOT COMPATIBLE WITH BRAKE FLUID. BECAUSE OF THE CORROSIVE NATURE OF BRAKE FLUID, HAVING IT...

(1) I FIRST NOTICED UNUSUAL STAINS ON THE CARPET UNDERNEATH THE CLUTCH PEDAL DURING DECEMBER, 2004, BUT ASSUMED INITIALLY THAT IT WAS FROM SOMETHING ON MY SHOES. (2) ON 03/21/05, THE CLUTCH PEDAL PAD FELL OFF WHILE THE CAR WAS IN MOTION, DISTRACTING ME, BUT FORTUNATELY DID NOT RESULT IN AN ACCIDENT. (3) ON 03/28/05 I SEARCHED THE NHTS ODI COMPLAINT DATA BASE AND FOUND AN IDENTICAL COMPLAINT, ODI ID NUMBER:10107639, DATE OF FAILURE: 01/20/05. I WILL BE TAKING THE VEHICLE THIS WEEK AND THIS INFORMATION TO THE AUTHORIZED FORD DEALER FOR WARRANTY REPAIR ALTHOUGH THE ORIGINAL PURCHASE WAS ON 01/31/02, BUT I WILL CLAIM THE PROBLEM STARTED IN DECEMBER 2004 WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS STILL IN WARRANTY. *JB

CLUTCH MASTER CYLINDER LEAKS CLUTCH FLUID. FLUID RUNS DOWN STEM OF CLUTCH PEDAL, LOOSENING THE RUBBER PEDAL PAD, WHICH PROCEEDS TO FALL OFF IN CERTAIN SITUATIONS WHILE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION. ALSO CLUTCH MASTER CYLINDER FLUID IS SUPPLIED BY BRAKE MASTER CYLINDER RESERVOIR!!! THIS LEAK CAN POTENTIALLY CAUSE BRAKE FAILURE AS FLUID LEAKS OUT OF BRAKE MASTER CYLINDER. *JB

ON THURSDAY 5/6/04 THE 2002 FORD FOCUS WAS BEING DRIVEN WHEN THE CLUTCH ASSEMBLY BROKE OFF UNDER THE DASH BOARD, DISABLING THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE HAD TO BE COASTED OFF THE ROADWAY, AND TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. THE BROKEN PIN WAS FOUND ON THE FLOOR UNDER THE CLUTCH PEDAL. IT COULD EASILY BE DETERMINED THAT THE PIN BROKE OFF SOME TYPE OF BRACKET. YOU COULD SEE THE WELDING AND WHAT APPEARED TO BE PART OF THE BRACKET. THE PIECE WAS GIVEN TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER WAS ALSO INFORMED NOT TO DISCARD ANY PARTS. THE NEXT DAY WE WERE NOTIFIED THAT THIS WOULD NOT BE COVERED UNDER THE WARRANTY (UNFORTUNATELY THE VEHICLE WAS JUST OVER THE ALLOWED WARRANTY MILEAGE) HOWEVER, I INQUIRED AS TO HOW THIS COULD HAPPEN TO A VEHICLE THAT IS ONLY TWO YEARS OLD UNLESS IT WAS DUE TO SOME MANUFACTURERS DEFECT. THEY SAID THEY COULD NOT...

THE VEHICLES CLUTCH MADE LOUD NOISES WHEN THE GEARS WERE SHIFTED. *NLM

CONSUMER APPLIED BOTH BRAKES AND CLUTCH AT 70 MPH, AND VEHICLE DID NOT SLOW DOWN. THIS HAS HAPPENED 3 TIMES. PEDALS WERE TOO CLOSE TOGETHER.*AK