2007 FORD FOCUS Electrical System Problems

I OWN A 2007 FORD FOCUS WITH 45K MILES ON IT. AROUND 42K MILES I BEGIN TO EXPERIENCE PROBLEMS WITH MY CAR WHEN I NEED TO ACCELERATE QUICKLY SUCH AS MERGING ONTO AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY. THE CAR WOULD BEGIN TO ACCELERATE BUT ONCE IT REACHED 3RD GEAR THE CAR WOULD JERK AND START REVVING VERY LOUD BUT BE STUCK AND WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. INITIALLY IT WAS OCCASIONAL AND WOULD NOT BE VERY BAD TO OVERCOME, SIMPLY RELEASE THE GAS PEDAL FOR A WHILE THEN IT'D FIX ITSELF. BUT IT HAS GOTTEN PROGRESSIVELY WORSE TO THE POINT WHERE I CANNOT GET THE CAR OVER 30 MPH DUE TO THIS ISSUE NO MATTER HOW SLOWLY OR FAST I ACCELERATE. THE CAR WILL REV VERY LOUD USUALLY AT 3K+ RPM, BUT WILL NOT ACCELERATE. I HAVE TO PULL OFF THE ROAD WHENEVER I CAN; TURN THE CAR OFF AND TRY AGAIN. IT TURNS...

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 FORD FOCUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START THEREFORE HE REPLACED THE BATTERY. ON A SEPARATE OCCASION WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, THE RADIO, AIR CONDITIONING AND ALL OF THE INSTRUMENT PANEL GAUGES FAILED. THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO TAKE THE VEHICLE INTO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS BUT WHILE DRIVING, THE FAILURE RECURRED AS THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INSPECTED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER ADVISED THE CONTACT TO HAVE THE DEALER DIAGNOSE THE VEHICLE. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE APPROXIMATELY 29,000.

STEP-DAUGHTERS TOOK A LOAN FOR THE LOW MILEAGE ECONOMY CAR TO COMMUTE TO COLLEGE AND PART-TIME JOB. STARTING HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE BATTERY. REPLACED IT. WIFE TRIED TO TAKE IT TO THE MARKET AT DUSK WHILE HER DAUGHTER WAS AWAY JUST TO KEEP THE CAR FROM SITTING. FOUR MILES DOWN THE TWO LANE THE ELECTRICS STARTED FAILING. CAR DIED AND WOULD NOT CRANK. SHE WAS ABLE TO COAST PART WAY ONTO A SIDE ROAD. AS IT GOT DARK SHE SAT AND WAITED EXPOSED TO TRAFFIC ON A 50 MPH ROAD WITH NO SHOULDERS ON A CURVE. LUCKILY SHE WAS OUT OF THE CELL PHONE DEAD SPOT. I BLOCKED THE SIDE ROAD WITH MY TRUCK SO I COULD HOOK UP CABLES. STARTED CAR. CHECKED WITH METER. ONLY BATTERY VOLTAGE. SAT FOR 15 MINUTES WITH CABLES CONNECTED TO CHARGE UP THE BATTERY. SENT WIFE HOME IN THE DARK RUNNING FLASHERS AND HOPED...

THE ALTERNATOR AND BATTERY ON MY 2007 FORD FOCUS SE THAT HAS 27,783 MILES ARE DEAD. I TAKE THE CAR TO THE DEALER FOR REGULARLY SCHEDULED MAINTAINED ON TIME. BROUGHT THE CAR IN TODAY FOR OIL CHANGE AND 30,000 MILE REQUIRED INSPECTION AND MAINTAINED. I DROVE THE CAR ABOUT 40 MILES ROUND-TRIP AND STOPPED AT THE LIBRARY. I TRIED STARTING THE CAR AND IT WOULD NOT TURN ON. ALL THAT HAPPENED WAS THE OIL LIGHT WENT ON BUT THE CAR MADE NO SOUNDS AND ENGINE WAS NOT EVEN TRYING TO TURN OVER. HAD CAR TOWED BACK TO DEALER AND AFTER AN HOUR WAS TOLD THAT THE ALTERNATOR AND BATTERY WERE BOTH DEAD. THERE WAS NO WARNING THAT THIS COULD OCCUR FORM THE DEALER AND THE CAR ACTED PERFECTLY FINE. THE ONLY REASON I KNEW ANYTHING WAS WRONG WAS BECAUSE THE CAR WOULDN'T START. THE NIGHT MANAGER AT THE FORD DEALER...

ABOUT 4 DAYS BEFORE THE INCIDENT, I NOTICED MY BATTERY LIGHT FLICKERING, I WASN'T TOO WORRIED ABOUT IT BECAUSE IT WOULD NOT STAY ON, I THOUGHT IT WAS PROBABLY THE BATTERY AND I WOULD REPLACE IT THE FOLLOWING WEEK, WELL IT DID NOT LAST A WEEK! THE REASON I WOULD CLASSIFY THIS AS A SAFETY PROBLEM IS: BECAUSE OF THE ALTERNATOR FAILING AND NOT CHARGING THE BATTERY, MY 2007 FORD FOCUS JUST STALLED ON A FREEWAY GOING THROUGH CLEVELAND OHIO. NOT ONLY DID I LOSE ENGINE POWER, EVERY THING ELECTRICAL SHUT DOWN TURN SIGNALS, BRAKE LIGHTS, HORN, ETC. TRYING TO NAVIGATE ACROSS 3 OR 4 LANES OF TRAFFIC IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION, AND DEPENDING ON LOCATION OF THIS TYPE OF FAILURE OR IF IT HAPPENED AT NIGHT OR EARLY MORNING HOURS A DIFFERENT KIND OF DANGEROUS SITUATION COULD OCCUR! I HAD TO BE TOWED TO FORD DEALERSHIP ON A SATURDAY,...

BATTERY LIGHT GOES OFF AND ON. THEN RADIO GOES OUT, WITH LOW BATTERY READING ACROSS THE RADIO. THEN LIGHTS START TO DIM. ALL METERS STOP WORKING ON THE DASH AND THEN THE CAR JERKS WHILE DRIVING AND DIES AS IT WAS PULLED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. REPLACED BATTERY ASSUMING SINCE THIS WAS THE DASH WARNING. AS SOON AS I PULL OFF WITH THE NEW BATTERY, THE BATTERY LIGHT GOES ON AND OFF AGAIN. HAD TO GET CAR TOWED AND AFTER DIAGNOSTIC TESTING IT SHOWS THE ALTERNATOR IS BAD. READ MANY REVIEWS OF THE SAME THING HAPPENING. THE CAR IS ONLY 3 YEARS OLD, BUT OVER THE WARRANTY AS FAR AS MILEAGE IS CONCERNED. HAD PREVIOUS CARS WITH MANY MORE MILES THAN THE FOCUS HAS WITH 56000 AND HAD NO PROBLEMS WITH THE ALTERNATOR. *TR

THERE APPEARS TO BE A PROBLEM WITH THE ALTERNATOR ON THE 2007 FORD FOCUS. SEARCHING ONLINE, I HAVE FOUND NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS REGARDING THE ALTERNATOR FAILING ON THIS VEHICLE, CAUSING A FAILURE OF THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM (LIGHTS, TURN SIGNALS, BRAKE LIGHTS, SPEEDOMETER, ETC.), OFTEN WHILE DRIVING. THIS HAPPENED TO ME LAST NIGHT WHILE I WAS DRIVING. FIRST, MY BATTERY LIGHT CAME ON, THEN MY ABS WARNING LIGHT, THEN MY BRAKE WARNING LIGHT, AND THEN THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM DIED. *TR

AT APPROXIMATELY 3:30 P.M. ON MARCH 13, 2010 I DROVE MY 2007 FORD FOCUS INTO MY DRIVEWAY, PARKED, TURNED THE ENGINE OFF, AND ATTEMPTED TO TAKE THE KEYS FROM THE IGNITION. THEY WOULD NOT COME OUT SO I TRIED SEVERAL DIFFERENT METHODS (I.E., RESTARTING THE CAR, PLACING THE CAR'S GEAR SHIFT IN VARIOUS POSITIONS, RE-PARKING THE CAR) TO REMOVE THEM BUT NONE OF THESE WORKED. I CALLED FORD CUSTOMER SERVICE AT 1 (800) 392-3673 BUT THEY COULD NOT HELP ME. *TR

WHILE DRIVING AROUND DOWN TOWN LOS ANGELES THE 2007 FORD FOCUS THE RIGHT FRONT TIRE WENT FLAT THEN THE ENGINE STALLED. WHEN I ATTEMPTED TO RESTART SMOKE WAS COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD. WHEN WE GOT OUT OF THE CAR FLAMES WERE COMING FROM THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS AREA. 911 WAS CALLED AND THE FIRE DEPARTMENT CAME AND PUT OUT THE FIRE. THE INSURANCE COMPANY IS GOING TO APPRAISE THE DAMAGE ON WEDNESDAY 3-3-2010. BUT I AM PRETTY SURE THAT IS A TOTAL LOSS. *TR

2007 FORD FOCUS WAGON WITH ALL THE WIRES (ABOUT 10 OF THEM) IN THE BODY TO LIFTGATE WIRING HARNESS CRACKED OR BROKEN. FOUND DUE TO BRAKE LAMP FUSE BLOWING REPEATEDLY, CAUSING LOSS OF ALL BRAKE LIGHTS AND A/T SHIFT LEVER INTERLOCK OPERATION. IT MIGHT HAVE GONE UNNOTICED IF IT WASN'T FOR THE INTERLOCK NOT WORKING. CAR IS OFF WARRANTY SO FORD WILL NOT FIX UNLESS I PAY FOR IT. THIS IS A DEFINITE SAFETY ITEM IN MY OPINION. I WILL REPLACE THE WIRES MYSELF AS I AM AN AIRCRAFT ELECTRICIAN. I WILL USE A BETTER QUALITY WIRE TOO. THE STUFF FORD USES IS NOT MEANT TO MOVE AND FLEX REPEATEDLY. WIRING SHOULD LAST THE LIFE OF A CAR. *TR

2007 FORD FOCUS, 40K MILES: EVENTS LEADING UP TO THE FAILURE: WITHIN MINUTES OF A TEXT MESSAGE FLASHED ACROSS MY RADIO MONITOR, "LOW BATTERY", ALL GAUGES (GAS, SPEED, ENGINE TEMP) FELL TO 0. THIS HAPPENED WHILE TRAVELING AT THE SPEED LIMIT (70MPH) ON INTERSTATE 75 NORTH OF SARASOTA, FLORIDA. REDUCING SPEED TO EXIT INTERSTATE ENGINE SEIZED AND BOLTED. SINGULAR FAILURE. ALTERNATOR REPLACED AND NEW BATTERY PURCHASED. OLD PART OF NEW CAR PURCHASE IN MARCH, 2008; LEFT WITH REPAIR SHOP. *TR

WHILE DRIVING CAR, LOST POWER, EVENTUALLY LOST ALL POWER. NO INDICATION PRESENT (RED BATT INDICATOR NEVER CAME ON) FORD SERVICE MANAGER SAYS THIS IS NORMAL FOR FORD CARS OF ALL MAKES, TRUCKS SEEM TO WORK BETTER. CAUSE WAS ALTERNATOR PUTTING OUT 0 CHARGE TO BATTERY. ALSO, FORD SERVICE MANAGER REVEALED ALTERNATORS ARE EXPECTED TO LAST ONLY 3-5 YEARS, DUE TO HEAT BUILD UP AND NO COOLING PROVISION FOR ALTERNATOR. THIS IS AN UNSATISFACTORY SAFETY ISSUE ON BOTH COUNTS. FORD SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO MAKE BATTERY WARNING WORK RELIABLY IN ALL CARS, AND PROVISION/DESIGN CHANGE TO ENABLE ALTERNATORS TO COOL THEMSELVES AND LAST TO NORMAL EOL (5 YRS/100K MILES). LOSS OF POWER UNEXPECTEDLY RISKS PASSENGER AND DRIVERS SAFETY AS I HAD NO EXTERNAL INDICATORS, BLINKERS OR BRAKE LIGHTS AVAILABLE AT 60 MPH ON HIGHWAY. *TR

2007 FORD FOCUS LOSES ALL POWER, LIGHTS, SIGNALS, SPEEDOMETER ETC, WHILE DRIVING. MAKE IT TO DEALERSHIP AT GREAT RISK WITH NO BRAKE LIGHTS, TURN SIGNALS ETC. TOLD ALTERNATOR IS BAD, DEALER TO REPLACE UNDER EXTENDED WARRANTY. FORD HAS A REALLY BAD DESIGN ISSUE HERE, AS IT ALSO HAPPENED WITH MY 2003 FOCUS, BUT WAS MISDIAGNOSED AND THAT CAR IS NOW UNABLE TO RUN MORE THAN A COUPLE MONTHS WITHOUT REPLACEMENT.*TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 FORD FOCUS. THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE HAS 40,000 MILES AND THE ALTERNATOR HAS FAILED. THE VEHICLE HAS SHUT OFF ON FOUR OCCASIONS AND CONTINUOUSLY FAILED TO HOLD A CHARGE. THE DEALER INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE REPAIR COST WILL NOT BE PAID PER THE WARRANTY SINCE IT EXPIRED AT 36,000 MILES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 40,000.

KEY STUCK IN FORD FOCUS 2007. THIS APPEARS TO BE A CONSISTENT ISSUE CAUSED BY AN INFERIOR DESIGN AND METAL SELECTION MADE BY FORD. COMPLAINTS FOR OTHER MODEL YEARS IS CONSISTENT AND FORD REFUSES TO CORRECT PROBLEM. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 FORD FOCUS. WHEN THE CONTACT RELEASES THE THROTTLE, THE VEHICLE CONTINUOUSLY TAKES A LONG TIME TO RETURN TO IDLE. WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, HE DOES NOT HAVE FULL CONTROL OF THE THROTTLE. WHEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL IS RELEASED, THE VEHICLE PULLS BEFORE IT DECELERATES. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE THROTTLE RESPONSE IS HORRIBLE. THE CONSEQUENCE OF THE FAILURE COULD CAUSE A CRASH DUE TO THE SLOW RESPONSE TIME WHEN BRAKING. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN TAKEN TO THE DEALER FIVE TIMES FOR THIS FAILURE, BUT WAS ONLY SERVICED ONCE. THE AIR CONTROL VALVE WAS REPLACED AND REPROGRAMMED HOWEVER, AFTER 25 MINUTES, THE THROTTLE FAILURE RECURRED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 10,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS LESS THAN 100. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER ON THE SEVERAL OCCASIONS TO HAVE THE ECU EITHER UPDATED OR REPROGRAMMED. UPDATED 06/16/08

INTREIOR LIGHTING OUT. ELECTRICAL PROBLEM ,NEW PART ORDERED. *AK