2001 Ford Focus Electrical System Problems
- 85
- Owner complaint records in our dataset
Records are owner complaints, not a measured failure rate.
Owner complaint recordsComplaint records reflect reports in our dataset and do not measure how frequently the problem occurs across all vehicles.
Among these 85 stored complaint records:
- 0 indicate a crash
- 0 indicate injury
- 7 indicate fire
What owners report
- engine light · 10 records
- check engine · 6 records
- ignition cylinder · 6 records
- door locks · 6 records
- electrical system · 6 records
- instrument panel · 5 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 100–150k mi | 21 |
| 60–100k mi | 17 |
| 1–30k mi | 10 |
| 30–60k mi | 8 |
| 150–400k mi | 5 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Electrical System
Interior dashboard lights went out, also noticed extrior rear lights went out. Replaced fuses, blew new fuses immediately so some sort of short in the electrics. Wiring on hatch lid appears to be frayed. We have found a recall for this for the 2000 version of this car but not the 2001.
ODI 10380899
Electrical System · Steering
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…
ODI 10395620
Electrical System · Latches/Locks/Linkages
Ford focus 2001. Ignition locks up requiring new tumbler. Key won't turn in the ignition. The car won't start nor can you get it in neutral to push it off the road. It is a known defect but not remedied by ford. *tr
ODI 10370729
Electrical System · Latches/Locks/Linkages
My 17 year old daughters' 2001 ford focus had her stranded after work august 13 when she put her key in the ignition, but it wouldn't turn. We called aaa, and they couldn't 'fix' it, so we had it towed to the nearest ford dealer only to be told the repair will cost between $450.00 and 1000.00!!! I'm a single mom and my daughters' still in high school for gosh sake. I thought this vehicle would be a safe and…
ODI 10349506
Electrical System · Instrument Cluster/Panel
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 ford focus. While driving approximately 70 mph, the contact noticed the entire instrument panel and other gauges failed to function properly. The speedometer and fuel gauge also would not display an accurate reading. Immediately the vehicle was maneuvered to the side of the road and the engine was turned off. Upon restarting the vehicle it began to function for a brief period and the…
ODI 10445625
Electrical · Electrical System · Tires
My cars battery was not working, as told by a triple a mechanic. I took my car to the repair shop to get it replaced and they said that the battery was working fine, the alternator was bad. They said the car wouldn't go out of the shop if it wasn't fixed. So i paid them $416 to get the alternator fixed. After i got the car back within a day, it stopped working again. The same problem and the car would not start,…
ODI 10342339
Electrical System
Tl*the contact owns a 2001 ford focus. The contact stated that the key would not turn when she tried to turn on the ignition. The contact called roadside assistance who 'slammed' the key into the ignition to start the vehicle; the key had to be 'slammed' everytime to start the vehicle. The vehicle had not been taken to an authorized dealership at the time of the complaint. The vin was not available. The current and…
ODI 10325473
Electrical System
Key will not come out of ignition of my 2001 ford focus. The key will turn the car on, but will not come back out of the ignition. I fear that at some point the key will not turn the engine over, leaving me stranded during winter weather. At this point i cannot get it fixed due to the high cost of having it replaced. I have found numerous complaints about this same problem, which tells me ford has a faulty…
ODI 10300060
Electrical System
I own a 2001 ford focus. Up until now, i have had no issues with my vehicle. I currently woke up today 1-15-10 and was unable to turn my key in my car. My car was in park and i had tried moving the steering wheel while turning key but still did not turn. I later searched on the internet and found results instantly on the ford focus defect for 2000-2003 models about the key being unable to turn. My car currently only…
ODI 10299910
Electrical System
The ignition on our 2001 ford focus has locked up and will not turn at all. *tr
ODI 10289734
Electrical System
Issue: keys stuck in the ignition. Vehicle: 2001 ford focus se failure occurs intermittently, car will start if you jiggle the keys however keys remain in the ignition. I have tried moving the tilt steering, attempted to remove the key in every gear, ensured that the car was in park by parking on a hill with the wheels straight, nothing will allow me to remove the key. This is a safety issue as you could be stranded…
ODI 10288639
Electrical System
The ignition in my 2001 ford focus needs to be replaced again. I first had it replaced in sept of 2004 with only 36000 miles on it. Now with 93,000 miles it will have to be replaced again. *tr
ODI 10284404
Electrical System
We have a 2001 ford focus se. My brother stopped to put in gas. When he returned to the vehicle, the key would not turn in the ignition(car wouldn't start). He had to call a tow truck and get the car towed home. He than had ford dealership pick up the vehicle to inspect. The ignition locked up, needs a new key cylinder...charge for the tow $80. Charge for the fix $1451.84. *tr
ODI 10279604
Electrical System
I was driving normally on a [redacted] and pushed in my clutch to coast up to the stop light that was about to turn green again, when my car just died unexpectedly. My clutch was still in so i started my car back up and kept driving, but this is about the 10th time that this has happened to me this month, and my car should not be randomly dying while i am driving, thus far there have been no consequences, however it…
ODI 10278791
Electrical System
1. I own a 2001 ford focus. 2. The ignition locked. There was no indication that anything was going wrong. As a result, i could not go to work, as i work an hour away. 3. Ford is not willing to extend a "goodwill repair or warranty" on my behalf, and so i will have to pay to replace the ignition. Research has proven that in some cases, the replacement will result in the same problem. Also, this is a frequent problem…
ODI 10267389
Electrical System · Electronic Stability Control
Battery positive terminal corrosion on my 2001 ford focus have replaced battery twice and alternator once because of no start, dead battery and alternator. Battery cable shows battery corrosion. *tr
ODI 10258944
Automatic Transmission · Electrical System · Engine And Engine Cooling · Equipment · Frame And Members · Horn
Ignition sticks and moves around, horn fell completely out from under the car and hit someone's car, the fan box and all fell completely off and down, backfiring stalling rattling vibrates front right side around tire area rattles horribly, check eng. Light stays on mass air flow sensor is bad transmission sensor is bad lighter stopped working car completely goes dead spits sputters, manifold pipe broke so now its…
ODI 10297006
Electrical System · Fuel System, Other
While driving my 2001 ford focus back in november of 2008', i experienced the engine stalling while driving on the freeway. The headlights started to flicker along with the dashlights going haywire. I then drove the vehicle home and had it towed to my auto repair facility. They found nothing wrong and could not do what i described to them. Approx. 1 week later it did the same thing again, this time the check engine…
ODI 10257248
Electrical System · Fuel System, Other · Latches/Locks/Linkages
My daughter was driving on the freeway when her car just died, while driving. It started up again immediately, but it has happened several times in the last month. I went online to view recalls, and it stated that 2001 ford focus had a recall on this issue. I also found 2 other items that are happening to this vehicle that were also recalls. I made an appointment with the dealer to have these recalls fixed, but when…
ODI 10247661
Cables · Electrical System
To best describe what is happening your website has a campaign for my complaint here: http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/defect/results.cfm?action_number=ea02014&searchtype=quicksearch&summary=true the nhtsa campaign id number is 02v288000. My wife drives a 2001 ford focus se. The battery cables and battery are going through extreme corrosion that requires me to clean the connections at least once every 2…
ODI 10246924
Electrical System
2001 ford focus caught on fire under the hood, it started near battery, car is a total loss. *tr
Fire reported
ODI 10243630
Electrical System · Equipment · Latches/Locks/Linkages · Rear · Service Brakes, Hydraulic · Tires
I will start with the fact the car is on it's fourth battery. It has had the wiring harness replaced along with every sensor in the car some twice. There was a steering column recall done on it. The two back windows tracks have been broke a total of six times. The door handles brake three so far. The stereo is broke for the second time. I have had to do the brakes twice so far and all this and the car only has…
ODI 10239556
Electrical System
The wiring in my 2001 ford focus zx3 that connects the rear hatch to the front of the car deteriorates significantly. The wiring on my car has stripped through the insulation, and has broken 4 of the 8 wires completely in half. This disables the center brake light, the license plate lights, the windshield wiper, and the trunk lid causing a potentially hazardous situation. *tr
ODI 10229676
Electrical System
The ignition in my 2001 ford focus won't turn, leaving me stranded. This is the 3rd time this has happened, each one leaving me stranded in different parts of the state. *tr
ODI 10228296
Electrical System · Engine And Engine Cooling · Fuel System, Other
I bought this car in jul07. In dec07 started having problems with car surging/jolting while driving on highway (55-65 mph) then car would just stall, completely die. Engine light would come on, no power steering no lights. I would manage to get it over to the side of the road narrowly avoiding accident and car would not start. After sat for about 10 mins it would start. It would drive ok for about 10-20 miles and…
ODI 10222629
Catalog parts for this system
Catalog year/make/model rows for 2001 Ford Focus.
Catalog fitment does not by itself prove OEM-equivalent compatibility.