2003 Ford Focus Ignition Problems
- 263
- 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 263 stored complaint records:
- 1 indicate a crash
- 0 indicate injury
- 0 indicate fire
What owners report
- turn ignition · 50 records
- ignition turn · 21 records
- steering wheel · 17 records
- ignition switch · 16 records
- common problem · 15 records
- ignition cylinder · 10 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 30–60k mi | 92 |
| 60–100k mi | 66 |
| 100–150k mi | 27 |
| 1–30k mi | 19 |
| 150–400k mi | 2 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Ignition · Latches/Locks/Linkages
The ignition switch (that is, where the key goes to start the car) would not turn. I was stuck and had to have the car towed. There had been no warning, that is, the key was never hard to turn, i never had to jiggle the steering column, or anything liked that. I just parked the car in front of a store, and five mints later, went out and found out they key would not turn. (i could remove and re-insert the key, it…
ODI 10319862
Ignition
Ford focus 2003 ignition problem. Key will not turn in ignition. Have been told no longer covered under warranty. Ignition must be replaced at a cost of over $450.00. *tr
ODI 10298824
Ignition
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford focus. The contact attempted to start the vehicle and observed that the key would not turn inside of the ignition and suddenly, the steering wheel locked. A local mechanic stated that the ignition lock needed to be replaced. There were no prior warnings. The current and failure mileages were 55,000. Updated 1/11/09 *cn the ignition lock had to be replaced because the key or the…
ODI 10294253
Equipment · Ignition
I have a 2003 ford focus se. The key will not turn when you put it into the ignition. *tr
ODI 10347789
Ignition
THE IGNITION CYLINDER WILL NOT TURN. *TR
ODI 10293382
Ignition · Latches/Locks/Linkages
I own a 2003 ford focus zts that has 140,000 miles. I know my vehicle is out of warranty. The ignition has been giving me problems that scare me from time to time that i may get stranded. You put the key in, go to turn the key to start and the ignition acts locked. You try again and again but still nothing. This has left me trying to turn my ignition for up to 10 minutes so far. This started about 2 months ago, once…
ODI 10291609
Ignition
My 2003 ford focus zts left me (a female) stranded last night for two hours at night while waiting for a friend to give me a ride home because when i came out of the store my key would not turn in the ignition. I tried a number of things for two hours and finally had to leave it at the store overnight. I tried again this morning, but same thing, key would not turn at all no matter what i did! This morning i went on…
ODI 10291629
Ignition
My 2003 ford focus stranded me on 11/1/2009 because the key would not turn in the ignition. This is a known issue with this car for years 200 - 2003 and ford has done nothing about it. It cost me $300 to get the lock changed out in order to drive the car. This should have been recalled as it is very dangerous to strand owners like this. *tr
ODI 10291119
Ignition
2003 ford focus ignition wont turn resulting is a stranding situation, possibly in dangerous areas. *tr
ODI 10290428
Ignition
Upon leaving work last night, i put my key into the ignition and it would not turn. 4 people tried to turn the key, still without success. I tried to wiggle to steering wheel, the gear shift and lock and unlock the car before trying again. Finally, my car had to be towed. The towing man stated that this is the most common complaint on all the ford focuses he tows, as do many websites i have recently located.…
ODI 10290201
Ignition
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford focus. The contact was attempting to exit the vehicle and the key would not release from the ignition. The contact also noticed that the gears would not shift into reverse. The vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealer and there were no prior warnings. The current and failure mileages were 75867.
ODI 10294249
Ignition
2003 ford focus ignition will not unlock with the key. I have had multiple problems with this. The first time was approx on the date listed below. After about 30 mins of jimmying the key in the ignition it finally unlocked. It has happened several more times since then and with about the same amount of time messing with it i was able to get it unlocked. Today, though, it locked up again and no matter what i do it…
ODI 10294452
Ignition
Ignition locks and i am unable to turn the key to start my ford focus 2003. I was left stranded with my sixth mo. Old son while running errands at a gas station. I had to have my vehicle towed and had to have the ignition replaced for $290.00 in addition to towing fees. This is the first time it has occurred, but was informed that this is an ongoing problem with the ford focus and was warned by the tech that…
ODI 10286927
Ignition
On tuesday my car operated normally. Wednesday morning i went to leave for work and my key would not turn. Fortunately i was at home, however i could have been stuck somewhere. I could have had an emergency and not been able to use my car. I had to have it towed to a dealership, miss 3 days of work and am out $510. *tr
ODI 10286811
Ignition
I have been driving this car for almost 2 years with no ignition problem. I drove to work, and ran a few work related errands throughout the day. As i was preparing to leave work for the day i put my key into the ignition and it felt as if it were completely locked. More than 3 people tried to turn the key and offered different ideas as to what the problem was. Triple a was called out and he explained this is a…
ODI 10286314
Ignition · Latches/Locks/Linkages
We drove our 2003 ford focus to the grocery store. Upon returning to the car, the key would not turn in the ignition and stranded my wife, 4 year old and 6 month old children and myself wondering what we could do. *tr
ODI 10285245
Ignition
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford focus. Whenever the contact attempted to start the vehicle, the contact noticed that the ignition and steering wheel suddenly locked and could not be moved once the key was turned to the lock position. The key also could not be removed from the ignition. The dealer stated that the ignition needed to be replaced. The current and failure mileages were 60000.
ODI 10299864
Ignition
With no warning, the key will not turn in the ignition. This happened immediately after i purchased the car, and it's happening again five years later. *tr
ODI 10285004
Ignition
Key won't turn in ignition of 2003 ford focus. This happens fairly often, but after several tries the key will usually work. Now the key won't work at all. Had to leave the car behind. *tr
ODI 10284970
Ignition
Ford focus key/ignition problem. The key won't turn in the ignition. After doing some research on this problem i found that this is a common problem for the years 2000 - 2003. Also found information that the oem parts used to fix this problem have the same defect. Luckily my daughter was in the parking lot at her apartment. But this could have happened anywhere, i.e. Highway, road, isolated area, etc... Bottom line…
ODI 10284486
Ignition · Steering
I own a 2003 ford focus. I just hit 70k miles yesterday, and starting today my ignition is completely locked up. My car is in park, the tires are not turned, etc. I went back in the house to try and find a solution and upon searching i found site after site, complaint after complaint about 2000-2003 ford focus' locking up like this after 70k miles, and that it costs $500 to fix. My car is no longer under warranty.…
ODI 10281695
Ignition
I bought a 2003 ford focus from an auto dealer in august, 2009. I am having constant problems with the ignition cylinder - the key keeps getting stuck in it. I was told by the ford dealership here that they would charge $450 to have it repaired. Researching this online, i've found that it is a common problem with the 2003-2004 ford focus cars! Please consider a recall for the defect. *tr
ODI 10290129
Ignition · Steering
I have a ford focus 2003 in which the ignition key will not turn and everytime i need to start the car i have to rock the steering wheel real hard right to left. One occasion the car locked up on me while back but fortunately i was able to stop it as i was moving very slow. This ignition problem is a very real safety issue and steps need to be taken to make ford fix the problem before someone gets killed. You only…
ODI 10280942
Ignition · Steering
The key won't turn in the ignition and i was stranded at a walmart parking lot. *tr
ODI 10279760
Ignition
The ford focus 2003 problem, the key won't turn in the ignition, or the key gets stuck in the ignition. *tr
ODI 10279633
Catalog parts for this system
Catalog year/make/model rows for 2003 Ford Focus.
Catalog fitment does not by itself prove OEM-equivalent compatibility.