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
I have a 2003 ford focus and the ignition fails intermittently causing the car not to start. The key will not turn. This is not safe i have a two year old child and in an emergency i may not be able to drive or we may get stranded. Ford refuses to help. There is no recall to my knowledge at this time. This is a known problem and ford will not acknowledge the issue. *jb
ODI 10166663
Ignition
2003 ford focus (which is driven by teenager- female) ignition lock failure. Basically when it fails you are stuck (can not start vehicle)! At the moment vehicle sits in the driveway. $400.00 price tag to fix a problem - that ford is very much aware of. I am not sure i want my teenage daughter driving a vehicle that may get her stranded somewhere unsafe! *nm
ODI 10164251
Ignition
Ignition locked and is impossible to start. Sometimes the ignition locks for hours and sometimes days. It is absolutely ridiculous! This is a family car and it's unreliable! *nm
ODI 10163240
Alternator/Generator/Regulator · Automatic Transmission · Ignition · Manifold/Header/Muffler/Tail Pipe · Rotor
Several parts failures, including alternator, brakes, muffler,transmission, and ignition lock cylinder
ODI 10163124
Ignition
The ignition key would not turn in any direction once inserted in the keylock, this leaving me on the parking lot for hours to wait for a tow-truck. The car has only 40k miles on it. The dealership wants to charge me $200 to replace the lock cylinder. That happened a few times in the past, but this time it was for real i guess. *jb
ODI 10162383
Ignition
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford focus. Approximately two minutes after parking the vehicle, the contact was unable to turn the key to start the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and they stated that the ignition cylinder needed to be replaced. The dealer made the replacement. There have not been any other failures. The current mileage was 55,000 and failure mileage was 37,000.
ODI 10197925
Ignition
Drove the car to the grocery store. After shopping, i entered the car & placed the key into the ignition. The key would not turn, the key cylinder was frozen. It will have to be towed to the repair shop. The mechanic said this is a very common problem with the ford focus, apparently caused by weak and rapidly deteriorating key cylinder components. Last week alone, the mechanic replaced 3 of them. I went home and…
ODI 10161305
Ignition
I have a 2003 ford focus, which has had several problems with components. As a manual transmission, the car has had several instances where the gears would not enter properly, even while fully engaging the clutch. Then on 6/27/06, the ignition refused to move--wouldn't turn or anything. I had to hitch a ride to work from a co-worker, who went out of their way for me, then call winner ford (dover, de) to find out if…
ODI 10160887
Ignition
Ignition tumblers lock up and key will not turn. Vehicle must be towed. The part is dealer only and expensive to fix. This is second time this has happened to me in 6 months. After research i have found this is widespread problem, and ford denies that there is any problem. *jb
ODI 10159283
Ignition
Dad*: the contact stated while attempting to start the vehicle the key would not turn in the ignition. An independent mechanic maneuvered the key until the vehicle started; it was then driven to the dealer for inspection. The ignition lock cylinder was replaced. The manufacturer has not been alerted. Updated 06/23/06. *jb
ODI 10159278
Engine · Frontal · Hatchback/Liftgate · Ignition · Interior Lighting
Dt*: the contact stated while stopped at a red light both frontal airbags deployed without warning causing the vehicle to rear end the vehicle in front. A police report was filed at the scene and seat belts were in use; no injuries were sustained. The vehicle was towed to an independent repair shop. The mechanic was unable to duplicate the problem. The dealership was alerted. On a separate occasion, the hatch back…
Crash reported
ODI 10158796
Ignition
On more than one occasion my ignition has locked up. I have been unable to start my car had to have it towed. The lights do not come on but the radio works. I took key out of ignition then came back could not start car, had several people try. Have been advised by person who works at dealership of this problem with ford focus car and also same info provided by tow truck driver. I am now without vehicle because not…
ODI 10156957
Column · Ignition
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford focus. The contact stated that the key has a tendency to stick inside the ignition when starting the vehicle. This prevents the ignition from turning. An authorized ford dealer recommended that she take a hammer and gently tap the key when inserted into the ignition in an attempt to lodge it out. The contact heeded the advice and the remedy worked temporarily. After a few weeks, the…
ODI 10213400
Ignition
The ignition to my 2003 ford focus would not turn when the key was inserted. Was towed to dealership (family ford in netcong, nj) and they said not under warranty or is a recall and charged me $514. After this i searched on internet and see several class action lawsuits and many forums describing the same problem. I also saw statements on the forums that ford is overcharging and should go to a locksmith to get it…
ODI 10155901
Ignition · Lock · Steering
I am the owner of a 2003 ford focus and i have several issues. In the last year i have experienced problems with the ignition locking and as well as the steering wheel, i contacted the dealer carey paul ford in decatur, ga and was told that i had to pay for repairs, which i did, after being stranded with my son. This cost me 260.00, i am a single mother and cannot afford to spend money on problems that the…
ODI 10155441
Equipment · Ignition
On 4/12/06, the ignition in my 2003 ford focus jammed and was unable to start i was stuck i called the tow service who had me try different ways to start my car however it didn't work. When the driver arrived he hit the key 4-5 times then it unjammed and started up after he turned the car off he had to hit the key again to start the car when we arrived at the dealer in antelope valley, ca the service req informed me…
ODI 10155237
Ignition
Dt*: the contact stated the ignition intermittently failed to turn when the key was inserted. The ignition sometimes engaged when the key was jiggled, but eventually the ignition completely locked and would not turn. The dealership determined the tumblers were bad and the ignition needed new tumblers.
ODI 10154802
Ignition
I have an 03 focus with just over 40k mileage, and not even 3 years old yet, just out of warranty. This morning i tried to start the car and the key cylinder tumbler was mechanically frozen and the car would not start. I had the car towed to the dealership, paying $55.50. The dealership told me they would have to drill out the key cylinder and replace the whole unit since the tumblers froze. The dealership also…
ODI 10152961
Ignition
Ignition locking up. Key will not turn or steering unlock. This is second time i have had to replace it. Its a 2003 ford focus sedan. It has over 60k miles so no warranty. The entire ignition has to be replaced. The car has to be towed in. The side bar in the ignition fails locking it up. It will leave you stranded with no warning. *jb
ODI 10152822
Ignition
My 2003 ford focus with 38,700 miles on it recently needed to have the ignition cylinder replaced as it was corroded. I do not drive me car "hard" and follow the maintenance guide exactly. I looked online to see if other focus owners have similar problems and found dozens of unofficial complaints by other owners that their ignitions needed to be replaced when their cars had very low mileage as well. On top of this,…
ODI 10152041
Ignition
Dt*: the contact stated when attempting to start to the engine, the ignition locked. The vehicle could not be started and a lock smith was called. The lock smith removed the old ignition and replaced it with a new one and the vehicle starts normally.
ODI 10151430
Ignition
My wife's ford focus has its ignition stuck. A few months back it got stuck but i was able to get it unstuck and start the car. Since then the ignition hasn't seemed right. It is always a hassle getting the key to turn. My wife was trying to leave work one day and the key wouldn't turn. I went to help and the key never did turn. I now have to replace the tumblers inside the ignition. It seems that there are a lot of…
ODI 10151314
Ignition · Windshield
Dt*: the contact stated the ignition locked up and the vehicle was taken to the dealership. The ignition tumbler was replaced. The ignition locked up again, and the dealership determined the key needed to be replaced because they would not work with the new ignition tumbler. Also, the windshield has been replaced three times. The windshield cracked when hit by an object on the highway and overnight, with the source…
ODI 10150412
Ignition · Unknown Or Other
I own a 2003 ford focus zx3 (std) with 49000 miles. The week of ~2/1/06 to 2/8/06 i began noticing that the key in the ignition was getting stuck and would require some jiggling before the key would turn in the ignition. This happened about 5-10 ten times throughout the week. On 2/8/06 i went out to my parked car and the key would not turn. I tried putting the car in/out of gear, turning the steering wheel sharply,…
ODI 10151823
Ignition
1) i have a 2003 ford focus with an ignition lock problem. The key will not turn. I understand that there are many complaints on this issue and definitely feel it is a safety concern. *nm 2) stuck out in the cold in unsafe neighborhoods. 3) must replace the cylinder at a cost of approximately $300
ODI 10149232
Catalog parts for this system
Catalog year/make/model rows for 2003 Ford Focus.
Catalog fitment does not by itself prove OEM-equivalent compatibility.