2005 Ford FOCUS - Ratings, Complaints and Recalls

"tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford focus. the contact stated that the master key failed to function properly when attempting to lock and unlock the vehicle. as a result, the contact constantly had to use the key fob. also, during inclement weather below 30 degrees, the vehicle was extremely hesitant. the contact had to wait for a moment to ensure that the vehicle would start and not shut off. the contact also heard an abnormal noise coming from the engine area. the vehicle was inspected by an independent mechanic, but the cause of the failures was unknown. schicker ford (3300 s kings highway, st. louis, missouri 63139, (314) 664-4100) was contacted, but did not diagnose the vehicle. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failures. the vin and failure mileage were not available."

"tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford focus. the contact stated that when starting the vehicle, the instrument panel failed to function. the contact then replaced a fuse for the instrument panel however, the failure recurred after 24 hours. the dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was unknown."

"throughout my ownership of 2005 ford focus wagon ses zxw, i have had periodic issues with the rear hatch unlatching on its own. i will unlatch while driving on the highway. sometimes it will unlatch when depressing the brake pedal. although it will unlatch upon the start of a trip at slow speeds as well, it has mostly occurred on the highway. i have owned the vehicle since 2007. the problem would occur periodically 3-7 times every 1-1.5 years since the 2008-2009. the problem definitely occurs under a damp and morning dew condition. it's like an electrical short has occurred i my vehicle. the latch stopped working in 2009 via the push button in the dash and even with my remote key. i checked the fuse panel ... and it was not blown. this condition mostly occurs while the vehicle is in motion."

"on many occasions the rear hatch (zxw wagon) has opened on its own. i've always assumed i must not have closed it properly as it also has not latched on many occasions when closing it. sometimes it can take several attempts, closing it firmly. one the most recent occassion of the hatch opening while driving our dog was in the car bag cargo area, so you can imagine my anger at the latch. another issue has been the licence plate lights not illuminating the plate at night, which has resulted in a stop by an officer. yesterday, may 18th 2017, the battery light illuminated for about 2 minutes on my drive home, then went off. when i got home i put a meter on the battery while the engine was running and got 12.04-12.7 volts. while searching youtube for some how-to alternator videos i stumbled across a video that spoke of the wiring in the hatch area. i removed the boot and sure enough, half of the wires had damaged jackets and a few were exposed. i've made temporary repairs and as now the voltage reads 14.5 or more with the engine running. also, the license plate lights are working again. this repair is surely going to be temporary at best as i simply do not have the funds for a repair facility to do the work and i have limited resources. i could not sell the car with clear conscience without disclosing my discovery which surely means most people arent going to want it. i would like to know if there was any recall for this, considering it could have the potential to cause many malfunctions in the vehicle's safety as well the safety of passengers, cargo and other drivers on the roadway. this latch popping issue has happened in pretty much every condition.....my driveway, in my neighborhood, the highway etc."

"takata recall car randomly shuts off but radio is still on at stop light. i put it on nuetral and it starts back up no problem."

"tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford focus. the contact stated that the ignition key was locked within the ignition switch. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 100,000."

"was driving on the highway and broke down. car towed to garage and alternator replaced along with the battery. the car ran fine for about 1 week where after turning the car off it wouldn't start again. again had it towed to the garage and the battery needed to be changed. a week later the car did it again and again the battery was replaced. i took the card to my ford dealership and had an electrical check done and the electrical test came back that the battery that was just put it was low and the alternator had tested fine. changed the battery again..yup you guessed it...it died again. changed the battery again and the car has now been running for 2 weeks now. called ford's home office and filed a complaint not that it will do anything. *tr"

"car started normally. dashboard lights came on as usual. lights went out in sequence as usual. normal driving started with no abnormal dashboard display. moments later all dashboard light started flashing off and on eratically. there was no effect on driving that could be discerned. all the car handling features seemed normal. as driving continued some or all of the dash lights would come on and off eratically. the only light that stayed on when the rest went out was the engine symbol light. the fuel gauge also indicated no-fuel eratically. *tr"

"i've had this 05 ford focus for less than a year and had several problems, all resolved but this one. i was taking my 4 year old and autistic 13 year old step children to the park last monday and my car started going haywire. it would lose and gain power in intervals and all of the dash cluster stopped working. the car lost power and died on the side of the road with no cars in sight. ended up having to walk almost 3 miles with them before we finally saw someone nice enough to give us a ride. since then the car has drained and ruined 3 batteries and two alternators. my dash lights are now staying on with no key in the ignition and batteries keep getting drained. there's also a chirp i'm assuming something to do with the security system or the wiring harness on the alternator or dash. i have not been able to get the car out of park for 6 days and it is/was my only mode of transportation for these two children. i'm finding it very difficult to get things done with such an unreliable car. this problem is still not resolved. *tr"

"driving on route 209 approximately 40 miles an hour. i noticed white smoke coming through the dash. immediately pulled the car over, put the car in park, removed the key, and got out of the car. with no key in the ignition the starter began turning over. i didn't have any tools to unhook the battery. the starter turned over for about a minute, then the windshield wipers, headlights, and horn all began activating. i immediately called my mechanic for emergency roadside assistance. after about 4 minutes of the wipers head lights and horn all activating with no key in the ignition, someone stopped and had some tools unhook the battery.mechanic showed up about five minutes later, had the car towed to his shop, and began searching for the problem. after removing the dash panels he says that the headlight switch cost a shortwhich melted all the wires togetherunder the dash and going back to the tail lights.he says it is due to the small wires that ford uses and they're harnesses and the way they twist them together so they will fit into the small plastic tube under the dash. i haven't been able to find a recall to attach this problem too. however i really think ford should be responsible for these damages. i'm considering this car a total loss. *tr"