LS Focus fault register

[64ORD]

Hey guys I'm new to this forum, was searching on Google for info on a fault in our Focus Zetec and stumbled upon this thread.

2006 Focus Zetec - first rego Feb 2007

Purchased: New from, serviced and warranty claims made so far at Bryan Byrt Ford in Capalaba Brisbane.

Mileage: 14550Km

Items repaired under warranty so far:

1. Drivers door fit not 100% from new. Door was refitted at 3000km peace of mind service.

2. Water leak from right rear quater window. Window replaced.

3. Water leak in hatch area drivers side - after 6 months trying to rectify, leak was finally found in a body seam under right rear tail light. A New Shop Forman with some experience started working there and traced the leak in an hour. Seems to be sorted out now.

Problems at hand:

The car is just coming up to 15K and there is a clicking noise coming from the drive train when you release the clutch to move forward or backwards. This started a while ago but is getting worse. Car still drives fine with no vibrations. Sounds like a CV joint?

Also what sounds like the clutch release bearing rattling. This stops when you press the clutch pedal in.

The car is due for its 15K service and I will be raising these issues with the service dept. Any suggestions or info on similar experiences would be much appreciated.

Cheers Johnny

[scooby]

Month/Year Build: Feb 2007
Spec Level: LX
Km's at time of fault: 4,600
Symptoms: Rough idle, 'rattle' from engine at idle, increase in fuel consumption. Rear hatch water leak in heavy rain is back (spent 15 days in panel shop last year for same problem). 'Clicking' sound on acceleration/decelaration. Noisy LH front suspension. Numerous minor fit and finish issues.
Fault: Strong smell of Lemons all around car.
Comments: Guess I better sell it before the warranty expires

[braddo]

2007 black sapphire focus ,smooth pack,safety pack.... problem...wife drives it

[RJO89]

Month/year build: 12/08
Spec Level: LT CL
KMs at time of fault: 5500

Symptoms: Clicking over from what seems to be the rear wheel arches. Sounds like a grinding, very loud in the cabin. Doesn't occur when accelerating or decelerating. Only when I''m cruising at constant speed. The sound is dependent on the speed on the vehicle, that being if the car moves faster, the sound happens more often, slower and less often, but a lot louder.

Fault: I have a feeling it might be a warped brake rotor. You guys have any ideas? It's really got me nervous. Going to the dealer tomorrow to get it looked at.

Fixed? Not yet
Comments: HELP!!!!

[RJO89]

Month/year build: 12/08
Spec Level: LT CL
KMs at time of fault: 5500

Symptoms: Clicking over from what seems to be the rear wheel arches. Sounds like a grinding, very loud in the cabin. Doesn't occur when accelerating or decelerating. Only when I''m cruising at constant speed. The sound is dependent on the speed on the vehicle, that being if the car moves faster, the sound happens more often, slower and less often, but a lot louder.

Fault: Turned out that the wheel nuts on the front passenger wheel were loose. two of them were actually finger tight, and when the guy there tried to turn them, they came off really easily. Feel like an idiot :

Fixed? Yes By: Etheridge Ford in Ringwood
Comments:

[ptwhite2003]

Originally Posted by edgecrusher89

Month/year build: 12/08

Fault: Turned out that the wheel nuts on the front passenger wheel were loose. two of them were actually finger tight, and when the guy there tried to turn them, they came off really easily. Feel like an idiot :

1. Where do you get a 12/08 build Focus? That's ahead of its time!
2. Nearly did the same thing yesterday on my car. Only remembered a while later that I had forgotten to go back and tighten the wheel nuts after replacing a wheel. Could have been a disaster.

Cheers

[RJO89]

lol My bad. 12/07 :O
Yeah it could have been terrible. I can just imagine driving along one day and the front wheel falls off

[20focus05]

this is a un update about a posting I put up here some time ago. it was about noise coming from the front wheel and ford fixed it with loctite on the driveshaft.

Well I did a trans in a 440 volvo recently at work and guess what the drive shafts had been loctited into the wheel hub what a pain in the A to remove them!!

Some of the other guys have seen the same on some other cars

[foccer]

Zetec Hatch Manual - July 07 build.
Bought new.

The inside door handle on one of the rear doors came away the first time it was used. Dealer said it was a pin, would let me know when the part came in. Never heard back, eventually followed it up and got it done.

Discoloration of all the interior rubber trims around the doors (look navy now instead of black because they're all cloudy). Ford have offered to replace them, but according to someone that works there it's hit and miss and the next set could do exactly the same thing, so why bother?

Excessive creaking and groaning upon encountering any driveways and uneven surfaces.

One front tire has developed noticeably uneven wear, despite me not having touched the pressures and having only been serviced at the dealer.

Pinging on anything other than 98 RON, despite the fact that the car is promoted as running on standard unleaded.

One door was unevenly painted and didn't match the others, and they had repainted promptly which was good. Still, annoying in a brand new car.

I've suspected a fuel pump problem since I first got it. Occasionally I would hear a slight squeaking sound upon acceleration, like a wet brake pad on a bicycle.

Now for the past two months it's been making a sound outside the vehicle like a squeaky alternator belt or something from the front right corner of the car. After having had it back twice, apparently the 'coolant percentage' was too low when it came out of the factory. Let's hope for Ford's sake that the build quality improves when they start making them in Australia.

Uneven surging under acceleration when cold. Just started it after two days and it started shaking and sounded like it was running on only three cyclinders. Back to the dealer ...

Getting very, very tired of taking it back for all and sundry issues. I had hoped that the money I was saving over competitors when I first purchased it wouldn't be chewed up in time sorting out issues, which is looking like the case.

It's a shame because it's a snappy looking car and when it's running properly it's great. I feel very ungrateful because I know I'm fortunate to even have a new car, but at times it's just so annoying.

Thought I'd share for those considering buying one. In retrospect, I should've paid more and bought a more reliable brand.

That being said, there's plenty of people in the forums who haven't had a drama and love their car.

[RJO89]

That's extremely unfortunate that you've had so many problems. There have been people on here that have had problems but it looks like you got a one in a million build. I've got the same problem with the rubber seals around the doors. Not really a big issue though. Never really look at them too closely.
You should check the pressure on the wearing tyre now just to make sure that it isn't runnning lower than all the other ones.
The pinging has been a big issue with these cars. They need to be run on at least 95 RON and there are some that get away with it, but other that need 98 before they stop pinging. Unfortunately by the looks of things it's a real hit and miss with that issue. One thing you could do is retard the ignition timing. It is an extremely simple mod and other people here have done it and commented on how it prevents pinging. The link for the tutorial is here - http://fordforums.com.au/showthread....gnition+timing

Hope that helps, and again, I'm sorry to hear about all those problems...

[Conquest_Tsi]

yeah the uneven tire wear is a problem, all tyres at even pressure, suggest rotating your tyres every 10 k or so.
Have just moved my uneven wear front tyres to the rear in hopes of quieting them down to no avail.

[scooby]

LX 2007
5'000 km's on the clock
Took my Focus back to Ford last week to have another (5th) attempt to fix the ever present leaking hatch problem and get the clicks and clunks checked out. I rang them today to inquire on the progress and whereabouts of my vehicle. Was told the gearbox has been removed and they are still waiting on parts to arrive.
Me ; " and so will that fix the clicking noise ?"
Ford ; "and what clinking sound would that be ?"
.....................sigh...............

[Colesboy]

Hi Guys,
Thanks for the info relating to problems with the LS series Focuses - I nearly bought an second hand one until I read this thread. Has anyone heard of any problems with the LT series? I just picked up my new Zetec Hatch in Tonic from the dealer today and I want to know what i'm in for.

[scooby]

Good luck to you. Worst P.O.S I ever wasted my money on.

[Harryin Ford]

I drive my LT zetec for 3 weeks, so far so good. I didn't find any problems mentioned above: print looks ok, no leakage so far etc. I think ford fixed some of the LS problems? :

[20focus05]

scooby jump up and down and demand a new one.
ford have probably had it longer than you!!!! lol

[RJO89]

I've got an LT and haven't had any problems (that weren't self-imposed )

[scooby]

Originally Posted by 20focus05

scooby jump up and down and demand a new one.
ford have probably had it longer than you!!!! lol

Yeah right,no chance of a new one....... In the past year Ford have had my car over 50 days (lost count of the exact amount), and it's still there. They can't get the part. i was told that the part i need hasn't even been manufactured yet (yes you read correctly) . It will be made in a few weeks from now, so in the meantime my focus sits in pieces in the corner. : :

[BrisVegas]

I'm finally taking mine in to get the rubbing/squeaking noise that comes from the right rear brake/suspension area looked at. Sounds like it's either suspension flexing or brake disc rubbing against the caliper. I notice it when i move away from a hillstart when I've used the handbrake or if i go over a speedbump slowly. I also notice it when making slow, sharp turns out of driveways etc...

Has anyone else had this problem and/or gotten it resolved?? Is there something I should specifically ask them to look for?

(Other than that the car has been great. 35,000kms in 18 months and nothing else of interest to report. I run it on 91 RON quite a bit unless I can score the 95RON on cheap Tuesdays etc and rarely notice in pinging).

[want-a-XY]

i've never had any major problems with starting, but a few times my focus hasn't started on the first turn. so instead i turn the ignition "on" for a few seconds until the whooshing sound stops and the instruments come up off their holds to the exact "0" position and haven't had any trouble starting ever since. basically like in a diesel where you let the plugs glow for a few seconds, only my focus is petrol and i'm letting the coils warm and the petrol pump prime? anythoughts?

[scooby]

2007 LX
5,500km's
Got the car back last week after having clutch bearing replaced and something in the gearbox replaced. 3 days later, started making a weird noise when accelerating, so back to the dealer. Turned out to be a bearing in the cv joint needs replacing..man, never ending story...
Anyway, that car has gone,sold,history, replaced by a brand new LT Zetec. and I gotta say, what a difference! This one feels like quality, not like it was put together by monkeys as was the last one. I have been over it with a fine tooth comb and so far can't find anything wrong with it. It drives heaps better and has better fuel consumption, even with the tight new engine.
I was starting to feel a bit foolish for getting another Focus after the problems I've had, and all my friends are bagging me out, but so far I am glad I did.
Bye Bye Lemon, good riddance. Too bad I lost so much money.

[BrisVegas]

I took my LS Zetec in to Denmac Ford Darra tonight to try and resolve the squeaking rear brakes/suspension, but of course with all the rain around everything was nicely lubricated and silent!

Round out there was a recall notice to do with rear brake hoses rubbing against the inner guard for the Focus. Mine had almost rubbed clean through the hose, so it was very fortunate that I came in when I did. Mine's got 36,000kms on it and has been a joy otherwise!

[Turbodiesel]

Originally Posted by BrisVegas

I'm finally taking mine in to get the rubbing/squeaking noise that comes from the right rear brake/suspension area looked at. Sounds like it's either suspension flexing or brake disc rubbing against the caliper. I notice it when i move away from a hillstart when I've used the handbrake or if i go over a speedbump slowly. I also notice it when making slow, sharp turns out of driveways etc...

Has anyone else had this problem and/or gotten it resolved?? Is there something I should specifically ask them to look for?

(Other than that the car has been great. 35,000kms in 18 months and nothing else of interest to report. I run it on 91 RON quite a bit unless I can score the 95RON on cheap Tuesdays etc and rarely notice in pinging).

I'm getting noise from the rear suspension as well, when travelling around 40-60km/h I get intermittent knocks and groans when cornering or going over bumps. Is that what yours sounded like?

[want-a-XY]

i only get a sound like that when going over speedbumps slowly also. i think i might check out what BrisVegas found. going to do it now lol

[AnthonyTDCi]

im getting a slight humming noise when my engine is just under 2000rpms in any gear....but it goes away after a few more revs.

[Focused Zetec]

Faults as follows:

Broken throttle body x 2 (approx 30,000km's / 50,000 km's)
Broken clutch spring (~45,000km's)
Loose trim passenger side rear door (1,500km's)
Rotors worn at 40,000km's of highway driving. Seemed very low in comparison to my old camry's.
Door locks cycling between unlocked and locked randomly (can't be identified by 2 x dealers)

[scooby]

Here's all the faults I had with my 2007 LX Focus. I owned it for one year and drove 5,000 km's.
Water leak in hatch- to panel beaters 5 times for repairs
Plastic trim on rear doors fell off, twice
Water pump replaced
Clutch thruster bearing replaced
Gear box dismantled and shaft(?) replaced
Rear interior pillar plastic trim fell off & replaced
Ceiling lining collapsed
CV joint bearing replaced
Rattle inside dash, not fixed
Carpet not fitted properly, not fixed
Rough patches in paint, not fixed
Rough idle, fuel economy never better than 12.7lt/100km
I think that's all....

[BrisVegas]

Originally Posted by want-a-XY

i only get a sound like that when going over speedbumps slowly also. i think i might check out what BrisVegas found. going to do it now lol

I haven't noticed it since I took it in to Ford last week. Mind you, it's been raining since then, so everything is nicely lubricated. It could well have been the brake hose rubbing against the inner guard, which would explain why it seemed to happen under suspension movement/flex...

[Turbodiesel]

Originally Posted by BrisVegas

I haven't noticed it since I took it in to Ford last week. Mind you, it's been raining since then, so everything is nicely lubricated. It could well have been the brake hose rubbing against the inner guard, which would explain why it seemed to happen under suspension movement/flex...

I had a bit of a poke around the wheel well yesterday, I could see the brake hoses but they weren't close enough to anything to be rubbing. It sounds more metallic to me, kind of like when you try and move with the handbrake on.

Getting a service on Saturday so I'll let them know and see what happens..

[mudwaa]

problems that need attending

crazing in paintwork in two places
sounds like thrust bearing rattling
clunking in rear suspension ( sounds like the back end is about to fall out)
rattle in passenger side window
starting to sqeal (slightly) that could be water pump

will update after service