Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accessories, trailer hitches and other equipment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2000 Ford Focus owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
From date of purchase, cdplayer/radio would work/not work, same with main inside light. Front passenger fllorboard filled with water regularly. On date in question car was driven approx 15 miles and parked. While parking, car stalled. Car restarted and was able to be parked. 15-20 minutes after parking, lot attendent noticed smoke from under hood. Lot supervisor checked and flames shot out from under car and hood. Fire dept was called and put out fire, but fire had spread quickly and consumed engine. Fire marshall said fire was electrical in nature. Car is unsalvagable and I had only owned it 5 1/2 months.
The key would no longer turn in the ignition, leaving me and my baby niece stranded far away from home. We parked the vehicle and when we returned, we found ourselves stranded, because the ignition lock could no longer be operated. Apparently this is a known problem with Ford Focus locks!
I have a 2000 Ford Focus that I have had allot of problems with. I specially ordered this car to have all the safety features including side impact air bags, and anti loc brakes. We originally had bought the car in ca. The first problem happened at 3000 miles the rear brakes started squealing, and the seat belt buzzer wont go off. We took it to Ford were they said nothing was wrong. We moved to nc were we now live. Took it back to Ford with the same complaint this now 30,000 miles. They said they were defective, they had the car over night for the seat belt buzzer, still no problem found. So they replaced the brakes. When we picked up the car the seat belt buzzer did the job of staying on for us. It stopped the squeal problem with the brakes. 1 1/2 weeks later we had an accident. Whitch I might add the air bags did not go off. …
Hi, I own a 2000 Ford Focus and it has been nothing but trouble. I purchased the car brand new in 2000 and have had it in the shop so many times. I have had my rear passenger side window mechanism replaced by Ford, then personally replaced the driver front window mechanism and the driver back mechanism due to cable breaks. I have had it in with the radio 3 times and it still does not work correctly. I have had to have the brakes replaced, the ignition block replaced, the struts and shocks. The trunk release has never worked. Now it keeps breaking down on me if I drive for more than 1 hour non stop. This weekend I went to san antonio from corpus, it died on the highway 3 times going to sa and coming home 4 times & how safe is that! Ford said they cannot do anything for me unless it is messing up when I bring it in while it is acting up, however it always happens when I am away from town. …
Fatality vehicle fire, dec. 8 2004. My husband is the original owner of a 2000 Ford Focus, subject to numerous service visits to bill brown Ford, livonia mi for: ignition, steering column, wheel bearing, brake, rear window control, seat belt &trunk latches, overhead light and engine light. The vacuum line & fuel pump & valve assembly were replaced 2/03, followed by stalling. In 6/03, A/C compressor & manifold line replaced. Fuel line & pump failure in 8/03, resulted in gasoline spill on residential street minutes after parking. Bogging followed repairs, PCM reprogrammed & leaking pvc tube replaced 1/04. Fuel pump again replaced. In 8/04, our 24 year old son took ownership of this problematic car. We are uncertain as to whether vehicle malfunction caused a 35 MPH collision with a fire hydrant. An immediate engine explosion and fuel fed fire trapped my son and his passenger. …
While driving my 2000 Ford Focus, I came to a four way stop and the car ceased to work, as if I had turned off the key...no sputtering, just stopped. I restarted the vehicle and it lurched forward, died again, just as before. As I looked out the front windshield, I observed smoke coming from the hood of the car. I exited the car and flames were coming from the wheel wells. I immediately called 911. People began spraying water on the car from garden hoses, two people stopped with fire extinguishers and nothing put out the flames. When the fire department arrived, within 10 minutes, the entire front of the car was destroyed. Pieces in the engine compartment were melting and falling off the engine onto the ground. Police arrived to direct traffic. The car was towed to wendle Ford, and my insurance company removed the vehicle to their premises the next day. …
Started experiencing problems with the vehicle after purchase. Suddenly in August, all power systems/computer type items began to fail -- power locks, trunk release. Then, car began (and still does) to sputter and shake when stopped/idle until it would shutdown. Also, the radio/cd player would shut off. Checked for tsbs for the vehicle model & year and found at least 15. When I took the car to the dealer (world Ford sandy springs) we were told that they are technical service bulletins and that we would have to pay to have the car repaired. Only official Ford recall notices, not even ntsa recall notices, would be honored. On top of this, we would be expected to pay $90 per complaint batch (the TSB list was batched in to 3 main areas)for diagnostic purposes and if any of the complaints were related to a recall, the $90 would be refunded as applicable. …
The brakes have been looked at three time because of noise and it's been serviced several times. It's in service right now and has been there for two weeks. I don't know if they are working on it or if they are repairing other things or what. I haven't had heat throughout the coldest part of the winter. The seat belts don't work and the paint is peeling. The car has locked up not letting me start the engine twice, then just out of the blue it decided to start. I tried to turn in and the car dealer at Ford said he wouldn't touch it, didn't want it. We bought it aug. 9 2000-Ford credit, simple interest 6.5 --first payment September $456.99 a month they say we owe too much to trade in ???this made no since. Now I know what's been going on. My husband has been out to sea usnavy for almost a year and I'm scared to drive it I'm a nervous wreck about this car and I don't know what to do. …
There is no event leading up to failure that was recognizable. When you put key in the ignition, it seizes and will not turn to start the car. This has happened to me twice now!! In a year and a half. The first time it occurred was 6-27-03 and I had it fixed. The tumbler and ignition switch had to be replaced. I thought it May be a one off--I had bought the car used from the dealership. However, this has now occured again 1-25-05 and I will now have to pay again for something that should never have happened once--nevermind twice! I called Ford and they were very uninterested and said there was no recall--but I bet there are other with this problem. It mean is takes 2 weeks to order the parts and fix so it is a hugh inconvenience because I have a small child and am pregnant again. …
Extreme amount of problems and recalls, vehicle has low mileage. In addition to listed problems, severe rear tire cupping at 7000 miles, May be attributed to loose rear wheel bearing. Power steering pressure hose leaking, A/C still not fixed correctly cold lasted for about a month drivers door lock wont lock interm. Rear trunk latch wont release from inside car. Fuel gauge erratic, caused driver to run out of gas on a bridge. Maf sensor failure, caused driver to be limited to 15 MPH on freeway till next exit. Vheicles radio stuck on with key removed causing battery drain---happened twice and was fixed. Vehicle is a lease due back for return in August. Cant wait to be rid of this headache but feel sorry for whoever buys it... …
Equipment complaints in other Focus years
Frequently asked questions
How common are equipment problems on the 2000 Ford Focus?
NHTSA has 82 complaints about the equipment & accessories of the 2000 Ford Focus, 2% of the model year's 3,686 complaints. The component named most often is electrical › radio/tape deck/cd etc. (25 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2000 Ford Focus equipment problems?
No. NHTSA lists no equipment & accessories recall for the 2000 Ford Focus, though it has 11 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2000 Ford Focus equipment problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 48,000 miles, and 23% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 4 crashes, 4 fires and 0 injuries and 2 deaths to equipment & accessories problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.