30.12.2017
Ford Focus 3 is one of the best-selling cars in the CIS secondary market. The main criteria by which many motorists give their preference to this model are: attractive appearance, low cost of purchase and further maintenance, as well as ease of maintenance. Today we will talk about what problems Ford Focus 3 owners most often face and what you should pay attention to when choosing this car.
Specifications
Class and body type: C - hatchback, D - sedan and station wagon;
Body dimensions (L x W x H), mm: hatchback - 4358 x 1823 x 1484, sedan - 4534 x 1823 x 1484, station wagon - 4556 x 1823 x 1505;
Wheelbase, mm - 2650;
Ground clearance, mm - 120;
Tire size - 205/55 R16;
Fuel tank volume, l - 60;
Curb weight, kg - 1461, 1340, 1485;
Gross weight, kg - 2050, 1900, 2055;
Trunk capacity, l - 363 (1148), 475, 490 (1516);
Options - Ambiente, Ambiente Plus, SYNC Edition, Trend, Trend Sport, Titanium
Advantages and disadvantages of Ford Focus 3 with mileage
Weak spots in the body
Paintwork not the best quality, but this drawback is observed on many cars and not only budget ones. The most problematic places are the bumper, hood, arches and sills, in these places, after 3-5 years of operation, the paint may begin to peel off.
Body galvanized, thanks to this, even in places where the paint is chipped, the metal resists the onslaught of the red disease for a long time. Often, the paint is erased to metal at the points of contact of the rubber seal of the engine compartment with the hood, in order not to bring problem areas to extremes, it is recommended to paste over the film.
Uneven door gaps are not always the result of an accident, on some instances they were initially not fitted in the best way.
When inspecting, pay attention to the bumper mounts- they are quite fragile and break even from a slight blow.
Front optics is prone to fogging in the area of the light beam, this leads to a significant decrease in the quality of illumination, especially if xenon lamps are installed in the optics. It is possible to eliminate the disease by replacing the headlight plugs with similar ones, but with ventilation holes. There are complaints about the performance of foglights - flicker appears in the cold season. The disease, as a rule, disappears after warming up the engine compartment of the car.
Heated windshield- very tender and often cracks from temperature changes.
Motor Reliability
All Ford Focus 3 power units are quite reliable, but, in small things, they can still bother their owners. The most common of them: rapid wear of the right engine mount (50-100 USD), failure of the oxygen sensor (30-50 USD), failure of the fuel pump (100-150 USD), leakage of the electromagnetic valve for adjusting the timing phases (20-40 c.u.).
Engine control unit (ECU)- in itself, it is reliable, but due to an unfortunate location, there is a high probability of damaging it. The block is installed behind the front left fender, practically on the inside of the fender liner, and if this part is hit during an accident, the block will most likely have to be changed - it will cost about 1000 USD. Also, the reason for early replacement of the unit may be the corrosion of its contacts. This trouble appears as a result of moisture getting into the block after washing or trips through deep puddles.
Cooling radiator- the radiator is very close to the front of the car, therefore, in most cases, even a light blow to the bumper is enough to crack the radiator. Often, along with it, the air conditioner tube laid under it is also damaged.
Petrol ICEs:
Motor 1.6- many complain about the unstable operation of the engine at idle (triple) and deterioration in dynamics. The main reason is the deposition of soot inside the combustion chamber. To fix the problem, it is necessary to reflash the engine control unit (PCM firmware) and clean the combustion chambers from soot. During the operation of a cold engine, you can hear a distinct “clatter”, but you should not be afraid of this - a feature of the operation of fuel injectors (on a working power unit, extraneous sounds disappear after warming up).
Motor 2.0- a feature of this motor is the loud operation of the injection pump during the start of the power unit. The two-liter Duratec engine is sensitive to fuel quality and if you abuse "bad" gasoline, you should not count on the trouble-free operation of the high-pressure fuel pump (replacement will cost 400-600 USD).
Diesel ICEs:
Diesel power units are equipped with a Common Rail fuel system, this system is very sensitive to fuel quality, so it is advisable to refuel a car only at proven gas stations. Otherwise, costly repair of fuel equipment is inevitable - fuel injectors (100-150 USD pcs.), High-pressure fuel pump (500 USD) and the EGR valve fail.
DPF filter (diesel particulate filter)- designed for 140,000 km, after - replacement is required, but if the car is mainly operated on the highway, it can last up to 250,000 km. Signals about the need to replace the filter will be the appearance of an engine error and a significant decrease in traction.
dual mass flywheel- in most cases, its resource is about 200,000 km, about 500 USD will have to be paid for a replacement. Symptoms - characteristic knocks and shuffling appear.
Problem areas of the transmission
Mechanics- This type of transmission is reliable, but not perfect. Among the shortcomings, one can note the leakage of oil seals and the souring of the gear shift cables. The resource of the original clutch is 120-150 thousand km.
powershift- is the weak point of the Ford Focus 3. Practically on new cars, the transmission bothers with rough shifts (especially in traffic jams), which are excluded by definition for the preselective box. Also, jerks can occur not only when shifting gears, but also during sharp acceleration. Often twitching is accompanied by a metallic rattle. According to dealers, the reason lies in the imperfection of the firmware, which the officials update for free if the owners contact them with this problem. Ford officials assure that the latest firmware versions allow for more comfortable and stable shifting. The only pity is that the updated software did not reach all CIS services. The most common technical ailment is clutch failure - when using a car in urban mode, clutch replacement may be required at a range of 50-70 thousand km (400-500 USD). Servicemen also note a sudden failure of the TCM box control module (500-700 USD).
Running gear resource Ford Focus 3
Traditionally for modern cars, MacPherson struts are installed in front, weak points here are also traditional:
- Bushings and stabilizer struts fail after 30-40 thousand km.
- Thrust bearings are often rented for 60-80 thousand kilometers.
- Shock absorbers after 70,000 km of run begin to flow, by 80-100 thousand km of run they need to be replaced.
- Wheel bearings and silent blocks run an average of 120-150 thousand km.
A multi-link is installed behind:
- Breakup levers, go 70-80 thousand km
- Shock absorbers - up to 100,000 km, if you often load a car to the fullest, the resource can be reduced to 30-50 thousand km.
- Wheel bearings - nursed more than 150,000 km
Steering:
The power steering is equipped with an electric motor, which makes the steering wheel heavier as the speed increases. This part rarely fails, but if such a nuisance happens, repairs will not be cheap - dealers change it along with the rail, but it is the weak point of this model. To check the rack, turn the steering wheel sharply with the car running - there should be no extraneous sounds. If the rail does not knock, do not rush to rejoice, this is a matter of time - in most cases, the rail starts knocking after 60-80 thousand kilometers. When contacting the service, dealers changed the rail under warranty, but this did not give the expected result, since the new rail often began to knock after several thousand kilometers. On some instances, the rail does not require repair even after 150,000 km, but, unfortunately, such cases are rare. After 2012, the part was modernized, thereby extending its service life by a couple of tens of thousands of kilometers.
Salon and electrics
The interior of the third Ford Focus 3 has evolved not only in ergonomics, but also in materials (soft plastic is used). The only place that deserves criticism is the front seats - they quickly lose their shape, and the upholstery without a protective cover quickly loses its presentation. Electronics, which are quite large in the cabin, are reliable and rarely cause trouble for their owners.
What is the result:
Operating experience has shown that the Ford Focus 3 is a reliable and unpretentious car that deservedly holds a leading position in the market.
If you have experience in operating this car model, please tell us what problems and difficulties you had to face. Perhaps it is your review that will help readers of our site when choosing a car.
The fact that Ford does not stand aside from technological progress, moreover, is actively introducing its inventions into production cars, cannot but rejoice. The most striking confirmation of this is the 3rd generation Ford Focus, which in 2011 outperformed its main platform competitor, the Mazda3.
At that time, the Japanese only set about developing the SkyActive chassis and engine line for future generations, and the designers of the American brand were already “fighting” on all fronts, introducing new engines, transmissions and a number of options into their brainchild, which the “matryoshka” dreams of to this day. .
So has the legendary Ford really won the undeniable leadership in the segment? Yes, at first it may seem that way, but why don't the owners of the 3rd Focus shout about the obvious advantage of the model? Could it be a weak spot?
Duratec here, Duratec there
To the dismay of all Focus fans, the 3rd generation "civilian" cars did not receive turbocharged Ecoboost engines. Under the hood, the models were placed mainly “atmospheric” Duratec with a volume of 1.6 liters (with a capacity of 125 and 105 hp), in terms of characteristics and design, more reminiscent of a relic of the last century than a look into the future. Motorists were even more surprised by the 85-horsepower engine, released after a certain time period after the start of sales of the 3rd generation Focus. At the same time, the phase change system has not disappeared from the gas distribution. 
All variations of the 1.6-liter engine have a software “suffocation”, but the happy owners of the 125 hp versions. after a run of 120-130 thousand, they are sad about the need to remove the "offal" from 2 catalysts. It is for this reason that the owners of such a car need to take fuel quality very seriously (the exhaust system is also equipped with 4 oxygen sensors, which means that they have 2 times more chances of breakdown than weaker engines).
In addition, the entire line of power units is subject to one “disease” - deposits in the combustion chambers, which invariably leads to uneven operation and difficult engine starting. It is worth noting that this problem in all its glory manifested itself even during the warranty period of operation, after which a new control software was installed on the car, and the “ailment” passed.
Another problem of the 3rd generation is considered to be oil leakage through the solenoid valves of the phase change system, but replacing these elements can solve it.
Phase change valve leakage is a big place for many models
The 2-liter GDI chain installation, developed on the basis of Duratec 1.8, is also worthy of detailed consideration, however, the Japanese from Mazda made the direct intake and phase change system for it. But most importantly, it was the 2-liter engine that turned out to be the most reliable, with the least number of weak points. There is, of course, a small percentage of malfunctions of fuel injectors and high-pressure fuel pumps, but such problems arise in most cases due to untimely or poor-quality maintenance. This engine is especially sensitive to an oil change, which is optimally carried out every 9-10 thousand km.
But the entire line of gasoline units has a common weak point in the form of the right support of the internal combustion engine, which in rare cases runs more than 50 thousand km (and the original part costs about 11 thousand rubles). This "draconian" pricing policy of Ford leads to the search for analogues, and the best option in this situation would be to buy the original from Volvo, with a more enticing price tag.
The original ICE pillow is expensive and often leaks
Diesel on the 3rd generation is extremely rare, maybe for the reason that it is much more difficult to properly maintain engines of this type than gasoline versions? But upon closer examination, it turns out that there are relatively few problems with such a unit, because such motors are equipped exclusively with PowerShift (wet clutch), by analogy with Galaxy, Kuga, Mondeo and S-Max.
And again the same problems
The Ford designers decided not to equip the 3rd generation of cars with CVTs, which had not been officially installed on cars intended for the Russian market before, but Focus did not receive the traditional “automatic” either. Looking at the situation, one gets the impression that Ford was encouraged by the volume of sales of original parts in Volkswagen with DSG, and decided to supply us Focus equipped with “robots”.
The clutch is the weakest point of robotic transmissions. However, the main culprit is the control program, which sacrifices the resource of nodes for the sake of comfort of movement.
In fact, this step is aimed at maintaining global trends, even despite the fact that VAG engineers to this day cannot cope with the “childhood diseases” of their gearbox equipped with 2 clutches. Yes, Ford tried to deprive PowerShift of all problems, but, unfortunately, to no avail.
The beginning of the "adventures" usually lies in the periodic software updates for PS, and some are even luckier, because it becomes necessary to replace the TCM.
The TCM block also sometimes fails.
Starting "shudder", which can also occur when shifting gears, means the need to eliminate the leak of the crankshaft of the motor or the input shaft of the gearbox, followed by flushing the clutches and adaptation. If this is not done on time, then the owner will have to change the clutches, which are quite expensive.
The occurrence of a metallic rattle at the moment of switching, or the absence of several gears, signals a wedge of the pressure fork, and this ailment is “treated” only by replacing the part.
In the event that flashing does not solve the problems with jerks when switching PS, a mandatory replacement of the friction clutches follows, because there is no other way to get rid of this trouble.
The PowerShift box itself rarely asks for repairs.
It is very interesting that in the secondary car market there are a lot of buyers who are eager to get their hands on a 3rd Ford with a traditional automatic transmission. This, of course, plays into the hands of dishonest businessmen who pass off PowerShift as a simple “box” and are silent about problems with the reliability of the gearbox.
But if you have already become a “happy” owner of a Ford Focus III with PS, don’t be discouraged, because with proper care, this transmission will behave predictably. The main thing is to follow a few basic rules of use:
- Do not accelerate too sharply;
– Use manual mode more often;
- Switch the selector to the "P" position when standing in traffic jams;
– Track new software releases for PowerShift.
Fortunately, all these "diseases" are deprived of a mechanical transmission, for the smooth operation of which you only need to monitor oil leaks through the drive seals (mainly the right one). Although, for the sake of justice, it is worth saying that AMT is also not without this drawback.
Actuator leakage is fixed inexpensively. The main thing is not to wait until the transmission loses oil. In general, follow
Steering rack - "diseases" for the sake of progress
Innovations that have affected the global auto industry have not bypassed the Focus of the 3rd generation, and first of all this concerns the electric power steering (most likely, you can forget about traditional power steering in new models). Although, here, too, significant improvements were required, since some of the owners were faced with “auto-steering” in the wrong direction and even with a decrease in the efficiency of this mechanism. In the vast majority of cases, dealers offer to change the EUR and at the same time the steering rack, which can upset the motorist without the assistance of an amplifier.
The EUR, “sick” with auto-steering, will either have to be treated or changed. Otherwise, driving is dangerous.
In general, rack problems have been known even before, and even on other models outside the Ford brand. It consists in the rapid wear of the plastic bushing of the steering shaft, which is accompanied by knocks when turning the steering wheel. The new rail solves the problem only for a short period, but a steel sleeve turned by a skilled craftsman is considered the best way out of this situation.
The new steering rack on the Ford Focus is obscenely expensive. Fortunately, the node can be repaired relatively inexpensively and at the same time deprive it of its weak point forever
The most problematic place in the Ford Focus 3 suspension is considered to be the rear shock absorbers, which are overly sensitive to overloads and after 50 thousand mileage they begin to let fluid through the stem seals.
The rest of the chassis parts are quite reliable and hardy, and calmly “nourish” more than 100 thousand, although the stabilizer struts, front hub bearings and front shock absorbers are “surrendered” to this milestone. But the silent blocks adequately withstand more than 150 thousand km, which, together with the hardy elements of the rear suspension (more than 200 thousand km.), Is a very worthy indicator.
The rear multi-link in conditions of adequate driving will be flexible and silent for a long time
The same can be said about the picky braking system, which did not notice such common troubles as caliper knocks and lining squeaks. The life resource of the front pads on a car with 1.6 liter units is about 40 thousand, while the clutches on two-liter cars last about 1.5 times less.
sudden cracks
The bodywork of the 3rd Focus as a whole does not present unpleasant surprises, well, except for the heated windshield, which costs a lot of money and can scratch or crack from completely harmless influences. That is why owners of the 3rd generation often complain about cracks on the windshield that suddenly appear in severe frosts.
Crack in the glass - causes pain for the owners and prepares for unforeseen considerable costs
Another "surprise" will be poorly functioning locks, mainly due to skewed door hinges (sometimes uneven gaps between these body elements can be observed with the naked eye). The main culprit for this can be considered the notorious domestic assembly, which left its mark on the quality of the Focus III.
The most vulnerable spot of the Focus 3 body is the front bumper. Few manage to keep it intact
With regards to completely harmless moments, we note the periodic fogging of the headlights of the Focus, as well as the rare change of the Ford badge located on the trunk lid (the coating peels off).
Cheap is not a sign of poor quality
Complaints about the cheapness of materials in the interior of the 3rd generation Focus are mostly groundless, because the interior of the car retains its original appearance for a long time. The only exceptions to the rule are the front seats, which need covers, as well as the gearshift lever, from which the coating quickly slides off. Cabin deflectors also require careful handling, as the brittle plastic can crack. Squeaks in the cabin, as a rule, occur in the areas of the door cards and the center console, which means that it will not be easy to eliminate extraneous sounds.
The interior of the 3rd Focus is quieter than its predecessor, and the materials are better, but squeaks still appear
A fairly common "sore" Focus III can be called damage to the circuit of the electric trunk opening mechanism and the subsequent failure of the button. True, the manufacturer was able to take into account this drawback and supplied dealers with improved wiring harnesses.
Trunk won't open? It's time to change the wiring harness
Fans of high-quality sound complain about the fragility of the high-frequency speakers located in the doors of the car. Determining this malfunction does not take much time, since nasty creaking sounds are heard even at minimum volume.
A trifle, but unpleasant
Another feature of the model is associated with rain sensors, because they can suddenly work on a fine day and stay idle when it rains.
Should I take a second-hand third Focus?
Yes, the list of shortcomings of the 3rd generation Focus is considerable, but at the same time, the model cannot be called an outsider of the class. The power units here are quite reliable, the chassis is very strong, and there are not so many expensive problems with auxiliary equipment. 
The most obvious "headache" of Focus owners can be considered a robotic PowerShift and the lack of a worthy alternative to it. Perhaps, in this way, the manufacturer wanted to cash in on the sale of parts or reduce the cost of production? True, this does not make it any easier for us.
In any case, the work on the creation of the Ford Focus III was truly enormous, although in practice it is the introduced innovations that give the greatest number of failures. But let's not forget that progress follows the path of trial and error, and no one expected high reliability, such as from the ultra-conservative Toyota Corolla, from Focus.
Typical condition Focus with mileage 100 tkm
After the first "hundred" Focus III, as a rule, is fresh enough and ready for another of the same marathon, but this is only under normal service conditions. There are already problems with this. Many owners, having seen the prices for spare parts, inadequately save on the purchase of spare parts. Therefore, brake discs worn to death, a huge crack in the middle of the windshield, a leaky engine mount or Chinese spare parts are more likely to be the norm for it. Most sellers consider it necessary to correct the mileage, especially for cars on the "robot". Interestingly, there were few cars with the “dead” PowerShift box, I think, all due to the fact that it is almost impossible to hide the defect even from a blind buyer. 
Ford Focus of the third generation began to be produced in Europe in early December 2010. The Russian assembly of Focuses started in July 2011. Sales of the new Ford are beginning to gain momentum. At the same time, a number of problems arise that some of the happy owners of the Ford Focus III had to face.
Engines
Almost all Duratec 1.6L engines alert owners with a slight tapping / chirping, which increases with warming up. You should not be afraid - this is a feature of the nozzles. On the 2-liter GDI, there is also a chirp. This is how the injection pump pump works, which was even “covered” with a thick layer of sound insulation.
According to the reviews of the owners of the 3rd Focus, a 1.6 liter engine with a power of 105 hp. weak on the bottom. If the air conditioner is still on, then the impotence of the motor becomes pronounced.
Some 1.6 liter engines, often with PowerShift automatic transmission, emit a howl / hum during operation. Over time, this noise goes away. Ford recognized this as a design feature of the motor. In the fight against extraneous noise, an engine ECU firmware was released, which, as expected, should have solved the problem. But she didn't help.
On cars with a 1.6 liter engine manufactured since October 2011, unstable operation, tripling, and loss of traction were observed after a cold start. Sometimes the motor would stall. Ford attributed this to possible premature carbon deposits in the combustion chamber. To eliminate such situations, a new firmware for the powertrain control module (PCM) was released. Reprogramming solves a similar problem.
Transmission
There are also disadvantages in transmissions. So in a manual gearbox, already at 3 - 10 thousand km, the oil seal of the right axle shaft began to leak. The reason is the incomplete seating of the stuffing box and damage to its edge when installed on the conveyor. There were similar cases with the left gland.
The PowerShift dual-clutch automatic transmission often starts to twitch in traffic. There may be jerking during acceleration or a metallic grinding when shifting gears. Due to problems with this box in Europe, the reliability rating of Ford Focus and Fiesta cars was lowered. Ford is looking for ways to fix the problem. At any rate, a technical bulletin was sent out to dealers in Europe instructing them to reprogram the transmission control module. After that, accelerations became smoother, vibrations decreased, and the quality of gear shifts improved. The availability of updated "software" in Russia has not yet been heard.
Powershift automatic transmission.
Chassis
Suspension Focus 3, as it turned out, does not cope well with frost. With a cold snap, the stabilizer bushings begin to creak. Many complain about extraneous sounds in the front suspension when driving through bumps. The reasons have not yet been found.
The syndrome of "knocking steering rack" overcomes the new Focus after 3 - 7 thousand km. The reason is the play of the left tie rod in the horizontal plane. After replacing the rack, the knock soon appears again. The rail is clearly not finalized, but changed to the same, only a new one.
There are also problems with the EPS electric power steering. So suddenly the steering wheel can become "heavier", and an error will be displayed on the screen. Such a situation is not the most pleasant. Sometimes the efficiency of the EUR is restored after the ignition is turned off. The source of the problem is the EUR electric motor. The amplifier itself is assembled with a steering rack. If there is a malfunction, dealers will replace the rack. There is also a small withdrawal of the car. More often, after the procedure for retraining and resetting the EUR memory, everything returns to normal.
Some owners have found fogging of the steering rack in the area of \u200b\u200bthe EUR mechanism.
Body and interior
Due to the lack of a hood seal, after a couple of trips in wet weather, the engine compartment of the Focus 3 begins to become covered with dirt. Windshields scratch easily. Several owners were not lucky, in the cold after overnight parking, they found the windshield cracked from the pillars.
On some specimens, there are ill-fitting doors that close with difficulty. Fogging headlights is also not uncommon. What is puzzling is the fogging of xenon headlights. Moreover, the fogging zone crosses the beam of light, which is simply not acceptable. In most cases, it is possible to get rid of "sweating" after replacing the headlight plugs with similar ones with air vents. Flickering daytime running lights in headlights is a common occurrence in winter. As it warms up, the flickering stops. Dealers replace headlights. Ford is looking for a solution to the problem, but so far without success.
Assembly flaws also occur in the interior - the panels do not always fit well. Uneven gaps are sometimes visible even to the "naked eye". Interior plastic can creak. Most often, "crickets" settle in the area of \u200b\u200bfastening the seat belt on the middle pillar, in the air ducts of the front panel, in the area of \u200b\u200bthe radio and the plastic frame of the cabin mirror.
Conclusion
Ford Focus 3 is positioned as one of the most advanced economy class cars. I did not want this saving to be carried out at the expense of the quality of components.
It's no secret that any car can break down. There are many reasons for this - factory defects, careless handling of the owner, poor quality service, etc. However, statistics show that recently the number of malfunctions on cars has been growing. One of the main reasons is the increasing complexity of the design (turbocharged power units, preselective transmissions, a lot of electronic systems and components, etc.), which is done to please customers who want to get the most comfortable, dynamic and equipped instance.
The extremely popular Ford Focus 3 (,) also did not escape this fate. That is why it is required to identify at least the main problems that may arise during its operation.
Engines
Serious problems are typical only for a 1.6-liter unit, which often starts to triple after a cold start. This situation is aggravated by unstable idling, as well as noticeable dips in traction. It even comes to the point that the engine simply stalls.
According to the official response from Ford Corporation, the reason lies in the deposition of soot inside the combustion chamber. In order to solve the problem, the Americans released a new firmware for the motor control module called PCM. Owners of defective cars claim that such manipulations with electronics really solve the problem with starting and revs.
Transmission
automatic transmission
The pride of the Fords - the PowerShift preselective transmission - has become a source of serious problems. The fact is that in traffic jams, she begins to frankly shut up and twitch. Such symptoms are complemented by a metallic rattle that occurs during gear changes, as well as jerks and jolts in the process of picking up speed. All this led to the fact that the traditionally high reliability rating of such Ford models as the Fiesta and Focus was lowered in the Old World.
So far, the American corporation is trying to solve the problem. For example, European dealers received a bulletin from the company's management, which obliges them to flash the transmission control module. According to European owners, after that the vibrations have noticeably decreased, and acceleration has become much smoother, and the gearbox “clicks” better. The only pity is that the updated software has not yet reached Russia.
manual transmission
The problem with this gearbox is that on new cars the axle shaft seal (right) began to leak, and this happens already with a run of 4,000 - 10,000 km. Not so often, but similar malfunctions also occur in the left oil seal.
The reason lies in the factory defect - its edge is often damaged even when installed on the conveyor, and an incomplete fit aggravates the situation and leads to a leak.
Problems outside - from dirty roads
Troubles from slush begin almost immediately, due to the lack of a special seal on the hood. So the engine compartment has to be flushed periodically. In addition, scratches quickly appear on the windshield, and also, on frosty nights (when the car spends the night on the street), cracks can appear from the front pillars along the glass, as a result of which the glass will have to be changed.
Steering
Electric booster EPS
This mechanism is also not without drawbacks. The steering wheel sometimes suddenly and sharply becomes heavier (on the dashboard this is displayed in the lit indicator), which at high speed (and even in a turn) can lead to tragedy. Often, the state of the electric amplifier can be restored by turning off the ignition for a while, with its subsequent start.
The reason for such malfunctions is the amplifier motor itself, the latter being interlocked with the steering rack. Therefore, if a defect is found, the dealership replaces the entire rail assembly.
In addition, sometimes the car seems to “take away” to the side, but this is solved by resetting the memory of the electric amplifier, or by flashing it.
steering rack
Steering rack - sometimes on new copies, the rake begins to knock mercilessly. Such knocks occur already at 3,000 - 7,000 km. It's all about the backlash of the steering rod, which is formed in the horizontal plane. It is noteworthy that the company does nothing to resolve the issue - dealers simply change the rail under warranty, but this does not solve the problem, since the new components are “endowed” with the same defect.
Body
There are no complaints about corrosion, which, in fact, is not surprising, given the technology of anti-corrosion treatment. The main complaints are about the doors, which are often not fitted in the best way - the gaps are uneven, the corners stick out, etc.
The big problem is head optics. The fact is that the headlights often fog up, and this is especially unpleasant and dangerous in cases where the car is equipped with xenon. After all, the fogged surface is in the path of the light beam, which is categorically unacceptable by the concepts of safety. Usually the issue is resolved by replacing the headlight plugs with similar ones, but equipped with holes (ventilation).
The daytime running lights are also great. The bottom line is their unstable light - flickering. As a rule, this manifests itself in winter, while the DRLs are cold, but with warming up, the situation normalizes. So far, Ford specialists have not been able to solve this aspect, although work in this direction is underway.
Another nuisance, which, however, is typical for almost all models, is a weak paintwork. Scratches and chips remain from the smallest pebbles and twigs. In addition, often the paint is knocked out either to the ground or to the metal.
Chassis
The hodovka itself is quite perfect and reliable, but there are some unpleasant moments. They appear in winter. As it turned out, the chassis does not tolerate frosts in the best way - the stabilizer bushings begin to creak clearly. In addition, while driving on rough roads, knocks begin in the front of the chassis, but the source has not yet been found.
Assembly
Flaws in the interior are manifested in uneven gaps between plastic components. Often there is such a sloppy installation of panels that it is noticeable almost immediately.
The squeaks are annoying. Most often they come from the place where the front seat belts are fixed, from the areas of the radio, air vents, and also the cabin mirror, or rather its plastic frame.
Outcome
As you can see, the Ford Focus has a number of weaknesses, although the list of them is not excessive. In our opinion, most of these problems, fortunately, they are by no means found on every car, are compensated by the price. But, in any case, you need to be ready for them.
Maybe you know about other "diseases" of the Focus? Tell!
