Focus Fuel Pump Issue

[z33guy]

im prolly gonna dump my focus on a mustang to, or a truck whichever i need at the time.

[Vega1316]

My ford focus has begun to do the same thing...its gonna cost me 500 dollars to replace the fuel pump...Ford needs to get a different pump to put in because this is just ridiculous...There needs to be a recall...Not everyone has the money to put into a fuel pump especially with how new the Focus is...The pump should last a good long time because I just bought my car and dont have the funds to replace it without getting a loan...Its hurting people in the long run if the Ford company doesn't do anything about this...

[freakray]

From what the service manager at the Ford dealer told me, part of the problem is the use of soft brass gears in the pump, these are more susceptable to accelerated wear when abrasive impurities are involved, as is possible with the Focus's fuel pick up set up which was mentioned.

Either way, Ford should sort the problem out and issue a recall if their customers actually mean anything to them.
It's not like the asses aren't aware of the problem, I guess they just don't care about the customer once the car has left the lot.

[freakray]

Finally got rid of my Focus, thank goodness....
The car has too many issues to make it viable to keep it, the fuel pump being one of several issues that helped me on the way to my decision!

[laurel]

Have talked to several people after the fuel pump issue and lots of them say whether it's a focus or whatever, since the fuel pump is in the gas tank you should never run a vehicle under a 1/4 tank of gas at all. Is this true for all cars???? Also since getting the car back after having the fuel pump replaced I find it is more suggish when you step on it??? My imagination or what?

[freakray]

Originally posted by laurel
Have talked to several people after the fuel pump issue and lots of them say whether it's a focus or whatever, since the fuel pump is in the gas tank you should never run a vehicle under a 1/4 tank of gas at all. Is this true for all cars???? Also since getting the car back after having the fuel pump replaced I find it is more suggish when you step on it??? My imagination or what?

I don't think so, my Focus seemed to get sluggish after the fuel pump was replaced too - often wondered about that, but now I don't have to.

As for the 'under a quarter tank' thing, I have never heard of that said specifically for a 'in the tank fuel pump' type situation, but I have heard it said as a general rule that it's always better to not run it into the last 1/8 to 1/4 tank as that is where the sediment settles....
On the other hand, 1/4 tank at the gauge or 1/4 of the tank's volume?
Most gas tanks have about a gallon left after the gauge hits the bottom line....

[leah]

Hi

I too am the owner of a 2001 Ford Focus. I have already changed the fuel pump and was wondering if it will have to be replaced in shorter than normal intervals or if the fuel pump installed was fixed of the problems my old pump had.

I have also read of faulty brakes in the Focus, has anyone here experianced these problems?

Good luck to all focus owners!
Thanks
Leah

[UnFocused]

Wouldn't a more appropriate name for this model be The Ford Out-Of-Focus. This will be the second very costly repair which probably should not be that costly. A few dollars for the pump itself and then $600+ in labor because the gas tank must be dropped to get to it. It's just my opinion (and I don't design autos for a living), but it would seem to me that if an automobile is designed where a part is very labor intensive to replace, the part had better be manufactured with the very best materials and "focus" on quality design of that part. lol.

Quality may have been "Job 1" where the Crown Vic, Mustang, Windstar, etc., etc. are concerned. But it would certainly seem Quality was somewhere about Job 246 when the Focus was designed. What's next....a new transmission at 50K? engine at 60K?

Well, it looks like the only cure for the common domestic is a Nissan.

Unfocused (completely)

[focusiscrap]

Purchased a 2000 Ford Focus ZTS for my wife about a year and a half ago w/ 15,000 miles on it from Fred Martin Ford on Mahoning Ave. in Youngstown Ohio. I will never buy a Ford again especially from this dealership. My wife has had nothing but problems w/ car. I was having problems w/ acceleration like many other posters on this site.
Everytime I hit 3500 RPM's the car would bearly continue accelerating. If you were lucky it would shift or get out of the gas. It did this everytime, everyday for a week staight through every gear. Of course everytime I got it to Ford it would cease and the check engine light would never come on. I test it diagnostically with the Matco middle of the rode scanner and no codes would kick out. After an hour and a half of test rides today I finally got it to perform its act with a tech in the car. After a couple of hours I was called and told it needed a fuel pump and filter to the tune of 700 beans. My car now only has 32,000 miles and passed three years since warranty 8 days before it started acting up. I will do repairs myself. Say a prayer. AND NEVER EVER BUY A FOCUS!
Matt McGivern
-Youngstown, OH

[01QwIkNeS]

In response to the fuel pump issues, I am currently having the same problems. I was going to have my focus taken in for a check and whatnot until I found this forum which diagnosed my problems exactly. This little problem with the fuel pump is not something that will cost you $750 or even $250 like some of you were saying. I just found a new fuel pump for $70, shipped. I will be putting it in myself and I am not ASE certified. The job itself will only take about 15-20 minutes. It is not hard at all. I dropped the tank this last weekend to look at it. I think the only tools I needed were a strait bladed screw driver to loosen the hose clamp on the filling nozzle, and a 13mm socket to loosen the harness. The rest of it was all elbow grease, nothing that anybody would pay hundreds of dollars for.
One other thing before you go blaming ford for what might be your own mistakes (and I'm not trying to offend anyone because I did the same thing), if you look in your owners manual, it says your focus is specifically designed to run 87 octane. For a while I was even running premium fuel, because I, like a lot of others I'm sure, thought that it was better for the car. Not the case. Higher octane fuel, as well as aftermarket fuel additives like carb and injector cleaners "could cause damage to the fuel system. Repairs to correct the effects of using an aftermarket product in your fuel may not be covered by your warranty." (Owner's Guide, Focus, 2001 Model Year). I added a bottle of injector and carb cleaner on every oil change. It did more harm than help, but it is definately not ford's fault, it was my own. A focus is an economy car, not a high performance vehicle. They don't want you to spend more than you have to in basic maintenance. You all may dissagree, but I am staying loyal to my brand of automobile.

[laurel]

When purchasing my 2002 Focus I specifically asked what type of fuel to run in the car. I was told the same, unleaded regular fuel with an octane rating of 87. I did not put any additives into the tank, just plain fuel. I have an old Ford Taurus which I fix and fix and fix. I bought a new Ford so I would not have to fix it every 6 months. It may be easy to replace the fuel pump but I don't feel that it should need replacing when the car is only 1 year old. Call me gullible but if a car company sells you a warranty and an extended warranty shouldn't you expect that the company should fix major problems with it especially within the first year???

[UnFocused]

So I may have exaggerated a bit on the labor….it was only $272.00. The fuel pump and filter, a mere $302.16. For illustrative purposes, let's say the efforts to drop the tank and replace the pump required 20 minutes, then I have just paid this particular Ford service center $13.60 a minute. If we do the math, that comes to about $816 an hour give or take a few coffee breaks. As a computer systems person, I'm obviously in the wrong field.

All manufacturers recommended service centers would rate an estimate on a repair by standards set by the manufacturer. Repair costs are pretty much fixed with very little variance largely due to regional issues, parts shipping costs, other expenses, and slight service center margin.

All things considered, either the service center made a grave error in calculation of my repair, this particular repair requires far more than 20 minutes, or we have found the real "Mr. Goodwrench".

Unfortunately, this is the wave of the future. The only way one of the largest domestic manufacturing sectors of our economy, the domestic automobile industry, and a producer of a significant portion of the gross national product can remain competitive in the world market is to inflate repair costs, mask poor design, offer new products at much shorter warranty periods than their foreign competitors, then offer high priced extended warranties often with inadequate coverage to their customers.

This Focus is my wife's car, her primary transportation to and from her occupation daily. I have experienced several fuel pump failures in various ways in the past. In most cases they have failed gradually, but on one occasion I had experienced an immediate fuel pump failure that became inoperative without warning. In this scenario, a fuel pump failure is a potentially hazardous situation especially if it should occur in heavy traffic at high speeds. If it is necessary to continue to make costly repairs to this Focus, I will begin driving it and let my wife drive my considerably more dependable Maxima. A peace of mind issue.

For those of us who have a knack for amateur auto repair and enjoy the fragrant splendor of gasoline, motor oil, and hydraulic fluid as well as the physical challenges that abound pursuits, auto mechanical, I commend you. But for those mere mechanically challenged mortals, our only recourse is to be as well informed as possible. Seek knowledge, get second opinions, ask questions…accurate consumer advocacy is about the only way we can reduce our losses when we are "taken to the cleaners"….uh…"auto repair shop".

Still Unfocused

[freakray]

Unfocused,
There is nothing wrong with being a little auto-illiterate(sp) so to speak.

As it is, I have a background in Automotive engineering(manufacturing side) and I love cars, when it comes to the Focus, I was sincerely disappointed with the overall quality, or lack thereof, which became apparent over several months.

I worked for 2 companies previously which were both suppliers of components and machinery to Ford, I can tell you that Ford are as picky as all hell about what they want and are very quick to let you hear if something isn't right.
Strangely they are quick to scream like hell when some equiptment they buy goes wrong, yet they expect teh consumer to drive around in a faulty/potentially faulty vehicle.
Double standards are amazing!!

You will probably find that your local garage is replacing so many Focus fuel pumps that they could do it in their sleep too!! (kind of like the racing pit crews that can refuel and change 4 tyres in a matter of seconds!)

[UnFocused]

It is amazing how easy it is to drive my previous points home (no pun intended).

After paying $619 for the fuel pump, I left the Ford service center, drove the car that night and to work the next day. Went out at lunch, the car seemed to perform fine. Left work about 4:30, got into the car, turned the car, and what happened? Nothing…Notta, Zilch, Squat. Tried pumping the gas pedal…nothing.

There I sat for 2 hours waiting for a wrecker in a hailstorm contemplating the absurdity of the whole situation. The original fuel pump lasted less than two years, and now the $619 replacement fuel pump lasted less than one day.

Well, perhaps nothing else of great significance and substantial cost will happen to it for a few months….remains to be seen..

Unfocused

[freakray]

Unfocused, considering it did that to you in such a short time, is it even worth you considering keeping the car?

Best thing I did for my peace-of-mind was sell my Focus.