Hi nasoj1,
Ford will not “give” you or “refund” the vehicle. As far as they’re concerned, “it runs as operated” as long as that’s what they write on the invoice.
If you don’t have to go through BBB, go for lemon law and get the lawyers. It’s a 3 month process, get started now.
nasoj1
About a year ago a local lady had the same kind of chronic problems on a Subaru and kept getting stonewalled by the dealer. She finally xeroxed a written list of all the problems and trips to the dealer she had to deal with. Then she started sticking copies under the wipers of cars all over town. Very shortly she had a brand new car and an apology. Food for thought.
You got yourself a lemon! In Nevada, but they have changed it in recent years, there was no lemon law. Sounds to me like you got yourself a lemon. Usually the odds are for every 100 cars that come off the assembly line, 2 can be lemons.
kat 6 et al.,
Terribly sorry to hear of your problems. You certainly have more patience than I do. If I might let me please add my two cents (talk really is cheap!).
I am quite sympathetic to your concerns about reliable transportation to get to work. However, from what you’ve described it’s already a bit of an issue with your employer so to me you’ve reached the point of diminishing returns regarding warranty repairs. Do you have a generous family member or friend whose car you could use on the cheeap when necessary? Perhaps the dealer gives you a loaner free or you have some such provision in a motor club membership or your auto insurance policy.
You’ve also given us quite a bit of technical information. However, by now all this is nibbling around the edge. It seems to me that this has passed from the technical stage to the business or legal stage.
I am neither technician nor auto dealer, banker nor lawyer, so take this all with a grain of salt. First, if you have a loan, your bank has an interest in their collateral (your car). It might be useful for them to contact the dealer. I don’t know if you’ve asked the bank about this, or even if it’s a good idea, but it’s something you might check out.
Secondly, if you haven’t already started a lemon law action, it might be good to notify the dealer that you intend to do so. That might be enough to finally get them to finally do what’s necessary. Same thing for a Better Business Bureau intervention. In both cases I suggest that you send such correspondence to the owner of the dealership, or at least the General Manager - I think you’ve exhausted any benefit of dealing with the Service Department. When you do so, include copies of all the service and towing records: It’s amazing sometimes how little the parents know about what the kids have been up to! It might help to contact the manufacturer directly with all this information as well.
Henceforth, with all correspondence to any parties, send everything Certified Mail/Return Receipt Requested (even to the folks that are on your side such as an attorney or the BBB). This has the advantage of providing a record not only that you sent it, but that the addressee received it. I’ve found generally that when Party B knows that Party A knows that the correspondence has been received, it tends to focus Party B’s mind a bit more.
I’m also hesitant about doing anything with a booster or charger. The clamps could leave telltale marks on the battery post and telltale information in some elctronic system- but again I’m no technician.
Sorry I’m so long-winded. I wish you all the best.
Be careful with kriley’s advice, it can get you into expensive legal trouble. I’m not a lawyer and I do not know all the details of the laws, but it goes something like this. If you state an opinion, you can be sued for slander. If you state facts that can be documented, you are usually OK as long as you don’t express a conclusion.
My two cents. I have had to repair the most difficult of all problems. The ones that are intermittent. I can only guess at what is wrong from what you have said about your problem. You said that you come back to your car and the battery is just dead, but not all the time. I know that feeling and all that goes with it. Not fun. We all know the battery is being drained. Now computer controled relays disconnect when your car is shut down and you walk away. It is more than likley that one of the relays is sticking sending power to a system that drains the battery. This relay can stick because the contact points arc and weld a bit but not every time just intermittently. The other possibility is that the computer is keeping it closed because it is getting bad infromation from a sensor with and intermittent failure or that the computer control has a intermittent failure and is keeping it closed. If it is just a relay replacing it fixes the problem. If it were my car I would have a jump battery for the times it doesn’t start so you can get back and forth to work. Then the next time it happens and the battery is dead if you can feel the relays the one that is draining the battery power should be warmer than the others. Replace that relay or have it replaced. Drive the car and see if your problem is gone. If it is not and the same relay is warm it would make me think that it is or was held closed because it was energized by what ever controls that relay. If it is the computer that is the control. What part of the computer has power when the car is shut down and is it getting power when it should not be from another control like an ignition switch? If it were easy to fix it would be fixed. A energized relay can open when the voltage is to low to hold it open. Like a dead battery. That would leave you with a dead battery and no problem to find. The last problem I had on a 944 Porsche ended up being the DME box (computer) that was sent out tested and found to be good. I had a second DME box from another car($45.00 from pic-n-pull) that I quickley installed during my failure and my problem went away and never came back. Relays and the plug to the computer were replaced because the test on the computer was good. Tests can be misleading the DME BOX (computer) was bad. Dealers can only find a failure that is there when you bring in the car or is recorded in the computer. The computer will reset and loose that information if the battery goes dead. Ask your dealer if they have someone that would be willing to drive the car to and from work and give you a loaner till they find this problem or swap out your computer control with a new one and see what happens. In the old days it would be a relay in the charging system regulator that would hang and drain the battery through the alternator. Not that easy any more. Just food for thought good luck and I hope you find your problem. Klinkham
KEITH
she had only facts on the statement. All true, all documented, and a real strong tool.
Here is the result of my 2012 Ford Focus non-start. The problem was a parasitic battery drain and it was finally found and fixed. "My Focus went into the dealership on 2.13.12 and I picked it up on 3.2.12. My suggestion is to work with Ford and have them assign you a ticket. They had their engineer come down and had to go through a series of tests what they had to do was measure the amps while the Focus was at rest. It should be using less than 50 millamps. It was drawing over 350 millamps and slowly draining the battery. Here is what they finally found, “CHECK HIGH CURRENT BATTERY JUNCTION BOX AND REMOVE
FUSES–DRAW WENT AWAY WHEN #4 AND #9 MEGA FUSES
WERE REMOVED-BCM. - FSE CALLED . REPLACE BODY CONTROL
MODULE AND PROGRAM PER SHOP MANUAL.RESET BATTERY
MONITORING SYSTEM.RETEST DRAW FOR 5 DAYS-IN SPECS
UNDER 50 MILLIAMPS.” So far there is no discernible battery draw. I has taken about three weeks in the past for the battery to drain. But this is the first time that all the fuses were checked and the drain was found in this area. I hope this helps you. So I think it can be fixed, get it to the dealership and have Ford assign you a case number. I hope this helps anyone with a similar problem.
I think this is a good lesson on how our reliance on electronics in a car can be a double edged sword.
Two month old Focus SE with three start failures in two days. Unlike most who have posted here the battery does not give any indication it is dead, the engine just doesn’t turn over, no clicking or any other sign of a depleted battery. The drivers display does read key not detected. The light, A/C, radio and other electrical functions still operate in accessory mode; it is like the started is disabled. I took the car to the dealer for the first time today and they could not find any reason for the no starts. The looked at Fords service sight for related problems but could not find any no-start failures with the focus. The odd thing about my no starts is I tried to start the vehicle in the evening 6pm or so and it failed to start but at 6:30 am the vehicle started with no sign of battery depletion. It appears the temp may play a role in my no start issues. Each no start was after the vehicle sat for an extended time in about 80 degree weather.
I will quickly become an expert on my state’s Lemon Law and document all no-starts and maintenance activities. Does the Lemon Law apply to the state where you live or the state where you purchased the vehicle??
Any suggestions or advice would be welcomed.
Kat6,
Sorry to hear about your issues, but you are probably not alone.
Just experienced the same issue as you described with my 2012 Ford Focus which has Sync.
Parked the car, lights on Auto. Next morning my wife phones me to report that the car won’t start. No lights come on when the doors open (car was unlocked in the garage), no screens come on when the doors open or the key is inserted and moved to any position. Clicking noise came from engine compartment when the key was removed. I verified this (except no clicking noise) when I got home that night. Hooked up a battery charger/booster and it showed that the voltage was fine. Called tow truck and driver suggested trying the charger again. Still no lights with charger set to slow charge. Setting charger to boost resulted in the lights and screens coming on but engine would not turn over. Rolled the car out of the garage and hooked up the tow truck booster cables. Car started but it was strange in that the engine did not turn over with the key in the start position, it turned over when I released the key back to the On position.
Now is when the weird stuff starts. Prior to the battery draining, the controls for the front passnger window were only working intermittently and the lights in all the switches for the passgenger windows would flash on an off. After boosting the car the window opens and closes properly with no flashing lights.
However, Sync no longer talks to me. Pressing the voice command button turns the volume off for the radio but there is no “Say a command” prompt and dialing a phone number via the touch interface results in hte call going through but no sound.
Drove car to dealership. Even though they haven’t looked at it yet (after havin git for 5 hours and a booked appointment) they are saying it sounds like a battery issue!
The only other event that may be related is a few weeks ago we parked the carand the radio would not turn off. Tried startin the car and turning it off numerous time, changing screens and the radio remained on. Finally just started pressing buttons and it turned off when I pressed the Sound button next to the manual volume control.
Really not what I expect from a car with about 6000 miles on it.
Quick Update
The car was at the dealer for 2 days and the following was on the Service Form :
Starting Concern
Complaint : Vehicle condition @ Not start. Diag and Advise
Cause: Verify concern. Check OASIS SSM 22096 applies. Check battery cable connections at high current junction box - loose.
Correction : Perform wiring repair to loose connection at battery high current junction box. Check and clear codes set by loose connection. Reset battery monitor module. Verify cranks / starts properly.
Had a similar problem once on a 2006 Dakota,my nephew showed me how to be certain the ignition was completely off,had no problems since
@Ulli: I fail to see how a poor connection is draining the battery. The only way this might cause a problem like this is if it’s intermittently losing power completely while the car is off, then all the modules wake up and have to wait to power down again–over and over. But that’s a big IF. I expect the problem will return.
@oblivion: The thing is my battery was not actually drained. The battery charger/booster showed that the battery was OK. The boosting must have overcome the extra resistance from the loose connection. They also did not charge or replace the battery. If the problem returns (all good so far) I will be having them check current draw.
I also had a frequent no starting problem with my 2012 Ford Focus. Watch this.
youtube.com/watch?v=4pbCQDIF5gM
I supervise a fleet of vehicles, six of them are Ford Focus and four of those are 2012s.
We have one with the problem you described. It is in the shop now. I believe it is the computer, Ford says it is the battery. We will see.
This thread was started over a year ago.
Start your own
I know this thread is really old but my Focus has the EXACT same issues as Kat6. Did the final issue/resolution ever get posted?
The last time that Kat6 was active in this forum was in February, 2012, so it is unlikely that he/she will see your post. You should begin your own new thread detailing the problem, as well as what types of repair solutions you have already attempted.