Ford Focus: 2002 Wagon hatch problem

"Mark" <com> wrote
 

Sounds like they are masking this problem with a lubricant or an adjustment,
when the latch needs replacing. The latch on my 2000 wagon has been
flawless.
 

Oh come on. Vehicles have thousands of parts. You'd condemn an entire
vehicle line because of one of these parts?

Mark wrote: 

This is a recall for the back doors, not the hatch. I thought it was
for the hatch, too. Had th erecall done and it was the back doors.
Here's a clue:

---

Consequence:
IF NOT LATCHED PROPERLY, THE DOOR MAY OPEN WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN
MOTION. IF AN OCCUPANT FELL OUT OF THE VEHICLE, PERSONAL INJURIES COULD
OCCUR.

---
 

Have you tried lubricating it yourself? I would probably try white
lithium grease.

On 2005-07-18, Mark <com> wrote: 

I have a different issue with my 2003 Focus Wagon, and it is more an
annoyance than anything. The latch works fine, but the back door
squeaks as I'm driving down the road. It appears that the squeak is
coming from the door rubbing against the weatherstripping. I have
sprayed a bunch of silicone lubricant all over the weatherstripping,
and that made it a little better, but it still squeaks. Anybody else
have this issue?

Thanks,
Bryan Walton

We had my wife's Honda for 8 years and not one single little thing ever
broke. Our Subaru is going on 4 years and the only issue we've ever
had was a squeaky steering wheel which was fixed AND HAS REMAINED
FIXED.

If Honda can do it, why can't US automakers?

I just think the Focus is a crappy car. It served its purpose for a
couple years for me, and I could see if it was a window jamming or some
other minor issue, but this is A DOOR NOT LATCHING. I can't lock it or
drive it on the freeway (while holding the rope I use to tie the latch
to the center console). I certainly can't haul my dog around while
it's like this. IT IS A MAJOR PROBLEM, AND THE AUTHORIZED FORD DEALERS
ARE UNABLE OR UNWILLING TO FIX IT. And I think THAT is why we will
never again buy a Ford... it's not so much that it happened, it's the
service after the fact.

com wrote: 

You're comparing a sample size of 1 Honda vs 1 Focus. Your Honda is
atypical. If you look at the 2005 JD Powers Vehicle Dependability
numbers, Honda had 201 problems per 100 vehicles while Ford had 231.
Honda is better but it's not exactly an earth-shattering difference.
 

You're entitled to your opinion. I just crossed 100,000 miles with
mine and I'm keeping it.
 

Seems that you could as an emergency measure, tie the rope from the
roof rack down under the bumper, from left side to right and vica
versa, making an "X" over the rear hatch.

That way, you should be able to get the vehicle back home without the
dog jumping out.
 

This is a major problem. Since the car is under warranty, you can take
it to a different Ford dealer.