Ford Focus: 2003 focus dies at idle, stalls when accelerating

"bocochoco" <com> wrote 

Obviously you have a major electrical problem somewhere. The problem itself
is probably as simple as a frayed wire and an intermittent short, but the
trick is to find it. Unfortunately, this kind of thing can happen to any
car, and is particularly common on high-end cars with lots of toys (Mercedes
is having some real nightmares). It's one of the reasons why I like to keep
my cars simple.

Getting back to your Focus, the fact that the transmission is involved
implies that the fault is somewhere in the wiring that involves this
component as well as the ignition system. The first place to start is to get
your computer scanned for codes. Then you need a technician with a really
good knowledge of the electrical system to track down the fault.

Dave Gower schrieb: 
 

Hi
the major key for searching in this NG is vss aka vehicle speed sensor.
The wiring and plug of the vss that is mounted on the gear box is
subject for many problems and discussions here with symptons like this
car shows.
bye
Jupp

"Josef Erbs" <de> wrote
 

I would agree except for the instrument panel fluctuations, which are more
indicative of a major short than a sensor malfunction. It's impossible to
diagnose something like this remotely on a newsgroup.

I believe it probably is the VSS. My 2000 SE had very similar problems.
First some circuits were "fixed," then my instrument cluster was replaced.
When the problems kept occurring (speedometer/odometer dying, car
sometimes just turning off) I took the car in for a recheck. They finally
decided to check for codes and found that the speed sensore needed to be
replaced. No problems yet.

v/r
Elizabeth

"joes1girl" <com> wrote 

They did all this BEFORE checking for codes? Boy do you need to find a
better repair shop.