We bought a 2000 Ford Focus a few years ago and have had relatively few problems with it.
Except one. And its a doozy.
About a third of the time we try to retrieve the key from the ignition on the steering column, the key will not come out. It just sticks and can not be budged.
I have talked to other Focus owners about this who have had the same problem. The Ford dealership told the missus that this is a known problem and should have been subject to a recall.
I’m not here to complain about the high cost and complexity of having new keys made for these theft-deterrent systems. I would just like to know what is going on in there mechanically that does not allow the key to be retrieved.
2 things I have noticed: It happens mostly in Spring and Fall when the temperatures are more moderate (live in Ohio). Engaging and releasing the steering wheel lock seems to let the key slip out after a few tries. Hi Opal.
My guess is that there is a metal part expanding and contracting inside the column with the changes in temperature. As it expands, it somehow catches the key and will not release it.
Any thoughts on this would be appreciated.
It’s not an answer to your question, nor is it helpful in anyway but my friend couldn’t get into his car once because he got his electronic keys wet.
A little online research shows that the Focus has lots of recurring problems with the ignition switch, but in most cases, it’s that the key can’t be turned to start the car, rather than getting stuck in the ignition.
Here’s a post where dozens of message board members suffered the same problem:
http://forums.focaljet.com/problems-service-recalls/416401-please-post-if-your-ignition-has-locked.html
Here’s a post about how to replace the ignition lock yourself:
http://forums.focaljet.com/team-tech/497529-new-ignition-cylinder-help.html
However, you said your problem is the opposite—that you can’t remove the key when parking.
In that case, read this message board post:
http://forums.focaljet.com/problems-service-recalls/541161-keys-stuck-ignition.html
When the problem happens again, you may want to try shifting into various gears (maybe low, maybe reverse, experiment a little) and then back into Park, and see if that allows you to remove the key.
P.S. www.recalls.gov shows no recall for your car related to this issue.
P.P.S. Mechanics have access to TSBs (Technical Service Bulletins) that have information and repair procedures for common problems. Note that if Ford issued a TSB, that is not a recall----you’d still have to pay for the repair out of pocket.
P.P.P.S. If you do determine it’s the ignition lock cylinder, you might find a locksmith who would do the repair less expensively than the Ford dealership—some of them even come out to you. If you have AAA Plus, I believe they pay the first $100 for locksmith service. Note that with AAA you can’t just schedule a repair at a convenient time----it must be a road emergency, you must be with your disabled car right now.
I have no experience with the key cylinder in the Focus, but have modified many Ford & Mazda cylinders and have seen a similar problem. On the street, the manufacturer doesn’t want you to be able to remove the key until the column lock is engaged. This not only prevents the steering wheel from turning, but also locks the key cylinder and prevents someone from turning the car on with a blade-like object.
I work on production-based race cars and my goal is to disable the steering column lock. Though it is valuable as a theft deterrent, it is a potential hazard on the racetrack. One means of disabling the lock involves drilling a hole in a specific place. This causes a spring and pin to drop out, disabling the mechanism. If not done correctly, the column lock is disabled but the pin that locks the key cylinder is is free-floating and occasionally prevents the key from being removed. We usually have to stick a prod in the hole and poke around until the key is released.
I believe that poor tolerances or sticky lube is causing the cylinder pin to jam. The key cylinder should be replaced. Based on what I’ve experienced, I don’t believe it is a safety hazard but would not testify to that. They can replace the cylinder without requiring a different ignition key.
This link http://www.carcomplaints.com/Ford/Focus/2000/tsbs.shtml shows all of the Ford Technical Service bulletins issued for the 2000 Ford Focus. One is for the lock cylinder but I can’t locate the specifics. TSBs are rarely mandated recalls, just a known problem that is reviewed when a customer makes a specific complaint about that component. Your dealer service department can show you the specific document for this service bulletin and you can determine if it is related to your problem. In most cases, you pay for repairs outlined in TSBs, but since this is related to locking the steering wheel, they may do a free replacement rather than risk a lawsuit.
Is it a new key or a replacement? I recently had a new key made for my Jag and it did the same thing. IN/ON, no problem, but didn’t want to come out. I took the key back inside and they ground off the sharp edges and now it works perfectly.
Just checking: so you can turn the key in the ignition to all positions easily, but it just won’t pull out when in “off”?
This happened with our Grand Prix all the time. My husband found a lot of instances on-line talking about people having this problem and he has found a little place in the steering column he can press and release it. (It’s a small opening, and he sticks a pencil or something in it – I don’t know, I didn’t drive it often. He read it online.) One thing we noticed was that there was a click sound. If the car made that click sound when we turned the key off, it would come out and if it didn’t make the sound, the key wouldn’t come out. Sometimes turning the car on and off worked, sometimes it didn’t. Sometimes one of us would sit in the driveway for a couple of minutes, until we heard the click. It was so annoying!
Thanks for the responses, everybody!
The key I’m talking about is a replacement of an original key. We only got one key when we bought the car secondhand. The key will turn in all directions but sometimes refuses to come out when the car has been turned off. Had the lock cylinder freeze up on me once so had it towed to Ford where they replaced the original cylinder. Thought this would fix the problem but nope.
Thanks especially to Chris Luongo. I read the message board post about making sure the shifter was all the way to PARK and will remember to try that from now on.
Nunzio, I think you may be on to the problem. Poor tolerances could be the answer.