Extended warranty and auto-locking you out.

"Atlas Bugged" wrote

I'm not going to comment on extended warranties, except to say that I don't bother with them. But as to this, what do you mean by being locked out by a "defect"? Is your door locking system malfunctioning in some way? If so, please specify. If not, I know no way to lock yourself out except by human error, same as every other vehicle on the market. And I certainly would never leave a door ajar - that's just dumb, and illegal around here.

There is a simple fix for this human error, which is to take your key to the hardware store and get them to make a copy. There won't be a chip in it so it won't start the car but the key shaft will open the door. I keep this key in my wallet - it is of course far slimmer than the company key with the chip. Saves my buns at least once a year.

I'm talking about when the car is just idling in your driveway - we were just warming it up and clearing off the snow. Nothing illegal going on, so don't bust me.

For years, I've been reading here of the Focus's design defect. People start the car (like me, to warm it up,) then close the *unlocked* driver's side door, and then the auto-locking mechanism locks them out (the car hasn't moved, I am aware of the 5MPH autolock, which I also don't care for.) It's not human error, it's poor design.

And why not get yourself a spare key *with* the chip? I discovered the reason for this as well - it is wildly overpriced (well over $100 and only from the dealer.) Your idea hadn't occurred to me - not bad. But it's also a bit senseless to have an extra set of keys that's crippled.

"Atlas Bugged" wrote

It's too big to fit comfortably in my wallet.

$40 Can. the last time I checked.

Well I don't know about you, but I've never lost keys in my 4 and a half decades of driving, but I have many times locked the keys in the car, so a door key is all I need, and certainly will deal with the circumstance you describe.

As to your scenario of warming up the car in the driveway, I have seen no evidence that the doors lock on their own at all often, but when you bought the car it came with a spare key, don't you have that in your house?

"well over $100 and only from the dealer" == WRONG.

You can buy brand new key blanks with the transponder chip for $15 or less (including shipping) on ebay (I just bought one of these myself). Any locksmith can cut the key to match, and if you have two working transponder keys you can program the new key into the car's computer yourself for $0.00.

I previously bought a blank transponder key from a Ford dealer, it cost a _lot_ less than $100, I forget exactly how much but I'm sure it was less than $40. I know the locksmith charged me only a few bucks to cut the key and I programmed it into the car's computer myself.

If you just want to keep an extra key in your wallet to unlock the doors when you leave the car locked and running to warm up, not having the bulky transponder chip head on the key is a positive bonus.

Over the past three years or so, I've read several reports here of Foci auto-locking while idling in park.

Even if it's a human error situation, I think the Focus' power lock switch is especially easy to accidentally bump while getting out of the car. If it happens frequently, it's a sign of bad design.

I love my Focus, but the door locks are not one of my favorite things about the car.

I roll my driver's side window down while warming up the car.

Correct, I'm talking about the whole enchilada, i.e., a key and a remote, along with the necessary programing. The car came with two, and I wanted three. The third set ran well over $100 USA, I believe it was actually over $150 plus a trip to the dealer. Retentive a bit, I know, but that's my view of a "spare set."

Good for you, but people do lose keys, and if you're not prepared, the hassle factor is mega. It's a very individual thing. Some of us are a little less meticulous than you, and there's also occasional thefts, and so on.

Good point. It was a "perfect storm." I misplaced (and lost) set number two, and I keep set number three off-premises as an unbeatable safety measure, just like I try to keep off-site valuable data discs and the like. Bu8t the other location is about 60 miles from my home. So we had a bad problem.

In sum, I've had some nasty stuff happen in my youth so I double (actually triple) precaution important stuff. Yes, I take some of the blame.

All that said, I still maintain that Foci have a defect where they're too aggressive about auto-locking doors. I've been reading about this for years here, and I believe it's a defect. Could be wrong, but I don't think so. My friend was sure the door was unlocked when the car was started for warm up, then we couldn't get in.

[...]

Lots of complaints about it in this forum over the last three years. I could be wrong, but I'm fairly sure this defect exists in the Foci.

Ditto, it's been a constant annoyance for me. A flaw in a car I otherwise like very much.

Good idea, generally, but it was a snow/rainy situation when the problem arose on Sunday.

I've been reading about this for years

Its happened to me a couple of times and to some of my friends as well. Its a defect.

Fud

The Focus isn't the *only* car to do that. So many other cars must have that

*defect* also. I've had to open many cars that autolock, had a GM of some kind several years ago, had to open twice in a row in sub-zero weather, got it open, let it close, it immediatly locked again, Doh! . My '00 ZX3 only auto locks after I start moving, and only the first time I start moving, ie, if I get out after moving it will not relock.

"Tony Wesley" wrote

But one good thing about locking the doors this way - you can easily unlock them again, since you have the remote.

I have mixed feelings about the remote in general. I've set off the alarm more than once just touching the buttons in my pocket accidentally. (That thing has range!) I also once opened the hatch on someone else's Ford van.

The batteries are amazing - they're both still going after almost 5 years. But once they die I doubt I'll replace them. More trouble than they're worth.

.

"Tony Wesley" wrote

Just out of curiosity, I did a Google Groups search of this NG for the past three years for the terms "door lock". On a quick look, I see only four comments that seem to be about this particular problem. Most complaints were about wanting to turn off the auto-lock feature when starting to move. It doesn't seem to me like door locks are high on the list of Focus defects.

Anyway, see for yourself if you're curious.

"Atlas Bugged" wrote

Well I agree about auto-lock in general. I hated it and had the dealer turn it off on my 2000. I understand you can do that yourself on later models, so I guess Ford heard the complaints. But I have no idea if that solves your original problem, since it never happened to me.

Another thing I really hated was the upshift light. Didn't take me long to yank that little sucker out. But I don't call these things defects so much as just design features I don't like.

If, in fact, the door locks a person out while the car is standing still and idling, there is no question whatsoever that this is a design defect. The only question remaining is whether this happens. It is a fact that several people have complained of this, and it seemed to happen to my friend the other day, but I wasn't there to see it. The mechanic who responded to my service call commented that he sees this routinely.

As a criminal attorney, I have had guilty clients get off because the matter could not be proved beyond a reasonable doubt, properly so. Since the Ford doesn't get that kind of protection, my verdict is guilty.

I too am annoyed by the non-defective auto-lock behaviour, BTW. Ford probably ought to include a switch to toggle it on and off. But finally, I reiterate, I really like the car overall.

complaints were

Before I read your post, I did much the same search. Just checking to see if my recollections matched what was in the archive. You know, I'd be happy to be wrong. Then I could stop leaving my window down, especially in the rain.

I saw more than four, include one that claims there is a TSB on this, altho' I was unable to find it, even fixing his bad link. But I found what looks to be a reference to it here:

Here's five from this group. I hope I got the links right.

Hasn't happened on my Focus yet, but my 2004 Dodge Dakota did that to me last week when I was scraping the ice off the windshield. Same thing happened to another guy with a Ford Explorer Sport-Trak. I now make sure my remote is in my pocket when I scrape the windows when the car is warming up. Wonder if it has something to do with the cold temperatures making the contacts work differently?

JPH

The remote won't save you with the Focus! It doesn't work with the engine running.

Focxus isn't the only car that it won't work on while the car is running.had ot go withmy dad to Rochester for a Ford pickup, don't remember which model, same problem, left the car running, thinking they could use the remote, it didn't.

My reomte won't get over about 10' anymore, I replaced the battery, got >100' the first day or so, then back to ~10' range, my wife's Sable gets over 100', for over a year now.

Simple 2 min job, pry it apart near the keyring attachment, put in new coin battery, snap it together done.

Then most if not all car manufacturers are guilty of this 'defect', this is not unique to Ford.

I agree, that may not ba a bad idea, the ability to turn it off, or maybe some level of settings, ie. anytime the car is on then lock, only lock when put in gear, won't lock if your leaving it to idle and warm up, lock on starting to move, liek my '00 ZX3 or never autolock.