What ever happened to the Focus RS engine problems?

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jayjr1105

jayjr1105

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I typically lean Asian vehicle (honda, toyota, Mazda, etc.) but I was really tempted by the Focus Hatchbacks when I bought a car a few years ago. The salesman straight up told me don't buy one with an automatic (I was planning on a 6 spd anyways) but I test drove a few and then I remember watching some youtube video's on the Focus RS engines being a total engineering failure with heat gasket, cylinder wall, and head/block warping issues. I was just curious what became of these? I settled on a Mazda 3 because of a good deal but I still think about that baby blue Focus Hatch that I drove.
 
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Originally Posted by Lolvoguy
Ford stopped building the troublesome cars.
Problem solved.

What about the thousands that bought it and were expecting Honda K20/K24 like reliability and performance?(okay maybe K series honda is a stretch) I know they improved the head gasket replacement but I doubt that resolved everything.
 
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Originally Posted by jayjr1105
Originally Posted by Lolvoguy
Ford stopped building the troublesome cars.
Problem solved.

What about the thousands that bought it and were expecting Honda K20/K24 like reliability and performance? I know they improved the head gasket replacement but I doubt that resolved everything.

Ford =/= Honda.
Ford lost huge amounts of $$ on each car they built and sold (even the reliable ones). This is why they pulled the plug on most of them recently.
Honda has a golden reputation to get them through. They could build bronze turds and they'll still sell like hotcakes.
Honda knows this, you and I know this. This is nothing new to anyone.

This is why it's unfolding the way it is.
coffee2.gif
 
They quite literally installed the wrong head gaskets on thousands of engines. They used Mustang head gaskets on Focus RS engines which have different coolant passages. It's super bizarre when you consider the gaskets were made in Mexico, and the Mustang engines were made in USA but the Focus engines were made in Europe (Portugal I think).

Anyway, a bunch of Ford techs got really good at doing head gaskets and engine swaps in those cars.
 
Originally Posted by jayjr1105
Originally Posted by Lolvoguy
Ford stopped building the troublesome cars.
Problem solved.

What about the thousands that bought it and were expecting Honda K20/K24 like reliability and performance?(okay maybe K series honda is a stretch) I know they improved the head gasket replacement but I doubt that resolved everything.

They learned a bit about the way the world works.
 
Oh yes because Honda is the shining star of reliability. I'm sure if I treated a Ridgeline the way I treat my Suburban or a CR-V the way I treat my Escape I'd be walking.
 
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I thought it was the wrong head gasket and the cylinder walls weren't properly supported in the block, so bad that they would shift letting the coolant in.
 
Originally Posted by Lolvoguy
Honda has a golden reputation to get them through. They could build bronze turds and they'll still sell like hotcakes.
Honda knows this, you and I know this. This is nothing new to anyone.

This is why it's unfolding the way it is.
coffee2.gif


Honda has a golden reputation specifically because they don't, in general, build bronze turds.
At least not at the rate that Ford, GM, or FCA seems to be pinching then out.
The best way to get a bad reputation is to build bronze turds.

Any reputation, good or bad, is earned, not bestowed.
This is the way the world works.
You know this. I know this.
This is nothing new to anyone.

Cheers!!!
cheers3.gif
 
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I liked the RS, but what kept me from buying one was the less than stellar Ford dealer service departments in my area.
 
Ford was not competitive in the compact car market and Ford was plagued with reliability problems. If a Ford salesman tells you not to buy Ford's automatic transmission, but only 4% of the car market is interested in manual transmissions then Ford has a big problem selling cars. They solved it by killing off the Focus.
 
Originally Posted by wdn
Ford was not competitive in the compact car market and Ford was plagued with reliability problems. If a Ford salesman tells you not to buy Ford's automatic transmission, but only 4% of the car market is interested in manual transmissions then Ford has a big problem selling cars. They solved it by killing off the Focus.


Not accurate. They only stopped making and selling them in the US and Canada. They're still made and sold all over the world. The new 4th Gen Focus gets excellent reviews in Europe and continues to be one o the best selling cars in the UK.
 
Originally Posted by dogememe
Oh yes because Honda is the shining star of reliability. I'm sure if I treated a Ridgeline the way I treat my Suburban or a CR-V the way I treat my Escape I'd be walking.


But Honda won't lie you into prison on a manslaughter charge that could potentially get you executed if the ignition switch is defective, cuts out at highway speed and your passenger(s) die because the power to the airbags and electric power steering got cut.

GM not only would but has.

https://www.hmglawfirm.com/news/texas-woman-cleared-in-fatal-wreck-after-car-linked-to-gm-recall/

The initial investigation into the above linked accident took place during the period when GM already knew these cheapened switches were defective. Yet they denied it to the local investigators, they denied it in court and they lied this poor woman into jail for manslaughter. Only after the Feds made them fess up to the overall problem did they admit they were at fault - and, as you will see in the article, only reluctantly and at the last minute. She spent a decade on probation and as a convicted felon (with all the nastiness that implies) because GM literally lied under oath.

You like supporting people that do that? I don't.
 
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Our son has a 2016 Focus ST for his daily driver. He doesn't beat on it but loves the way it drives. He has only had it a year, bought it used with 31k miles on it. His other car is a 2015 Mustang GT that he uses on weekends but he says he looks forward to driving the ST to and from work. We will see what long-term reliability is...
 
Originally Posted by Spktyr
.https://www.hmglawfirm.com/news/texas-woman-cleared-in-fatal-wreck-after-car-linked-to-gm-recall/

The initial investigation into the above linked accident took place during the period when GM already knew these cheapened switches were defective. Yet they denied it to the local investigators, they denied it in court and they lied this poor woman into jail for manslaughter. Only after the Feds made them fess up to the overall problem did they admit they were at fault - and, as you will see in the article, only reluctantly and at the last minute. She spent a decade on probation and as a convicted felon (with all the nastiness that implies) because GM literally lied under oath.

You like supporting people that do that? I don't.

Yikes!!!!
That is truly scary...
 
Originally Posted by aquariuscsm
Are there any Japanese "Made in Japan" cars anymore?


Yes, many Mazda are still Made In Japan, along with Suzuki, Daihatsu, and Toyota.
 
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