The Ford Focus has long been one of the UK’s most popular cars, and one of the biggest best sellers on our shores. It’s no surprise, then, that you’ll see new and used models in so many UK streets and cities. However, as you might expect from a car with such a large-scale production run spanning over decades, some problems are bound to develop every now and again. Below, we’ve summed up some of the four most common ones to be on the lookout for when you’re hunting for Ford Focus salvage cars. Happily parts are widely available and they’re all quite quick fixes, so that if you spot them, you know it won’t take much before you can get it repaired and ready to get back on the roads.
Water leakage inside the cabin
This is an annoying problem, but thankfully not a particularly dangerous one. Certain second-generation Ford Focuses can sometimes experience water leaking into the cabin. This is generally because of faulty seals on the windows or sunroofs. For that reason alone, when you’re looking at a Ford Focus you’re intending to put back on the roads again, it’s a good idea to quickly inspect it for any wet patches inside, and give the seals a quick once-over. It’s not the end of the world if you do find that one of them is indeed faulty - normally, you’ll just need to replace the affected seal in order to fully resolve the issue.
Power steering issues
Ford Focus cars that were built between April and May 2008 can sometimes suffer from issues with their power steering. This is largely down to the fact that the hoses on the power steering system weren’t built to specified standards, so that they gradually degraded over time. This is obviously far from ideal, as it runs the risk of the power steering failing completely, and defaulting back to normal steering. (We’ve explained why your power steering is important in a recent post here on the blog!) This was subject to a recall by Ford, so generally most instances of this problem should have been fixed. If it’s not though, happily it’s a fairly simple fix - you’ll just have to fit new hoses to your vehicle.
Alternator problems
Exceptionally old models of Ford Focus - ones manufactured between 1998 and 1999 - were known to suffer from an issue in which their alternator could short circuit or overheat entirely. This was often caused by a faulty harness, which ultimately caused the cable to come loose. Again, this should have been fixed by Ford at the time (and in many cases will have been), but if you find that your Ford Focus still suffers from this issue, it’s just a case of replacing the harness and fitting it with a new wire.
Wiper motor woes
Ford Focus models that were manufactured between 2003 and 2005 could also find themselves with one or two problems of their own - in this case, the wiper motor. The issue here is that water could sometimes get in through the wiper motor arm, and if it got as far as the motor then it could overheat or short circuit. What’s more, the trims were known to occasionally melt too, which obviously doesn’t help matters any. Fixing the problem in this instance is usually a case of replacing the motor. Since Ford Focus is such a common model of vehicle, they’re not that hard to come by, so if you’ve got the mechanical skills to do it then you might find it’s an easier and cheaper job than you might first think.
We’ve certainly got plenty of Ford Focus salvage cars amongst our stock here at RAW2K, so you’ve always got plenty of options whether you’re on the lookout for a salvage car to take apart for spares, or a car to quickly repair and sell on to a happy new owner. We’ve also got a huge variety of models from a range of leading car manufacturers, including BMW, Audi and Citroen - so why not take a look around our site, and see what you can find in our car auctions?
