Please post if your ignition has locked!

[zach92r]

Its not really that hard to get your steering wheel unlocked mine locks up on me and all you have to do is grab the top and turn it to towards the door till you can put your key in and then hold the steering wheel there and start it up then its unlocked. Ive also had my key get stuck in the ignition all i did was make my steering wheel lock then do the trick i said above and key came out fine and still works fine now, also helps if you push in on the cylinder when doing this. It also has gotten stuck while its running so all i did was push in the brake and turn the wheel the same way and my key turned and came out fine

[xl2piefl]

I have a 2004 Ford Focus ZX3 Duratec MTX-75. My ignition lock broke at 20,000. The replacement lock is of different design than the original. From what I hear from the Hertz mechanics, Ford, GM and Kia used the same manufacturer for ignition switches on some of their models. This manufacturer was using substandard materials. My new switch is made out of shiny stainless steel, whereas the old one looked like it was made of pot metal. I think Ford is being sneaky, instead of a recall.

[jeangreyfan]

This happened to me today 09.24.2009. I am going to see what my options are in getting it fixed tomorrow (going in for another issue!! go figure!) So far I have options with a locksmith, doing it myself, having Ford fix it, or getting parts from Amazon.com or Tousley's. Hopefully one of these will be able to fix my problem! Wish me luck!

[dpage466]

I had this happen to me when i was about 1 1/2 hours away from the ford dealership..i had to get it towed. Costed me $140 bucks just to tow it and then they charged about $200 to fix it. was able to get it back the next day but this should happen. I have a 2000 focus se.

[fastfred]

Mine locked up yesterday at the Trader Joe's in Fairfield. Called a tow truck and towed to my house. Would have towed it to Walnut Creek Ford except they said it was too late to store behind their fence an would have sit on the street until tommorrow. When got home I got on Focaljet and Focusfanatic and read all the problems and solutions. This morning I called Duprat Ford in Dixon they had the new lock replacement kit for $135.18. Saw the same kit on Amazon for $65.00 with 3 day shipping. Decided to get from the dealer because I need my car this weekend. I removed old key cylinder, arrange the tumblers in the new lock to work with my existing keys, put it in, and put steering column covers back on. This took about an hour of time.
LETS ADD UP THE COST:
Part SW-6285 $146.50 w/tax
Tow $0 because I have AAA
3 hours of internet research, 1 hour installation, sick call at work -$176.00
Totals:$322.50, about 5 hour of my time, thoughts of selling my svt focus

[focusfron]

locked up on me two days ago im waiting for the call in the morning to find out what the diagnosis was

[Greg Phillips]

Well, we are now amongst the masses with the locked ignition problem. It started acting up at 90k (I feel fortunate). It started with not being able to turn the ignition and with a little jiggling and such it would release and start. Today it would not. We were stranded on the other side of town. We just paid the car off 2 months ago...go figure. We were at a family members house so I went inside and got online to see what's up. I had no idea it was this big of an issue. Come on Ford. I have been a Ford man for 30 years. To not address this issue is wrong. I found a post by a person who said he put the key in and smacked the key hard a few times on the end (plastic) into the ignition and it released. I tried it and after a few times of trying this it worked. It did it again as soon as we got home. I have to figure out where to go from here. We can't afford the prices to get it done. I will try and do it myself, and let you all know how that goes.

[samcorp]

Add me to the list. Happened in the driveway one morning, couldn't unlock the steering wheel/or turn the key. I have a 2003 ford focus wagon SE. Had to call Auto Assistance (BCAA), the mechanic already knew of this problem with the ford focus. He reccomended hitting it with a hammer until i could get to the repair shop. The hammering has worked for the past two weeks, but now i have to hammer harder and harder to get the key to turn. I have dropped it off at the Ford dealership this morning. I am hoping i dont have a $400 bill. It seems a quick google seach finds at least 1000+ people who have had this exact problem. i wonder how many replacement parts of needed for this repair have sold. My guess would be tens of thousands, as the vast majority of people do not post their car problems online. Ford really needs to issue a recall on this repair. I for one am pissed off Ford has done nothing to help valuable customers with this obvious failure on thier part. I also have a '68 ford galaxie which is awesome, and '96 ford taurus which is crap. Unfortunately have to say "they sure don't make em' like they used to". :-(