I bought my 2005 Ford Focus used but still under warranty. When I would turn I would hear and feel a bump or thump in the front end. Speed didn't really matter. It would thump when the weight load shifted. I could make it bump at 5 mph and not a really sharp turn. I took it to my local Ford dealership, demonstrated the problem - after their mechanic could not hear any problem during a test drive - and left it with them. When I got it back it had no more bump/thump during turns - for a fair amount of time. I thought I'd take it back when it needed servicing. Of course that time occurred after the warranty expired and didn't think about that problem! When I went back I told the service manager that same old problem they'd once fixed was back. Since their fix didn't hold then it should not cost me. He gave me the old, %26quot;Well, it's out of warranty.%26quot; %26quot;We could look for it but it really could be very expensive but if that's what you want us to do we'll do it.%26quot; Of course after that cheerful encouragement I didn't do anything about it.
I'd glance at my tires and they seemed okay. About two months ago I parked with the tires turned a lot. I then noticed the center was VERY worn. Evidently sports tires do NOT need as much air as regular tires! I've driven a lot slower in the rain since then!! I had also noticed my wheels were looking rusted in between the spokes of the hubcaps. I decided to take them off and paint them. When I took off a front wheel and started to roll it I got a sharp pain in my hand. I looked at the tire and the inside edge was extremely worn on the outside with belts showing! Both front tires were like that. I strongly suspect the bump/thump has a lot to do with this happening. Now I'm worried that the car was wrecked before I bought it, that repairs were not thoroughly or correctly done and I'm going to get hit with a big bill.
I kept all the paperwork. It appears the car was put in service 11-19-04. I bought the 2005 Focus on 10-01-05 with 12494 miles with a basic 3 yr/36,000 mile warranty.
The local Ford dealership visits for various things (noted in parenthesis) include statements the steering system, shock/struts were checked 02-02-06 (oil, rotate tires, CD player skips), 06-05-06 (oil, filter, check front end noise, 4 Ultra HP4 tires at 27,155 miles), 09-08-06 (oil, filter, gas filter, rotate tires) and 11-29-06 (oil, rotate with a note of suspension noise which they %26quot;looked for%26quot; but didn't spend a lot of time since it was out of warranty - 40,765 miles). I've changed oil, filters and maintained fluid levels since then. I now have 78,674.6 miles on my Focus.
What does the thumping and tire wear indicate as to how severe is my problem.? Do I have anything I can pressure Ford with about this repair they didn't take care of earlier? Should I go to Ford or just anyone else?
I appreciate your time and any thoughts.
bamamongo2005 Ford Focus tire alignment/suspension problems?The Ford Focus has two common problems that can result in the type of noise you are hearing.
One is broken front suspension coil springs. Any mechanic with any experience at all with the Ford Focus will know what to look for with this because they will have encountered it before. The other is worn front stabilizer bar end links which on this vehicle are a ball-and-socket type joint that tend to clunk when worn. The broken coil springs are obviously a safety issue. Worn but otherwise intact stabilizer bar end links are not. Both issues are easy to spot for someone experienced with this vehicle.
I doubt very much they fixed anything on the first visit or else there would be documentation as to what was repaired. You give no specifics on any repair. Thus if the noise recurred after the warranty period on the vehicle expired the dealership is under no obligation to make any further repairs without charge.
Premature wear on the center of the tire is a sign of overinflation. A wheel alignment problem such as might be caused by a broken coil spring will result in excessive wear on the shoulders, not the center. The tire wear issue is thus likely a maintenance problem and not related to your noise. Correct inflation pressure for 2005 3 and 4 door models is 32 psi front and rear. For ZX5 and ZXW models it is 34 psi front and rear so long as the vehicle is fitted with any tire (of any brand or model) that is the same size as that originally fitted to the vehicle.
Exposed belt material on the shoulders of the tire could be from excessive edgewear due to a faulty wheel alignment or it could be due to a belt separation due to overloading or overinflating the tires. I could tell you with certainty which if I could see the tires but I'm not there. While a tire in such condition will often make a thumping noise it is not the same kind of noise you describe in your original complaint - it will be constant and increase with speed. If the damage is alignment related it could mean the vehiclece has prior accident damage, broken suspension parts or it could just mean the wheel alignment has not been checked as often as it should and/or tire rotations have not been performed at regular intervals. Wheel alignment should be checked annually or every 10,000 miles. Tire rotations should be performed every 5-6,000 miles. But given that the amount of miles you have put on the tires is about the maximum I would expect to see out of the Ultra HP4 (now discontinued IIRC) maybe you just used them all up and a little more.
At any rate if you have not replaced the tires this needs to be done immediately. Have the wheel alignment checked at the same time and ask the installer to check for binding or wear in the front stabilizer bar links and for broken front coil springs (hint: that means no Wal-Mart or other big-box store that sells tires like toilet paper. Go to a real full-service tire and repair shop).
2005 Ford Focus tire alignment/suspension problems?Sounds like a CV boot which is a simple 20 dollar fix. You can do it yourself. If you know how to remove a tire, and zip a zip tie, you can do it.2005 Ford Focus tire alignment/suspension problems?you should have the ft end checked and aligned, that's normal maintenance( your responsibility not the dealers) the thumping has nothing to do with the tires, but you really should have it checked out.2005 Ford Focus tire alignment/suspension problems?You should get a lawyer, or else you will get nowhere, and have a big headache for no results.
Your tires overall are too wide, and the fronts tilt as they steer, causing rubbing with an outer tie rod end most likely. A real physical contact rub. They might have worked with wheel spacers, illegal in some areas. You didn't know you had that problem or that option.
