Ford Focus Zetec 1.8 X Reg - Speed guage drops to zero, loss of power then cuts

Honest John Back Room » Technical matters
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Sat 29 Oct 2011 12:58
Ford Focus Zetec 1.8 X Reg - Speed guage drops to zero, loss of power then cuts - CumbriaFocus

We have a 2nd hand Ford Focus Xetex LX X Reg 2000 and just recently we have been experiencing the problem as set out below:

Driving along, suddenly the speedguage drops to zero and sometimes even cuts out, the lights all come on like a christmas tree, sometimes a loss of power can be felt.

We turn the ignition off, then restart and the cars starts up no problem and drives normally.

I have just got off the phone to a Ford dealer who mentions that there has been an issue of the electrical cluster in the dash which can cost £120 to replace, but may not be the cause and could see an additional cost of £90 to plug the car into the computer as well.

I would welcome and solid advice and guidance from anyone who has shared this experience, many thanks

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Sun 30 Oct 2011 21:23
Ford Focus Zetec 1.8 X Reg - Speed guage drops to zero, loss of power then cuts - mikej

Sounds like the classic symptoms of a failing vehicle speed sensor (vss) - I'm surprised the Ford dealer didn't mention this as a possibility, as it's a common problem.

See this thread for more details : http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=15028&m=299067#

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Sun 22 Jul 2012 15:12
Ford Focus Zetec 1.8 X Reg - Speed guage drops to zero, loss of power then cuts - FordFocusMcleod
Now that is what actually really drove my anger levels through the roof in the Ford Dealership.

I allowed them to change the dash cluster, but guess what happened? Was driving down a hill near Kendal, Audi 4x4 right behind, speed dropped to zero and cut out 3 times within the space of a mile, quick reactions and thinking I got the car fired up each time before nursing it to the Dealership.

The service manager couldn't even look me in the eye when I stated what had happened, but his own words 'must be the speed sensor then'

My reply back was 'THATS WHAT I SAID IN THE FIRST PLACE'

Agitated is not the word, but oddly enough, since then, we've numerous issues and problems with the car. It's cost a mini fortune now, so we're looking to part ex this year
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