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Jeremy of Safford, AZ, writes:
I bought a brand new 2000 Focus ZX3. One month later I was drying off the car after washing it. I dragged the rag on the underside of the drivers side door and a flake of paint came off. So I started to see if it would flake further and it did -- the paint was comeing off off the primer.

So I looked the car over real good and on the underside edge of the passenger door there was no paint, just primer. The paint on the passenger side began to flake also.

Ford said it's under warrenty, they will fix it. I took it in and the paint shop said it should take about3 days to a week. I called at the end of the week and they didn't even start on it. I asked to have a rental car. They told me that they don't do rentals, tough luck.

OK, so two weeks and two days later the car is finally done. I look the car over and the clear coat has bubbles under it all over both doors. On the outside edge of the drivers side door there is not any paint just primer.

How patient am I expected to be? will it take another three weeks? Will there be more problems. I am suprised the paint issue was treated as no big deal.

I am wondering if this is an acceptable thing to happen and if so why.

No, it is not acceptable and we have advised Jeremy to beat it down to Phoenix and retain a Lemon Law attorney. This car will be nothing but trouble unless it is completely stripped to bare metal and repainted. Ford should do the right thing and give Jeremy a replacement.

By the way, it's important to act fast. Ford likes to run the clock on the Statute of Limitations. Jeremy could wind up like the owners of some older Fords with paint problems.

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