MWilley

My wife's 2000 Focus has spent more time in the shop and driveway than on the road. The symptom is that she will have been driving the car, parked it, and it simply won't start. No click, no nothing.

Previously, we had it towed and repaired under warranty, always with great difficulty. It has been blamed on "cascading fuse failures due to harness shorts". I have trouble believing this as there have been no smoke, no odor, and when I have checked - no fuses blown.

The present failure is out of warranty, so I am checking it out at home. The symptoms are: Key inserts and turns, but there is no reaction at all. No engine light, the dash does not come on, no sign that the ignition key is working. The battery is good, the radio works when the key is on, the hazard lights come on and when they do the dash lights for the hazards are blinking.

The anti-theft alarm light is on and blinking, whether the key is in or not. The key alarm goes off when the door is opened and the key is inserted.

I have checked the two main fuseboxes, no fuses blown. Before I embark on chasing down continuity circuits, I was hoping to get an expert's sense of what is going wrong. I am suspecting the Anti-theft locking system, the ignition switch or a continuity problem in the ignition circuit. Any guidance on how to test the ignition switch and anti-theft system would be especially welcome.

Thanks in advance.