The Ford Focus debuted in Europe in 1998, but didn't make it to the United States until 1999, featured as a 2000-line model. It features halogen capsule headlamps, which are much smaller than the older sealed beam units. While the halogen capsule bulbs last longer and burn brighter, they will still eventually require replacement.
The older Ford Focus employs a spring clip that features a screw on one side of the clip as a hinge. Access the headlamp from behind the headlight assembly for the vehicle repair.
Remove the cover by pulling it off with your hands and noting its position. This way, you can reinstall it correctly when the time comes.
The wire harness plug requires disconnection. A small slotted screwdriver will help unsnap the plug-retaining lock. Pull the wire toward the passenger side of the vehicle.
Reaching down into the headlight assembly to dislodge the wire spring clip can present some difficulty for hand dexterity-challenged people or those with large hands. Refer to Section 3 on how to remove the headlight assembly if required to access the headlamps more easily.
Note the position of the screw on the wire spring clip. This is the hinge side and should not be disconnected. On the opposite side, the spring clip is seated in a small slotted lock. Press in on the raised section of the clip just above the lock and then push slightly upward on the clip to release it. This will allow you to swing the clip toward the screw hinge and then remove the halogen headlamp bulb.
Reinstall by reversing the procedure.
Instead of the spring clip wire, the newer Ford Focus features a plastic retaining ring to secure the halogen headlamp to the headlight assembly.
Disconnected, the wire harness plug remains fairly similar and again, getting your hands down onto the retaining ring may be somewhat challenging.
Remove the cover and then turn the retaining ring a quarter turn to align the retaining tabs on the ring. This will allow you to extract the bulb from the assembly. To reinstall, reverse the procedure.
To remove the headlight assembly, either to replace the assembly or access the bulbs more easily, first locate the two retaining bolts on the top of the assembly. They are toward the back of the assembly and there is one on each side of each assembly.
Next, you'll need to remove splash guards beneath the Focus. The headlight assembly on the Focus employs a third retaining screw located at the bottom of the assembly near the top of the bumper. You'll have to access the screw from under the Focus. It will still be a little hard to reach, so lifting the Focus or using a set of car ramps will make it easier for you to get underneath.
Once the last bolt is removed, you'll be able to wiggle the headlight assembly out of its cavity. Two guide pins that align the headlight assembly need to be unseated, but keep wiggling and pulling forward on the assembly and it will eventually dislodge.
Now you can move the assembly forward (be careful not to scratch the bumper) and access the wire harness connection and the spring clip or the retaining ring.
Be sure not to allow the glass bulb of the headlamp to come into contact with your skin. These types of headlamps employ hot internal gases to illuminate the filaments inside the bulb. They get much hotter than the old sealed beam units. Oil and alkaline in human skin can smudge the protective glass bulb and create a compromised section of the glass. This will result in the bulb not lasting as long as it should, damage it altogether or in some extreme cases, even explode inside the headlight assembly. It won't blow up the car, but it could cause char marks on the inside of the headlight assembly.
