NHTSA Complaint #10028422 — 2002 FORD FOCUS

I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE NEW, TOOK DELIVERY 9/28/02. A FEW MONTHS LATER, I NOTICED THE MATERIAL COVERING THE STEERING WHEEL HAD DEVELOPED SOME ROUGH SPOTS IN THE SURFACE. I COULD NOT REMEMBER DOING ANYTHING THAT WOULD HAVE SCRAPED OR ROUGHENED THE SURFACE. THE MATERIAL COVERING THE STEERING WHEEL HAS CONTINUED TO CRUMBLE OFF UNTIL NOW, LARGE CHUNKS ARE MISSING OFF ABOUT 6" OF IT, WITH THE METAL OF THE UNDERLYING STEERING WHEEL SHOWING IN A COUPLE OF SPOTS. ANOTHER SEVERAL INCHES ARE STARTING TO DISINIGRATE. THE WHEEL DOES NOT RUB AGAINST ME WHILE I AM DRIVING, BUT IS OCCURRING ALONG THE LOWER 1/3 OF THE WHEEL. TODAY, 7/16/03, I TOOK IT INTO THE DEALERSHIP TO BE REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY. THEY EVENTUALLY AGREED TO DO SO, BUT NOT BEFORE THE SERVICE TECHNICIAN TRIED TO INTIMIDATE ME OUT OF REPLACING IT BY INSISTING THAT I HAD DAMAGED IT MYSELF. I HAD TO ARGUE WITH BOTH THE TECHNICIAN AND THE SERVICE MANAGER BEFORE THEY AGREED TO REPLACE THE WHEEL UNDER WARRANTY. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE, FOR HAD THEY BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN INTIMIDATING ME, OR OTHER OWNERS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM, A FAULTY STEERING WHEEL UNSAFE TO HOLD IS WHAT THE OWNER WOULD HAVE BEEN LEFT WITH. I HAVE FILED THIS COMPLAINT FOR STATISTICAL PURPOSES AND FOR PUBLIC INFORMATION PURPOSES.*AK