NHTSA Complaint #10039549 — 2001 FORD FOCUS

WHILE DRIVING DOWN A FREEWAY OFF-RAMP, MY 2001 FORD FOCUS ZX3 STARTED TO BUCK AND HESITATE, EVENTUALLY STALLING AND CAUSING A DANGEROUS CONDITION DUE TO SUDDEN DECCELERATION AND LOSS OF POWER STEERING AND BRAKES. LUCKILY THE VEHICLE HAD ENOUGH INERTIA TO COAST DOWN THE RAMP AND EVENTUALLY I WAS ABLE TO PULL IT INTO AN EMERGENCY LANE USING THE REMAINING ASSIST LEFT IN THE BRAKE BOOSTER. THERE, I ATTEMPTED MULTIPLE TIMES TO RESTART THE VEHICLE AND IT FINALLY STARTED. IT HAD A HALF TANK OF FUEL SO LOW FUEL LEVEL WAS NOT THE CAUSE AND I HAD ONLY DRIVEN 163 MILES SINCE THE LAST FILL-UP SO I KNEW THE FUEL GUAGE WAS OPERATIONAL. I ATTEMPTED TO DRIVE TO THE NEAREST GAS STATION TO FILL UP JUST IN CASE AND AS I AS ABOUT TO TURN IN THE CAR DIED AGAIN. IT RESTARTED AFTER MULTIPLE ATTEMPTS AND I WAITED A LONG TIME FOR TRAFFIC TO GET AS CLEAR AS IT WOULD ON THIS BUSY ROAD. THEN, AS I ATTEMPTED TO TURN IN, CREEPING FORWARD AND FEARING THE WORST, THE CAR DIED AGAIN, BUT LUCKILY I HAD NOT YET BEGUN TO IMPEDE ONCOMING TRAFFIC. IF I HAD BEEN, AN ACCIDENT WOULD LIKELY HAVE RESULTED. AFTER MULTIPLE ATTEMPTS, THE VEHICLE DID START AND I PULLED IN, FILLED UP, AND DROVE HOME UNEVENTFULLY TO DO SOME RESEARCH. ON THE MESSAGE BOARD AT FOCALJET.COM I READ ABOUT OTHER FOCUS CONSUMERS ENCOUNTERING A SIMILAR PROBLEM WITH A DEFECTIVE FUEL PUMP AND SOME SORT OF DEGRADATION OF A MATERIAL LINING THE FUEL TANK CAUSING THE CONDITION I EXPERIENCED. I FEEL IT IS A SAFETY CONCERN OF HIGH PRIORITY AND SHOULD BE BROUGHT TO FORD'S ATTENTION IMMEDIATELY. I AM ANGRY THAT MY LIFE WAS PUT IN DANGER RUNNING THE MOST MUNDANE OF ERRANDS AND I WILL LET THEM KNOW ABOUT IT TOMMORROW.