NHTSA Complaint #10108592 — 2000 FORD FOCUS

COMPLAINT RECEIVED VIA E-MAIL."MY CAR STARTED MAKING A TERRIBLE SCREECHING NOISE. FORTUNATELY, I WAS WITHIN 1/4 MILE FROM A MECHANIC, SO I PULLED IN THERE. THE MECHANIC, DAN, TOLD ME THE FRONT SPRINGS HAD BROKEN ON THE CAR, AND HE EVEN SHOWED ME JUST HOW CLOSE ONE OF THE SPRINGS HAD GOTTEN TO PUNCTURING A TIRE. HAD I DRIVEN TO NAPPANEE, I BELIEVE THE SPRING WOULD HAVE PUNCTURED THE TIRE. WE BOTH LOOKED ON THE INTERNET FOR RECALL INFORMATION SINCE BROKEN SPRINGS SEEMED SO ODD. NOTHING WAS THERE, SO I PAID OVER $300.00 OUT OF POCKET FOR THE REPAIR. NOW, I SEE CARS LIKE MINE ARE HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE SPRINGS, AND THAT FORD IS COVERING THESE KIND OF REPAIRS FOR TEN YEARS OR 150,000 MILES. I DIDN'T KNOW THAT WHEN I PAID FOR THE REPAIR. I WANT REIMBURSEMENT, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE FORD MOTOR COMPANY ACKNOWLEDGE THIS SERIOUS SAFETY PROBLEM THROUGH A RECALL RATHER THAN A SERVICE BULLETIN. I CALLED FORD JUST TODAY, AND THE SERVICE PERSON SAID TO TAKE ORIGINAL REPAIR BILLS TO MY DEALER'S SERVICE MANAGER FOR REVIEW. THE DEALER IS SUPPOSED TO SEND THEM TO FORD WHERE A REIMBURSEMENT DECISION WILL BE MADE. THIS CONCERNS ME. I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY IN THE WORLD THIS OBVIOUS SAFETY MATTER HAS NOT BEEN MADE A RECALLED ITEM. I DIDN'T KNOW THE SPRINGS WERE BROKEN UNTIL THE MECHANIC TOLD ME. SPRINGS, I DO NOT BELIEVE, ARE SOMETHING THE COMMON ORDINARY PERSON CHECKS DURING OIL CHANGES. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE FORD INITIATE AN IMMEDIATE RECALL FOR THE SPRINGS SINCE IT'S SUCH AN IMMEDIATE SAFETY CONCERN. HAD I DRIVEN ON THOSE BROKEN SPRINGS MUCH LONGER AND HAD I BEEN GOING FASTER THAN TOWN SPEEDS, I PROBABLY WOULD NO T BE HERE TO WRITE THIS LETTER TODAY. MY CAR HAS BEEN GREAT OVERALL. YES, I'VE HAD A LOT OF RECALL WORK, BUT I STILL LIKE THE CAR AND DO NOT REGRET BUYING IT. I MIGHT BUY ANOTHER FOCUS. BUT STILL, I THINK FORD IS WRONG FOR NOT DOING A RECALL ON THE SPRINGS." *NM