NHTSA Complaint #10181034 — 2002 FORD FOCUS

CLUTCH ASSEMBLY HAS A LEAK OF FLUID INTO THE INTERIOR OF THE CAR (DOWN THE CLUTCH ARMATURE TO THE CLUTCH PAD AND TO FLOOR MAT, IF SIGNIFICANT LEAKAGE) WHICH HAS A) CAUSED THE CLUTCH PEDAL PAD TO BECOME SLIPPERY AND FALL OFF DUE TO THE FLUID SEEPING BEHIND THE PAD [AFTER MARKET REPLACEMENTS NOT AVAILABLE DUE TO RELATIVE YOUTH OF CAR, THEREFORE NECESSITATING SERVICE AT DEALER], B) CAUSES THE BRAKE LIGHT TO COME ON SPORADICALLY DUE TO A DROP IN BRAKE FLUID (CLUTCH HYDRAULICS SHARE A RESERVOIR WITH BRAKE SYSTEM), ALTHOUGH NO FINDING OF CORRESPONDING BRAKE TROUBLE CAN BE MADE [PROBLEM TEMPORARILY DISAPPEARS WHEN FLUID LEVEL TOPPED OFF] AND C) CAUSES SPORADIC CLUTCH "SOFTENING" AND DECREASED EFFECTIVENESS. ISSUE HAS BEEN BROUGHT TO THE ATTENTION OF BOTH DEALER AND INDEPENDENT SERVICE PROVIDERS SEVERAL TIMES, BUT NONE CAN FIND A FAULT WITH THE BRAKING SYSTEM AS INDICATED BY THE ERROR LIGHT AND THEREFORE NONE INDICATE THAT A TROUBLE EXISTS. THE LEAK IS NOT OBVIOUS UPON VISUAL INSPECTION OF THE BRAKING SYSTEM AND THE PROBLEM DOES NOT APPEAR TO HAVE A NEGATIVE IMPACT ON BRAKING POWER (UNLESS LEFT TOO LONG AND BRAKE FLUID LEVELS DROP SIGNIFICANTLY). UNABLE TO LOCATE PRECISE LOCATION OF LEAK (SUSPECT EITHER RESERVOIR OR SOME ASSOCIATED LINE TO CLUTCH HYDRAULICS) OR TO DETERMINE WHY ONLY CLUTCH SYSTEM APPEARS TO BE IMPACTED. 1) NO NOTICEABLE/KNOWN EVENTS LEADING TO FAILURE; UNCERTAIN HOW LONG CONDITION EXISTED PRIOR TO INITIAL DOCUMENTED PROBLEM 2) SEE FAILURE AND CONSEQUENCES NOTED ABOVE 3) NO CORRECTION IN PLACE YET AS DEALER SERVICE DOES NOT YET ACKNOWLEDGE PROBLEM AND DID NOT "FIND" PROBLEM AT RECENT 60K SERVICE WORK-UP (INCLUDED TOTAL SYSTEMS CHECK AND FULL BRAKE INSPECTION WITH FLUID TOP OFFS) PROBLEM WITH BRAKE LIGHT FIRING MANIFEST APPROXIMATELY EVERY TWO WEEKS (SINCE FIRST NOTED IN NOVEMBER 2006) DUE TO FLUID LOSS, PARTICULARLY WHEN TEMPERATURE DROPS BELOW 30 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT. ISSUE IS "RESOLVED" BY ADDING BRAKE FLUID TO RESERVOIR. *JB