NHTSA Complaint #10187859 — 2000 FORD FOCUS

WHILE ON A TRIP FROM SEBASTIAN, FLORIDA TO JACKSON, OHIO TO RETURN MY CAR TO ME AT WHAT I HOPE TO BE MY NEW HOME, MY FATHER ENCOUNTERED A RECURRENCE OF STALLING WHILE RUNNING BY MY VEHICLE. THE CAR HAS A SIMILAR PROBLEM JUST TWO WEEKS BEFORE, WAS CHECKED OUT ON COMPUTER BY A REPAIR SHOP IN ORLANDO FLORIDA AND THEN LAST WEEK AT A REPAIR FACILITY LOCAL(IN SEBASTIAN). THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT HAD COME ON IN ORLANDO WHERE THE FACILITY SAID THEY COULD NOT FIND A PROBLEM ON THE COMPUTER BUT THOUGHT IT SOUNDED LIKE THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO SEBASTIAN TO THE SECOND FACILITY. AT THE SECOND FACILITY THE COMPUTER AGAIN SHOWED NO PROBLEM. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS RESET AND THE CAR WAS RETURNED WITH INDIRECTIONS TO DRIVE IT TO TRY TO GET THE LIGHT TO TURN ON AGAIN. IT NEVER TURNED ON AGAIN SO THE CAR WAS RETURNED THREE DAYS LATER (MONDAY, 4/9/07) AND AGAIN HOOKED UP TO COMPUTER. NO PROBLEMS WERE SEEN AND THE PROBLEM COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED ON THE ROAD. THE MECHANIC THOUGHT PERHAPS SOME CARBON HAS BEEN DISLODGED AND RUN THROUGH THE SYSTEM SO A CLEANING WAS DONE. CAR WAS THEN DRIVEN ALMOST 400 MILES TO RIDGELAND, SC ON THE WAY AN ACCIDENT OCCURRED ON THE HIGHWAY AHEAD AND THE CAR HAD TO SIT IN TRAFFIC FOR QUITE A WHILE. WHEN THE CAR WAS FREE TO ADVANCE, IT WAS TAKEN OFF THE ROAD FOR A LUNCH STOP. WHEN TAKEN BACK ON THE ROAD, THE CAR STALLED IN MOTION AND AFTER RESTARTING CONTINUED TO STALL.*AK