NHTSA Complaint #10282399 — 2006 FORD FOCUS

THE FUSE FOR THE RUNNING LAMPS KEPT BLOWING. A FEW DAYS LATER I SMELT A BURNING SMELL, PULLED OVER, TURNED OFF THE CAR, REMOVED KEY, BUT CAR WAS STILL RUNNING. A FEW DAYS LATER, BATTERY LIGHT KEPT FLASHING, TURNS OUT, THE ALTERNATOR WAS FRIED. TOOK IT TO FORD, WAS TOLD THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO BECAUSE MY POWERTRAIN WARRANTY DOES NOT COVER ELECTRICAL WORK. TOOK IT TO AN ELECTRICIAN, WAS TOLD A FEW WIRES TOUCHED METAL AND FUSED TOGETHER AND BURNT ALL THE WAY BACK TO THE FIREWALL. WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE WIRES, THERE IS METAL SITTING UNDER THEM....THERE ARE NO CLIPS TO HELP HOLD THE WIRES AWAY FROM THE METAL. THERE IS SOME FORM OF PROTECTION ON THE WIRES, I DESCRIBE IT AS A FOAM...BUT ITS WORN THROUGH. WHEN I ASKED HIM HOW THIS COULD HAVE HAPPENED, HE REPLIED WITH "GOING OVER BUMPS, RAILROAD TRACKS, OR HITTING A POTHOLE. HE ALSO TOLD ME IT WAS A FIRE HAZARD. AS A CONSEQUENCE TO THIS, MY CAR IS NOW JUST SITTING, AND I WILL NOT DRIVE IT WITH IT BEING LABELED A FIRE HAZARD. NOTHING WAS DONE TO CORRECT THE FAILURE. *TR