NHTSA Complaint #10284519 — 2008 FORD GT500

I OWN A 2008 FORD MUSTANG SHELBY GT500 WHICH I PAID $50,000 FOR. I HAVE 22,000 EASILY DRIVEN, WELL MAINTAINED, HIGHWAY MILES ON THE CAR. I HAVE DRIVEN EITHER 4 SPEED, 5 SPEED, OR 6 SPEED MUSTANGS FOR THE PAST 20 YEARS. I AM NO NOVICE AT DRIVING A MANUAL TRANSMISSION CAR, NOR AM I A NOVICE AT ALL THINGS MUSTANG. DRIVING TO WORK THIS MORNING, WHILE ENTERING THE HIGHWAY FROM AN ON RAMP, I DEPRESSED THE ACCELERATOR TO BLEND INTO TRAFFIC. IN DOING SO, THE CAR LOST SPEED AND THE RPMS WENT TO APPROX. 5000. I QUICKLY LET OFF THE ACCELERATOR AND WAS BARELY ABLE TO KEEP FROM GETTING RAN OVER IN THE FAR RIGHT HAND LANE. AFTER FEATHERING THE THROTTLE, I WAS ABLE TO GET THE CAR UP TO SPEED, BUT THE PROBLEM EXISTED THROUGHOUT MY 40 MILE DRIVE, ESPECIALLY EVIDENT WHEN I ENTERED THE CITY OF MY DESTINATION. IT WOULD NOT LAUNCH FROM A STANDSTILL WITHOUT MUCH EFFORT, CLUTCH PLAY AND THROTTLE PLAY. I HAVE LOST A CLUTCH BEFORE, AND THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT IT FELT LIKE TO ME. AFTER ARRIVING AT MY DESTINATION, I IMMEDIATELY STARTED TO RESEARCH THIS ISSUE WITH OTHER GT500 OWNERS BECAUSE THIS SHOULD NOT BE HAPPENING TO ME OR TO A CAR WITH 22,000 MILES. COME TO FIND OUT THERE ARE A TON OF 2007-09 GT500 OWNERS COMPLAINING ABOUT THIS. FORD ISSUED OR SOMEONE ISSUED A TSB 09-9-2 ON THIS AND ONE BEFORE IT. APPARENTLY IT IS AN INHERENT ISSUE WITH THE FLYWHEEL, PRESSURE PLATE, TRANSMISSION, OUTPUT SHAFT DESIGN MATED UP WITH THE DRIVESHAFT WHICH CAN CAUSE THE FLYWHEEL TO WARP AND EVERYTHING ELSE TO BE DESTROYED, IN SOME CASES, EVEN THE TRANSMISSION. NOT ONLY DO I BELIEVE THIS TO BE A SAFETY ISSUE AS ONE COULD BE RAN OVER IF THE CAR WILL NOT GO WHEN SUPPOSED TO AND EVERYONE ELSE DOES, BUT IT IS ALSO AN ISSUE THAT FORD OBVIOUSLY KNOWS ABOUT DUE TO THE FIXES THEY PUT IN THE 2010 MODEL CARS. I BELIEVE A RECALL TO FIX THE FLYWHEEL ISSUE IS VERY WARRANTED AND I BELIEVE IF THE TRANSMISSION IS BAD, THAT THE OLD ONE SHOULD BE FIXED AND RETURNED TO THE OWNER BECAUSE IT HAS THE VIN ON IT. *TR