NHTSA Complaint #10402105 — 2006 FORD FOCUS

THE TRUNK LIGHT WOULD NOT COME ON WHEN TRUNK WAS OPENED (REPLACING THE BULB DIDN'T HELP). LATER, THE 'DOOR OPEN' DASH LIGHT CAME ON AND STAYED ON. THE ELECTRIC TRUNK OPEN BUTTON SOMETIMES WOULD NOT OPEN TRUNK. A BIT OF TROUBLESHOOTING WITH A VOM AT THE TRUNK LIGHT POINTED TO AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM (A VOLTAGE DROP WHEN A NEW BULB WAS PLACED IN THE TRUNK LIGHT SOCKET). TURNS OUT THAT THE WIRING BUNDLE (CONTAINING SIX INDIVIDUAL MULTISTRAND WIRE LINES) HAD FIVE OF THE WIRES LINES FATIGUED APART , BREAKING THE FIVE CIRCUITS. THE WIRE LINES WERE SOMETIMES MAKING INTERMITTENT CONTACT WHEN THE TRUNK WAS OPENED AND CLOSED, NOT NECESSARILY WITH THE MATCHING WIRE LINE. I COULD HEAR NOISE AS THE WIRES WERE MOVED PAST EACH OTHER (NOT SURE IF THIS WAS JUST PHYSICAL SCRATCHING OR, WORSE, ELECTRICAL SPARKING). SINCE I SOMETIMES CARRY A GASOLINE CONTAINER IN THE TRUNK (LAWNMOWER GAS CONTAINER RETURNING FROM GAS STATION), I FEEL THAT THE DESIGN OF THIS WIRING TO THE TRUNK IS FAULTY AND COULD LEAD TO A FIRE UNDER THE RIGHT (AND NOT UNCOMMON) CIRCUMSTANCES. AFTER SEVERAL CONVERSATIONS WITH THE FORD MOTOR CO., A REPAIR WAS MADE (I PARTIALLY PAID FOR THE REPAIR) WHERE THE WIRING WAS REPLACED. I AM NOT SURE IF THE REPAIR WILL BE ANY SAFER THAN THE ORIGINAL DESIGN; HENCE THIS COMPLAINT WITH THE HOPE THAT A SAFER DESIGN (E.G., ONE WITHOUT SUCH A TIGHT RADIUS OF BEND) COULD DEVELOPED AND RETROFITTED INTO THIS CAR. *TR