NHTSA Complaint #10451881 — 2009 FORD FOCUS

DOOR LOCKS RANDOMLY MALFUNCTION. THE KEY TO THE DRIVER DOOR WILL NOT TURN. FRONT DOORS CAN ONLY BE UNLOCKED BY THE INSIDE DOOR HANDLE. THE REAR DOORS CANNOT BE MANUALLY UNLOCKED. REAR DOORS ARE UNLOCKED BY PRESSING DOWN ON THE LOCK PEG AND USING THE INSIDE LOCK SWITCH ON THE FRONT DOOR TO FIRST LOCK AND THEN UNLOCK, LET OFF THE LOCK PEG AND TOGGLE THE SWITCH AGAIN. DISCOVERED THIS TRICK AFTER MANY WASTED TRIPS TO THE DEALERSHIP. ONE REAR DOOR LATCH WAS REPLACED BUT, THE PROBLEM CONTINUES WITH IT. AFTER THE WARRANTY RAN OUT (36K), I FILED A COMPLAINT WITH THE DEALERSHIP. I WAS THEN TOLD THAT THIS IS A KNOWN DEFECT BUT, IT IS NOT A RECALL ITEM AND IT WOULD COST ABOUT $200/DOOR TO FIX. THIS IS CAN BE A SERIOUS MATTER IF AN ACCIDENT WERE TO OCCUR. *TR