NHTSA Complaint #10462649 — 2012 FORD FOCUS

WAS TOLD THIS CAR HAD "AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION". AFTER A FEW HUNDRED MILES ON IT, I NOTICED THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTED SPORADICALLY AND WITH NO PREDICTION. ENGINE SHUDDERED, CAR LOST POWER AND WAS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE. THE KEY HERE IS NO PREDICTION AS TO HOW THE CAR WILL REACT WHEN UNDER ACCELERATION. TOOK TO DEALER AND WAS TOLD "THIS ISN'T AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - IT'S A COMPUTER- CONTROLLED MANUAL THAT HAS TO LEARN HOW YOU DRIVE". DEALER UPLOADED A COMPUTER UPDATE FROM FORD. THE NEXT HUNDRED MILES OF DRIVING ALMOST CAUSED NUMEROUS ACCIDENTS DUE TO LACK OF ACCELERATION AND UNEVEN PERFORMANCE. 6/4/2012 I TRIED TO MERGE INTO TRAFFIC AND CAR REFUSED TO SPEED UP. I ALMOST CAUSED A MAJOR ACCIDENT, BUT NUMEROUS DRIVERS SLAMMED ON THEIR BRAKES AND/OR SWERVED AND AVERTED MULTIPLE COLLISIONS. TOOK THE CAR TO DEALER 6/5/2012 AND TOLD THEM WHAT HAPPENED. WAS TOLD BY HEAD TECH "IT JUST HAS TO GET USED TO HOW YOU DRIVE". I TOLD HIM THERE WERE THREE DIFFERENT PEOPLE DRIVING THIS FOCUS. HE SAID WE CAN'T, BECAUSE THAT WOULD JUST END UP TOTALLY "CONFUSING" THE COMPUTER. AS THE CAR IS TOO DANGEROUS TO DRIVE, IT IS STILL AT THE DEALER. MILES ON VEHICLE ARE UNDER 800.