NHTSA Complaint #10466571 — 2012 FORD FOCUS

PURCHASED A NEW 2012 FORD FOCUS WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION IN APRIL, 2012. IMMEDIATELY EXPERIENCED LOW SPEED TRANSMISSION SHIFTING PROBLEMS AND ALSO DISCOVERED COMPLETE FREE ROLL BACKWARD, UNENDING, UNTIL HITTING LEVEL GROUND AND/OR HITTING AN OBJECT WHILE ROLLING BACKWARDS ON AN INCLINE, EVEN WHILE IN GEAR. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY AND DRIVER LIABILITY ISSUE . DEALERSHIP HAS RE-PROGRAMMED TRANSMISSION ON A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN WITHOUT SUCCESS. DEALERSHIP HAD ME TEST DRIVE ANOTHER 2012 FOCUS THINKING IT WOULD NOT DEMONSTRATE THE SAME SAFETY PROBLEM...AND TO THEIR SURPRISE..THE TEST DRIVE VEHICLE THEY GAVE ME ALSO PERFORMED THE SAME WAY ON THE FREE ROLLBACK WHILE IN GEAR. I BELIEVE THE FUNDAMENTAL PROBLEM HERE IS THAT FORD HAS DESIGNED AND MANUFACTURED IN THE 2012 FOCUS LINE A STANDARD/MANUAL TRANSMISSION (POORLY SHIFTED BY SOFTWARE AND DYSFUNCTIONAL ON THE FREE ROLL BACK ISSUE) AND IS MARKETING IT TO ALL CONSUMERS AS AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. SERVICE DEPARTMENT ACKNOWLEDGES THAT IT TRULY IS A STANDARD/MANUAL DESIGN. THE WINDOW STICKER AND SALES PROCESS MISREPRESENTS TO THE CONSUMER THAT IT IS AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. THIS MAY CONSTITUTE CONSUMER FRAUD ON A NATIONAL LEVEL LEADING TO EITHER CLASS ACTION LITIGATION, TOTAL RECALL AND/OR INDIVIDUAL CASES OF LITIGATION. I AM CONSIDERING ALL OF THE ABOVE AS THE PROBLEM REMAINS AND HAS NOT BEEN RECTIFIED. *TR