NHTSA Complaint #10479590 — 2006 FORD FOCUS

VEHICLE HAD BEEN TAKEN IN TO FORD DEALERSHIP ON SEPT. 17, 2012 BECAUSE BRAKES HAD BEEN INTERMITTENTLY BEEN LOCKING/STICKING UP WHILE DRIVING AND GETTING HOT (COULD TELL DUE TO BURNING SMELL). BASICALLY THE BRAKES WOULD ENGAGE AND LOCK UP CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO RUN WITH BRAKES IN CLOSED (BRAKING) POSITION AND WOULD NOT RELEASE. THE PROBLEM WAS INTERMITTENT AND DID NOT HAPPEN EVERYTIME THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN DUE TO SHORT DISTANCES THE VEHICLE IS NORMALLY DRIVEN. SOMETIMES BY SIMPLY TURNING THE CAR OFF AND THEN RESTARTING WOULD THE BRAKES RELEASE, BUT NOT ALWAYS. TOOK VEHICLE TO SPIKES FORD IN MISSION TEXAS AND AFTER ABOUT A WEEK THEY FINALLY DIAGNOSED IT AS BEING A PROBLEM WITH THE "HCU AND ECU MODULE". VEHICLE WAS RETURNED TO ME ON 9/24/2012. CAR WAS DRIVEN FOR ABOUT A WEEK AND BRAKES STILL DID NOT SEEM NORMAL, SO WE ASSUMED IT WAS SINCE THEY HAD JUST BEEN WORKED ON. ON OCTOBER 1,2012 VEHICLE WAS BEING DRIVEN ON EXPRESSWAY WHEN SUDDENLY THE BRAKES LOCKED UP OVERHEATED AND VEHICLE WAS FORCED TO THE RIGHT OF EXPRESSWAY AND OFF THE ROAD. BRAKES WERE SO HOT THAT A BURNT SMELL WAS NOTICED INSIDE OF VEHICLE. CAR WAS TURNED OFF, LET COOL DOWN AND THEN DRIVEN HOME @ 3-4 MILES AT LOW SPEED, BUT BRAKES WERE NOT LOCKED ANYMORE. VEHICLE WAS RETURNED TO DEALERSHIP (SPIKES FORD- MISSION , TEXAS) AND IS STILL THERE AT THIS TIME. THEY ARE NOT SURE YET WHAT PROBLEM IS, BUT OBVIOUSLY IT WAS NOT THE PARTS INSTALLED AND THEY CAN'T FIGURE WHAT THE PROBLEM IS LUCKILY WHEN VEHICLE PULLED TO SIDE OF EXPRESSWAY, IT WAS ALREADY ON FAR RIGHT LANE AND DID NOT IMPACT ANY OTHER VEHICLES OR BARRIERS. IF THIS WOULD HAVE HAPPENED A MILE UP THE ROAD IT COULD HAVE BEEN A BIG PROBLEM DUE TO NO SHOULDER AND CEMENT BARRIERS DUE TO CONSTRUCTION POSSIBLY CAUSING A BIG ACCIDENT. *TR