NHTSA Complaint #10519725 — 2003 FORD FOCUS

MY DRIVERS SIDE REAR BRAKE DRUM SEPARATED AT THE BEARING AND MY ENTIRE WHEEL ASSEMBLY FLEW OFF OF THE VEHICLE AND CAUSED ME TO LOSE CONTROL TEMPORARILY AND ALSO BECOME TOTALLY STRANDED AND IMMOBILE. THERE SEEMS TO BE NO DIRECT CAUSE FOR THIS AS THE BEARING INSIDE THE DRUM WAS NOT SEIZED OR MALFUNCTIONING. THE MECHANIC THAT SERVICED THE REPAIR HAS OVER 30+ YEARS EXPERIENCE AND COULD NOT RECALL EVER SEEING THIS HAPPENING ON ANY VEHICLE EVER. I FREQUENTLY DRIVE THIS VEHICLE ON HIGHWAYS AND INTERSTATES (AND HAD DONE SO JUST AN HOUR PRIOR THIS DAY) AND I AM THANKFUL TO THE POWERS ABOVE THAT THIS DID NOT HAPPEN AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS OR THIS COULD HAVE BEEN CATASTROPHIC FOR ME AND MY FAMILY. THIS TYPE OF FAILURE SHOULD HAVE NEVER OCCURRED AS THIS IS OF PRIMARY IMPORTANCE THAT THE WHEELS OF THE VEHICLE STAY ON THE VEHICLE DURING NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS. MY CAR IS JUST 10 YEARS OLD AND HAS ONLY 133K MILES (AVG OF 12,000 MILES PER YEAR), THIS IS SOMETHING THAT SHOULD NOT HAPPEN EVEN AT TWICE THE MILEAGE !!!! I AM NOW FEARFUL THAT THIS COULD HAPPEN AGAIN TO THE OTHER REAR WHEEL AS THIS SHEARING OF THE BRAKE DRUM JUST CANNOT BE EXPLAINED. *TR