NHTSA Complaint #10549442 — 2013 FORD FOCUS ELECTRIC

THE FIRST EVENT OCCURRED ON 7/17/2013, AT 2267 MILES. I HAD CHARGED THE BATTERY OVERNIGHT (AT OUR MOTEL), USING THE 120-VOLT CHARGING CORD. I HAD PULLED THE CAR AROUND TO THE FRONT OF THE MOTEL THE CAR WAS STATIONARY, IN "PARK," WHEN THE "STOP SAFELY NOW" MESSAGE WAS DISPLAYED. I JUST POWERED THE CAR OFF AND POWERED IT BACK ON. THAT CLEARED THE SSN MESSAGE. THEN, I DROVE HOME, AS PLANNED, WITH NO RECURRENCES OF THE ERROR MESSAGE. TODAY, 10/24/2013, AT 4127 MILES, THE "STOP SAFELY NOW" MESSAGE WAS DISPLAYED (FOR ONLY THE SECOND TIME), WHILE I WAS DRIVING DOWN A HILL, AT ABOUT 30 MPH. THE CAR HAD BEEN SITTING IN THE PARKING LOT, AT WORK, AND THE SSN ERROR OCCURRED AFTER DRIVING ABOUT 1 MILE. THERE WAS NO PLACE TO PULL OVER, WITHOUT BLOCKING TRAFFIC, BUT, SINCE I WAS GOING DOWNHILL, I JUST CONTINUED COASTING, MADE MY USUAL RIGHT TURN AT THE BOTTOM OF THE HILL, AND PULLED OVER, AT A SPOT WHERE THERE WAS A VERY WIDE, PAVED SHOULDER. SINCE IT WAS TOO LATE IN THE DAY (5:30 PM) TO GET THE CAR (WITH THE POWER STILL ON AND THE SSN MESSAGE STILL DISPLAYED) TOWED TO THE LOCAL FORD DEALER (WHICH CLOSES AT 6 PM), I POWERED THE CAR OFF AND, THEN, POWERED IT BACK ON. THE SSN ERROR, AGAIN, WENT AWAY, AND I WAS ABLE TO SAFELY DRIVE HOME, WITH NO ADDITIONAL SSN MESSAGES. BECAUSE OF A CONSTRUCTION DETOUR, LATELY, I HAVE BEEN DRIVING TO WORK AND BACK, ON A MAJOR HIGHWAY, THAT HAS A SPEED LIMIT OF 65 MPH. NUMEROUS STRETCHES OF THAT HIGHWAY ARE BOTH UPHILL AND HAVE LITTLE OR NO ROOM TO PULL OVER. THE LAST PART OF MY TRIP HOME IS US A STEEP HILL, WITH LOTS OF CURVE AND MOSTLY VERY NARROW SHOULDERS. *TR