NHTSA Complaint #10616773 — 2009 FORD FUSION

WHILE MERGING ONTO A FREEWAY MY CAR EXPERIENCED A SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER WHILE DRIVING. SHORTLY AFTERWARDS MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER TO SEE WHAT IT WAS. IT WAS A BAD CATALYTIC CONVERTER I WAS TOLD THAT IT WOULD TAKE 4 WEEKS TO GET ONE IN. MEANWHILE IT BEING MY ONLY CAR I ASKED AND WAS DENIED A LOANER VEHICLE FROM FORD MOTOR CO. AND I WAS TOLD THAT THE VEHICLE WAS STILL SAFE TO DRIVE AS LONG AS I DID NOT LET IT GOO TOO LONG WITHOUT THE REPAIR. I CALLED BACK 4 WEEKS LATER AND WAS TOLD THAT IT WOULD BE AN ADDITIONAL 4-8 WEEKS AS THERE WERE "NO" PARTS TO BE FOUND ANYWHERE. THIS WORRIED ME GREATLY AS THEY EVEN SAID PROBLEMS COULD ARISE IF DRIVEN TOO LONG WITHOUT BEING FIXED. SO I FILED A COMPLAINT WITH FORD MOTOR COMPANY AND WAS TREATED LIKE CRAP BY THEM. THEY TOLD ME THEY WERE WILLING TO HELP BUT "NOT" WILLING TO DO ANYTHING. SO I CALLED A LOCAL NEWS STATION WHO PUT ME IN TOUCH WITH THEIR EXECUTIVE OFFICES WHERE I GOT THE SAME RESPONSE. NO LOANER VEHICLE AND NO COMPENSTAION FOR THE EXTRA GAS I HAD TO BUY AS IT SUCKED IT DOWN. WHENEVER SOMEONE FROM FORD'S CALLS ME I AM LUCKY TO GET A SENTENCE IN BEFORE THEY HUNG UP ON ME! THANKFULLY TO MY CONTACTING A LOCAL NEWS STATION THEY MADE ENOUGH HEADWAY WITH FORD THAT MY PART "FINALLY" ARRIVED TODAY ON 07/28/14 BUT I AM EXTREMELY UPSET THAT FORD WOULD PUT ME IN THE SITUATION WHERE MYSELF AND MY FAMILY COULD BE IN DANGER BY DRIVING AN AUTOMOBILE THAT IS NOT SAFE. DRIVING WITH BAD CATALYTIC CONVERTERS IS NOT SAFE AND COULD CAUSE ALL SORTS OF OTHER ISSUES AND THE FACT THAT FORD'S ENCOURAGED ME TO DO SO IS FRIGHTENING. THIS FOR ONE ALONG WITH THE GM ISSUES HAS ME SERIOUSLY THINKING OF BUYING A FOREIGN AUTOMOBILE FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER. IT WAS WRONG WHAT FORD MOTOR COMPANY DID TO MYSELF AND MY FAMILY AND I HOPE THAT THIS COMPLAINT WILL PREVENT THEM FROM DOING THIS AGAIN IN THE FUTURE! *JS