NHTSA Complaint #10616920 — 2013 FORD FOCUS

I PURCHASED MY 2013 FOCUS TITANIUM, AUTO TRANSMISSION, IN SEPTEMBER 2013. AFTER A FEW DAYS, I NOTICED HESITATION/SHUDDERING, JERKING, AND GRINDING WHEN ACCELERATING FROM A STAND-STILL/"OFF THE LINE" AS WELL AS WHEN THE CAR WAS DOWNSHIFTING FROM HIGHER GEARS. I CALLED MY DEALER, NAZARETH FORD IN NAZARETH, PA, TO REPORT THE ISSUE. I WAS TOLD BY THE DEALER THAT THIS WAS "NORMAL" FOR THE TRANSMISSION, WHICH IS A "MANUAL AUTOMATIC" TRANSMISSION. I WAS SKEPTICAL, BUT I WAS ADVISED TO DRIVE 500 MILES AND SEE IF THE PROBLEM CORRECTED ITSELF. I WAS DISCOURAGED TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT, SINCE THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE "NORMAL" AND I HAD NOT REACHED 500 MILES YET TO SEE IF IT WOULD IMPROVE. IT NEVER DID AND HAS ONLY GOTTEN WORSE. LAST WEEK AFTER ALMOST A YEAR AND 17,500 MILES WITH NO IMPROVEMENT, I WAS FED UP. I CALLED THE DEALER TO MAKE AN AN APPOINTMENT. THE DEALER KEPT THE CAR TWO DAYS AND REPORTED THAT THEY REPROGRAMMED THE TRANSMISSION. I PICKED THE CAR UP LAST SATURDAY AND AFTER 15 MINUTES OR LESS, THE ISSUES RETURNED. I CONTACTED THE DEALER AGAIN AND THE PERSON DID NOT RETURN MY PHONE CALL. I VISITED IN PERSON AND WAS ADVISED AGAIN THAT I SHOULD DRIVE ANOTHER 500 MILES SO THE REPROGRAM COULD TAKE EFFECT. THE DEALER COMMENTED THAT A NUMBER OF CUSTOMERS HAVE COME BACK FOR PREMATURE TRANSMISSION REPLACEMENTS, WHICH DID NOT LEAVE ME WITH A GREAT FEELING. THIS ISSUE HAS PROVED TO BE POTENTIALLY LIFE-THREATENING ON A NUMBER OF OCCASIONS, SUCH AS COMING TO A STOP AT THE END OF AN INTERSECTION, RED LIGHT, OR HIGHWAY RAMP BEFORE ACCELERATING BACK UP TO SPEED AND CLIMBING ANY SORT OF HILL. JERKING AND GRINDING PREVENTS THE CAR FROM ACCELERATING SMOOTHLY. WHILE I AM OTHERWISE HAPPY WITH THE FEATURES OF THE CAR, THIS IS A DEAL-BREAKER. WITH THE NUMBER OF MILES THAT I DRIVE, I AM SCARED THAT THIS IMPROPER FUNCTIONING WILL CAUSE A COLLISION IF LEFT UNRESOLVED. *JS