NHTSA Complaint #10630061 — 2012 FORD FOCUS

HAD AN ISSUE WITH THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY SHAKING, SHUDDERING VIOLENTLY, AND BEING UNABLE TO ACCELERATE BEYOND 40-35 MPH. I WOULD ATTEMPT TO ACCELERATE AND IT WOULD OPERATE AS THOUGH IN NEUTRAL. THE VEHICLE WOULD THEN KICK IN AND REV UP TO 6-7000 RPM AND STILL NOT ACCELERATE. THEN IT WOULD FINALLY FEEL AS THOUGH IT HAD DOWNSHIFTED BUT WOULD NOT GO ABOVE 40 MPH. I TOOK IT IN TO THE DEALERSHIP TO BE LOOKED AT. THEY APPLIED THE LATEST COMPUTER UPDATES AND CHECKED FLUIDS. THEY TOLD ME THE VEHICLE HAD A SHIFTING FORK CODE (DCT), AND THAT IT WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED- YET THE VEHICLE WORKED FINE AFTER THE COMPUTER WAS UPDATED. IF THERE WAS A SHIFTING FORK ISSUE, THEN IT WOULDN'T MAGICALLY DISAPPEAR FOR A PERIOD OF TIME AFTER A COMPUTER UPDATE AND COME RIGHT BACK. THE VEHICLE OPERATED FINE FOR SEVERAL HOURS WITH NO ISSUES. THEN I FELT THE TRANSMISSION 'HITCH', AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AGAIN CAME ON. I WAS LITERALLY 2 BLOCKS FROM THE SAME DEALERSHIP I TOOK IT TO EARLIER THAT DAY, SO I TOOK IT BACK IN. THEY SAID THE SAME CODES APPEARED, BUT THAT THEY WOULD ATTEMPT THE COMPUTER UPDATE AGAIN. THE VEHICLE AGAIN SEEMED TO WORK FINE. THEN I WAS DRIVING ON A BACKROAD HIGHWAY DUE TO MY FEAR OF THE VEHICLE ACTING UP WHILE ON THE MAIN HIGHWAY AND HAVING MY SMALL CHILDREN WITH ME. THE CAR AGAIN ACTED UP AND WENT FROM 65 TO 35 RAPIDLY AND REFUSING TO ACCELERATE AND ACTING AS THOUGH IT WAS IN NEUTRAL. THE TRANSMISSION WOULD OCCASIONALLY CATCH, BUT WOULD NOT GO FASTER THAN 35 MPH IN A 65 MPH AREA. THIS COULD CAUSE A POTENTIALLY FATAL ACCIDENT, AND I CANT HELP BUT WONDER IF THERE AREN'T ANY FATAL ACCIDENTS THAT CAN BE ATTRIBUTED TO THIS. I SEE THAT MANY OTHERS REPORT THE SAME EXACT ISSUE I HAVE. *TR