NHTSA Complaint #10639132 — 2012 FORD FOCUS

I PURCHASED A USED 2012 FOCUS RECENTLY AND A FEW DAYS LATER ON 9/22/14 I WAS DRIVING AROUND 50 MPH WHEN THE RPMS JUST SHOT UP. I LET OFF THE GAS AND PRESSED DOWN ON IT AGAIN AND THE ENGINE REVVED UP BUT AGAIN THE CAR DID NOT RESPOND. I PULLED OVER TO THE SHOULDER AND TRIED TO CHANGE THE GEAR TO NEUTRAL, THEN REVERSE, THEN BACK TO DRIVE AND EACH GEAR DID NOT RESPOND TO THE GAS. AFTER SHUTTING THE CAR OFF I TRIED TO START IT UP AGAIN AND THE CAR WOULD NOT START. THE TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT AND THE MESSAGE "HILL START ASSIST NOT AVAILABLE" CAME ON. AFTER LETTING THE CAR SIT FOR A FEW MINUTES IT STARTED UP AND DROVE FINE FOR THE REST OF THE DAY. TWO DAYS LATER THE SAME THING HAPPENED ON THE FREEWAY AND I HAD TO CROSS THREE LANES OF HIGHWAY TRAFFIC WITHOUT BEING ABLE TO ACCELERATE. AFTER LETTING THE CAR SIT FOR A MINUTE THE CAR STARTED BACK UP AND DROVE FOR ABOUT A MINUTE AND THEN THE SAME THING HAPPENED AGAIN. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ALSO CAME ON THIS TIME AND STAYED ON. I MANAGED TO GET TO SCHOOL ALTHOUGH A LITTLE LATE. ON MY WAY HOME THE ISSUE OCCURRED MULTIPLE TIMES. THE FIRST TIME THE CAR WAS JERKING FORWARD AND LOOSING THE GEAR AND THEN JERKING FORWARD AGAIN. THE ISSUE OCCURRED A FEW MILES FROM MY HOUSE AND THIS TIME THE CAR WOULD NOT START UP ON MULTIPLE ATTEMPTS LIKE IT HAD PREVIOUSLY. I DISCONNECTED THE BATTERY THINKING THAT WOULD HELP RESET WHATEVER WAS STUCK BUT WHEN THE BATTERY WAS CONNECTED BACK UP THE CAR STILL WOULD NOT START. AFTER LOOKING OVER FUSES AND DISCONNECTING AND RECONNECTING THE BATTERY MULTIPLE TIMES THE CAR FINALLY STARTED BACK UP AND I WAS ABLE TO MAKE THE LAST FEW MILES TO MY HOME. THE CAR IS VERY UNSAFE TO DRIVE AND I WAS ALMOST REAR ENDED ON THE FREEWAY WHEN I HAD TO PULL OFF TO THE SHOULDER WITHOUT POWER TO THE DRIVE TRAIN. THE CAR HAS ALSO BEEN MAKING A GRINDING NOISE WHEN SHIFTING BETWEEN GEARS SINCE THE FIRST DAY. *TR