NHTSA Complaint #10651987 — 2011 FORD FIESTA

I WAS PULLING OUT OF A COUNTY PARK AFTER DARK, AND WAS TRYING TO GAUGE THE DISTANCE OF AN INCOMING CAR, TO DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT I HAD TIME TO PULL OUT. IN ORDER TO SEE BETTER, I LIGHTLY PRESSED THE ACCELERATOR, BUT INSTEAD OF SLOWLY INCHING FORWARD A FEW INCHES OR A FOOT, MY CAR LEAPT OUT INTO THE PATH OF THE ONCOMING CAR AND THEN STOPPED. I TRIED TO THROW THE CAR IN REVERSE, BUT THERE WASN'T TIME TO REACT. THE OTHER DRIVER TRIED TO SLOW DOWN AND SWERVE TO AVOID ME, BUT WAS UNABLE TO AVOID HITTING MY DOOR. ME, MY THREE CHILDREN, AND THE DRIVER OF THE OTHER CAR WERE ALL TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL BY AMBULANCE. THE CHILDREN WERE NOT ADMITTED, AS THEY ONLY HAD A FEW BRUISES, BUT THE OTHER DRIVER AND I WERE BOTH ADMITTED AND SUBSEQUENTLY RELEASED THAT SAME NIGHT. I RECEIVED A CITATION FOR FAILING TO YIELD, WHICH I PLAN ON CONTESTING. MY CAR HAS LEAPT OUT INTO A CROSS-STREET LIKE THAT AFTER STOPPING FOR STOP SIGNS SEVERAL TIMES, BUT ALWAYS TO A LESSER EXTENT, AND NEVER ON A BUSY STREET. IT ALWAYS TAKES SEVERAL SECONDS AFTER THIS OCCURS FOR THE ACCELERATOR TO FUNCTION AGAIN, WHICH IS WHY I TRIED TO THROW MY CAR IN REVERSE INSTEAD OF DRIVING FORWARD. I HAVE ALSO HAD PROBLEMS WITH MY TRANSMISSION SHUDDERING PROFUSELY UPON EXCELLERATING AFTER STOPS. I RECEIVED A NOTICE FROM FORD DATED AUGUST 2014, STATING THAT THEY WERE EXTENDING THE WARRANTY ON MY CLUTCH AND TRANSMISSION INPUT SHAFT SEALS, AND TRANSMISSION SOFTWARE CALIBRATION TO 7 YEARS OR 100,000 MILES, BECAUSE OF THESE TYPES OF PROBLEMS, AND URGING ME TO HAVE THEM REPAIRED IF EXPERIENCING SHUDDERING. BECAUSE OF MY HUSBAND'S WORK SCHEDULE, WE HAD NOT GOTTEN AROUND TO HAVING THE SEALS REPLACED YET AS RECCOMENDED. I FEEL THAT THE TRANSMISSION ISSUES THAT I HAD BEEN HAVING WITH MY CAR, ARE DIRECTLY RESPONSIBLE FOR MY COLLISION, AND COULD EASILY HAVE RESULTED IN THE DEATHS OF 5 PEOPLE. *TR