NHTSA Complaint #10669841 — 2012 FORD FOCUS

THE CAR WAS OPERATING FINE UP TO THE POINT AFTER IT WAS PARKED AT A NEARBY STRIP MALL. AFTER RETURNING TO THE CAR, THE CAR WOULD NOT START. THE DASH LIGHTS COME ON, RADIO WORKS, ETC BUT THE STARTER ACTED LIKE IT WAS NOT EVEN GETTING POWER. I THOUGHT THE VEHICLE HAD A BAD BATTERY, AFTER MULTIPLE ATTEMPTS TO JUMP START THE CAR, IT FINALLY STARTED. ONCE THE VEHICLE WAS RUNNING, I PUT IT IN REVERSE AND IT WOULD NOT MOVE AS IF IT WAS IN NEUTRAL. I CHECKED THE DASH INDICATOR TO SEE IF IT WAS IN REVERSE AND THE SHIFT INDICATOR HAD NOTHING HIGHLIGHTED. I PUT IT BACK IN PARK THEN IT HIGHLIGHTED THE "P", PUT IT BACK IN REVERSE AND AGAIN IT ACTED AS IF IT WAS IN NEUTRAL. I ROLLED BACK A BIT AND PUT IT IN DRIVE AND IT STILL ACTED AS IF IT WAS IN NEUTRAL. IT WOULD NOT ENGAGE THE TRANSMISSION. I THOUGHT IT COULD BE DUE TO A LOW POWER BATTERY WHICH ALSO HAD ACID LEAKING SO I REPLACED THE BATTERY WITH A NEW BATTERY. THE CAR WOULDN'T START AGAIN BUT EVERYTHING ELSE WORKED (I.E. RADIO, DASH, A/C BLOWER, ETC). I LET IT SIT A DAY AND TRIED AGAIN THE FOLLOWING DAY AND IT STARTED RIGHT OFF THE BAT. I PUT IT IN GEAR AND IT WENT INTO GEAR THIS TIME. A COUPLE MINUTES LATER, AN INCLINE ASSIST WARNING CAME UP ON THE RADIO SCREEN AND THE TRACTION CONTROL AND ABS ALERTS WERE LIGHTED ON THE DASH. SUDDENLY, THE CAR WOULD NOT GO INTO GEAR AGAIN. I TURNED THE CAR OFF AND STARTED IT BACK UP WHICH IT THEN WENT BACK INTO GEAR WITH NO PROBLEM. I DID RESEARCH ONLINE AND FOUND OTHERS WERE EXPERIENCING THE SAME ISSUE. SOME EVEN WHILE DRIVING, WHICH MAKES ME VERY UNCOMFORTABLE TO THINK OF THAT HAPPENING ON AN INTERSTATE. I CONTACTED MY FORD DEALER ABOUT THE ISSUE AND THEY DENIED EVER HEARING ANYTHING ABOUT THAT TYPE OF ISSUE. EXTREMELY FRUSTRATING AS THIS COULD BE A POTENTIAL SAFETY HAZARD WHERE SOMEONE COULD GET KILLED AND FORD IS PLAYING COY TO COVER THEMSELVES. DOES FORD CARE ABOUT HUMAN LIFE? *TR