NHTSA Complaint #10669989 — 2012 FORD FOCUS

ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON EXITING A PARKING GARAGE ON A BUSY EVENING IN HILLY SAN FRANCISCO. SECONDS LATER, THE CAR LOST MOMENTUM AND WOULDN'T GET INTO GEAR, EVEN THOUGH THE GEAR SHIFT WAS IN DRIVE. ALARMING, FOR A 3-YEAR OLD CAR WITH MERELY 43300 MILES THAT HAS BEEN CARED FOR DUTIFULLY SINCE IT'S PURCHASE NEW IN NOV. 2011. MY WIFE AND I, WITH OUR KID AND HIS FRIEND IN THE BACKSEAT, DECIDED TO HEAD HOME, FOREGOING PLANS FOR DINNER, AND CONTINUED TO MAKE OUR WAY TO THE HIGHWAY HOMEBOUND. THE CAR SEEMED TO RUN FINE THROUGH THE CITY STREETS FOR THE NEXT 10 MINS., UNTIL WE NEEDED TO CROSS 2 BUSY LANES TO ENTER THE FREEWAY ONRAMP. AT THAT POINT, THE CAR LOST THE POWER TO SAFELY CROSS THE LANES, WE MISSED OUR ENTRANCE, AND WERE FORCED TO CIRCLE CITY BLOCKS TO RETURN TO THE ONRAMP. THE CAR SEEMED TO REGAIN NORMALCY, AND ACCELERATED TO 55 MPH, BUT THEN, APPROX. 2 MILES LATER, LOST POWER (EVEN THOUGH THE ENGINE WAS REVVING), ACTING AS IF IT WERE NEARLY IN NEUTRAL. THE CAR SEEMED TO SHIFT TO A VERY LOW-POWERED DRIVE. WE WERE IN THE SLOW LANE AND TOOK THE FIRST AVAILABLE EXIT, HAZARDS BLINKING. ONCE ON CITY STREETS, WE PULLED OVER TO THE CURB, AND TRIED TO RE-ENGAGE THE DESIRED GEAR. WE FINALLY CUT THE IGNITION AND RESTARTED THE CAR TO TRY TO LIMP IT OVER TO THE GAS STATION ACROSS THE INTERSECTION AND ACROSS ONCOMING TRAFFIC. WE ARRIVED AT THE GAS STATION, AND CALLED THE FORD ROADSIDE ASSISTANT WHO WAS EXTREMELY POLITE BUT I WON'T GO INTO THE HEADACHE (AND EXPENSE) OF TOWING THE CAR TO A SENSIBLY-LOCATED DEALERSHIP AND GETTING 2 ADULTS AND 2 KIDS BACK TO OUR HOMETOWN SOME 80 MILES AWAY, AT NIGHT. WE FEEL EXTREMELY BLESSED THAT WE EXPERIENCE THESE WORRISOME PROBLEMS WITHOUT INJURY (OR WORSE) TO OURSELVES, OTHERS OR DAMAGE TO PROPERTY. WE ARE NOT SURE IF OUR CONFIDENCE TO DRIVE THE CAR WILL BE RESTORED AFTER READING MANY SIMILAR COMPLAINTS BELOW. WE AWAIT FOR MON. FOR FORD'S ANSWER. *TR