NHTSA Complaint #10679083 — 2012 FORD FIESTA

SHORTLY AFTER PURCHASING MY 2012 FORD FIESTA (NEW) IN DECEMBER, 2012, IT BEGAN SHUDDERING WHEN CHANGING BETWEEN GEARS. IT ALSO MADE A "RATTLING" NOISE WHEN ACCELERATING OR SOMETIMES EVEN WHEN CRUISING AT A STEADY SPEED. THE FIRST TIME I BROUGHT THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP, THEY KEPT IT FOR A FEW DAYS BUT TOLD ME THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THE SECOND TIME I BROUGHT IT (OCTOBER, 2013, APPROXIMATELY 30,000 MILES) THEY KEPT IT FOR A WEEK AND TOLD ME THERE WAS SOMETHING LEAKING ON TO THE CLUTCH AND THEY FIXED IT. NOW, AT 57,000 MILES, THE CAR IS SHUDDERING WORSE THAN EVER, PARTICULARLY BETWEEN FIRST AND SECOND GEARS, AND THE RATTLING NOISE HAS GOTTEN PROGRESSIVELY WORSE. PEOPLE RIDING WITH ME CONSTANTLY ASK WHAT IN THE WORLD IS WRONG WITH MY CAR. I FINALLY BROUGHT IT BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP, WHERE IT HAS NOW BEEN FOR TWO WEEKS. THEY'VE CALLED TWICE - THE FIRST TIME TO SAY THAT THEY WERE GOING TO HAVE TO REMOVE THE ENTIRE TRANSMISSION, SO IT WOULD BE A WHILE LONGER BEFORE IT WAS REPAIRED. THE SECOND TIME WAS A WEEK AGO WHEN THEY SAID FORD HAD SOMETHING THEY WANTED THEM TO TRY (NOT SURE WHAT EXACTLY IT WAS). HAVE NOT HEARD FROM THEM SINCE. I'M FEARFUL THAT AT LESS THAN 60,000 MILES I'M GOING TO HAVE A VEHICLE THAT A) CAN NEVER BE FULLY REPAIRED AND B) IS POSSIBLY UNSAFE. AND CERTAINLY I'LL NEVER BE ABLE TO SELL IT OR GET ANY MONEY FOR IT, WHO WANTS TO PURCHASE A USED VEHICLE THAT HAS A REPUTATION FOR SO MANY PROBLEMS, AS BOTH THE FIESTA AND THE FOCUS DO. *TR