NHTSA Complaint #10722159 — 2012 FORD FOCUS

WHEN EXCELLERATING THE CAR SHUDDERED SHIFTING INTO 2ND GEAR, HAD LOSS OF SPEED AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. THIS CONTINUED UNTIL THE CAR WAS SHUT OFF FOR SEVERAL HOURS AND THEN DROVE FINE. THIS PATTERN OF SHUDDERING AND NOT SHIFTING CORRECTLY HAPPENED FOR 1 WEEK UNTIL I WAS ABLE TO GET AN APPOINTMENT WITH THE DEALERSHIP WHERE I PURCHASED THE CAR. THE TRANSMISSION SEAL WAS REPLACED AND AFTER PICKING UP THE CAR, IT SHUDDERED AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME BACK ON YET AGAIN. IT WAS SO BAD THAT I WAS NOT ABLE TO CLIMB A HILL ON THE INTERSTATE AND THE MORE I PUSHED ON THE GAS THE SLOWER I WENT AND THE RPM'S CLIMED TO 5 1/2 WHICH IT HAS NEVER DONE. WITH FEAR OF BLOWING UP THE ENGINE, I HAD TO PULL OFF THE INTERSTATE AND SHUT THE CAR OFF FOR 5 MINUTES. I WAS THEN ABLE TO DRIVE HOME AND BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP THE NEXT MORNING. THE TRANSMISSION CONTROL MODULE (TCM) WAS REPLACED AND THE CAR NOW SHIFTS FINE. I HAD COMPLAINED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS OF THE SHUDDERING AND LACK OF SHIFTING AND LOSS OF POWER ON OTHER OCCASIONS WHEN GETTING MY OIL CHANGED AND WAS TOLD THAT THE TCM WAS CALIBRATED TO THE CURRENT SPECS BUT IT WOULD CONTINUE INTERMITTENTLY SINCE I PURCHASED THE CAR NEW IN 6/2012. IT WAS WORSE IN VERY COLD WEATHER. I HAD RECEIVED A LETTER FROM FORD EXTENDING THE TRANSMISSION SEAL WARRANTY TO 100,000 MILES AND THE TCM TO 150,000 MILES. THIS HAS DEFINITELY BEEN A HASSLE AND PROBLEM. FORD DID A CRAPPY JOB OF ADDRESSING IT AND SHOULD NOT CONTINUE TO BUILD CARS WITH THE DUEL ABILITY OF STANDARD/AUTOMATIC SHIFTING.