NHTSA Complaint #10747268 — 2012 FORD FOCUS

PURCHASED A 2012 FORD FOCUS IN DECEMBER OF 2014. THE TRANSMISSION HAS HAD SHIFTING ISSUES ALMOST THE ENTIRE TIME THAT I HAVE HAD THE VEHICLE. IN MAY, THE TRANSMISSION BEGAN STUTTERING AT LOW SPEEDS. WHEN REACHING SPEED ON AN INTERSTATE ON-RAMP, THE VEHICLE SHOWED THE MESSAGE "VEHICLE NOT IN PARK" AND SHUT OFF AS I WAS PULLING INTO TRAFFIC. A DAY LATER WHEN DRIVING IT, IT STUTTERED AGAIN AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. TOOK IT, ALONG WITH A DEFECTIVE PART NOTICE TO THE DEALER FOR THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION CLUTCH SYSTEM, WHICH THE DEALER SAID WAS THE ISSUE AND SUPPOSEDLY REPLACED IT UNDER THE WARRANTY. THE DEALER ALSO RESET THE "AUTOLEARN" FEATURE IN THE TRANSMISSION. FOR A FEW DAYS IT WORKED FINE, THEN THE STUTTERING AND SHIFTING ISSUES BEGAN AGAIN. ON AUGUST 8TH, 2015 THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO THE STORE, AND WORKED AS IT USUALLY DID, WITH MINOR STUTTERING AND GRINDING THAT APPEARS TO CHARACTERIZE THE FORD TRANSMISSION. IT WAS PARKED FOR ROUGHLY 30 MINUTES WHILE IN THE STORE, UPON STARTING AND PUTTING THE VEHICLE IN REVERSE, THE TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT TURN OR GAIN ENOUGH POWER TO PROPEL THE CAR OUT OF THE PARKING SPACE. AS IT ROLLED BACK, IT WAS SHIFTED INTO THE DRIVE POSITION, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO PROPEL UNTIL IT WENT TO SHIFT AND THE CAR "MISSED" THE GEAR AND STUTTERED LOSING ALL MOMENTUM. THIS CONTINUED FROM EVERY START/STOP. STOPPED AT ANOTHER STORE, WHEN CAME BACK OUT THE CAR WOULD NOT START ON THE FIRST CRANK, AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME BACK ON. THE POWER ISSUES TO THE TRANSMISSION ON TAKE OFF AND THE MISSING GEARS CONTINUED ALL THE WAY TO MY HOME.