NHTSA Complaint #10747435 — 2009 FORD FOCUS

DRIVING ON FREEWAY AT STEADY 70MPH, ENGINE DROPPED TO IDLE SPEED. NO PRIOR INDICATION OF TROUBLE. VEHICLE WAS SLOWING DOWN. WRENCH LIGHT WAS ON. ACCELERATOR PEDAL HAD NO EFFECT. I PUT IN THE CLUTCH PEDAL, AND COASTED UNTIL I REACHED AN AREA AREA WHERE I COULD PULL OFF TO THE SIDE. THIS WAS IN A TIGHT CONSTRUCTION AREA. FORTUNATELY, I WAS IN THE RIGHT LANE AND NOT NEAR OTHER VEHICLES AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT. OTHERWISE THE OUTCOME MIGHT HAVE BEEN VERY DIFFERENT. WHEN I WAS STOPPED, THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO RUN, BUT ACCELERATOR HAD NO EFFECT. WITH NO ALTERNATIVE, I SHUT OFF THE ENGINE. I THEN STARTED THE ENGINE. OPERATION APPEARED NORMAL WITH NO WRENCH LIGHT ON. I GOT OFF THE FREEWAY AND CHECKED CONNECTED MY CODE READER. NO DIAGNOSTIC CODES. DURING SOME SUBSEQUENT DRIVING, THERE HAVE BEEN NO FURTHER EVENTS OR INDICATION OF PROBLEMS. I AM GETTING A FORD OEM THROTTLE BODY TO REPLACE MY EXISTING. THIS IS APPARENTLY A KNOWN FORD PROBLEM THAT HAS AVOIDED A RECALL DESPITE THE POTENTIAL DANGERS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS TYPE OF FAILURE.