NHTSA Complaint #10759100 — 2012 FORD FOCUS

MY 2012 FORD FOCUS HAS A FAULTY BACK DRIVER SIDE DOOR THAT WILL NOT CLOSE. HAD TO TAKE TO DEALER AND PAY $503.00 TO REPAIR THIS PROBLEM. ACCORDING TO FORD THE FIESTA HAS DISPLAYED THIS SAME PROBLEM; HOWEVER, MY PARTICULAR VIN NUMBER HAS NOT BEEN INCLUDED IN THIS RECALL. "THE DOOR LATCH IN THESE VEHICLES MAY EXPERIENCE A BROKEN PAWL SPRING TAB, WHICH TYPICALLY RESULTS IN A CONDITION WHERE THE DOOR WILL NOT LATCH," THE COMPANY SAID IN A STATEMENT. "IF A CUSTOMER IS THEN ABLE TO LATCH THE DOOR, THERE IS POTENTIAL THE DOOR MAY UNLATCH WHILE DRIVING, INCREASING THE RISK OF INJURY." "FORD IS AWARE OF TWO ALLEGATIONS OF SORENESS RESULTING FROM AN UNLATCHED DOOR BOUNCING BACK WHEN THE CUSTOMER ATTEMPTED TO CLOSE IT, AND ONE ACCIDENT ALLEGATION WHEN AN UNLATCHED DOOR SWUNG OPEN AND STRUCK AN ADJACENT VEHICLE AS THE DRIVER WAS PULLING INTO A PARKING SPACE," THE COMPANY SAID. NO INFORMATION ABOUT THE RECALL HAS BEEN POSTED ON THE WEB SITE OF THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINSTRATION, WHICH OVERSEES VEHICLE SAFETY IN THE U.S. "IN RESPONSE TO A THOROUGH NHTSA INVESTIGATION THAT DEMONSTRATED A CLEAR RISK TO SAFETY, FORD IS TAKING IMPORTANT ACTION TO PROTECT ITS CUSTOMERS," SAID NHTSA ADMINISTRATOR MARK ROSEKIND IN A STATEMENT SENT TO EDMUNDS. "WE ARE PLEASED THAT FORD IS TAKING THIS PROACTIVE STEP FOR SAFETY." LAST MONTH, NHTSA UPGRADED A PROBE INTO THE 2011-'13 FORD FIESTA FOR DOOR-LATCH PROBLEMS. "FORD IDENTIFIED THE ISSUE AND WE HAVE BEEN INVESTIGATING IT THROUGH OUR NORMAL PROCESS," WROTE FORD SPOKESWOMAN KELLI FELKER IN RESPONSE TO A QUERY FROM EDMUNDS. "FORD IS WORKING COOPERATIVELY WITH THE AGENCY AND HAS DISCUSSED THIS RECALL WITH NHTSA." THE RECALL INCLUDES 336,873 VEHICLES IN THE U.S. AND FEDERALIZED TERRITORIES, 30,198 IN CANADA AND 22,514 IN MEXICO.