NHTSA Complaint #10782611 — 2012 FORD FOCUS

DURING ACCELERATION FROM STOP, THE 2012 FORD FOCUS BEGAN STALLING WHEN AUTOMATICALLY SHIFTING. A CHECK ENGINE INDICATION TURNED ON WHEN THE CAR STALLED. THE FORD FOCUS THEN SHIFTED INTO A HIGHER GEAR AND ACCELERATED VERY SLOWLY. ON THE HIGHWAY THE FOCUS ACCELERATED SLOWLY AND SOMETIMES SHIFTED MOMENTARILY INTO NEUTRAL WHILE THE SHIFTER IS SET TO DRIVE AND THE ACCELERATOR IS PRESSED. THIS WAS INDICATED BY A CHANGE IN THE TACHOMETER TO HIGH RPM THAT DIDN'T CORRESPOND TO A CHANGE IN CAR SPEED. THE PROBLEM BEGAN OCCURING ONCE THE CAR HAD BEEN OPERATED FOR A WARMING PERIOD OF TIME SUCH AS 30 MINUTES. THEN THE PROBLEM PERSISTED UNTIL THE CAR IS LEFT OFF FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME (THE NEXT DAY). THESE STALLS PUT MYSELF IN DANGER BECAUSE IN HEAVY TRAFFIC I COULD NOT ACCELERATE TO MATCH TRAFFIC SPEEDS OR CROSS INTERSECTIONS. THE STALLS ALSO PUT ME IN DANGER BECAUSE THE FORD FOCUS SUDDENLY STALLED WHILE CARS BEHIND MINE EXPECTED ME TO CONTINUE ACCELERATING WHEN ACCELERATING FROM A STOP LIGHT. I UNDERSTAND FORD HAS RECOGNIZED A PROBLEM THAT CAN LEAD TO THIS DUE TO LEAKING TRANSMISSION SEALS CONTAMINATING THE CLUTCH PACK. I BROUGHT THE CAR IN FOR SERVICE. FORD "REPROGRAMMED" THE TRANSMISSION CONTROL UNIT WHICH WAS RECALLED AND SAID A SUBSEQUENT TEST DRIVE SHOWED NO PROBLEMS. THE NEXT DAY I DROVE THE CAR APPROXIMATELY 10 MILES, AFTER WHICH THE PROBLEM REAPPEARED. I ASKED THE FORD DEALER IF THEY COULD APPLY THE CLUTCH RECALL. THEY CLAIMED IT WAS A WARRANTY EXTENSION AND NOT A RECALL. THEY SAID GETTING THE PROBLEM FIXED UNDER WARRANTY WAS USELESS BECAUSE THE PARTS ARE BACK ORDERED FOR MORE THAN A MONTH. IN MY OPINION, IF FORD KNOWS THERE IS A DEFECT BUT IS NOT PROCURING PARTS TO SERVE THE NEW EXTENDED WARRANTY, THEY SHOULD BE FORCED BY THE CORRECT AGENCY TO RECALL THE CAR AND REPAIR THEM WITHIN A LIMITED AMOUNT OF TIME.