NHTSA Complaint #10810832 — 2011 FORD FIESTA

TRANSMISSION CONTROL MODULE RECALL: AFTER HAVING THE "TCM" SOFTWARE UPDATED IN SEPTEMBER, THE TRANSMISSION MALFUNCTION LIGHT STILL COMES ON WHEN MY CAR WILL NOT SWITCH GEARS. ONE DAY DRIVING DOWN THE INTERSTATE, MY CAR WAS GOING 65 MPH AND WAS NOT SWITCHING GEARS. AFTER HAVING IT TOWED TO THE NEAREST FORD DEALERSHIP, MY CAR WAS WORKED ON AND THE TRANSMISSION CONTROL MODULE WAS FINALLY REPLACED. LESS THAN A WEEK LATER, MY CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE OR SWITCH GEARS WHILE DRIVING UP A HILL. MY CAR BEGAN TO MOVE BACKWARDS SINCE IT WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. MY CAR WAS ROLLING BACKWARDS DOWN A HILL INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC. THE FORD DEALERSHIP DOES NOT SEEM TO BE CONCERNED AND ASSURED ME THE SOFTWARE NEEDED TO BE UPDATED AGAIN AFTER IT WAS UPDATED LESS THAN A WEEK AGO. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT I FIND TO BE DANGEROUS IF THE CAR WILL NOT SWITCH GEARS. THE FIRST TIME THE CAR WAS TAKEN TO A FORD DEALERSHIP, I WAS TOLD THAT THE TRANSMISSION CONTROL MODULE PART ITSELF WAS ON BACKORDER AND COULD NOT BE REPLACED FOR AT LEAST A YEAR. THREE MONTHS LATER WHEN IT WAS TOWED TO A DIFFERENT FORD DEALERSHIP, THEY HAD ONE READILY AVAILABLE AND IT WAS REPLACED WITHIN TWO DAYS AND THE SOFTWARE UPDATED ACCOMPANIED THE SERVICE EVENT. LESS THAN A WEEK LATER MY CAR IS IN LIMP MODE AND WILL BARELY ACCELERATE TO GET ME SAFELY OFF THE ROAD. THIS ISSUE IS MUCH BIGGER THAN IT SEEMS AND FORD DOES NOT SEEM TO HAVE THE URGENCY TO FIX A DANGEROUS ISSUE FOR THEIR CUSTOMERS. UPON CALLING FORD TO HAVE MY VEHICLE LOOKED AT, IT WAS ABOUT A 5 DAY WAIT AND THEY COULD NOT PROVIDE ME WITH A RENTAL OR LOANER CAR.