NHTSA Complaint #10896394 — 2012 FORD FOCUS

ON AUGUST 2ND, 2016, THE BACK DOOR LATCH ON THE DRIVER SIDE FAILED, AND IT WILL NO LONGER HOLD THE DOOR CLOSED. I HAD OPENED MY BACK DOOR TO PUT MY BACKPACK IN THE BACKSEAT, AND WHEN I CLOSED THE DOOR, IT CLOSED COMPLETELY, BUT WOULD NOT LATCH AND HOLD THE DOOR SHUT. I NOW HAVE A RATCHET STRAP GOING FROM BACK DOOR TO BACK DOOR, HOLDING MY DOOR CLOSED.IT WAS STATIONARY AT THE TIME. I DIDN'T THINK TOO MUCH ABOUT IT BEYOND I NEEDED TO GET IT FIXED, UNTIL I WENT TO THE FORD DEALER TO ORDER A REPLACEMENT PART. I WAS TOLD BY THE PARTS ASSOCIATE THAT THE LATCH I NEEDED WAS ON BACK ORDER. AFTER A LITTLE RESEARCH I FOUND THAT FORD HAS RECALLS ON THE SAME MODEL YEAR FUSION AND FIESTA FOR THIS SAME FAILURE, AND THERE ARE SOME COMPLAINTS SURFACING ABOUT THE FOCUS. SIDE NOTE: 2 WEEKS LATER, I AM STILL WAITING ON THE REPLACEMENT DOOR LATCH MECHANISM. IT REALLY MAKES ME THINK THAT FORD USED THE SAME PART IN THE FIESTA, FOCUS AND FUSION MODELS.