NHTSA Complaint #10897205 — 2014 FORD MUSTANG

ON 8/18/16, I WAS DRIVING ON MARYLAND STATE ROUTE 198, AT ABOUT 40 MPH, WHEN THE CAR BEGAN TO LURCH FORWARD, STOP, LURCH FORWARD AS I CAME THROUGH A ROUNDABOUT. I PULLED OVER TO THE SHOULDER. I TURNED THE CAR OFF, RESTARTED THE CAR, AND WHILE ON THE SHOULDER, I PRESSED THE GAS PEDAL, AND AGAIN THE CAR LURCHED FORWARD TWICE AND THEN STOPPED. WRENCH LIGHT WAS LIT UP ON DASHBOARD (IT WASN'T LIT MOMENTS BEFORE) AND WHEN I LOOKED AT THE MANUAL IT SAID THE CAR HAD DEFAULTED TO "LIMP TO HOME" AND I SHOULD SEE THE DEALER. I WAS MORE THAN 40 MILES FROM HOME AND CALLED AAA. IF THIS HAD OCCURRED 10 MINUTES LATER, I WOULD HAVE BEEN DRIVING 55 MPH ON INTERSTATE 295 S AND WOULD HAVE BEEN IN DANGER BECAUSE THAT ROAD HAS NO SHOULDER. THIS CAR BEHAVIOR MIMICKED WHAT I EXPERIENCED OCT. 6, 2015 (LURCHING, DASHBOARD LIGHTS LOOKING LIKE A DISCO BALL), WHEN THE DEALER HAD TO REPLACE THE THROTTLE ASSEMBLY (SERVICE DATE OCT. 7, 2015). HOWEVER, THE DEALER IS NOW TELLING ME IT IS A TRANSMISSION PROBLEM WITH THE CAR SHOWING TFT SENSOR, P0710, P0713 CODE READINGS. THIS IS THE THIRD MAJOR REPAIR. ON 11/23/12, THE DEALER REPLACED THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER, AFTER I EXPERIENCED AN ISSUE THANKSGIVING DAY WITH ALL DASHBOARD LIGHTS LOOKING LIKE A DISCO BALL AND COULD NOT READ THE SPEEDOMETER TO KNOW HOW FAST I WAS DRIVING WHILE IN BALTIMORE ON INTERSTATE 695. THE CAR IS 4 YEARS OLD AND HAS ABOUT 61,000 MILES ON IT. I BELIEVE ALL THREE INCIDENTS REPRESENT SAFETY ISSUES. I DID NOT KNOW YOU COULD FILE A COMPLAINT UNTIL I BEGAN RESEARCHING AFTER THIS LATEST INCIDENT, AND SO INCLUDE THE THE OTHER TWO IN THIS REPORT.