NHTSA Complaint #10925660 — 2012 FORD FOCUS

VERY ROUGH IDLING OF ENGINE WHILE PROCEEDING FORWARD AT START OF ACCELERATION. THE "HILL ASSIST NOT AVAILABLE" LIGHT ON THE INSTRUMENTATION PANEL CAME ON, WHILE THE TRANSMISSION SEEMED TO TRANSFER ITSELF FROM A DRIVE POSITION TO A NEUTRAL POSITION. THE CAR REMAINED STATIONARY WHILE I ATTEMPTED TO ACCELERATE USING THE FOOT PEDAL. AT THAT POINT, I COULD NOT GET THE CAR BACK INTO A DRIVE GEAR POSITION. IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING "HILL ASSIST NOT AVAILABLE" MESSAGE, A SECOND WARNING LIGHT "TRANSMISSION MALFUNCTION, SERVICE NOW" CAME ON. DURING THIS MOMENT, AN ADDITIONAL RED EXCLAMATION LIGHT ENGAGED. WHEN I STOPPED AT A RED TRAFFIC SIGNAL, MY FOCUS'S RPM IDLE QUICKLY INCREASED CAUSING THE FOCUS TO LUNGE FORWARD A FEW FEET INTO AN ACTIVE TRAFFIC INTERSECTION. AS I PROCEEDED TO MAKE A RIGHT HAND TURN, THE INSTRUMENTATION PANEL DISPLAYED NO WARNING SIGNS, THEN SUDDENLY CAME BACK ON AS THE RPM IDLE WENT FROM 2,200 TO 5,500 RPM IN A NEUTRAL GEAR STATE. AT THIS MOMENT, I WAS NERVOUS, AS MY MIND WAS RACING WITH THOUGHTS OF AN ACCIDENT; SUCH AS, THE TRANSMISSION COULD RE-ENGAGE TO A DRIVE POSITION AT SUCH A HIGH RPM RATE, FORCING VEHICLE TO THRUST FORWARD AT AN UNCONTROLLABLE HIGH SPEED, OR THE ENGINE COULD PERHAPS OVERHEAT AND/OR THE ENGINE BLOCK COULD CRACK. THE WARNING PANEL SPORADICALLY TURNED WARNING MESSAGES ON AND OFF AS IT AFFECTED THE POWERTRAIN/TRANSMISSION CONTROL. THE WANING LIGHT DISPLAYS "HILL ASSIST NOT AVAILABLE" EVERY TIME THE TRANSMISSION GOES INTO A NEUTRAL POSITION, WHILE THE GEAR IS PHYSICALLY IN ITS "D" (DRIVE) POSITION. THIS FOCUS LEAVES ME WARY WHILE BEHIND ITS WHEEL. WILL THIS CAR EVENTUALLY INJURE ME OR ANOTHER PERSON (S) WHILE THE TRANSMISSION SUDDENLY ACCELERATES ONCE AGAIN, CAUSING AN ACCIDENT?