NHTSA Complaint #10940360 — 2016 FORD FOCUS

I AM WRITING TO REPORT A PROBLEM WITH DELAYS IN GAS PEDAL RESPONSIVENESS. THIS HAS CAUSED SEVERAL POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS CONDITIONS IN THE FOLLOWING SCENARIOS: (1) THE CAR CONTINUES TO ACCELERATE AFTER THE GAS PEDAL IS LET OFF (2) THERE IS A DELAY BETWEEN PRESSING THE GAS PEDAL AND RECEIVING ACCELERATION (THIS IS NOT A PROBLEM WITH THE CAR BEING UNDER POWERED, IT CAN ACCELERATE FINE AT THE SAME RPM. HERE, IT WILL SIMPLY ACT AS IF THE ACCELERATOR IS NOT DOWN) (3) 3-POINT TURNS OR PARALLEL PARKING IN TRAFFIC CANNOT BE DONE QUICKLY/SMOOTHLY, SINCE THERE IS NO POWER FOR A FEW SECONDS ONCE THE CAR IS IN GEAR. THE CAR WILL NOT PROVIDE GAS TO THE ENGINE WHEN SHIFTED INTO GEAR. THIS IS MOST NOTICEABLE THE CAR IS FIRST SHIFTED, BUT CAN ALSO OCCUR AT STOP SIGNS. WHEN YOU RELEASE THE GAS PEDAL, THE CAR WILL CONTINUE REVVING UP, EVEN IF YOU SWITCH THE BRAKE PEDAL. DURING CONTINUOUS DRIVING, WHEN YOU RELEASE THE GAS PEDAL, THE CAR WILL CONTINUE REVVING UP, EVEN IF YOU SWITCH THE BRAKE PEDAL, BEFORE UPSHIFTING. THIS UPSHIFT WILL ALSO JOLT THE CAR FORWARD. IF THIS OCCURS DURING CORNERING, IT CAN MAKE TURNS LESS STABLE. THESE UNPREDICTABLE DELAYS AND ROUGH SHIFTS MAKE IT HARDER TO RESPOND TO DIFFERENT DRIVING CONDITIONS AND ALSO MAKE IT HARDER FOR OTHER DRIVERS TO JUDGE YOUR INTENT. FURTHER, PROBLEMS WITH JERKINESS SEEM TO INCREASE IN WARMER WEATHER. POTENTIALLY SOLVABLE WITH A SOFTWARE UPDATE, BUT THE DEALER COULD NOT CORRECT THIS PROBLEM. TEST DROVE ANOTHER BRAND NEW VEHICLE AND FOUND SOME OF THE SAME BEHAVIORS, INDICATING IT IS AN INHERENT DESIGN PROBLEM WITH THE VEHICLE.