NHTSA Complaint #10954117 — 2011 FORD FOCUS

MY RIGHT REAR DOOR FLEW OPEN WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION AS I WAS TURNING ON TO A CITY HIGHWAY NEAR MY HOME. LUCKILY, I WAS CLOSE ENOUGH THAT I MADE IT HOME SAFELY, HOWEVER THE DOOR WOULDN'T LATCH AT ALL AFTER THIS INCIDENT. WHEN I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP WHERE I NORMALLY HAVE MY CAR SERVICED, THEY SAID THERE ARE MANY RECALLS FOR THIS TYPE OF PROBLEM WITH MANY FORD MODELS, MY MODEL INCLUDED, HOWEVER MY CAR DID NOT QUALIFY FOR THE RECALL BASED ON THE VIN NUMBER AND THAT IT WAS ONE YEAR OLDER THAN THE OTHER MODELS THAT QUALIFIED FOR THE RECALL. THEY COULDN'T GET IT SCHEDULED TO REPAIR THE DOOR LATCH FOR APPROXIMATELY TWO WEEKS, AND OBVIOUSLY IT WAS UNSAFE TO DRIVE WITHOUT THIS PROBLEM BEING FIXED. I ENDED UP TAKING IT TO A DIFFERENT CAR SERVICE COMPANY WHO CONFIRMED IT WAS DEFINITELY A PROBLEM WITH THE RIGHT REAR DOOR LATCH, AND THAT IT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED.