NHTSA Complaint #10990678 — 2005 FORD FOCUS

ON MANY OCCASIONS THE REAR HATCH (ZXW WAGON) HAS OPENED ON ITS OWN. I'VE ALWAYS ASSUMED I MUST NOT HAVE CLOSED IT PROPERLY AS IT ALSO HAS NOT LATCHED ON MANY OCCASIONS WHEN CLOSING IT. SOMETIMES IT CAN TAKE SEVERAL ATTEMPTS, CLOSING IT FIRMLY. ONE THE MOST RECENT OCCASSION OF THE HATCH OPENING WHILE DRIVING OUR DOG WAS IN THE CAR BAG CARGO AREA, SO YOU CAN IMAGINE MY ANGER AT THE LATCH. ANOTHER ISSUE HAS BEEN THE LICENCE PLATE LIGHTS NOT ILLUMINATING THE PLATE AT NIGHT, WHICH HAS RESULTED IN A STOP BY AN OFFICER. YESTERDAY, MAY 18TH 2017, THE BATTERY LIGHT ILLUMINATED FOR ABOUT 2 MINUTES ON MY DRIVE HOME, THEN WENT OFF. WHEN I GOT HOME I PUT A METER ON THE BATTERY WHILE THE ENGINE WAS RUNNING AND GOT 12.04-12.7 VOLTS. WHILE SEARCHING YOUTUBE FOR SOME HOW-TO ALTERNATOR VIDEOS I STUMBLED ACROSS A VIDEO THAT SPOKE OF THE WIRING IN THE HATCH AREA. I REMOVED THE BOOT AND SURE ENOUGH, HALF OF THE WIRES HAD DAMAGED JACKETS AND A FEW WERE EXPOSED. I'VE MADE TEMPORARY REPAIRS AND AS NOW THE VOLTAGE READS 14.5 OR MORE WITH THE ENGINE RUNNING. ALSO, THE LICENSE PLATE LIGHTS ARE WORKING AGAIN. THIS REPAIR IS SURELY GOING TO BE TEMPORARY AT BEST AS I SIMPLY DO NOT HAVE THE FUNDS FOR A REPAIR FACILITY TO DO THE WORK AND I HAVE LIMITED RESOURCES. I COULD NOT SELL THE CAR WITH CLEAR CONSCIENCE WITHOUT DISCLOSING MY DISCOVERY WHICH SURELY MEANS MOST PEOPLE ARENT GOING TO WANT IT. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF THERE WAS ANY RECALL FOR THIS, CONSIDERING IT COULD HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO CAUSE MANY MALFUNCTIONS IN THE VEHICLE'S SAFETY AS WELL THE SAFETY OF PASSENGERS, CARGO AND OTHER DRIVERS ON THE ROADWAY. THIS LATCH POPPING ISSUE HAS HAPPENED IN PRETTY MUCH EVERY CONDITION.....MY DRIVEWAY, IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD, THE HIGHWAY ETC.