NHTSA Complaint #11124442 — 2006 FORD FUSION

OUR 2006 FUSION SEL'S TRANSMISSION HAS BEEN SLIPPING OUT OF GEAR SINCE AROUND 44K MILES. WHILE IN FORWARD MOTION, REGARDLESS OF THE CURRENT SPEED OR RPMS THE TRANSMISSION SLIPS OUT OF GEAR AND THE FOLLOWING MAY HAPPEN, SOMETIMES ALL IN THE SAME OCCURRENCE: (1) A SUDDEN TRANSMISSION SURGE THEN A JERK RESULTING IN HIGH REVVING RPMS WITH NO FORWARD POWER. THE GAS PEDAL ONLY REVS THE ENGINE WITH NO FORWARD ACCELERATION (2) A SUDDEN GRAB/SLAM OUT OF AND BACK INTO GEAR JOLTING ANYONE IN THE CAR SIGNIFICANTLY (3) GEAR SLIPPAGE RESULTING IN HIGH REVVING RPM INTO THE RED ZONE, NO FORWARD ACCELERATION, AND NO RETURN TO PREVIOUS OR ANY OTHER GEAR (4) BUCKING SURGES OF ACCELERATION AND DECELERATION MAKING THE CAR IMPOSSIBLE TO CONTROL AND DRIVE SAFELY. WHILE ADVANCING FROM A COMPLETE STOP SUCH AS A STOP SIGN OR TRAFFIC SIGNAL (1) TRANSMISSION MAY NOT COME OUT OF HIGH GEAR AND CAR WILL MOVE ONLY SLOWLY UNTIL STOPPED AND RESTARTED (2) TRANSMISSION STAYS IN HIGH GEAR AND THE CAR MOVES SLOWLY ONLY TO UNCONTROLLABLY JOLT FORWARD WHILE SLAMMING INTO A LOWER GEAR. ALL OF THE ABOVE MAY OR MAY NOT BE SOLVED BY STOPPING AND RESTARTING THE CAR. THE ABOVE ISSUES HAPPEN REGARDLESS OF THE TYPE OF ROADWAY, SPEED TRAVELING, AND WHETHER THE CAR IS TRAVELING IN A STRAIGHT PATH OR TURNING. WE WERE TOLD BY A FORD DEALERSHIP THAT IT WAS A KNOWN ISSUE THAT PRESENTS ITSELF AROUND 40K MILES AND USUALLY AFTER THE WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED. ESTIMATES TO REPAIR RANGED FROM $2,500 TO $4,500. IN ADDITION TO THE REPAIR COSTS, THERE IS THE MUCH HIGHER POTENTIAL COSTS OF LOST LIVES DUE TO THE LACK OF CONTROL THIS ISSUE PUTS THE DRIVER IN. WHEN A DRIVER IMMEDIATELY HAS NO CONTROL OF FORWARD MOMENTUM AND SUDDENLY HAS NO WAY TO DIRECT THE VEHICLE TO A SAFE LOCATION AT CURRENT TRAFFIC SPEEDS, THERE IS A SUDDEN POTENTIAL FOR LOSS OF LIVES FOR THE OCCUPANTS OF THE CAR AND POTENTIALLY THE VEHICLES FOLLOWING BEHIND.