NHTSA Complaint #11129943 — 2014 FORD FUSION

PER FORD RECALL 18S20 7/18/2018, THE BUSHING THAT ATTACHES THE SHIFTER CABLE TO THE TRANSMISSION DETACHED FROM THE TRANSMISSION. THE DEGRADED SHIFTER CABLE BUSHING THAT DETACHED FROM THE TRANSMISSION ALLOWED THE TRANSMISSION TO BE IN A GEAR STATE DIFFERENT THAN THE GEAR SHIFT POSITION SELECTED BY THE DRIVER. THE CONDITION ALLOWED THE DRIVER, ME, TO MOVE THE SHIFT LEVER TO 'PARK' AND REMOVE THE IGNITION KEY, WHILE THE TRANSMISSION WAS NOT IN 'PARK', IN THIS CASE "NEUTRAL", WITH NO WARNING MESSAGE OR AUDIBLE CHIME. WHILE BRAKES OR THE PARKING BRAKE WAS NOT APPLIED, THIS CONDITION RESULTED IN UNINTENDED VEHICLE MOVEMENT, THE VEHICLE WAS FREE WHEELING. FORTUNATELY THIS CONDITION DID NOT RESULT IN AN INJURY OR CRASH. FORD CLAIMS THAT MY PARTICULAR VEHICLE, (XXXXX), IS NOT COVER BY FORD RECALL 18S20, AND THAT REPAIRS WILL NOT BE COVERED EVEN THOUGH THE FAILURE HAPPEN EXACTLY AS STATED IN THE RECALL LANGUAGE FOUND HERE HTTPS://MEDIA.FORD.COM/CONTENT/FORDMEDIA/FNA/US/EN/NEWS/2018/07/18/FORD-ISSUES-TWO-SAFETY-RECALLS-IN-NORTH-AMERICA.HTML AT THE TIME OF THE FAILURE THE VEHICLE WAS BACKING OUT OF A FLAT RESIDENTIAL DRIVEWAY, FRONT WHEELS TURNING LEFT, MAKING THE TRANSIENT TO DRIVE FORWARD DOWN A RESIDENTIAL STREET (25MPH SPEED LIMIT). THE VEHICLE WAS STUCK IN "NEUTRAL", AND PUTTING THE SHIFT SELECTOR IN "PARK" DID NOT STOP THE VEHICLE. INSTEAD THE VEHICLE ROLLED FORWARD DOWN THE SLIGHT INCLINE OF THE STREET UNTIL STOPPED USING THE BRAKES. THE VEHICLE THEN NEED TO BE HELD IN PLACE BY EITHER APPLYING THE BRAKES OR USING THE EMERGENCY BRAKE. THE IGNITION COULD BE TURNED OFF, AND STEERING LOCKED WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN "NEUTRAL", ESSENTIALLY FREE WHEELING UNLESS USING THE BRAKES. THE VEHICLE ENGINE COULD BE STARTED AND EMERGENCY BRAKE RELEASED WITHOUT INDICATION OR WARNING THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS IN "NEUTRAL". PARTS OF THIS DOCUMENT HAVE BEEN REDACTED TO PROTECT PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).