NHTSA Complaint #11131098 — 2013 FORD FIESTA

ON 9/20/18, WHILE STOPPED AT A BUSY INTERSECTION FOR A RED LIGHT, UPON ATTEMPTING TO MOVE FORWARD WHEN THE LIGHT TURNED GREEN THE CAR SIMPLY WOULD NOT MOVE. I PLACED THE CAR IN PARK, SHUT IT OFF TO RESTART THINKING IT WOULD RESET ITSELF SOMEHOW AND INSTEAD NOT ONLY WOULD IT NOT RESTART BUT THE GEAR SHIFT WOULD NOT MOVE OUT OF PARK SO THAT I COULD PUSH IT OUT OF THE TRAFFIC. I HAD TO CALL THE LOCAL POLICE TO WAIT IN THE ROAD WITH LIGHTS FLASHING AT THE INTERSECTION TO AVOID BEING REAR-ENDED AND UNTIL THE TOW TRUCK COULD ARRIVE. THE "ENGINE MALFUNCTION" LIGHT COMES ON SO OFTEN (WHICH USUALLY GETS A "REPROGRAMMING" AT THE DEALER) THAT IT HAS BECOME UNNOTICEABLE, BUT I DO NOT RECALL SEEING IT BEFORE BECOMING IMMOBILE. IT WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL FORD DEALER, WHERE THEY SAID IT WAS COVERED UNDER THE EXTENDED WARRANTY FORD ISSUED (TCM PART, I BELIEVE). THIS CAR HAS APPROXIMATELY 70,000 MILES ON IT BUT HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP FOR "WARRANTIED" REPAIRS INVOLVING REPROGRAMMING, THROTTLE, GAS PEDAL SENSOR, CLUTCHES, ETC. ON MANY MANY OCCASIONS. IN THE PAST, I HAVE TAKEN IT IN COMPLAINING ABOUT THE RETURNING LIGHT AND WHEN IT HAS SHUDDERED AND LOST POWER MOMENTARILY WHILE ATTEMPTING TO ENTER TRAFFIC ON THE INTERSTATE (ONCE EVEN AS A TRACTOR TRAILER APPROACHED). TRAFFIC HAS HAD TO SHIFT LANES TO AVOID HITTING MY CAR. IT HAS SHUDDERED IN INTERSECTIONS AND ONRAMPS BEFORE, BUT NEVER BECAME COMPLETELY IMMOBILE WITHOUT RECOVERY. IF THIS ISN'T A SAFETY ISSUE, I DON'T KNOW WHAT IS. I CANNOT EXPERIENCE THE FEAR AND HELPLESSNESS THAT OCCURRED LAST WEEK AGAIN, SO TWO DAYS LATER I WENT AND PURCHASED A NEW VEHICLE (NOT FORD) AND ACCEPTED A HUGE LOSS ON THE TRADE-IN VALUE BECAUSE I VALUE MY FAMILY'S SAFETY AND MY LIFE FAR MORE. MY MANY SERVICES HAVE ALL BEEN THROUGH FORD AND ARE AVAILABLE IN MY SERVICE RECORD AT FORD.