NHTSA Complaint #11133529 — 2013 FORD FIESTA

THERE ARE ISSUES WITH BOTH THE RADIO AND THE MESSAGE SCREEN ON THE DASHBOARD. THE RADIO PROBLEMS ARE INDEED A SAFETY ISSUES. I PURCHASED THIS CAR IN FEBRUARY OF THIS YEAR. AT FIRST, THE RADIO WOULD JUST INTERMITTENLY GO OUT AND WOULD COME BACK ON AFTER A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. HOWEVER, AS TIME WENT ON, EXTREMELY LOUD STATIC WOULD BURST FROM THE SPEAKERS EVERY TIME THE RADIO WENT OUT, WHETHER OR NOT KEYS WERE IN THE IGNITIOD. THIS HAS HAPPENED WHILE DRIVING - WHICH IS A TERRIFYING DISTRACTION WHEN YOU LEAST EXPECT IT. THE RADIO HAS BEEN OUT FOR WEEKS NOW - IT HAS COME BACK ONCE OR TWICE, BUT ALWAYS QUICKLY GOES BACK OUT, WITH THAT LOUD STATIC BLAST. BEYOND THAT LOUD BLAST...THERE HAS ALSO BEEN INSTANCES WHERE THE STATIC SIMPLY CONTINUES - AGAIN THIS HAS HAPPENED WHILE TRAVELING AND IT'S SO DISTRACTING IT REALLY COULD CAUSE AN ACCIDENT - I FEEL LUCKY THAT HASN'T HAPPENED. I ALSO HAVE A FEW VIDEOS OF THIS HAPPENING AND WOULD BE HAPPY TO SHARE. IN ADDITION TO THE RADIO, RANDOM MESSAGES ARE DISPLAYED ON THE DISPLAY SCREEN, I.E DRIVER/PASSENGER DOOR OPEN WHILE NOT ACTUALLY OPEN. THE "CRITICAL ENGINE FAILURE" MESSAGE HAS DISPLAYED MORE THAN ONCE WHEN NOTHING WAS ACTUALLY WRONG - AGAIN, A TERRIFYING DISTRACTION WHEN TRAVELING (ESPECIALLY ON THE HIGHWAY AS I HAVE BEEN WHEN THAT MESSAGE APPEARS.) FROM WHAT I HAVE SEEN ONLINE, THIS IS AN INSANELY COMMON PROBLEM WITH 2013 FORD FIESTAS. AN ESTIMATE TO REPLACE THE RADIO CAME IN AT $280 WITHOUT LABOR - THAT'S REALLY INSANE FOR A PROBLEM THAT IS CLEARLY A DESIGN/SYSTEM FLAW SPECIFIC TO THIS MAKE AND MODEL, NOT SIMPLY THE VEHICLE I SPECIFICALLY OWN. I DO HAVE A COUPLE OF PICTURES OF THE MESSAGE DISPLAY (UNFORTUNATELY NOT THE CRITICAL ENGINE FAILURE MESSAGE) BUT AGAIN, I HAVE MULTIPLE VIDEOS OF THE RADIO ISSUE THAT I'M HAPPY TO PROVIDE (ALSO THE DATE BELOW IS RANDOM - IT'S HAPPENED MANY TIMES ON DIFFERENT OCCAISIONS)