NHTSA Complaint #11234629 — 2012 FORD FOCUS

2012 FORD FOCUS TITANIUM DPS6 EQUIPPED CLUTCH SHUDDER INSTANCES AND TCM FAILURE -- 2018 ACCELERATION IS UNPREDICTABLE. BEFORE WARRANTY REPAIR, THE CAR WOULD HAVE NOTICEABLE LAG WHEN ACCELERATING FROM A STOP. THIS HAS LED TO SEVERAL DANGEROUS SITUATIONS WHERE THE CAR IS EXPECTED TO ACCELERATE, BUT INSTEAD SLOWLY CRAWLS AND SHUDDERS. ONE INSTANCE INCLUDED TURNING LEFT ONTO A HIGHWAY FROM A STOP. THE CAR BOGGED ALONG FOR ROUGHLY 3 SECONDS AND ALMOST CAUSED A COLLISION WITH AN ONCOMING SEMI. WHEN THE ACCELERATOR IS PRESSED, THE CAR SHOULD ACCELERATE AS EXPECTED; IT SHOULD NOT SHUDDER OR REV AS IF IN NEUTRAL. WHEN ATTEMPTING TO TURN RIGHT ONTO A FRONTAGE ROAD FROM A STOP, THE CAR SLAMMED INTO GEAR MID-TURN CAUSING A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF WHEEL HOP, JERKING THE CAR TOWARDS THE CURB. ANOTHER INSTANCE WAS IN A RESIDENTIAL AREA. ACCELERATING FROM A STOP SIGN AT A T-INTERSECTION (CROSS-TRAFFIC DOES NOT STOP), THE CAR CRAWLED FORWARD AND REVVED AS IF IN NEUTRAL; NO ACCELERATION OCCURED FOR SEVERAL SECONDS. THIS ALMOST CAUSED A COLLISION WITH ANOTHER VEHICLE; THERE WAS PLENTY OF TIME FOR A FUNCTIONING VEHICLE TO PULL OUT ONTO THE ROAD SAFELY. THE LATEST OCCURENCE WAS IN A PARKING LOT. TURNING LEFT OUT OF A PARKING LOT LANE, THE TCM FAILED AND THE CAR LOST POWER IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION.