NHTSA Complaint #11376641 — 2012 FORD FOCUS

I WAS DRIVING ON A BUSY HIGHWAY WHERE THE SPEED LIMIT IS 70 MILES PER HOUR, AND THE CAR SUDDENLY SLOWED DOWN WHILE I WAS STEPPING ON THE GAS, UNTIL IT STOPPED AND THEN CUT OFF IN THE MIDDLE OF I-40, WHILE OTHER CARS SPED BY ME SWERVING OUT OF THE WAY IN ORDER TO NOT CRASH INTO ME FROM BEHIND. I THEN TOOK THE 2012 FORD FOCUS SE TO MY MECHANIC, AND AFTER HE INVESTIGATED THE MALFUNCTION, HE SAID HE OBSERVED THE GAS TANK OF THE CAR "BREATHING IN AND OUT LIKE A DIAPHRAGM OR A LUNG" DUE TO AN EXCESSIVE VACUUM, WHICH HE THOUGHT HAD ALSO DAMAGED OTHER PARTS OF THE FUEL SYSTEM BEYOND JUST NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR. THE MECHANIC TOLD ME TO TAKE THE FORD FOCUS TO A FORD DEALERSHIP RIGHT AWAY, BECAUSE A FUEL TANK MOVING IN THAT WAY CAUSES FISSURE CRACKS TO DEVELOP INSIDE OF IT THAT COULD CAUSE A TANK TO LEAK GASOLINE OR RUPTURE DURING A CRASH, POTENTIALLY CAUSING AN EXPLOSION. THE MECHANIC ALSO TOLD ME HE COULD NOT IMAGINE THAT THE FORD DEALERSHIP WOULDN'T REMOVE AND THEN REPLACE THE FUEL TANK ON MY CAR, BECAUSE NOT DOING SO IN HIS OPINION WOULD BE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. THEN I TOOK THE CAR TO THE FORD DEALERSHIP LOCATED AT: 2807 EAST MILLBROOK ROAD, RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA, 27604 - PHONE NUMBER: (984)232-7601, AND THEY TOLD ME THAT IT LOOKED FINE TO THEM, AND THAT THE CAR DOOR HINGES WERE ALSO UNDER RECALL AND THEY WEREN'T GOING TO REPLACE THOSE EITHER. THEN I TOLD THE FORD DEALERSHIP THAT I'D ALREADY TAKEN THE CAR TO ANOTHER MECHANIC FIRST, AND THAT I THOUGHT THEY WERE TRYING TO REPAIR AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE AND DO AS LITTLE REPAIRS AS THEY COULD GET AWAY WITH; THEN I ASKED THEM TO REEXAM THE CAR AGAIN. BUT IF I HADN'T ALREADY TAKEN THAT VEHICLE TO A DIFFERENT MECHANIC FIRST, THE FORD DEALERSHIP WOULD HAVE GIVEN IT BACK TO ME IN AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS CONDITION RATHER THAN MAKING THE NECESSARY REPAIRS THAT FORD IS BEING FORCED TO DO BY THE GOVERNMENT.