NHTSA Complaint #11378086 — 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, RESULTING IN OTHER FUEL RELATED ERROR CODES. THE MECHANIC TOLD ME TO TAKE THE FORD FOCUS TO A FORD DEALERSHIP RIGHT AWAY, BECAUSE A FUEL TANK MOVING IN AND OUT 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 AND/OR FIRE. THE MECHANIC ALSO TOLD ME HE COULD NOT IMAGINE THAT FORD MOTOR COMPANY WOULDN'T REMOVE AND THEN REPLACE THE FUEL TANK ON MY CAR, BECAUSE NOT DOING SO IN HIS OPINION WOULD BE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. THE DEALERSHIP THAT IS REPRESENTING THE FORD MOTOR COMPANY WHO WILL ULTIMATELY APPROVE THE REPLACEMENT OF THE FUEL TANK OR NOT, ATTEMPTED TO AND WOULD HAVE GIVEN THE CAR BACK TO ME IN AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS CONDITION RATHER THAN MAKING THE NECESSARY REPAIRS THAT FORD MOTOR COMPANY IS BEING FORCED TO FIX BY THE US GOVERNMENT.