NHTSA Complaint #11523093 — 2017 FORD MUSTANG

Car has a 6-speed manual transmission, which means it has a clutch and clutch pedal. The clutch pedal began squeaking when letting it up after engagement. Then it stopped depressing the plunger on the clutch engagement sensor preventing the clutch pedal to be depressed 100%. After inspection it was revealed the clutch pedal pivot point at the top where the pivot collar holds the pedal in alignment with the pedal assembly with the brake pedal is cracked. This forces the pedal to the left and out of alignment, which prevents the pedal from engaging properly when pressed, and fails to depress the pedal switch. This pivot connection is made via a weld where the collar goes through the pedal arm. This weld is insufficient and has cracked most of the way around the collar. The only way to continue using the pedal is to push the pedal to the right and take advantage of the increase lateral play while depressing it rather than straight up and down. It can prove challenging while leaving from a stop or stopping the car since the sensor plunger can hang up and not allow the clutch to be pressed in, which could make the driver to force the transmission out of gear to stop the car. This can be very challenging in first gear in heavy traffic.