NHTSA Complaint #11603809 — 2015 FORD FOCUS

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated that after placing the vehicle in drive and beginning to slowly accelerate out of a parking space, the vehicle started going backwards. The contact immediately turned the vehicle off and coasted back into the parking space. An on looker had the contact restart the vehicle and drive to see if the vehicle functioned properly; however, the failure reoccurred. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the contact was informed that the VIN was included in an unknown recall; however, the recall repair was already performed; however, approximately a year later the failure recurred. The contact stated that the check oil and another unknown warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was shifted to park(P); after waiting for approximately one hour, the vehicle was restarted without an immediate failure. However, while driving approximately 5 MPH, the vehicle started vibrating abnormally and unexpected went into reverse. The vehicle was turned off and the contact coasted into a nearby gas station where an independent mechanic diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the oil was contaminated with water. The mechanic was unable to check the transmission. The vehicle had not been repaired. The contact drove the vehicle back to the residence. The dealer sent a technician to inspect the vehicle and it was confirmed that the vehicle was vibrating abnormally. The technician was unable to duplicate the transmission failure. The vehicle was towed to the dealer; however, the failure was not duplicated. The dealer was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.