What 2,157 owners told NHTSA about the 2013 Ford Focus Bev

DRIVING OUR ELECTRIC FORD FOCUS TO WORK WHEN LEFT-MOST DISPLAY SCREEN FLASHES, "STOP SAFELY NOW!" MESSAGE AT THE SAME MOMENT THAT ALL DRIVE POWER IS COMPLETELY CUT OFF. COASTED TO A STOP, TURNED THE CAR OFF, WAITED A MINUTE OR SO, AND TURNED CAR BACK ON. FORTUNATELY THIS OCCURRED AT 5:30 AM ON A TWO LANE ROAD, SHORTLY AFTER LEAVING MY HOME, AND BEFORE ENTERING THE INTERSTATE. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10551229

THIS INCIDENT HAS NOW OCCURRED TWICE IN ONE WEEK. THE FIRST TIME I WAS DRIVING OUT OF MY APARTMENT COMPLEX AND THE CAR JUST DIED. THE FUEL LIGHT NEVER WENT ON AND STILL SAID I HAD ABOUT 30 MORE MILES UNTIL E. WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP, AND THEY TOLD ME THEY PUT GAS IN IT AND IT STARTED RIGHT UP. IT SAID I HAD 144 MILES UNTIL E AND THEY CALIBRATED IT AND THE MILEAGE DECREASED TO 133. I DROVE THE CAR 80 MILES AND HAPPENED AGAIN YESTERDAY, BUT THIS TIME I WAS ON A BUSY STATE ROAD GOING ABOUT 55 MPH WITH MY SON IN THE CAR. THE CAR JERKED AND I COULD TELL IT WAS LOSING POWER. LUCKILY I WAS ABLE TO COAST INTO A SUBDIVISION. THE FUEL LIGHT NEVER WENT ON AND ALSO STATED I STILL HAD ABOUT 33 MILES LEFT UNTIL E. THE CAR HAS BEEN TOWED AGAIN TO SAME DEALERSHIP AND NO WORD ON WHAT IS WRONG. WAS TOLD THEY WERE ON THE PHONE WITH FORD TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM. I AM CURRENTLY IN A RENTAL AND SCARED TO DRIVE MY CAR AS I AM AFRAID THIS WILL HAPPEN AGAIN. ALSO, HAD MANY TRANSMISSION AND CLUTCH ISSUES THIS SUMMER AND THOSE PARTS HAVE SINCE BEEN REPLACED. THE CAR IS A YEAR OLD AND BEEN IN THE SHOP MORE TIMES THAN MY OLD CAR THAT I TRADED IN FOR MY NEW FORD. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10551442

THIS ISSUE HAS ACTUALLY HAPPENED ABOUT 4 TIMES IN THE LAST 6 MONTHS. FOR EXAMPLE, WHILE DRIVING HOME A FEW WEEKS AGO, MY 2013 FORD FOCUS ELECTRIC SUDDENLY LOST ALL POWER WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH. THE DASHBOARD ERROR READ "STOP SAFELY NOW". LUCKILY I WAS NOT ON THE HIGHWAY OR IN AN AREA WHERE I WAS UNABLE TO PULL ASIDE OFF THE ROAD QUICKLY. IT TOOK ME ABOUT 15 MINUTES TO GET THE CAR GOING AGAIN. I FIGURED OUT THAT I HAD TO ACTUALLY EXIT THE VEHICLE, CLOSE THE DOOR AND THEN OPEN AND RE-ENTER AGAIN TO GET THE CAR TO RESTART. IT SOUNDS WEIRD THAT I WOULD HAVE TO GO THROUGH THAT PROCESS, BUT I THINK THE KEYLESS PUSH START HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH IT. THIS HAS BEEN THE PROCESS TO GET IT FINALLY STARTED EACH TIME AFTER I FIGURED IT OUT. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10551059

TRAVELING ON A MAIN ARTERY, VERY BUSY ROAD, WITH 13 YEAR OLD CHILD IN PASSENGER SEAT. LEFT-MOST DISPLAY SCREEN FLASHES, "STOP SAFELY NOW!" MESSAGE AT THE SAME MOMENT THAT ALL DRIVE POWER IS COMPLETELY CUT OFF. WE WERE EXTREMELY LUCKY TO BE ABLE TO COAST INTO AN UNOCCUPIED DRIVEWAY, OTHERWISE WE VERY WELL LIKELY WOULD HAVE BEEN THE CAUSE OF A MULTI-CAR COLLISION. AND NOW, AM FINDING ON THE INTERNET THAT FORD AND THE NHTSA HAVE KNOWN ABOUT THIS PROBLEM FOR ALMOST A YEAR? I'M HAVING A HARD TIME DETERMINING WHICH ENTITY I'M MORE PISSED OFF AT -- THE PUBLICLY TRADED FOR PROFIT AUTO MAKER, OR THE PUBLICLY FUNDED GOVERNMENT BODY THAT EXISTS WITH ONE SOLE PURPOSE: PROTECTING THE MOTORING PUBLIC'S SAFETY. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10550709

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS 2013 FORD FOCUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD STALL AND EXHIBIT AN ABNORMAL GRINDING NOISE WHEN DRIVING 20-30 MPH. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 7,000. THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE EXHIBITED A ROUGH JERK, WHEN SHIFTING INTO LOWER GEARS, AS WELL AS A SHUDDER AND GRINDING METAL SOUND WHEN ACCELERATING. THE VEHICLE WAS SLUGGISH, AND DID NOT PERFORM AS A NEW CARE SHOULD. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO FIND A PROBLEM AND THE TECHNICIAN INFORMED THE CONSUMER, THE VEHICLE WAS PERFORMING AS DESIGNED. UPDATED 05/05/14

NHTSA ODI 10550525

I'VE HAD NUMEROUS PROBLEMS SINCE THE FIRST DAY I DROVE IT TO WORK. THE MOST SERIOUS INCIDENT OCCURRED AUG. 7, 2013, WHEN THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY SHUT DOWN WHILE MY WIFE AND I WERE DRIVING ON THE 101 FREEWAY IN AGOURA, CA. A SIMILAR INCIDENT OCCURRED ON OCT. 16, WHILE LEAVING WORK, AND ON OCT. 21, WHILE DRIVING TO WORK. ON ALL THREE OCCASIONS THE CAR WOULD SUDDENLY STOP, A STOP SAFELY NOW READ-OUT WOULD APPEAR, FOLLOWED BY A MECHANICS WRENCH SYMBOL. SEEKING TO LEARN IF OTHERS HAD THIS PROBLEM I CAME ACROSS THE ODI PRELIMINARY EVALUATION DOCUMENT. MY WIFE WERE LUCKY TO HAVE COME OUT UNSCATHED IN THE FREEWAY INCIDENT AND FRANKLY FORD COULDN'T GIVE [XXX] ONE AND I CURRENTLY OWN 4 FORDS. PLEASE STICK IT TO THEM BEFORE SOMEONE ISN'T LUCKY ENOUGH TO SURVIVE A "LIMP" CONDITION AS THEY DESCRIBE IT. AS FOR ME, I'M CURRENTLY SEARCHING FOR A LEMON-LAW LAWYER. INCIDENTALLY, THE OTHER 4 FORD VEHICLES, I NEVER HAD A PROBLEM WITH THEM. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

NHTSA ODI 10550417

TRANSMISSION FAILURE, SLOWING TO EXIT OFF THE INTERSTATE, VEHICLE SHOOK VIOLENTLY. TOOK IT TO THE FORD DEALER THAT I PURCHASED IT FROM, THEY REFUSED TO LOOK AT OR SERVICE MY VEHICLE AND SENT ME ON MY WAY. I HAD ALREADY TAKEN IT TO THEM ON 3 DIFFERENT OCCASIONS FOR A NOISE AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS SHUT OFF, THEY ASSURED ME THE NOISE WAS NORMAL, SAYING IT WAS LUBRICATING THE TRANSMISSION SO IT DIDN'T HAVE TO "COLD START." I FOUND A TSB ABOUT THIS NOISE AND TOOK IT BACK TO THEM TO HAVE THEM CORRECT THE PROBLEM THEY HAD TOLD ME WAS NORMAL. AFTER THEY MADE THE NOISE GO AWAY IS WHEN THE TRANSMISSION STARTED TO SLIP. I TOOK IT TO A DIFFERENT FORD DEALER WHO REPLACED THE DEFECTIVE PARTS AFTER A 36 DAY WAIT. I HAD THE VEHICLE BACK FOR 3 DAYS AND THE TRANSMISSION STARTED SLIPPING AGAIN. I FILED A COMPLAINT WITH THE BBB REQUESTING FORD DO A BUY BACK OF THE VEHICLE, ARBITRATOR RULED THEY DIDN'T HAVE TO. I AM NOW IN THE PROCESS OF APPEALING THIS DECISION. THESE CARS WITH THIS PARTICULAR TRANSMISSION ARE UNSAFE AND FORD IS REFUSING TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10549962

I HAVE OWNED THIS FORD FOCUS FOR APPROX. 1 YEAR. 10 MONTHS INTO OWNING IT, I NOTICED THE CAR WOULD SHUDDER WHEN I WAS DRIVING AT LOWER SPEEDS, OR PULLING INTO THE DRIVEWAY WHICH HAS A SLIGHT INCLINE. THE CAR FELT LIKE IT WAS GOING TO STALL UNLESS I GAVE IT A LOT OF GAS TO KEEP IT MOVING. THERE IS A LOUD GRINDING NOISE COMING FROM THE FRONT END. AFTER ABOUT A WEEK OF THIS I TOOK IT TO A LOCAL FORD DEALER, A TECH. RODE WITH ME AND AGREED IT WAS SHUDDERING AND MAKING GRINDING NOISES. THEY SAID THIS WAS COMMON IN THIS VEHICLE, BUT THEY HAD A FIX FOR IT. THEY RESET THE TRANSMISSION STRATEGY AND SAID IT SHOULD TAKE CARE OF IT. WITHIN A WEEK THE SAME THING STARTED ALL OVER, THE JERKING, THE GRINDING NOISE WAS LOUDER THAN EVER AND MORE CHRONIC. I TOOK IT BACK TO THE SAME DEALERSHIP THAT HAD RESET THE TRANSMISSION. AGAIN A TECH DROVE IT, CONFIRMED MY CONCERNS. I WAS INFORMED FORD WOULD NOT AUTHORIZE ANY ADDITIONAL REPAIRS ON MY VEHICLE, AND THAT THE GRINDING IS "NORMAL CLUTCH RATCHET NOISE". I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE I PURCHASED THE CAR THIS TIME, EXPLAINED MY CONCERNS. I WAITED FOR APPROXIMATELY 2 HOURS WHILE THEY INSPECTED MY CAR. I WAS INFORMED THAT MY CAR WAS OPERATING NORMALLY, AND NO FURTHER REPAIRS WOULD BE AUTHORIZED BY FORD. THE SERVICE CONSULTANT TOLD ME THERE WERE FIVE OTHER CUSTOMERS AHEAD OF ME FOR CLUTCH REPLACEMENTS FOR THE SAME KIND OF ISSUE I AM HAVING. HE STATED THE CLUTCHES WERE ON BACK ORDER DUE TO THE HIGH NUMBER OF PROBLEMS WITH THESE VEHICLES. TALKED TO THE REGIONAL CUSTOMER SERVICE MANAGER TODAY, SHE TOLD ME FORD WAS ONLY RESPONSIBLE FOR MECHANICAL FAILURES. HER WORDS TO ME WERE THAT I WOULD HAVE TO "LIVE WITH THE GRINDING NOISE, THE SHUDDERING AND JERKING."WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I GET REAR ENDED AT A STOP LIGHT BECAUSE MY CAR SHUDDERS AT LOW SPEEDS AND TAKES OFF SLOWLY?" 3 TIMES IN FOR SERVICE WITHIN 30 DAYS. NO HELP FROM FORD! *TR

NHTSA ODI 10550042

MY VEHICLE HAD DIFFICULTY STARTING, AND ONCE I DID GET IT STARTED, I COULD NOT PUT THE CAR IN REVERSE. THE REVERSE GEAR WOULD NOT ENGAGE ON THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. THE CAR COULD OPERATE IN THE FORWARD DIRECTION, HOWEVER, ISSUES WERE NOTED WHEN THE CAR CHANGED GEARS (FROM 1ST TO 2ND, AND 2ND TO 3RD) EVEN THOUGH IT'S AN AUTOMATIC. RATTLING SOUNDS WE'RE HEARD AS THE CAR LURCHED INTO THE NEXT GEAR. AFTER 80 MILES OR SO, THE DISPLAY SAID TO TURN THE CAR OFF AND WAIT 9 MINUTES FOR TRANSMISSION TO COOL. AFTER WAITING, CAR HAD ISSUES STARTING, AND SAME PROBLEMS PERSISTED. CAR WAS TOWED TO DEALERSHIP. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10549826

THE ENGINE SHUT DOWN WITH A 'STOP SAFELY NOW' WARNING. SINCE IT WAS THE FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED, IT WAS NOT CLEAR WHAT HAPPENED, SO I CAME TO STOP IN MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. THIS HAS HAPPENED A TOTAL OF 5 TIMES NOW..WITH TWO EVENTS WITHIN A MILE OF EACH OTHER YESTERDAY 10/26. YESTERDAY THE FIRST EVENT WAS AT 40 MPH AGAIN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD (LUCKILY NOT VERY BUSY AT THE TIME) AND I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER TO SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE OTHER TWO TIMES, IT HAPPENED WHILE BACKING OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY ONTO THE ROAD. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10549680

I JUST BOUGHT THIS BRAND NEW 2013 FORD FOCUS TITANIUM ON FRIDAY 10/25/2013 AND IT HAD 107 MILES. I DROVE AROUND YESTERDAY. WHILE GETTING ON RAMP TO 85 SOUTH FREEWAY FROM FREMONT BLVD, I HEARD THIS LOUD RATTLING NOISE COMING FROM UNDER THE VEHICLE, AS I ACCELERATED THE NOISE GREW LOUDER. I HAD NO CHOICE BUT CONTINUING AND EXISTED AT THE NEXT EXIT. DROVE TO A SMALL STREET, DRIVING SLOWLY TO SEE WHAT THE NOISE WAS. THERE I WERE, EVERY TIME I ACCELERATE, YOU CAN HEAR THE RATTLE. THIS IS BRAND NEW CAR. I WENT ONLINE ALL NIGHT LAST NIGHT AND SURPRISINGLY, THERE ARE SOME MANY SIMILAR CAR OWNERS WITH THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM WITH NEW 2012-2013 FORD FOCUS. I'M TAKING THE CAR BACK TO THE DEALER BUT I CAN SEE SO MUCH HEADACHE AHEAD TO GET THIS FIXED. PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS MATTER AS SOON AS POSSIBLE TO AVOID MORE FUTURE CAR OWNERS OF FORD FOCUS. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10549684

THE FIRST EVENT OCCURRED ON 7/17/2013, AT 2267 MILES. I HAD CHARGED THE BATTERY OVERNIGHT (AT OUR MOTEL), USING THE 120-VOLT CHARGING CORD. I HAD PULLED THE CAR AROUND TO THE FRONT OF THE MOTEL THE CAR WAS STATIONARY, IN "PARK," WHEN THE "STOP SAFELY NOW" MESSAGE WAS DISPLAYED. I JUST POWERED THE CAR OFF AND POWERED IT BACK ON. THAT CLEARED THE SSN MESSAGE. THEN, I DROVE HOME, AS PLANNED, WITH NO RECURRENCES OF THE ERROR MESSAGE. TODAY, 10/24/2013, AT 4127 MILES, THE "STOP SAFELY NOW" MESSAGE WAS DISPLAYED (FOR ONLY THE SECOND TIME), WHILE I WAS DRIVING DOWN A HILL, AT ABOUT 30 MPH. THE CAR HAD BEEN SITTING IN THE PARKING LOT, AT WORK, AND THE SSN ERROR OCCURRED AFTER DRIVING ABOUT 1 MILE. THERE WAS NO PLACE TO PULL OVER, WITHOUT BLOCKING TRAFFIC, BUT, SINCE I WAS GOING DOWNHILL, I JUST CONTINUED COASTING, MADE MY USUAL RIGHT TURN AT THE BOTTOM OF THE HILL, AND PULLED OVER, AT A SPOT WHERE THERE WAS A VERY WIDE, PAVED SHOULDER. SINCE IT WAS TOO LATE IN THE DAY (5:30 PM) TO GET THE CAR (WITH THE POWER STILL ON AND THE SSN MESSAGE STILL DISPLAYED) TOWED TO THE LOCAL FORD DEALER (WHICH CLOSES AT 6 PM), I POWERED THE CAR OFF AND, THEN, POWERED IT BACK ON. THE SSN ERROR, AGAIN, WENT AWAY, AND I WAS ABLE TO SAFELY DRIVE HOME, WITH NO ADDITIONAL SSN MESSAGES. BECAUSE OF A CONSTRUCTION DETOUR, LATELY, I HAVE BEEN DRIVING TO WORK AND BACK, ON A MAJOR HIGHWAY, THAT HAS A SPEED LIMIT OF 65 MPH. NUMEROUS STRETCHES OF THAT HIGHWAY ARE BOTH UPHILL AND HAVE LITTLE OR NO ROOM TO PULL OVER. THE LAST PART OF MY TRIP HOME IS US A STEEP HILL, WITH LOTS OF CURVE AND MOSTLY VERY NARROW SHOULDERS. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10549442

MY VEHICLE DISPLAYED A "STOP SAFELY NOW" WARNING DURING MY NORMAL MORNING COMMUTE. THE WARNING WAS PRECEDED BY A FAILURE OF THE RADIO PORTION OF THE SYNC SYSTEM. I BRIEFLY TURNED OFF THE VEHICLE AT A USUAL STOP ON MY ROUTE AND UPON TURNING IT ON, THE RADIO VOLUME, POWER AND TUNING WERE ALL UNRESPONSIVE. I ATTEMPTED TO RESET THE VEHICLE AT THE NEXT TRAFFIC LIGHT BY POWERING DOWN AND OPENING THE DOOR, BUT THE RADIO REMAINED ON EVEN AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS OFF AND THE DOOR WAS OPENED. I ATTEMPTED THIS SEVERAL MORE TIMES AT EACH SUCCESSIVE TRAFFIC LIGHT AND THE RADIO WOULD NOT SHUT OFF. AFTER ONE SUCH RESET, THE STOP SAFELY NOW WARNING WAS DISPLAYED ON THE DASH. I WAS STOPPED AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT AT THE TIME AND WAS ABLE TO RESET THE VEHICLE AND SAFELY ENTER A PARKING LOT AND WAIT FOR A TOW - WITH THE RADIO STILL ON. MY LOCAL FORD DEALER WAITED THREE DAYS TO DIAGNOSE THE ISSUE AND UNSURPRISINGLY DETERMINED IT WAS CAUSED BY A DEFECTIVE/DEAD 12 V BATTERY AND REPLACED THE BATTERY. SOFTWARE WAS ALSO UPDATED. UPON RETURNING HOME AND ATTEMPTING TO CHARGE, MY VEHICLE DISPLAYED A HIGH VOLTAGE SYSTEM FAULT AND HAD TO BE TOWED TO THE DEALER AGAIN. THE DEALER SAID THIS FAULT WAS CAUSED BY A LOOSE CONNECTION ON A TERMINAL BLOCK ON THE ELECTRIC MOTOR THAT WAS USED TO SIGNAL BATTERY CAPACITY TO THE ON-BOARD COMPUTER. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10549370

WHILE OPERATING THE 2013 FORD FOCUS EV ON THE HIGHWAY, JUST AFTER BRAKING TO ENTER THE LEFT TURN LANE, THE VEHICLE LOST ALL PROPULSION CAPABILITY. THE INSTRUMENT GAUGE INDICATED "STOP SAFELY NOW" ONE OR TWO SECONDS BEFORE THIS LOSS OF POWER. FORTUNATELY THERE WAS NO ONCOMING TRAFFIC AND I WAS ABLE TO COAST TO A SAFE PARKING SPOT. IN OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES THIS COULD HAVE BEEN VERY DANGEROUS.. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10548849

THE ENGINE AND FORD SELECTSHIFT DUAL CLUTCH TRANSMISSIONS ARE DANGEROUS. THEY ARE VERY UNPREDICTABLE.THE TRANSMISSION SHUDDERS, GRINDS AND BUCKS IN TRAFFIC. IT HAS CAUSED ME TO NEARLY HIT THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME BEFORE. THE ENGINE'S ELECTRONIC THROTTLE IS ALSO VERY UNPREDICTABLE. SOMETIMES WHEN I TRY TO MERGE INTO TRAFFIC AND PRESS THE ACCELERATOR, NOTHING AT ALL HAPPENS FOR A COUPLE OF SECONDS. THIS HAS NEARLY CAUSED ME TO BE STRUCK BY ANOTHER VEHICLE BEFORE. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10548912

VEHICLE GOING ON LOWER GEAR (1ST TO 3RD GEAR) WILL SLIP. THE TRANSMISSION WILL JERK AND CHOKE. WHEN IT CHOKES THE VEHICLE LOOSES POWER AND SLOWS DOWN CAUSING THE CAR BEHIND ALMOST HIT ME. ALSO THERE IS A DRY RATTLE FROM THE TRANSMISSION. BROUGHT IT BACK TO FORD DEALER AND THEY SAID ALL TEST IS NORMAL BUT CAN'T DO ANY OTHER REPAIR TO TEST BECAUSE I AM UNDER WARRANTY AND FORD DON'T AUTHORIZE THEM TO DO FURTHER REPAIRS. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10549006

WITH 9100 MILES ON IT...WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY THE RPMS REVVED TO OVER 7000 AND THEN DOWN TO ZERO. ALL GEARS WERE LOST AND HAD TO COAST TO A STOP ON THE SHOULDER. TOWED TO DEALER WHERE THEY DOWNLOADED SOFTWARE TO IT AND SAID IT WAS FINE. *TR APPROXIMATELY 1000 MILES LATER THE SAME THING HAPPENED WHILE CROSSING TRAFFIC ON A HIGHWAY. TOWED TO A DEALER WHERE A CLUTCH MOTOR WAS REPLACED. WITH 14320 MILES ON IT THE SAME THING HAPPENED WHILE TURNING OFF A FREEWAY RAMP. TOWED TO DEALER WHERE THE CAR WAS TAKEN BACK IN TRADE FOR A NEW CAR. VEHICLE WAS POWERLESS TO MOVE AND COULD HAVE RESULTED IN INJURY OR DEATH OF OCCUPANTS DUE TO SHUTDOWN OCCURRING WHILE MOVING IN TRAFFIC AT HIGH SPEEDS. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10548530

I WAS DRIVING AND THE CAR STARTED BEEPING, AND FLASHED UP AN WARNING 'SAFELY STOP NOW'. I IMMEDIATELY PULLED THE CAR OVER TO THE SHOULDER, AND HIT THE OFF BUTTON. THE ENGINE SHUT OFF, BUT THE ERROR DID NOT GO AWAY, I COULD NAVIGATE AROUND THE COMPUTER A BIT, AND IT SHOWED A 'WARNING' BUT WOULD NOT LET ME SEE WHAT THE WARNING WAS. WHEN I OPENED THE CAR DOOR, NONE OF THE ACCESSORY POWER SHUT OFF LIKE IT SHOULD. I GOT OUT OF THE CAR (REMOVING THE KEY) AND LOCKED THE CAR. STILL ALL OF THE ACCESSORY POWER STAYED ON. I GOT BACK IN, AND TRIED TO START THE CAR, AND IT WOULD NOT START, AND FLASHED THE MESSAGE 'SAFELY STOP NOW' REPEATEDLY. I CALLED ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE, AND THEY SENT A TOW TRUCK. THE ACCESSORY POWER SAID ON FOR THE ENTIRE HOUR I WAITED, BY THE TIME THEY GOT THERE, I GOT BACK INTO THE CAR AND IT LET ME START IT. IT RAN ALL THE WAY TO THE DEALERSHIP WITHOUT ANY ISSUE (3 MILES). SO FAR, THE DEALERSHIP IS CLUELESS ON WHAT TO DO. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10548302

AFTER COASTING AROUND A CORNER AT 30MPH I PRESSED ACCELERATOR AND THE TRANSMISSION STARTED SLIPPING AND THEN CAUGHT AND THE CAR LAUNCHED FORWARD. IT DID THIS THREE TIMES AND NOW ITS MAKING A GRINDING NOISE. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10548183

CAR JERKS ALOT! ALWAYS JERKING AT LOW SPEEDS AND USUALLY THROUGH GEARS 1-4. VERY UNRELIABLE IN CITY DRIVING AND FEELS VERY UNSAFE. I TOTALLY REGRET PURCHASING THIS VEHICLE. TAKEN IT SEVERAL TIMES TO THE FORD CAMELBACK IN PHX AZ AND THEY JUST SAY ITS THE WAY THE MANUFACTURE BUILT THE CAR AND HOW THE CAR IS ABLE TO SAVE GAS. FORD NEEDS TO RECOGNIZE THIS PROBLEM AND GIVE FORD OWNERS A BREAK. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10547916

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 FORD FOCUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE ACCELERATING FROM A COMPLETE STOP, THE TRANSMISSION BEGAN TO SLIP GEARS IN A JERKING MOTION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER THREE TIMES WHERE THE COMPUTER SYSTEM WAS REPROGRAMMED ON EACH OCCASION. THE FAILURE CONTINUED TO RECUR AFTER THE MOST RECENT REPAIR WAS PERFORMED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 9,000. ...UPDATED 11-18-13 *BF

NHTSA ODI 10547971

WAS DRIVING UP MY DRIVEWAY WHICH IS FAIRLY STEEP, THE ENGINE SLIPPED OUT OF GEAR (IT'S AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION) AND STARTED TO ROLL BACKWARDS DOWN THE HILL, THE ENGINE WAS REVVING/REDLINING AS IF IT WERE IN NEUTRAL. I QUICKLY APPLIED THE BRAKES, AND STEPPED ON THE GAS. THE CAR WAS STILL NOT IN GEAR AND CONTINUED TO ROLL BACK, I APPLIED THE BRAKES AGAIN, AND THEN THE GAS AT WHICH POINT THE CAR SHOT FORWARD, LUCKY THAT I WAS FAR ENOUGH AWAY FROM THE GARAGE OR ANY OBJECTS AND REMAINED IN GEAR WHEN I PULLED INTO THE GARAGE. THIS SAME THING HAPPENED TO ME ON FLAT GROUND IN A PARKING LOT ONE DAY. THE LURCH WAS LESS, BUT THE CAR STILL SHOT FORWARD FASTER THAN IT SHOULD HAVE, ANOTHER INSTANCE WHERE I WAS LUCKY THAT THERE WERE NO PEDESTRIANS/CARS/OBJECTS TO RUN INTO. THIS CAR IS DANGEROUS AND A LIABILITY. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10547640

AT THE TIME OF THIS REPORT WE HAVE HAD TWO OCCURRENCES OF A "STOP SAFELY NOW" ERROR MESSAGE WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS ON THIS VEHICLE. DURING EACH FAILURE THE VEHICLE STOPPED FUNCTIONING ABRUPTLY WITH NO WARNING BEFORE THE FAILURE. ALL STEERING, CONTROL OF VEHICLE AND PROPULSION WAS LOST. ON THE FIRST FAILURE WE HAD APPROXIMATELY 7 SECONDS OF MOMENTUM BEFORE COMING TO A STOP AND ON THE SECOND OCCURRENCE WE HAD AN ABRUPT STOP AS IF THE BRAKES WERE SLAMMED ON FORCIBLY. AS A RESULT I WAS THROWN FORWARD TOWARDS THE STEERING WHEEL. IN BOTH SITUATIONS WE WERE UNABLE TO GET THE VEHICLE OFF TO A SAFE SPOT ON THE HIGHWAY. IN BOTH CASES IMPACT POSSIBILITIES WERE EXTREMELY LIKELY BOTH DURING THE INCIDENT AND THE MINUTES POST-INCIDENT AS WE ATTEMPTED TO GET TO A SAFE LOCATION OFF OF THE ROAD. FORD HAS ATTEMPTED A DIAGNOSIS ON THE FIRST OCCURRENCE, BUT WERE UNABLE TO PROVIDE A FIX. FORD NOW HAS THE VEHICLE AGAIN FOR A FINAL ATTEMPT AT REPAIR. THE VEHICLE IS APPROACHING 30 DAYS OUT OF SERVICE IN TOTAL REPAIR TIME. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10547429

WHILE DRIVING TO WORK IN THE MORNING, CAR LOST POWER AND DISPLAYED "STOP SAFELY NOW" MESSAGE. I WAS ABLE TO COAST TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. AFTER SEVERAL TRIES WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE CAR SUCCESSFULLY AND CONTINUE ON ROUTE. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10547275

WHILE EXITING A PARKING LOT IN LATE AFTERNOON, I COASTED TO A STOP AT THE SIGNAL LIGHT BEFORE EXITING ONTO THE STREET. CAR LOST POWER, AND I WAS UNABLE TO RESTART IT FOR ABOUT 5 MINUTES. I TRIED THE TRICK I'D READ ABOUT OF PUTTING THE CAR IN PARK, OPENING THE DOOR AND CLOSING IT, THEN TRYING TO RESTART TO NO AVAIL. EVENTUALLY RESTARTED AND I CONTINUED ON MY ROUTE. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10547277