What 888 owners told NHTSA about the 2017 Ford Focus

Car was at highway speed and was given light input to change lanes. With light input, the engine accelerated in an uncontrolled manner, revving to maybe 5000 rpm. The driver had to slam on the brakes to counteract. Result was a rear-end collision with the car in front (Route 95 near Laurel, MD). For what it is worth, the car also gave an "overheating" alarm for the Powershift DCT transmission even though no such alarm had ever appeared previously. So first time alarm on the transmission and the following day this incident with the unintended acceleration. These could be unrelated, but could also be related. With the overheating transmission issue, the car was left sit for 10 minutes and then drove normally. Car also drove normally after the accident. No further abnormal acceleration issues.

NHTSA ODI 11494225

SHORTLY AFTER I BOUGHT THIS CAR. I NOTICED ORIGINALLY LAST OF POWER DURING ACCELERATION AND LATER IT WOULD DO A COMBINATION OF LAST OF POWER AT TIMES AND LUNGING WHEN THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION WOULD SHIFT GEARS(AUTOMATICALLY). EVENTUALLY, FRONTIER FORD(DEALERSHIP) REPLACED THE CLUTCH N A FEW OTHER MINOR ITEMS RELATED TO THE CLUTCH. THE PROBLEMS THE SAME ISSUES CONTINUE TO OCCUR. I FINALLY FILED A COMPLAIN WITH THE BBB, IT APPEARS THE DEALERSHIP SIMPLY NEVER RETURNED THEIR CALLS OR EMAILS AND THAT CASE WAS CLOSED. NEXT I CONTACTED THE SJ BUREAU OF AUTOMOTIVE REPAIR. THEIR DETERMINATION WAS THAT FORD FIESTAS AND FOCUS MODELS WERE NOTORIOUS FOR SERIOUS TRASMITION PROBLEMS. IT IMPLIED THAT IT WAS A FEATURE NOT A BUG BECAUSE EVENTHOUGH THE SJ BAR KNEW OF THESE SERIOUS ISSUES THEY TOOK NO ACTION. I STARTED NOT DRIVING THE CAR AS MUCH LOOKING INTO HOW I COULD GET THE MANUFACTURER TO BUY BACK THIS UNRELIABLE DANGEROUS CAR. I AM EN EXPERIENCED DRIVER SO I AVOIDED ACCIDENTS WHEN THE CAR WOULD MALFUNCTION, HOWEVER THE NIGH OF 11/06/19 AT ABOUT MIDNIGHT MY DAUGHTER TOOK THE CAR WITHOUT PERMITION AND WHEN THE CAR LUNGED FOWARD (AS IT WOULD DO WHILE SHIFTING GEARS AUTOMATICALLY) DURING A STREET TURN, SHE LOST CONTROL OF THE CAR AND CRASHED INTO 2 PARKED CARS. THE AIRBAGS DIDNT DEPLOY AND THE SEATBEALT DIDNT LOCK RESULTING IN HER GETTING A CONCUSION AND A PRETTY BLOODY MOUTH AS HER HEAD HIT THE STEERING WHEEL(THESE 2 DEFECTS WERE UNKNOWN TO ME PREVIOUSLY). HAVING TO DO MONTHLY PAYMENTS ON THIS UNSAFE, UNRELIABLE CAR HAD LOTS OF NEGATIVE RIPPLE EFFECTS IN MY FAMILY'S LIFE CULMINATING IN MY DAUGHTER BEING INJURED BY WELL KNOWN DEFECTS BY FORD. IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THERE IS EVEN CLASS ACTION LAWSUITS FOR FIESTA AND FOCUS CARS BUT I TRUELY DONT KNOW HOW ANY OF THAT WORKS. MY HOPE HERE IS THAT AT A MINIMUM THESE COMPLAINS CAN HELP GET THESE DANGEROUS CARS OFF THE ROAD.

NHTSA ODI 11290773

BESIDE THE TWO SAFETY RECALLS 18V-735 AND 19V-515 THERE IS ANOTHER ISSUE WITH THE CAR WHICH WHEN IT RAINS ALL THE RAIN WATER PENETRATES THE BACK DOOR OF THE CAR AND IT STAYS THERE FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME DUE TO THE POOR DESIGN OF FORD MOTOR COMPANY AND ITS NEGLIGEANCE AND FRAUD. I BELIEVE THIS ISSUE MIGHT BE A SAFETY RISK AND IT SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED. AFTER THE RECALLS AND THE POOR REPAIRS THE CAR STILL UNSAFE TO DRIVE BECAUSE THE TRANSMISSIONS PROBLEM IS IRREPARABLE WHICH MEANS THIS CAR WILL NEVER BE SAFE TO DRIVE AND EVERYDAY I DRIVE IT TO WORK WHENEVER I STOP IN A HILL AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT OR STOP SIGN I HEAR NOISE COMING FROM THE TRANSMISSION AND IF IT HAPPENED THAT I STOPPED SUDDENLY IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HILL DUE TO TRAFFIC THE CAR LOSSES ITS POWER AND BARELY MOVES FORWARD ( LOSS OF POWER DUE TO FAULTY TRANSMISSION)THIS ISSUE CAUSED ME AN ACCIDENT EARLY THIS YEAR WHEN THE CAR LOST POWER UP HILL IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD . THE CONCLUSION IS MY CAR AND ALL 2017 FORD FOCUS ARE NOT SAFE TO DRIVE . I BELIEVE THAT FORD MOTOR COMPANY AND THE DEALER WHO SOLD ME THIS GARBAGE CAR DECEIVED ALL OF US AND COMMITTED A BIG FRAUD . I THINK IT IS TIME FOR THE GOVERNMENT TO OPEN AN INVESTIGATION AND FORCE THEM BY LAW TO BUY THEIR GARBAGE CARS BACK . UNTIL THIS MOMENT I STILL BELIEVE THAT THERE IS NO ONE ABOVE THE LAW. THANK YOU FOR READING MY COMPLAINT .

NHTSA ODI 11270106

I WAS PULLING INTO A PARKING SPOT AT APPROXIMATELY 3-5 MPH AND THE CAR SURGED FORWARD JUMPING THE CURB AND HITTING A TREE. PRIOR TO APPROACHING THE PARKING SPOT A SPEED BUMP WAS NEGOTIATED SO THE STATED MPH ARE ACCURATE AS THE SPEED BUMP WAS 25 FEET PRIOR TO THE PARKING SPOT ENTRY.

NHTSA ODI 11194432

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 FORD FOCUS. AFTER PULLING INTO HER OFFICE PARKING LOT, THE CONTACT SHIFTED THE GEAR INTO PARK AND TURNED OFF THE VEHICLE. SUDDENLY, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO ROLL FORWARD AND STRUCK A STONE WALL. THERE WERE NO INJURIES AND A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THE VEHICLE SUSTAINED MINOR DAMAGE AND DID NOT NEED TO BE TOWED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER OR INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING OR REPAIRS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 16,000.

NHTSA ODI 11091407