2005 Ford Focus

I WAS RECENTLY IN AN ACCIDENT. MY AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE OTHER THREE CARS INVOLVED ALL HAD AIRBAGS AND THEIRS DID DEPLOY. MY CAR HAS BEEN DEEMED A TOTAL LOSS. I WOULD THINK THAT IN AN ACCIDENT OF THIS MAGNITUDE THAT THE AIRBAGS WOULD HAVE FUNCTIONED NORMALLY. I AM NOT CERTAIN THAT THE EXTENT OF MY BACK INJURY WOULD HAVE BEEN LESSENED BY THE AIRBAGS DEPLOYING, I JUST WANTED TO REPORT THE FAILURE IN THE CASE OF A COMMON OCCURRENCE WITH OTHER CONSUMERS. *NM

WE HAVE A 2005 FORD FOCUS WAGON WITH APPROXIMATELY 37,000 MILES. WE HAVE HAD THE CAR BACK TO THE DEALER THREE TIMES IN THE LAST MONTH DUE TO AN IDLING PROBLEM THAT THE DEALER CANNOT REMEDY. THE THROTTLE SOMETIMES STICKS AND THE CAR ACCELERATES UNCONTROLLABLY ON ITS OWN. AT OTHER TIMES THE CAR DIES AT IDLE. THIS IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION AND THE ANECDOTAL EVIDENCE IN SEVERAL INTERNET CHAT ROOMS INDICATES THAT OUR CAR IS NOT THE ONLY ONE EXPERIENCING THIS SITUATION. APPARENTLY, FORD CONTINUES TO DENY THERE'S A PROBLEM, BUT IGNORING IT ONLY PUTS LIVES IN DANGER. *NM

TL* - ON DECEMBER 23, 2006 THE CONTACT ENGAGED THE IGNITION WHILE SHE APPLIED THE BRAKES AND THE VEHICLE WAS IN PARK. AFTER SHIFTING FROM PARK TO DRIVE WITH THE BRAKES STILL APPLIED THE RPMS BEGAN TO ACCELERATE AS THOUGH THE THE ACCELORATER PEDAL HAD BEEN DEPRESSED. A SIMILAR INCIDENT OCCURRED SHORTLY AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED, BUT SHE DIDN'T FEEL THE NEED TO COMPLAIN AT THAT TIME. *AK

I WAS WESTBOUND ON 5TH ST. IN OLIVEHURST, CA, AND HEADED TO OLIVEHURST DRIVE. THE CONDITIONS WERE DRY AND COOL, AND THE SPEED LIMIT WAS 25 MPH. I HAD NOT YET COME UP TO THE SPEED LIMIT (BELOW 10 MPH) WHEN MY FRONT END BEGAN TO SHAKE. SECONDS LATER, MY PASSENGER AND I HEARD A LOUD BANG, AND THE FRONT END SWERVED SHARPLY TO THE RIGHT. I TRIED TO CORRECT TO THE LEFT, AND ENDED UP CLIPPING A POLE (ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE ROAD) INSTEAD OF HITTING IT HEAD ON. MY PASSENGER SUSTAINED A BLOW TO HIS KNEE. NO OTHER INJURIES OCCURRED, AND WE DID NOT FEEL IT NECESSARY TO CALL AN AMBULANCE. AS THERE WAS MINIMAL SCRAPES ON THE POWER POLE, AND MY CAR WAS NOT COVERED FOR COLLISION DAMAGE, I DID NOT NOTIFY THE AUTHORITIES. MY RIGHT FRONT TIRE WAS BENT INWARD, AND THE TIRE WAS BLOWN DOWN THE CENTER OF THE TREAD. UPON REPLACING THE TIRE WITH THE SPARE, WE FOUND THAT THE A ARM HAD SEPARATED FROM THE ROTOR, AND THE RIGHT CV AXLE HAD PULLED AWAY FROM THE TRANSMISSION, EFFECTIVELY DISABLING MY CAR. THE TIRE IN QUESTION IS A GOODYEAR EAGLE RS-A P195/60R15; THE ORIGINAL TIRE FROM THE PURCHASE DATE OF 9/13/05, AND WITH LESS THAN 27,000 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. THE TIRES WERE CLOSE TO BALD PRIOR TO THE BLOWOUT, AND I HAD BEEN CONSIDERING TAKING THEM IN FOR A WARRANTY REPLACEMENT DUE TO THEIR SHORT LIFESPAN. I HAVE HAD PRIOR TIRE ROTATIONS DONE AT LARRY GEWEKE FORD IN YUBA CITY, AND THEY HAD NOT INFORMED ME OF ANY TREAD WEAR PROBLEMS AT THE TIME FOR THIS PARTICULAR TIRE. THIS TYPE OF DEFECT COULD HAVE EASILY KILLED MYSELF AND MY PASSENGER IF IT HAD OCCURRED AT HIGHER SPEEDS. *NM

REAR END IS CONTINUOUSLY OUT OF ALIGNMENT CAUSING SCALLOPING TO THE REARS OF TWO SETS OF TIRES. FORD DEALERSHIP AND FORD HEADQUARTERS REFUSE TO TAKE ANY ACTION, EXPLAINING IT IS MY "TOUGH LUCK" AND THAT I NEED TO PURCHASE NEW TIRES AND CONTINUE TO PAY ONCE TO TWICE A YEAR FOR ALIGNMENT IF TIRES HAVE NOT ALREADY BEEN DESTROYED. MANY OTHER MECHANICS I TALK TO SAY THE FOCUS IS NOTORIOUS FOR REAR END ALIGNMENT, BUT FORD WILL NOT MAKE ANY EFFORT TO RECTIFY THE SITUATION OR TAKE CONCILIATORY ACTION. *NM