2009 Ford Focus

WHILE DRIVING AT SPEED, DRIVER LOSES ALL CONTROL OF GAS PEDAL AND HAS TO PUT CAR IN NEUTRAL AND SHUT IGNITION OFF IN ORDER TO RESTART CAR TO RESET CONTROL OF GAS PEDAL. THIS SITUATION HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES OVER THE LAST 5 MONTHS. ON OCT 2 IT HAPPENED 5 TIMES ON THE SAME DRIVE THAT DAY. THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS PROBLEM THAT COULD CAUSE INJURY OR DEATH. IT IS LUCKY THAT WE HAVE BEEN AWARE OF THIS AND IT HASN'T CAUSE US AN ACCIDENT. BUT NOW WE MUST GET IT REPAIRED BECAUSE FATE WILL CATCH UP TO YOU AT THE WRONG TIME. I HAVE RESEARCHED THIS ON THE INTERNET AND FOUND OTHER PEOPLE HAVE HAD SIMILAR EXPERIENCE WITH THIS. AFTER RESEARCH SOME PEOPLE HAVE BEEN TOLD IT IS THE THROTTLE BODY WHICH HAS A NON REPLACEABLE SENSOR ON IT THAT CONTROLS A SIGNAL TO THE GAS PEDAL. TO REPAIR IT THE THROTTLE BODY HAS TO BE REPLACED. PLEASE PLEASE INVESTIGATE THIS. I HAVE CALLED FORD DEALERSHIP ABOUT THIS AND THEY SHOW NO CONCERN OR INTEREST IN FINDING OUT IF THIS IS A NATIONAL PROBLEM THEY MAY KILL SOMEONE. PLEASE INVESTIGATE BEFORE SOMEONE DIES THAT IS NOT AWARE OF THIS. *TR

THIS HAPPENED ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS. THE FIRST OCCASION, MY WIFE WAS DRIVING THE FOCUS AT AROUND 50 MPH, WHEN ALL OF THE SUDDEN THE CAR STOPPED ACCELLERATING (IT DIDN'T STALL) AND THE WRENCH PANEL LIGHT CAME ON. LUCKILY SHE WASN'T IN AN ACCIDENT, SO SHE PULLED OVER AND RESTARTED THE CAR AND IT RAN FINE, AND THE LIGHT WAS OFF. THREE WEEKS LATER WE WERE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT 75 MPH WHEN THE EXACT SAME THING HAPPENED, THE CAR JUST STOPPED ACCELERATING, THE WRENCH LIGHT CAME ON, AND AGAIN WE WERE LUCKY WE WEREN'T IN AN ACCIDENT AND WERE ABLE TO PULL OFF THE ROAD. WE RESTARTED THE CAR AND IT WAS FINE AGAIN. AT THIS POINT I CALLED FORD AND THEY AGREED TO TAKE A LOOK AT IT AND PROVIDE ME A RENTAL CAR. AFTER A WEEK, THEY SAID THEY THOUGHT IT WAS A THROTTLE BODY, BUT WERE UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE IT BECAUSE THEY NEEDED TO HAVE IT HAPPEN TO THEM. I TOLD THEM IT WAS UNREASONABLE BECAUSE IT HAPPENED THREE WEEKS APART, AND THE CHANCES OF IT HAPPENING WERE SLIM WITHIN A WEEK. I WAS TRYING TO URGE FORD TO COVER THIS SINCE THE CAR ONLY HAD 54K MILES ON IT, AND IT WAS DANGEROUS TO DRIVE. THEY SAID SINCE THEY COULDN'T DIAGNOSE IT, THEY COULDN'T FIX IT, AND EVEN IF THEY COULD DIAGNOSE IT, IT WOULDN'T BE COVERED SINCE ITS NOT UNDER THE POWERTRAIN WARRANTY. I FEEL LIKE THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE THAT THEY ARE VERY AWARE OF, AND THE FACT THAT THEY ARE 99.9% SURE ITS A THROTTLE BODY (THE DEALERSHIP EMPLOYEES TOLD ME THEY'RE GETTING TONS OF THROTTLE BODY REPAIRS COMING IN AND THE PARTS ARE ON BACK ORDER), THEY SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE TO FIX THEM FOR THE SAFETY OF THE CONSUMER. THERE WAS NO MAINTENANCE WE COULD HAVE DONE TO PREVENT THESE DANGEROUS SITUATIONS FROM HAPPENING. NOW I HAVE TO FIND A WAY TO PAY FOR THIS REPAIR ON MY OWN SO MY WIFE CAN DRIVE A SAFE VEHICLE. SO FORD'S DEFECTIVE PART HAS ALREADY PUT MY WIFE AND I IN DANGER, AND NOW IS COSTING ME MONEY I DON'T HAVE! *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 FORD FOCUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE FAILURE MOSTLY OCCURRED WHEN ACCELERATING. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD ALSO SUDDENLY DECELERATE WHILE THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS BEING DEPRESSED WITH THE ILLUMINATION OF THE WRENCH WARNING ICON. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 49,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 50,700.

LAST YEAR DURING THE SUMMER I WOULD BE DRIVING AND THE ENGINE AND WRENCH LIGHTS WOULD COME ON AND I WOULD LOSE POWER. PRESSING THE ACCELERATOR DID NOTHING, NO RESPONSE. THIS HAS CONTINUED TO HAPPEN OCCASIONALLY BUT IN THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS IT HAS BEEN A DAILY THING AND IT HAPPENS NUMEROUS TIMES EACH DAY. I LIVE IN VIRGINIA AND IT HAS NOT HAPPENED IN THE WINTER OR EARLY SPRING WHEN THE TEMPS ARE COOLER. I DRIVE ABOUT 60 MILES ROUND TRIP AND THE MAJORITY OF IT IS ON THE HIGHWAY. THIS IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION. I GET TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND TURN THE CAR OFF, LET IT SET FOR A MINUTE OR LESS AND THEN START IT AGAIN AND IT RUNS. I DON'T HAVE TO LET IT STAY OFF FOR ANY AMOUNT OF TIME, I CAN START IT SHORTLY AFTER SHUTTING IT OFF WITH NO PROBLEM. THE TACH JUMPS UP BETWEEN 2000-3000 RPMS AND THEN SETTLES DOWN. I DON'T HAVE MY FOOT ON THE GAS WHEN THIS HAPPENS. SOMETIMES IT WON'T HAPPEN AGAIN FOR THE REST OF THE TRIP BUT SOMETIMES I DRIVE ONLY A COUPLE MILES BEFORE THE SITUATION REPEATS. WHEN I'M PARKED WITH THE CAR RUNNING I CAN WATCH THE TACH FALTER AND DROP BELOW 1000 RPMS BUT IT CATCHES ITSELF AND RETURNS TO NORMAL. THIS IS GETTING OLD AND IS NERVE WRACKING WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY WAITING FOR IT TO HAPPEN. *TR

CAR WENT INTO LIMP HOME MODE (WRENCH LIGHT) WHILE PULLING INTO TRAFFIC, SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER ALMOST LED TO ACCIDENT. MY TWO YEAR OLD WAS IN THE VEHICLE, WITH HER SIDE EXPOSED TO ONCOMING TRAFFIC WHEN THE CAR LOST CONNECTION BETWEEN THE ACCELERATOR AND THROTTLE. RETURNED HOME IMMEDIATELY. WENT OUT TO START IT LATER, NO WARNING LIGHTS, RAN FINE. 2 DAYS LATER, IT WENT INTO LIMP HOME MODE ON THE FREEWAY, THIS TIME CEL CAME ON. CODE P2135, INDICATING A PROBLEM WITH THE THROTTLE BODY. PART REPLACED, PROBLEM HASN'T RECURRED. RESEARCH ONLINE INDICATES THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM (THERE IS A TSB). I WOULD REGARD IT AS A SAFETY ISSUE BASED ON THE FAILURE RATES OF WIDESPREAD (ALBEIT ANECDOTAL) EVIDENCE. THOUGH IT ISN'T UNCONTROLLED ACCELERATION, IT STILL IS A LOSS OF CONTROL; THIS SYSTEM IS DRIVE-BY-WIRE, THE SAME AS TOYOTA. I WOULD THINK IT SHOULD BE GIVEN CONSIDERATION FOR RECALL. BELOW ARE EXPERIENCED SHARED ON VARIOUS FORUMS REGARDING THE VEHICLES AFFECTED (2008-2011 FOCUS): WWW.FOCUSFANATICS.COM/FORUM/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?T=271461 WWW.FOCUSFANATICS.COM/FORUM/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?T=317251&HIGHLIGHT=THROTTLE+BODY WWW.FOCUSFANATICS.COM/FORUM/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?T=298322&HIGHLIGHT=THROTTLE+BODY WWW.FOCUSFANATICS.COM/FORUM/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?T=291391&HIGHLIGHT=THROTTLE+BODY WWW.FOCUSFANATICS.COM/FORUM/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?T=290333&HIGHLIGHT=THROTTLE+BODY WWW.FOCUSFANATICS.COM/FORUM/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?T=257103&HIGHLIGHT=P2112 WWW.FOCUSFANATICS.COM/FORUM/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?T=262099&HIGHLIGHT=P2112 WWW.FOCUSFANATICS.COM/FORUM/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?T=174484&HIGHLIGHT=WRENCH+LIGHT WWW.CARPROBLEMZOO.COM/FORD/FOCUS/2009/CRUISE-CONTROL-PROBLEMS.PHP WWW.CARPROBLEMZOO.COM/FORD/FOCUS/2008/VEHICLE-SPEED-CONTROL-PROBLEMS.PHP HTTP://BIT.LY/18CCW56 HTTP://BIT.LY/16TOXCC HTTP://BIT.LY/19AQTPN HTTP://BIT.LY/18CCH08 HTTP://BIT.LY/11IK0MU ...AND COUNTLESS MORE ON WWW.FORDFOCUSFORUMS.COM. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 FORD FOCUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE WRENCH WARNING LAMP WAS ILLUMINATED. ALSO, THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT ON A DIFFERENT OCCASION, SHE ATTEMPTED TO TURN OFF THE VEHICLE; THE KEY WAS REMOVED BUT THE VEHICLE CONTINUED RUNNING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 69,500. *TR