2009 Ford Focus

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

DRIVING 65MPH - MIDDLE LANE OF THE FREEWAY - THE WRENCH LIGHT COMES ON AND SUDDENLY THE MAX SPEED I COULD GENERATE WAS 20 MPH- MADE IT TO THE PULL OVER LANE- HAD TO CHANGE MY UNDERWEAR WHEN I GOT HOME. THE CAR SAT - ENGINE OFF FOR ABOUT 30 MIN ( WAITING FOR ROAD SERVICE WHO NEVER SHOWED) THE CAR RESTARTED AND YOU WOULD NEVER KNOW THERE WAS A PROBLEM IT DROVE FINE FOR SEVERAL DAYS. I WOULD HAVE WRITTEN IT OFF AS BAD GAS EXCEPT FOR INFO ON THE NET THAT MADE ME REALIZE I MAY HAVE A SERIOUS PROBLEM. YOU DIDN'T ASK AND IT MAY NOT BE YOUR AREA OF BUT MY EXTENDED WARRANTY SAID IT COVERED ALL ELECTRONIC PARTS AND FUEL SYSTEM, BUT GEE WHIZ "WE'RE SORRY IT COVERS ALL EXCEPT THE THROTTLE BODY" THAT WILL BE $900 PLEASE. THEY ALSO MANAGED TO LOSE MY CALL FOR ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE.. SOMEONE SHOULD INVESTIGATE THE EASY CARE CO. IF POSSIBLE I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF THERE WERE SERVICE BULLETINS ISSUED TO FORD DEALERS ABOUT THIS. SPECIFICALLY I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN REPAIRED BEFORE I BOUGHT THE CAR. THE PURCHASE WAS MADE FEB 2010. THANKS *TR

WAS DRIVING ON CRUISE CONTROL ON THE INTERSTATE AND MOVED TO PASS A SEMI-TRUCK. I NOTICED THAT WHEN PRESSING THE ACCELERATOR, NOTHING WOULD HAPPEN, NO RESPONSE. I THEN LOST CRUISE CONTROL AND THE ORANGE WRENCH LIGHT TURNED ON. I WAS ABLE TO (THANKFULLY AND BY THE GRACE OF GOD) PULL BACK INBETWEEN TWO SEMI-TRUCKS AND PULL OVER TO THE SHOULDER. I TURNED THE CAR OFF THEN BACK ON AGAIN. I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE TO WORK THE REST OF THE WAY AT 75 MPH. I WAS ALSO ABLE TO RETURN HOME 50 MILES SAFELY. LATER THAT NIGHT I WAS DRIVING ACROSS THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND THE SAME PROBLEM HAPPENED AGAIN AT 20 MPH AFTER JUST A BLOCK OF DRIVING. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP AND AFTER 2 DAYS THEY ARE 'UNABLE TO REPLICATE THE PROBLEM' AND WITH NO COMPUTER CODE OR "PROOF" THAT THE LIGHT TURNED ON THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO. WITH THE HIGH TRAFFIC VOLUME ON THE INTERSTATE AND THE LARGE NUMBER OF SEMI'S I HOPE I SURVIVE THE NEXT TIME THIS IS BOUND TO HAPPEN TO ME ON MY COMMUTE TO WORK. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 FORD FOCUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE STOPPED, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED. THE CONTACT DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL BUT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT RESPOND. THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO THE REAR OF ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED INJURIES TO HIS RIGHT ANKLE AND FOOT. THE CONTACT SOUGHT MEDICAL ATTENTION FOR HIS INJURIES. THE POLICE REPORTED TO THE SCENE AND A REPORT WAS FILED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 86,285. *TR

PURCHASED VEHICLE LESS THAN A YEAR AGO, FROM A DEALERSHIP. NEW TIRES WERE PUT ON AT THAT TIME. MILEAGE WHEN PURCHASED WAS 29000. WHILE DRIVING ON SNOW AND ICY ROADS IT WOULD WOBBLE AND GET SQUIRRELLY, WHICH I ATTRIBUTED IT TO THE LIGHTNESS OF THE VEHICLE. THERE WAS NO REASON FOR ME TO SUSPECT THE TIRES AS I HAVE THEM ROTATED ACCORDING TO MANUFACTURER SPECS, AND NO ABNORMALITIES HAVE BEEN MENTIONED TO ME BY THE DEALER. HOWEVER, LAST WEEK I HAD AN ACCIDENT AS A RESULT OF A WORN OUT TIRE BLOWING OUT ON A SNOWY ROAD. INSPECTION DETERMINED THAT ALL THE TIRES WERE UNEVENLY WORN, AND THAT THE CAUSE WAS THAT THE ARMS WHICH MAINTAIN TIRE ALIGNMENT WERE PHYSICALLY INCAPABLE OF DOING SO. THIS IS NOT A MANUFACTURING DEFECT, IT IS A *DESIGN FLAW*, WHICH RESULTED IN PERSONAL INJURY (BROKEN ARM, FACIAL CONTUSIONS). *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 FORD FOCUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE DOOR WAS UNABLE TO BE UNLOCKED WHEN USING THE KEY FOB OR WHEN ATTEMPTING TO MANUALLY UNLOCK THE DOOR. THE FAILURE RECURRED INTERMITTENTLY AND AFFECTED EACH DOOR IN THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING WHERE THE TECHNICIAN ADVISED THAT THE DOOR LOCK ACTUATOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE BUT DID NOT OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 25,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 55,000.