2009 Ford Focus

WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE INTERSTATE AT 70 MILES PER HOUR, THE CAR DROPPED OUT OF CRUISE CONTROL AND COASTED TO 5 MILES PER HOUR. PRESSING THE GAS PEDAL HAD NO RESULT. WE WERE LUCKY TO AVOID COLLISION WITH NEARBY CARS AND COASTED OFF THE INTERSTATE INTO A PARK AND RIDE LOT. CAR HAD TO BE TOWED TO DEALER REPAIR. WE WERE TOLD BY FORD DEALER THAT THE THROTTLE BODY HAD DIED AND HAD TO BE REPLACED. THIS FORD CERTIFIED PREOWNED CAR IS STILL COVERED BY POWERTRAIN WARRANTY BUT THIS DOES NOT INCLUDE THROTTLE BODY. NUMEROUS ACTIONS WITH FORD REGARDING FAULTY THROTTLE BODIES IS WIDELY REPORTED AND WE BELIEVE THIS ISSUE SHOULD BE ADDRESSED IN A FORMAL RECALL FOR 2009 FORD FOCUS. REPAIR IS $875 WHICH WE BELIEVE FORD SHOULD BE COVERING.

DRIVING ON FREEWAY AT STEADY 70MPH, ENGINE DROPPED TO IDLE SPEED. NO PRIOR INDICATION OF TROUBLE. VEHICLE WAS SLOWING DOWN. WRENCH LIGHT WAS ON. ACCELERATOR PEDAL HAD NO EFFECT. I PUT IN THE CLUTCH PEDAL, AND COASTED UNTIL I REACHED AN AREA AREA WHERE I COULD PULL OFF TO THE SIDE. THIS WAS IN A TIGHT CONSTRUCTION AREA. FORTUNATELY, I WAS IN THE RIGHT LANE AND NOT NEAR OTHER VEHICLES AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT. OTHERWISE THE OUTCOME MIGHT HAVE BEEN VERY DIFFERENT. WHEN I WAS STOPPED, THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO RUN, BUT ACCELERATOR HAD NO EFFECT. WITH NO ALTERNATIVE, I SHUT OFF THE ENGINE. I THEN STARTED THE ENGINE. OPERATION APPEARED NORMAL WITH NO WRENCH LIGHT ON. I GOT OFF THE FREEWAY AND CHECKED CONNECTED MY CODE READER. NO DIAGNOSTIC CODES. DURING SOME SUBSEQUENT DRIVING, THERE HAVE BEEN NO FURTHER EVENTS OR INDICATION OF PROBLEMS. I AM GETTING A FORD OEM THROTTLE BODY TO REPLACE MY EXISTING. THIS IS APPARENTLY A KNOWN FORD PROBLEM THAT HAS AVOIDED A RECALL DESPITE THE POTENTIAL DANGERS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS TYPE OF FAILURE.

BEFORE TAKING A RIGHT OUT OF THE PARKING LOT, I TURNED MY BLINKER ON (WITH MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE) AND THE CAR ACCELERATED FORWARD INSTEAD OF TURNING. I KEPT MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE AND THE CAR SPEEDED UP EVEN MORE. I FINALLY CRASHED INTO A FENCE ONTO PRIVATE PROPERTY. THEN I CAME TO A FULL STOP WHEN I HIT AN SUV. THIS CRASH COMPLETELY DAMAGED THE FRONT OF MY 2009 FORD FOCUS.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2009 FORD FOCUS. WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, AN ONCOMING VEHICLE CRASHED INTO THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE HEAD-ON. THE DRIVER SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYED. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED NECK AND CHEST INJURIES THAT REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED AND THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A COLLISION DEPOT. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 12,500.

I WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH ON THE HIGHWAY (IN THE FAR LEFT LANE) WITH CRUISE CONTROL ON WHEN MY CAR SUDDENLY APPEARED TO DIE AND THE WRENCH LIGHT CAME ON.THE CAR BEGAN TO DECELERATE AND WOULD NOT ACCELERATE REGARDLESS OF HOW HARD I PRESSED DOWN ON THE GAS PEDAL. I THEN HAD TO DODGE TRAFFIC AS I ATTEMPTED TO PULL OFF TO THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE ROAD (ACROSS TWO LANES DURING TRAFFIC) WHILE MY CAR CONTINUED TO DECELERATE. THIS, AT FIRST, HAPPENED RARELY, BUT NOW OCCURS 2-3 TIMES EVERY TIME I DRIVE AS MUCH AS 15 MILES. I HAVE READ COUNTLESS FORUMS ABOUT OTHERS WITH THE SAME CAR HAVING THE EXACT SAME PROBLEMS, AND YET FORD IS DOING ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ABOUT IT. THIS CAN BE AN EXTREMELY TERRIFYING AND POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS IN THE RIGHT CIRCUMSTANCES. FAR TOO MANY PEOPLE ARE HAVING THROTTLE BODY/ACTUATOR PROBLEMS FOR THIS NOT TO BE A DESIGN FLAW ON FORD'S PART, AND, FROM WHAT I'VE HEARD, THEY'RE REFUSING TO HONOR OTHERS' WARRANTIES. I JUST SO HAPPEN TO BE JUST OUTSIDE MY WARRANTY; WHAT A "COINCIDENCE." I'M NOW LOOKING AT A $600 OUT OF POCKET REPAIR I SIMPLY CAN'T AFFORD AT THIS TIME. SO INSTEAD I'M FORCED TO CONTINUALLY LOOK FORWARD TO HAVING MY CAR SUDDENLY DIE IN THE MIDDLE OF HIGHWAY TRAFFIC.