2009 Ford Focus

AS I WAS TRAVELING DOWN THE HIGHWAY THE THROTTLE SUDDENLY AND UNEXPECTEDLY STOPPED WORKING.(THANKFULLY I WAS NOT IN HEAVY TRAFFIC AT THE TIME.) I COASTED THE CAR OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY. THE CAR REMAINED IDLING, HOWEVER I STILL HAD NO THROTTLE CONTROL. THE WRENCH LIGHT WAS ON. I TURNED THE CAR OFF, WAITED A FEW MINUTES AND RESTARTED THE CAR. THE WRENCH LIGHT WAS OFF AND I ONCE AGAIN HAD THROTTLE CONTROL. I EASED THE CAR BACK ONTO THE HIGHWAY BUT NOTICED THE CAR HAD DIFFICULTY HOLDING A CONSTANT AND STEADY SPEED. THERE WERE INTERMITTENT SUBTLE SURGES AND PAUSES IN THE SPEED. ONCE I REACHED MY DESTINATION I HAD A FORD DEALERSHIP RUN A DIAGNOSTICS ON THE CAR AND THEY COULD NOT FIND ANY CODES OR PROBLEMS WITH THE CAR. I THOROUGHLY RESEARCHED THIS ISSUE AND FOUND OTHERS WERE HAVING SIMILAR PROBLEMS AND IT WAS RELATED TO THE THROTTLE SENSOR. I HAD CONTACTED A NUMBER OF NATIONAL PARTS SUPPLIERS AND THEY COULD NOT SELL ME JUST THE SENSOR BUT WOULD HAVE TO SELL ME THE ENTIRE THROTTLE BODY. I CONTACTED THE FORD DEALER AND THEY HAD A THROTTLE POSITION SENSOR. SINCE REPLACING THE THROTTLE SENSOR I HAVE PUT OVER 1200 MILES ON THE VEHICLE AND HAVE HAD TO THIS POINT NO MORE PROBLEMS WITH THROTTLE CONTROL. *JS

WRENCH LIGHT CAME ON WHEN STARTING...AND WENT OFF..GRADUALLY CAME ON AND STAYED ON UNTIL I TURNED OFF ENGINE AND RESTARTED...BOB RIDINGS FORD HERE IN DECATUR SAID THEY COULD NOT CHECK IT UNLESS THE WRENCH LIGHT STAYED ON...WHICH NEVER HAPPENED...GRADUALLY THE LIGHT WOULD COME ON WHEN CAR WAS BEING DRIVEN...AND STALLED DOWN AT A PLACE I COULD NOT GET OFF ROAD TO RESTART...LUCKILY NOT IN HEAVY TRAFFIC WHICH COULD HAVE CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. NEXT THE WRENCH LIGHT WENT OFF AND THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON...BEFORE I COULD GET IT TO THE GARAGE TO BE CHECKED, ALL THE LIGHTS WENT OFF...SAID PALMER FROM PALMER TIRE AND AUTO CHECKED IT AND GOT ONE CODE WHICH HE TRIED TO GET FORD TO HELP HIM WITH..BEFORE HE COULD HEAR BACK (IF EVER HE WOULD HAVE) I TOOK IT TO BOB RIDINGS IN TAYLORVILLE (I HAD BAD EXPERIENCE WITH ONE IN DECATUR)AND THEY CALLED SAID TO GET HIS DIAGNOSIS..AND DISCUSSED THE FACT THAT BOTH HAD REPLACED THROTTLE CONTROL ON OTHER FOCUS CARS WHICH FORD MOTOR DID NOT RECOMMEND DOING! THIS COST ME $569.10 WHICH I BELIEVE WOULD HAVE BEEN UNDER WARRANTY IF IT HAD BEEN REPAIRED IN 2011; AND THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN A RECALL AS IT IS A DANGEROUS CONDITION WHEN DRIVING IN TRAFFIC., I THINK FORD OWES ME...AND PROBABLY OTHERS...AND IS A PROBLEM WARRANTING A RECALL! I GUESSED AT MILEAGE AND TIME BUT KNOW THIS PROBLEM OCCURRED THE YEAR AFTER I BOUGHT THE CAR AND IT ONLY HAD 9000 MILES ON IT WHEN I PURCHASED IT...MAKING IT HAVE AROUND 15,000 WHEN PROBLEM BEGAN. *TR

WHILE DRIVING AT A STEADY SPEED THE CAR LOST POWER, THE TACH DROPPED TO 1,000 RPM. THE YELLOW WRENCH LIGHT CAME ON. CAR STARTED SLOWING DOWN. PRESSED ACCELERATOR AND NOTHING HAPPENED. CAR WOULD NOT RESPOND AT ALL. PULLED OFF THE ROAD INTO A PARKING LOT. TOOK CAR OUT OF GEAR AND THE IDLE STARTED TO VARY FROM 500 TO 1500. SHUT THE CAR OFF. A FEW SECONDS LATER STARTED IT UP AND WAS ABLE TO DRIVE HOME WITHOUT INCIDENT. IT HAS OCCURRED ON FOUR MORE OCCASIONS SINCE THEN. MOST RECENTLY 2 WEEKS AGO. *TR

ON THE FREEWAY GOING APPROX 45 MPH IN THE POURING RAIN; CHANGED LANES, BRAKE A BIT TO 35. HAPPENED AS I SPED BACK UP, ORANGE WRENCH APPEARED AND CAR BEGAN TO SLOW DOWN TO ABOUT 10 MPH TILL I GOT TO A SERVICE STATION DIRECTLY OFF THE FREEWAY. SAT FOR ABOUT 8 MIN. STARTED UP AND DROVE HOME WITH NO INCIDENT. TWO DAYS LATER HAPPENED AGAIN. THIS TIME INCHING ALONG TRYING TO CHANGE FREEWAYS. GOT TO EMG LANE AND SAT ABOUT FIVE MIN. STARTED UP AND GOT HOME WITH NO PROBLEM. ONLY 16 MILES BETWEEN HOME AND WORK - ALL FREEWAY. *TR

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

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

ON OCTOBER 1 2012 I WAS DRIVING DOWN MY STREET AT APROX 45 MPH WHEN THE CAR SUDDENLY LOST POWER AND WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. LUCKILY I WAS CLOSE TO HOME AND ABOUT TO COAST DOWN HILL TO MY DRIVEWAY. WHEN I PULLED INTO MY DRIVEWAY THE CAR WAS STILL RUNNING BUT NOT QUIETLY, IT SPUTTER AND WAS QUITE LOUD. I LET IT SIT FOR A DAY AND STARTED IT BACK UP ALL LIGHT ARE OFF, HOWEVER WHILE DRIVING (I LIVE 50 MILES, ONE WAY ALL HIGHWAY DRIVING AT HIGH SPEEDS) TO MY PLACE OF EMPLOYMENT THIS MORNING OCTOBER 03 2012 I NOTICED AT IF I WERE DRIVING AT ANYTHING LESS THEN 60 WHERE MY FOOT WASN'T ON THE GAS I COULD FEEL WHAT SEEM LIKE THE TRAN SLIP.. I HOPE MY CHILDREN ARE NOT IN THE CAR WITH ME SHOULD THIS HAPPEN AGAIN. AND IM PRAYING IT DOESN'T! *TR

I WAS DRIVING HOME FRIDAY AND I NOTICE A LIGHT ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE DASH AND IT LOOK LIKE A WRENCH, SO AFTER ABOUT 10 MINUTES THE CAR BEGAN TO SLOWDOWN, SO I PRESSED THE ACCELERATION BUT THE CAR WOULD NOT SPEEDUP AND IT ACTED AS THO THE TRANSMISSION WAS SLIPPING SO I WAS ABLE TO COAST TO THE RIGHT LANE AND OVER TO THE SIDE OFF, THE FREEWAY AFTER I STOP THE CAR, THEN I TURN THE ENGINE BACK ON AND THE CAR WOULD DRIVE NORMAL,IF I ACCELERATED SLOWLY IT ACTED LIKE THE TRANS WAS SLIPPING,AND AFTER I GOT HOME I WAS GOING TO BACK THE CAR BUT IT WOULD NOT MOVE WHEN I PLACED THE TRANSMISSION IN REVERSE IT WOULD NOT MOVE., THIS IS A 2009 FORD FOCUS, AND AFTER READING THE REVIEWS ON LINE I SEE THAT I AM NOT THE ONLY THAT THIS HAVE HAPPEN TO, AND THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS PLACE TO BE IN ON THE FREEWAY DOING 70MPH. AND THIS HAPPENED FORD SHOULD RECALL THIS MOD OF VEHICLES. *TR