2010 Ford Focus

AIR CONDITIONER FAILING TO COOL. MY CAR HAS 33,000 MILES ON IT. I BOUGHT IT NEW IN OCT 2009. I AM TOLD IT WILL BE ABOUT $1,600 OR MORE TO REPAIR THE AC. THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE ON A CAR WITH 33,000 MILES ON IT. I AM TOLD THE DASH, STEERING COLUMN AND CONSOLE HAVE TO BE REMOVED TO REPAIR. I BOUGHT THIS CAR TO LAST ME THE REST OF MY LIFE. THE FACTORY WARRANTY IS FOR 36,000 WHICH OBVIOUSLY I AM UNDER BUT IT IS FIVE YEARS OLD. I CAN'T AFFORD TO FIX IT ON MY SS DISABILITY INCOME AND CAN'T LIVE IN TEXAS WITHOUT AC.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 FORD FOCUS. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH ON A HIGHWAY, THE STEERING WHEEL FAILED AND THE CHECK STEERING WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT EXITED THE HIGHWAY AND DROVE TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE TECHNICIAN WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE SOURCE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL DEALER WHO STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN A RECALL. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80,000.

THE REAR PASSENGER DOOR LATCH HAD BEEN STICKING ON OCCASION, MAKING IT DIFFICULT TO OPEN THE DOOR WITH THE OUTSIDE HANDLE. IN MID-MAY, WE BEGAN HAVING TROUBLE GETTING THE DOOR TO LATCH WHEN BEING SHUT. AT TIMES IT WOULD LATCH AFTER SEVERAL TRIES, OR WHEN BEING SLAMMED EXTREMELY HARD. IN MID-JULY, THE LATCH STOPPED WORKING ALL TOGETHER. WE NOW HAVE THE DOOR STRAPPED SHUT FROM THE INSIDE MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO DRIVE THIS CAR WHEN TAKING MORE THAN ONE PASSENGER, AND THE DOOR AJAR ALARM SOUNDS EACH TIME YOU TURN A CORNER.

JUST AFTER I LEFT HOME TWO WEDNESDAYS AGO; AFTER ABOUT 1/4 MILE, MY CAR SUDDENLY STARTED TO DECELERATE AND THE WRENCH LIGHT IMMEDIATELY CAME ON. I DROVE IT TO MY REPAIR SHOP (ABOUT 14 MILES AWAY INCLUDING A HIGHWAY) AND ALTHOUGH IT NEVER STOPPED, I HAD TO KEEP HARD ON THE ACCELERATOR TO GET JUST OVER 50MPH. THEY SAID THAT THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG, IT WAS DUE FOR AN OIL CHANGE. WHEN I PICKED IT UP, IT DID DRIVE NORMALLY. HOWEVER, THE NEXT TIME THAT I DROVE IT (THE FOLLOWING EVENING) THE SAME THING HAPPENED (AT THE SAME LOCATION FROM MY HOME). THIS TIME BOTH THE WRENCH AND ENGINE LIGHTS CAME ON. I STOPPED AND TURNED THE CAR OFF. I STARTED IT AFTER A MINUTE AND THE SPEED DROPPED TO ZERO AFTER A FEW YARDS. THE NEXT MORNING ON THE WAY TO THE REPAIR SHOP, IT AGAIN DECELERATED TO ZERO. THE SHOP SAID THAT IT WAS A THROTTLE SENSOR AND I PAID ALMOST $200 TO GET IT FIXED (I HAD TO WAIT UNTIL MONDAY). TWO DAYS LATER, LAST WEDNESDAY, AT THE SAME LOCATION, THE CAR DECELERATED AGAIN TO ZERO (THREE TIMES). I HAD AN EMERGENCY APPOINTMENT THAT DAY SO I HAD TO DRIVE IT. THAT NIGHT, I HAD JUST GOTTEN ON THE HIGHWAY TO COME HOME WHEN THE SAME THING HAPPENED. THANKFULLY, IT WAS VERY LATE AND NO ONE WAS BEHIND ME BECAUSE THERE WASN'T A SHOULDER ON WHICH TO PULL OVER. THE NEXT MORNING, I WAS TAKING IT TO THE FORD DEALERSHIP WHEN THE SAME THING HAPPENED TWICE. THE SOONEST APPOINTMENT AVAILABLE WAS THIS MORNING. ACCORDING TO THE FORD SERVICE REP, THIS IS NORMAL; ALL CARS SUDDENLY STOP EVEN ON THE HIGHWAY. THIS DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE NORMAL TO ME. I WOULD THINK THAT SUDDENLY LOSING CONTROL OF ONE'S CAR, ESPECIALLY ON A HIGHWAY, IS VERY UNSAFE. SOMETIMES, I'VE DRIVEN WITHOUT INCIDENT AND SOMETIMES, I HAVE THIS PROBLEM. THE ONLY THING THAT I CAN IN COMMON IS THAT WHEN IT OCCURS, IT'S ALWAYS WITHIN A COUPLE OF MINUTES AFTER I START DRIVING.

ENGINE SURGED/FADED A FEW TIMES LATELY AND TWICE THE WRENCH SYMBOL CAME ON, BUT THE DEALERSHIP SAID NO CODES WERE REPORTED AND THEY COULD FIND NO PROBLEMS. TODAY WHILE DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE THE SPEED SUDDENLY DECELERATED TO 0 SO I PULLED OVER TO THE SHOULDER TO AVOID BEING HIT FROM BEHIND. THE WRENCH SYMBOL DISPLAYED AGAIN. AFTER TURNING THE KEY OFF/ON THE WRENCH WAS GONE AND THE CAR STARTED MOVING NORMALLY AT HIGHWAY SPEED. A FEW MINUTES LATER THE SAME ACTION REPEATED BIT WHILE SLEEPING ON THE SHOULDER I HIT A METAL OBSTRUCTION ON THE ROAD WHICH A CAUSED A FLAT TIRE. AFTER CHANGING TO THE SPARE THE ENGINE SYMBOL DISPLAYED, BUT THE CAR OPERATED AT HIGHWAY SPEED NORMALLY. I STOPPED AT AN AUTO PARTS STORE WHERE THE READ THE STORED CODES, P2111 AND P2135. IT IS NOW BACK AT THE DEALERSHIP FOR SERVICE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 FORD FOCUS. WHEN THE IGNITION WAS STARTED, THE VEHICLE VIBRATED. THE FAILURE RECURRED NUMEROUS TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE THROTTLE BODY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 31,000.