Pennsylvania car buyers are among some of many across the country who have struggled with transmission problems in Ford Focus and Fiesta cars. Some people have sold their cars or repaired them, but others continue to deal with the costly aftermath of defective vehicles. One man says that he is still making payments on a Focus after five clutch replacements that were unsuccessful. He says that he drove the car home in reverse one time due to the failed transmission and traded it in, but he still owes money on the loan that he originally took out for the vehicle.
The man said that he bought the Focus because of a promotion that promised a low-interest rate on car loans for that specific vehicle, but he soon found himself facing serious problems. Only 16,000 miles after he began driving the car, the transmission failed. He says that he contacted Ford on multiple occasions, only to be told that his vehicle was out of warranty and did not qualify for a return or repair. However, he says that Ford knew that the vehicle was defective when it sold them and argues that the attractive interest rate was meant to offload problematic vehicles.
Ford says that cars produced after the second half of 2015 perform well, but the defective transmissions in Focuses and Fiestas have been the subject of a federal investigation as well as ongoing litigation. One media investigation found that internal documents revealed concerns inside the company about transmission quality as early as 2011.
The man says that he was lied to about his warranty expiration and eligibility in order to prevent him from demanding a return or replacement of the vehicle. People dealing with a defective vehicle may consult with a lawyer who has experience in consumer protection law about how they can protect themselves under lemon laws.