At its 45,000 km service my 2012 Ford Focus got a software upgrade, but since then it's stopped going four times, once on the highway. The engine light comes on and it slows to about 30km/h. Yesterday it stopped completely. The dealer told me that the "computer chip is faulty and I'll have to keep bringing it back". To make matters worse I have a disability and use sticks or a wheelchair, and I work in the community sector and drive a lot. I feel very unsafe. Can you help?
The car is going into 'limp home' mode, which suggests there is something amiss with the electronics of the engine management system, possibly the ECU or a sensor supplying it with information. It needs to be sorted out by the dealer; it's not good enough to tell you to keep bringing it back when it happens. By doing that they're hoping to eventually stumble on the cause of the problem rather than investigate the cause and find a solution. If you can't get any sense out of the dealer go directly to Ford's customer assistance service on 13 3673.