I had a wrench icon come on. As I went to drive I could not accelerate at all. After a minute the check engine light then came on. I took to mechanic and was told this is a known Ford problem as the throttle cap is stuck open. Once taking to the dealership they acted as if this was the first they heard of it when there has been extended warranties for the Escape and Fusion for this problem. Clearly this is an issue across all Ford vehicles as my car had less then 30,000 miles on it over 5 years.

Previously I have posted about the uneven tire wear where I got the dealership run-a-round and I had to replace the tires at my expense. (Lots of Focus owners are aware of this - I believe that is a strut design problem.) Anyway, for the past couple of months while on the freeway, driving a steady speed, (like 70 mph, but happens between 50-70), the engine slightly accelerates, only briefly, then back to normal. This slight 'surge' can be felt, and causes my head to move back while driving. This surge happens for about 1/2 second, then normal for 2-3 seconds, then repeats. Very annoying, and seams to be getting worse. I have always bought Fords, but I am ready to trade it in for a Sonic or Cruze. I am totally abandoning ship for lack of official support from Ford to address these problems. This non-addressing and taking blame will totally bite them where it hurts in the long run. I'm done...

Update from May 8, 2012: Update 5/8/2012: While driving to work this morning, my 2009 Focus SE lost power, so I flipped the manual gearshift into neutral. Engine rpm went to ~1000 - the yellow wrench light went on - and pressing the gas pedal did nothing at this point - rpm stayed at 1000. I coasted to the shoulder of the freeway and stopped. Engine, and engine light same status. I decided since the engine wouldn't rev, all I could do would be to turn off the ignition. I stopped the engine -waited approx. 15 seconds (after a brief prayer;) cranked the engine over. It fired up and I went on my way like nothing had happened. This was not a dream or an out-of-the-body experience - this really happened at 5am. AND, while driving home today, the car did not do the "surging" thing like it was doing. I'll drive it a few more days and "feel" this out. On Thursday, the GM dealer is open late - I test drove a Sonic and think I'm going that route - Too bad; always been a Ford person. Between premature and uneven tire wear & this, I haven't much respect for the designers of this vehicle.