NHTSA Complaint #10127433 — 2001 FORD ESCAPE

2001 FORD ESCAPE, 61,000 MILES, CLUTCH FAILURE, CLUTCH PEDAL WENT TO FLOOR, WOULD NOT DISENGAGE. WAS ON ENTRANCE RAMP TO INTERSTATE HIGHWAY, IN SLOW MOVING TRAFFIC, OTHERWISE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. INVESTIGATED ON INTERNET AND FOUND THAT THIS PROBLEM IS DESCRIBED IN FORD TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN 1-24-1, SO IS OBVIOUSLY A KNOWN ISSUE. ONE OF RELATIVELY FEW TSBS THAT COULD CAUSE A CATASTROPHIC ACCIDENT IF IT OCCURRED AT SPEED. MOST OF THE TSBS ARE FOR THINGS LIKE "WHINING/BUZZING IN AUDIO SYSTEM," "ENGINE OIL RECOMMENDATIONS/APPLICATIONS," "INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKETS--FUEL SMELL TO THE INTERIOR." WHILE SOME OF THESE MAY BE SIGNIFICANT, FEW OF THEM WOULD CAUSE A CATASTROPHIC PROBLEM IF THEY OCCURED AT SPEED. THE "GENERAL RECALL" AND "SAFETY RECALLS" CATEGORIES, WHICH INCLUDE THINGS LIKE "SPEED CONTROL CABLE DEFECT" AND "REAR DRIVESHAFT REPLACEMENT DIFFERENTIAL LEAK" SEEM TO ME MUCH MORE APPROPRIATE PLACES FOR THIS SERIOUS PROBLEM TO BE REPORTED. HAD VEHICLE TOWED TO FORD DEALER. CONVERSATION WITH THEM THIS MORNING. CONFIRMED THAT PROBLEM WAS WITH MASTER AND SLAVE CYLINDER WHICH THEY SAID NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. DENIED KNOWLEDGE OF A KNOWN PROBLEM OF THIS TYPE. SAID THAT THIS WAS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. I TOLD THEM TO GO AHEAD AND REPLACE THE CYLINDERS.