NHTSA Complaint #10404256 — 2006 FORD ESCAPE

LESS THAN 9 MONTHS AFTER PURCHASE IN 2008, THE ENGINE LIGHT OF MY 2006 FORD ESCAPE XLT V6 WENT ON. MULTIPLE SHOPS ATTEMPTED TO FIND THE SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM BUT COULD NOT GET THE LIGHT OFF WITHOUT WANTING TO DO MANY STEP BY STEP "COULD BE THIS..." REPAIRS. COMPUTER CODE INDICATED THE EMISSIONS CONTROL SYSTEM WAS MALFUNCTIONING. CAR REMAINED WITH AN EXPIRED INSPECTION STICKER FOR SEVERAL MONTHS WHILE DIFFERENT THINGS WERE TRIED. FINALLY A SHOP FOUND A CORRODED WIRE, AND THE LIGHT WENT OUT. LESS THEN 7 MONTHS LATER THE CAR BATTERY LIGHT WENT ON, AND IT STALLED AND DIED WITHIN MINUTES. IT REQUIRED 12 JUMOS TO GET IT THE APPROX. 8 MILES HOME. THE ALTERNATOR AND BATTERY WERE THEN REPLACED. LESS THAN 1 MONTH LATER THE EXACT SAME THING OCCURRED. A 2ND ALTERNATOR AND BATTERY WERE PUT IN. 2 MONTHS LATER THE VEHICLE THEN SUDDENLY BEGAN FLASHING THE ENGINE LIGHT PULLING OUT FROM A STOP SIGN. INSTANTLY THE CAR STOPPED ACCELERATING AND THE FRONT END BEGAN SHAKING, AND MAKING LOUD RATTLING NOISES, AND FRESH GAS CAN BE DETECTED FROM THE FRONT END. IT WAS FOUND TO HAVE NO OIL, ALTHOUGH THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN PLENTY BASED ON LAST OIL CHANGE, AND THE OIL LIGHT NEVER CAME ON. THE ENGINE NOW NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. (MILEAGE LISTED AT FAILURE IS THE ENGINE EVENT). *TR