NHTSA Complaint #10420668 — 2008 FORD F-350

WHILE DRIVING MY 2008 F-350 SUPERDUTY DIESEL POWERED TRUCK AT 45 MPH FOR APPROX 2 MILES, RECEIVED MESSAGE " "STOP SAFELY NOW" AND COMPLETE POWER DOWN OF ENGINE. THE TRUCK DECELERATED SO FAST THAT HAD WE NOT BEEN PASSING A PULL OFF LANE WE WOULD HAVE BEEN STUCK IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DRIVING LANE. THE WHOLE INCIDENT HAPPENED IN LESS THAN 10 SECONDS. AFTER GETTING OVER TO SIDE OF ROAD, ENGINE WOULD NOT CRANK OVER AND WAS NOT ALLOWED TO RESTART UNTIL AFTER THE ENGINE EITHER COOLED DOWN OR TIMED OUT (DIDN'T TRY FOR ABOUT AN HOUR LATER). BY TIME TOW TRUCK ARRIVED, WE HAD GOTTEN THE ENGINE TO START BUT DID NOT FEEL IT SAFE TO TRY AND MOVE THE VEHICLE AS WE HAD NO IDEA HOW FAR IT WOULD GO OR IF IT WOULD HAPPEN AGAIN. TRUCK WAS IN SHOP SERVICED FOR 60,000 AND HAD LATEST FORD RECALL FOR REPROGRAMMING COMPLETED LESS THAN 30 MILES PRIOR TO INCIDENT. WE WERE TOLD THERE WAS A TECH BULLETIN OUT ON THIS PROBLEM BUT IT WAS NOT COVERED UNDER THE ENGINE WARRANTY SO WE HAD TO PAY OUT OF POCKET. THE FIX IS ONLY HALF THE ISSUE; 10-15 SECOND IS NOT ENOUGH WARNING TO SAFELY PULL OFF THE ROAD. IF WE HAD BEEN PULLING OUR TRAVEL TRAILER, WE WOULD NOT EVEN BEEN ABLE TO GET AS FAR AS WE DID. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME A TECH BULLETIN ISSUE HAS HAPPENED TO US (PRIOR ISSUE WAS WITH A PRESSURE VALVE ON THE RADIATOR THAT CAUSED THE RADIATOR TO SPLIT) FORD SHOULD INFORM US OF POTENTIAL PROBLEMS SO WE CAN BE AWARE OF POSSIBLE ISSUES BEFORE THEY HAPPEN, NOT DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD.