NHTSA Complaint #10444492 — 2005 FORD ESCAPE

MY WIFE GOT INTO HER ESCAPE TO RETURN HOME AND IT WOULD NOT RUN PROPERLY. IT WAS MISSING BADLY AND LACKED ADEQUATE POWER TO PULL ITSELF. I TOOK MY ESCAPE TO THE REPAIR SHOP AND WAS APPAULED BY THEIR FINDINGS. I AM GOING TO QUOTE DIRECTLY FROM THE DIAGNOSTIC REPORT I RECEIVED. "SOME ESCAPE/MARINER VEHICLES BUILT ON OR BEFORE 10/3/2005 , EQUIPPED WITH A 3.0L ENGINE MAY EXHIBIT A MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP (MIL) ON WITH TWO OR MORE DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODES (DTC'S) FOR COIL ON PLUG (COP) PRIMARY CIRCUIT FAULTS (P0351-P0356). THIS MAY BE DUE TO THE COP AND POWERTRAIN CONTROL MODULE (PCM) REACTING TO RADIO FREQUENCY INTERFERENCE FROM THE SPARK PLUGS." MY REPAIR TECHNICIAN TOLD ME THAT THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH VEHICLES LIKE MINE. AFTER SEARCHING THE WEB, I FOUND ONE PERSON WHOSE ESCAPE DIED WHILE ON THE INTERSTATE AND DURING HEAVY TRAFFIC AND PLENTY OF OTHERS WITH SIMILAR CIRCUMSTANCES. I SUPPOSE I WAS LUCKY BECAUSE MY PROBLEM HAPPENED IN A PARKING LOT. I HAD TO REPLACE MY POWERTRAIN CONTROL MODULE AND ALL SIX COILS AT A COST OF OVER $1200. I SAVED LABOR COSTS BY DOING THE WORK MYSELF, BUT OTHERS I READ ABOUT DIDN'T HAVE THE SAME FATE. MY TECHNICIAN ALSO TOLD ME THEY HAVE SEEN THIS PROBLEM NUMEROUS TIMES AND THAT I SHOULD SAVE MY RECEIPTS BECAUSE FORD MAY ISSUE A RECALL. MY VEHICLE WENT FROM RUNNING PERFECTLY TO NOT RUNNING AT ALL WITHOUT ANY WARNING. I HAD TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION IN THIS SAME VEHICLE AT ONLY 37000 MILES, BUT THAT'S ANOTHER STORY. NEEDLESS TO SAY I AM EXTREMELY DISSAPPOINTED. *TT