NHTSA Complaint #10459405 — 2011 FORD F-150

DRIVING DOWN A TWO LANE ROAD IN THE EARLY EVENING, I WAS 3 OR 4 CARS BACK IN A LONG LINE OF OVER A DOZEN VEHICLES. WE WERE ALL STUCK BEHIND ONE SLOW MOVING VEHICLE. A CHANCE CAME UP TO PASS AND I PULLED INTO THE OTHER LANE. AFTER STEPPING ON THE THROTTLE THE TRUCK DEVELOPED A MISFIRE. IT LOST NEARLY ALL POWER AND BEGAN DECELERATING. IN THE TIME SINCE PULLING OUT TO PASS, A SEMI TRUCK HAD POPPED UP OVER AN UPCOMING HILL. BY THIS POINT, THE VEHICLES PREVIOUSLY BEHIND ME HAD MOVED FORWARD AND FILLED IN MY PLACE IN LINE. I BEGAN EVALUATING MY OPTIONS. I WAS NOW MOVING SLOWER THAN THE TRAFFIC IN THE RIGHT LANE, BUT THERE WEREN'T ANY OPENINGS TO MOVE BACK OVER. I EXAMINED THE SHOULDER ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE ROAD LOOKING FOR SAFE PLACES TO PULL OVER. THERE WERE NONE IN THE IMMEDIATE VICINITY. AFTER SEVERAL VERY TENSE SECONDS, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY REGAINED POWER. I HAD JUST ENOUGH TIME TO ACCELERATE TO AN OPENING IN THE RIGHT LANE AND GET BACK OVER. LIKELY CAUSE: CONDENSATION IN THE CHARGE AIR COOLER INGESTED INTO THE ENGINE UPON A CALL FOR POWER. SINCE THE FIRST INCIDENT THIS HAS OCCURRED SEVERAL MORE TIMES. EVERY SINGLE TIME HAS BEEN AFTER CRUISING FOR SOME PERIOD AT LESS THAN HALF THROTTLE, FOLLOWED BY A SUDDEN ACCELERATION IN HUMID OR RAINY CONDITIONS. FORD CLAIMS TO BE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AND WORKING ON A FIX. HOWEVER AFTER WAITING FOR OVER 8 MONTHS SINCE MY FIRST INCIDENT I'M STARTING TO HAVE MY DOUBTS. I HAVE HEARD REPORTS FROM NUMEROUS OTHER PEOPLE SAYING THIS EXACT SAME THING HAS HAPPENED TO THEM. SOME OF THOSE ARE OVER A YEAR OLD AND ARE STILL WAITING ON A FIX FROM FORD. BEING AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM I TRY NOT TO PUT MYSELF INTO A SITUATION THAT WILL REQUIRE THE SUDDEN APPLICATION OF POWER. HOWEVER I KNOW NO MATTER HOW WELL YOU PLAN, EVENTUALLY YOU FIND YOURSELF IN A BAD SITUATION. I JUST HOPE WHEN THAT OCCURS IT ISN'T A HUMID OR RAINY DAY. *TT