NHTSA Complaint #10462757 — 2006 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID

AUGUST 2011 - HAD DRIVEN APPROXIMATELY 200 MILES TN INTO VA WHEN STOP SAFELY NOW MESSAGE APPEARS. PULLED OVER, WAITED A FEW MINUTES AND STARTED THE ENGINE. NO HELP AVAILABLE LOCALLY AS IT WAS SMALL TOWN LATE SATURDAY. DECIDED TO CONTINUE TRIP HOME - DROVE SLOWLY IN RIGHT LANE FOR LAST 200 MILES. NO RECURRANCE THE REST OF THE WAY. MY MECHANIC COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG UPON RETURN HOME. DID NOT OCCUR AGAIN UNTIL JUNE 9, 2012 - ABOUT 150 MILES FROM HOME. SAME SCENARIO - STOPPED FOR A MINUTE THEN WENT ON. HAPPENED AGAIN ON JUNE 20, 2012. AFTER STOP AND GO TRAFFIC THEN RUNNING AT 70 MPH WHEN MESSAGE APPEARS, THIS TIME THE ENGINE SHUT DOWN IMMEDIATLY AND I BARELY GOT ONTO THE SHOULDER WITH TRAFFIC SPEEDING BY ABOUT 2 FEET OFF MY RIGHT. TRIED TO START AGAIN BUT MESSAGE THAT THE ENGINE WAS DANGEROUSLY HEATED APPEARED. AFTER SITTING FOR ABOUT 10 MINUTES, IT STARTED, I TURNED ON THE HEAT (DESPITE 90+ OUTSIDE TEMP) AND GOT OFF AT NEXT EXIT AND PARKED FOR ABOUT AN HOUR. STARTED UP AND DROVE HOME. NO OTHER OCCURANCE SINCE. MY MECHANIC TELLS ME NOW THAT I NEED A COOLANT PUMP BASED ON THE STORED SERVICE CODE. WILL COST OVER $700 PART AND LABOR. JUST HOPE IT FIXES IT. IT IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS WHEN THE ENGINE SHUTS DOWN WITH ONLY SECONDS OF WARNING. IN THE AREA I LIVE, I WOULDN'T ALWAYS BE ABLE TO EVEN GET ONTO A SHOULDER SAFELY. *TT