NHTSA Complaint #10464035 — 2005 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID

WHILE TRAVELING IN THE HIGH SPEED LANE AT APPROXIMATELY 2 AM, THE VEHICLE LOST ENGINE POWER WITHOUT ANY NOTICE AS THE ENGINE SHUT OFF AND THE POWER WAS REDUCED TO MINIMAL POWER GIVEN BY THE ELECTRIC MOTOR. THIS CAUSED AN INABILITY TO MAINTAIN SPEED ON A VERY DANGEROUS OVERPASS CURVE OF THE FREEWAY AND NEARLY CAUSED TWO VEHICLES IN THE IMMEDIATE PROXIMITY TO COLLIDE WITH MY VEHICLE AS SPEED RAPIDLY DROPPED AND THE VEHICLE SAID TO "PULL OVER ANDS SHUT OFF VEHICLE SAFELY". THIS PART OF THE FREEWAY HAD NO PULL OVER SPOT NOR DID IT HAVE AN AREA TO REALLY SAFELY PULL OFF THE FREEWAY. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THE CAR HAS DONE THIS AT HIGH SPEED WITHIN TWO WEEKS. IT HAS DONE THIS APPROXIMATELY 1-0 TIMES AT LOW SPEEDS ON CITY STREETS. THE CAR IS ABLE TO BE DRIVEN AFTER SHUTTING OFF THE POWER, LETTING IT SIT, AND THEN RESTARTING THE SYSTEM. THERE IS AN ACCOMPANYING OVERHEATING THAT OCCURTS AS A RESULT OF THE ENGINE SHUTTING OFF, CAUSING THE ENGINE TO BE UNABLE TO BE EASILY RESTARTED AT THAT POINT. THIS EVENT GIVES NO WARNING OR INDICATION IT WILL HAPPEN AND IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION FOR ANY DRIVER TO BE THRUST INTO. IF IT HAD BEEN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC, I AM CERTAIN THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN ACCIDENTS AND VEHICLE COLLISIONS AS A RESULT. *JS