NHTSA Complaint #10483236 — 2011 FORD ESCAPE

WHILE CRUISING AT CONSTANT SPEED ON THE INTERSTATE, THE "WRENCH" LIGHT CAME ON AND CAR STARTED TO SLOW DOWN. FIRST REACTION WAS TO PRESS ACCELERATOR PEDAL BUT IT WAS UNRESPONSIVE ONLY BY LUCK WE WERE ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE ROAD AND WERE ABLE TO COAST TO A SAFE STOP. AFTER STOPPING, THE CAR WAS PLACED IN PARK AND THE ENGINE REMAINED ON BUT IDLED VERY ROUGH. THE IGNITION WAS TURNED OFF AND BACK ON AND THE WRENCH LIGHT CLEARED AND THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL APPEARED TO WORK AGAIN SO WE TRIED TO DRIVE ON. A SHORT DISTANCE LATER THE WRENCH LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN AND THE SAME THING WITH THE GAS PEDAL. AT THAT POINT WE CALLED A TOW TRUCK AND TRANSPORTED THE CAR TO A LOCAL FORD REPAIR SHOP. THE FORD SHOP CLAIMED THERE WERE NO CODES STORED AND EVERYTHING CHECKED OUT OK AND SAID MAYBE WE RAN THROUGH SOME WATER AND SENT US ON OUR WAY. TWO DAYS LATER IT HAPPENED AGAIN UNDER IDENTICAL CONDITIONS. WE WERE ABLE TO GET IT TO A DIFFERENT FORD SHOP AND THEY REPLACED THE THROTTLE BODY. THEY ALSO STATED THERE WERE NO CODES BUT APPARENTLY OUR WORD WAS GOOD ENOUGH THIS TIME. THE MECHANIC SUPERVISOR COMMENTED THEY HAVE SEEN THIS ISSUE FREQUENTLY. I ALSO WAS DISCUSSING THIS WITH A COWORKER AND FOUND OUT THEY HAD THE SAME THING HAPPEN ON THEIR 2011 ESCAPE. THERE IS OBVIOUSLY A DEFECT IN THE MANUFACTURE OR DESIGN OF THIS PART OR PROGRAMMING. IF FORD DOESN'T ADDRESS THIS SOON, THERE WILL BE SERIOUS ACCIDENTS IF THERE HASN'T BEEN ALREADY. *TR