NHTSA Complaint #10490826 — 2005 FORD ESCAPE

AFTER LUCKILY JUST EXITING INTERSTATE 70, BUT ENTERING HIGHWAY 40 MY VEHICLE COMPLETELY DIED WITH ALL ELECTRICAL FUNCTIONS INOPERATIVE (OBVIOUSLY INCLUDING POWER BRAKES, STEERING, ETC). THIS OCCURRED ON AN UPGRADE WITH A CITY BUS DIRECTLY BEHIND ME WHICH WAS FORCED TO SWERVE INTO THE ADJACENT LANE. AUTO WOULD NOT RESTART AND IT WAS TOWED TO A NEIGHBORING FORD DEALERSHIP. THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NO WARNING OF A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ETC. AT THE DEALERSHIP I WAS INFORMED THAT AN "ELECTRICAL ENGINE MODULE" HAD BURNED OUT WHICH ALSO COMPLETELY FRIED ALL THE ENGINE COILS. (A COMPLETE ELECTRICAL TUNE-UP,ETC. HAD BEEN PERFORMED ABOUT A YEAR EARLIER). I WAS ALSO INFORMED THAT THE DIAGNOSIS WAS POSSIBLE BECAUSE OF A FORD INTERNAL MEMO INDICATING WHAT COULD HAPPEN IF THE MODULE MALFUNCTIONED. THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT I HAD JUST EXITED AN INTERSTATE, BUT THIS COULD HAVE BEEN DISASTROUS AND IT SEEMS THAT FORD WAS AWARE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF THIS PROBLEM. THE COST NOW TO FIX THE PROBLEM IS $2600 AND I HAVE NO ASSURANCE THAT THIS COULDN'T HAPPEN AGAIN WITH MORE SEVERE SQUEALED. *TR