NHTSA Complaint #10503024 — 2007 FORD ESCAPE

WE TOOK OUR 2007 FORD ESCAPE (APROX 60,000 MILES) ON A ROAD TRIP FROM OMAHA NE TO ST. LOUIS MO ON 3/10/13 AND ARRIVED WITH NO ISSUES. ON OUR RETURN TRIP WE DROVE ABOUT 100 MILES UNTIL THE CAR STOPPED ON THE INTERSTATE. THE VEHICLE COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN AND ALL OF THE WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON AT THE SAME TIME. WE WERE ABLE TO COAST TO THE SHOULDER SAFELY BUT WERE UNABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE. WE HAD AAA TOW THE VEHICLE ABOUT 30 MILES TO THE CLOSEST TOWN AND AAA APPROVED MECHANIC. WHEN THE MECHANIC LOOKED AT THE VEHICLE THEY DETERMINED THAT THE VEHICLE HAD BURNED THROUGH ALL OF THE OIL AND WAS COMPLETELY EMPTY CAUSING THE ENGINE TO SEIZE UP. THERE WERE NO WARNING LIGHTS INDICATING LOW OIL UP UNTIL THIS POINT. I HAD RECENTLY HAD MY OIL CHANGED ABOUT 8 WEEK AND LESS THAN 1000 MILES PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT AND THERE WERE NO LEAKS SO IT SEEMS VERY IMPROBABLY THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD HAVE USED 4 QTS OF OIL IN THAT TIME. I CONTACTED FORD AND THE VEHICLE IS JUST OUT OF THE WARRANTY PERIOD AND THEY ARE UNWILLING TO ASSIST. IN MY RESEARCH IT APPEARS THAT THIS MAY BE A COMMON OCCURRENCE ON THIS VEHICLE AT ABOUT 60-70K MILES AND MAY WARRANT ADDITIONAL RESEARCH. I AM CURRENTLY ATTEMPTING TO GET MY VEHICLE TRANSPORTED THE 350 MILES HOME TO GET A SECOND OPINION AND REPAIRED. THE CURRENT ESTIMATES I RECEIVED FOR REPAIR ARE BETWEEN $3,500-6,000. HTTP://WWW.CARCOMPLAINTS.COM/FORD/ESCAPE/2007/ENGINE/ENGINE_FAILURE.SHTML. *TR