NHTSA Complaint #10504051 — 2010 FORD ESCAPE

2010 FORD ESCAPE XLT (V6) IS HAVING REPEATED INCIDENTS (AT RANDOM INTERVALS) OF THROTTLE FAILURES. VEHICLE SUDDENLY HAS NO "GAS PEDAL", IDLES ROUGHLY (800 TO 1000 RPM) AND HAS TO BE COASTED TO SIDE OF ROAD. ONLY WAY TO RESET IS TO PUT VEHICLE IN PARK AND TURN OFF (DANGEROUS ON INTERSTATES OR IF IN LEFT LANE AND NO PLACE TO PULL OFF), RESTART AND MOST CASES THE PROBLEM IS ELIMINATED FOR HOURS, DAYS OR MORE. SOMETIMES IT CAN OCCUR MANY TIMES WITHIN A SHORT DRIVE PERIOD AND THEN GO AWAY FOR HOURS OF ISSUE-FREE DRIVING. ENGINE SERVICE LIGHT (WRENCH) CAME ON ONE DAY AFTER SOME EXTREMELY ROUGH IDLING CAUSED BY ISSUE (ENGINE BUCKED A BIT) AND SERVICE STATION READ COMPUTER ANALYSIS AS "THROTTLE ACTUATOR CONTROL SYSTEM" WAS STUCK OPEN AND CLOSED. THEY TOLD ME THAT IT WAS PROBABLY DEFECTIVE AND DANGEROUS AND THAT I SHOULD PROCEED TO MY FORD DEALER ASAP. I TOOK VEHICLE TO FORD DEALER (3/20/13) AND THEY ACKNOWLEDGED THE THROTTLE BODY SHOULD BE REPLACED, BUT SAID NO RECALL HAD BEEN ISSUED SO I WOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR REPAIR. I COULD NOT BELIEVE THIS FOR A 2 YEAR OLD CAR. THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE AND I WOULD EXPECT A MANUFACTURER TO FIX THIS PROBLEM IMMEDIATELY AND SHOCKED AT THEIR NONCHALANCE REGARDING THIS PROBLEM. I WENT HOME AND GOOGLED THE ISSUE AND I SEE MANY ARTICLES AND AGENCIES LOOKING INTO THIS PROBLEM SO APPARENTLY I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE HAVING THIS PROBLEM. I AM NOT ALLOWING THE MY FAMILY MEMBERS TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE DUE TO THIS SAFETY ISSUE UNTIL IT IS REPAIRED BY FORD AT THEIR EXPENSE. THIS COULD BE A MAJOR LAWSUIT (INJURY OR EVEN FATALITIES) DUE TO THE SAFETY OF HAVING TO "LIMP OFF" A BUSY ROADWAY WITH NO WARNING AND BECOMING A TARGET. *TR