NHTSA Complaint #10505159 — 2012 FORD F-150

VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED ON 3/16/13 AS A DEMO MODEL WITH 6300 MILES ON IT. MADE A LEFT TURN AND ACCELERATED TO MERGE INTO TRAFFIC ON 3/19/13 WHEN THE WHOLE VEHICLE SHUDDERED VIOLENTLY AND THE ENGINE LOST POWER RESULTING IN PEOPLE HAVING TO HIT THEIR BRAKES AND HONK AT US TO AVOID HITTING US. THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO BOG DOWN AS THE ACCELERATOR WAS PUSHED. I LET THE VEHICLE COAST TO ALMOST A STOP BEFORE THE SYMPTOMS WENT AWAY AND COULD DRIVE AS NORMAL. I LOOKED UP SYMPTOMS ON INTERNET AND FOUND MANY PEOPLE EXPERIENCING SAME SYMPTOMS WITH THIS NEW ECO-BOOST ENGINE BY FORD IN THEIR TRUCKS. IT SEEMS THAT THE INTERCOOLER CAN COLLECT CONDENSATION IN HUMID OR RAINY ENVIRONMENTS AND HAVE THAT WATER FORCED TO THE ENGINE WHEN THE ACCELERATOR IS PUSHED HARD CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO SHUDDER AND LOSE POWER. FORD HAS APPARENTLY IDENTIFIED THIS PROBLEM AND ISSUED A TBS SERVICE BULLETIN INSTRUCTING THE CHARGED AIR COOLER BE REPLACED WITH A NEWLY DESIGNED ONE FOR MODEL YEAR 2011-2012 F-150'S WITH THE 3.5L V6 ECO-BOOST ENGINE IF A CUSTOMER COMPLAINS OF THE ABOVE SYMPTOMS AND SOME PEOPLE HAVE REPORTED THIS SOLUTION HAS NOT FIXED THE PROBLEM. THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AS ONE COULD LOSE POWER AS MANY HAVE REPORTED, TOWING HEAVY LOADS, ON THE HIGHWAY PASSING AND OTHER SITUATIONS THAT A LOSS OF POWER COULD LEAD TO A FATAL ACCIDENT. THE "NEWLY DESIGNED" CHARGED AIR COOLER HAS BEEN ON BACK ORDER FOR MONTHS AND PEOPLE ARE BEING TOLD TO "DRIVE THEIR VEHICLES CAREFULLY" IF THEIR DEALER DOESN'T PROVIDE A RENTAL OR VEHICLE TO DRIVE WHILE AWAITING REPAIR. MY VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO DEALERSHIP ON 3/21/13 AND HAS BEEN SITTING THEIR AWAITING THE PART AS I FEEL IT IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE. *TR