NHTSA Complaint #10510498 — 2006 FORD F-150

DRIVING EAST ON I90 (ABOUT 20 MILES WEST OF STEWARTVILLE, MN) DURING FREAK MAY BLIZZARD. DUE TO ROAD CONDITIONS, COULD ONLY DRIVE BETWEEN 15-40 MPH. SUDDENLY THE ENGINE STOPPED RUNNING. I WAS ABLE TO START IT UP AGAIN AND DRIVE ABOUT 3 MINUTES AND THEN IT WOULD DIE AGAIN. THERE WAS NO PLACE TO PULL OVER, AS THE SHOULDERS OF THE ROAD WERE NOT CLEARED AND THERE WAS 12" OF WET HEAVY SNOW. MY TRUCK IS NOT 4WD SO WE WOULD HAVE GOTTEN STUCK. WE HAD TO DRIVE WITH THE HAZARDS ON, BUT IT WAS LOW VISIBILITY AND WE COULD EASILY HAVE BEEN HIT FROM BEHIND. WE COULD NOT GET OFF ON THE EXIT RAMP BECAUSE A SEMI TRUCK JACKNIFED AND THE EXIT WAS CLOSED. WE HAD TO CONTINUE THIS HAZARDOUS JOURNEY TO THE NEXT EXIT, WHICH WAS ABOUT 12 MILES AWAY, TO STEWARTVILLE, MN. WE FOUND A AUTO REPAIR SHOP AND DESCRIBED THE PROBLEM. THE MECHANIC SUSPECTED IMMEDIATELY THAT IT WAS THE FUEL PUMP CONTROL MODULE. HE SAID THAT HE HAS BEEN INSTALLING A LOT OF THESE LATELY ON F150S, ESPECIALLY 2006'S. HE SAID HE FELT THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL, AS IT IS WELL-KNOWN AMONG MECHANICS THAT THESE ARE FAILING AT AN ALARMING RATE. THE PROBLEM IS THAT THE MODULE IS LOCATED TIGHT AGAINST THE FRAME, NEXT TO THE SPARE TIRE, AND THE METAL OF THE MODULE (ALUMINUM) REACTS ADVERSELY WITH THE STEEL METAL OF THE FRAME, CAUSING OXIDATION BETWEEN THE TWO. THIS CAUSES THE MODULE TO BREAK AND FAIL, THUS SHORTING OUT THE CIRCUIT BOARD. FORD KNOWS THAT THIS IS A PROBLEM, AS THE REPLACEMENT PARTS HAVE SPACER PLATES TO KEEP THE MODULE & FRAME SEPARATED. FORD SHOULD ISSUE A RECALL ON THIS PART BEFORE SOMEONE GETS KILLED. WE COULD EASILY HAVE BEEN KILLED, AS WE COULD NOT PULL OFF THE INTERSTATE. THE PART IS RELATIVELY INEXPENSIVE (WE PAID $189 FOR THE PART). WE SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED OF THIS ISSUE. *TR