NHTSA Complaint #10512473 — 2012 FORD F-150

ON MONDAY DECEMBER 11, MY WIFE AND I LEFT ON A TRIP TO INDIANA WITH APPROXIMATELY 10,400 MILES ON THE TRUCK. AFTER A STOP, AT THE BOWLING GREEN, KY., REST STOP, I PROCEEDED TO RETURN TO TRAFFIC ON INTERSTATE 65. AFTER DETERMINING I COULD SAFELY ACCELERATE IN FRONT OF TWO SEMI-TRAILER TRUCKS, I ENTERED THE HIGHWAY AT APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH AND WENT TO FULL THROTTLE. INSTEAD OF ACCELERATING, THE ENGINE WENT INTO A TOTAL LOSS OF POWER. AMID THE BLOWING OF AIR HORNS AND MY WIFE'S SCREAMS I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO AVOID A COLLISION BY YANKING THE TRUCK ONTO THE EMERGENCY LANE. THE ENGINE DID NOT STOP RUNNING, BUT APPEARED (TO ME) TO BE TOTALLY FLOODED. THE ENGINE RAN ON ?? (NUMBER OF) CYLINDERS FOR APPROXIMATELY ONE EIGHTH OF A MILE BEFORE RETURNING TO RUNNING ON ALL CYLINDERS. I DO NOT THINK THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT BELIEVED ME WHEN THEY LOOKED AT THE TRUCK. I HAVE BEEN A MECHANIC AND AN ENGINEER FOR A LOT OF YEARS, I KNOW WHAT HAPPENED THIS TIME AND IT CAME VERY CLOSE TO A SERIOUS ACCIDENT AND/ OR INJURY TO MY WIFE AND ME. THIS WAS A VERY CLOSE ACCIDENT AVOIDANCE AND IT PRACTICALLY DESTROYED OUR CONFIDENCE IN THE TRUCK. WHILE STILL ON OUR TRIP, WE MADE THE DECISION TO FORGO THE HASSLE OF TRYING TO PERSUADE THE SERVICE DEPT. THERE WAS A PROBLEM, AND GET A DIFFERENT BRAND OF NEW TRUCK. I HAVE TAKEN THE HIGH FINANCIAL LOSS OF TRADING FOR ANOTHER NEW TRUCK. I AM NOT TOTALLY SATISFIED WITH THIS VEHICLE. THE FORD HAS MANY ENHANCEMENTS AND I PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE TRIED HARDER TO GET THE APPROPRIATE SERVICE ACTION. BUT WOULD IT HAVE BEEN WORTH THE RISK OF ANOTHER ENGINE INCIDENT, NO I DO NOT THINK SO. THIS WAS THE SECOND AND MOST SERIOUS INCIDENT AND AFTER FORD SERVICE HAD PRONOUNCED THERE WAS NO PROBLEM WITH MY ENGINE. I SOLD THE TRUCK WITH 11,399 MILES ON THE SPEEDOMETER. *TR