NHTSA Complaint #10513579 — 2011 FORD ESCAPE

I WAS IDLING AT A STAND-STILL ON THE HIGHWAY (OR VERY CLOSE TO A STAND-STILL - MAY HAVE BEEN ROLLING AT APPROX. 5 MILES PER HOUR) AS TRAFFIC CAME TO A STOP DUE TO A LANE MERGE AHEAD. WHEN TRAFFIC STARTED TO SLOWLY MOVE FORWARD AGAIN, I TOOK MY FOOT OFF THE BRAKE AND STEPPED ON THE GAS PEDAL TO ACCELERATE FORWARD BUT THE CAR DID NOT MOVE. I TRIED STEPPING ON THE GAS PEDAL ONCE MORE AND AGAIN THE CAR WOULD NOT MOVE FORWARD. SINCE THE CAR WAS STILL IN DRIVE GEAR, I MANAGED TO GET THE CAR TO ROLL INTO THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD ON ITS OWN TO GET OUT OF THE WAY OF TRAFFIC. CAR STARTED TO BUCK AND VIBRATE WHEN I TRIED USING THE GAS PEDAL AGAIN TO ACCELERATE FORWARD IN THE SHOULDER AND WOULD STILL NOT MOVE FORWARD. I NOTICED THEN THAT THE ORANGE WRENCH ICON WAS LIT UP ON THE DASH. I THEN PUT THE CAR IN PARK AND TURNED THE ENGINE OFF AS I FELT IT WAS NO LONGER SAFE TO DRIVE. HAD TO CALL A TOW TRUCK TO TOW THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP. DEALERSHIP DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS AN ISSUE WITH THE THROTTLE BODY AND SAID IT WAS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY AS IT WAS AN ELECTRONIC/EXTERNAL PART. HAD BOUGHT THE CAR BRAND NEW IN DEC 2010. I WAS DISAPPOINTED THAT THE CAR WAS LESS THAN 2 1/2 YEARS OLD AND HAD A MAJOR PROBLEM THAT COULD HAVE LED TO A DANGEROUS SITUATION. I WAS MOVING SLOWLY IN A CONSTRUCTION ZONE DURING HOLIDAY TRAFFIC WHEN THE INCIDENT OCCURRED, AND I WAS LUCKY THAT I WAS NOT IN A BUSY INTERSECTION OR TRAVELING AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED WHEN I LOST ACCELERATION DUE TO THE THROTTLE BODY PROBLEM. *TR