NHTSA Complaint #10525712 — 2005 FORD ESCAPE

WITHIN 1/4 MILE OF STARTING AND DRIVING FROM HOME, THE ENGINE BEGAN TO RUN VERY ROUGH, MISFIRING, IDLING ROUGH, ETC. PULLED OVER, OPENED HOOD, ENGINE WAS IDLING VERY ROUGH. NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. BROUGHT IT BACK HOME. TOTAL TRIP WAS LESS THAN 1 MILE. NEXT DAY, STARTED IT UP AGAIN, RAN SMOOTHER, BUT HAD NO POWER; VERY DIFFICULT TO GET ABOVE 20-30MPH. BROUGHT IT TO REPAIR SHOP. THEY DETERMINED THAT ALL THREE CATALYTIC CONVERTERS WERE CLOGGED UP FROM BROKEN/MELTED CATALYTIC CONVERTER INTERNAL PARTS. REPLACED ALL THREE CATALYTIC CONVERTERS, BUT REPAIR SHOP COULD NOT DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE INITIAL MISFIRING AND CATALYTIC CONVERTER DAMAGE. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT NEVER CAME ON AT ANY TIME. TOTAL REPAIR COST $2350.00. CAR HAD BEEN IN THE SAME SHOP EARLIER THAT WEEK FOR STATE INSPECTION AND LUBE-OIL-FILTER. NO ISSUES FOUND AT THAT TIME. BATTERY HAD FAILED TWO DAYS BEFORE THE PROBLEM, AND WAS REPLACED THE MORNING OF THE PROBLEM. THE ISSUE APPEARED UPON FIRST DRIVING THE CAR AFTER THE BATTERY WAS CHANGED. *TR