NHTSA Complaint #10526042 — 2010 FORD ESCAPE

THE PROBLEM STARTED ON JULY 09, 2013. MY WIFE WAS DROPPING OUR KIDS OFF AT DAYCARE AND A SUMMER PROGRAM WHEN THE CAR JUST LOST ALL POWER COULDN'T ACCELERATE OR ANYTHING. THE VEHICLE COULD JUST COAST. WE HAVE NEVER HAD ANY PROBLEMS WITH THE VEHICLE BEFORE, SO I TOLD HER TO TRY AND SHUT DOWN THE VEHICLE TO RESTART IT. THERE WERE NO WARNING LIGHTS AND IT WORKED FINE. THEN AFTER DROPPING THE KIDS OFF IT HAPPENED TO MORE TIMES TO HER ON HER WAY TO WORK. AFTER I GOT OFF OF WORK, I PICKED UP THE VEHICLE AND DROVE IT AROUND NON-BUSY ROADWAYS TO SEE IF IT COULD HAPPEN TO ME, AND IT DID. I IMMEDIATELY DROPPED IT OFF AT A SERVICE CENTER CLOSE BY. I AM EXTREMELY CONCERNED ABOUT THESE INCIDENTS AFTER LOOKING ONLINE AND FINDING OUT THAT THIS IS NOT A RANDOM INCIDENT. IT IS HAPPENING TO MANY PEOPLE. SOMETHING IN THE THROTTLE BODY GOES BAD CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO GO INTO SOMETHING THAT PEOPLE ARE CALLING "LIMP MODE". MY WIFE WAS DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS WITH VEHICLES BEHIND HER AND MY CHILDREN IN THE CAR. THIS SITUATION COULD HAVE BEEN DEVASTATING AND I AM GLAD THAT IT WASN'T. I DO NOT WANT IT TO BE DEVASTATING FOR ANYONE ELSE EITHER THOUGH. I BELIEVE IT SHOULD BE LOOKED AT CLOSELY. AFTER TALKING TO THE PARTS DEPARTMENT OF A FORD DEALER, IT SEEMS THAT FORD HAS RECOGNIZED THE PROBLEM BY CHANGING THE PART. THE PROBLEM IS THAT IT ONLY HELPS IF YOU CHANGE THE PART. I BELIEVE THAT FORD SHOULD BE DOING SOMETHING ABOUT THIS TO ENSURE NOBODY IS INJURED BADLY OR WORSE. *TR