NHTSA Complaint #10532259 — 2013 FORD EXPLORER

ON A NIGHT WITH LIGHT RAIN, AFTER TRAVELING 1.5 HRS WITH CRUISE CONTROL ON, I PULLED OFF INTERSTATE EXIT TO MAKE A PHONE CALL. I DID NOT TURN ENGINE OFF. AFTER CALL I PROCEEDED TO GET BACK ON INTERSTATE, WHILE MERGING BACK ONTO INTERSTATE I ACCELERATED HARD TO ATTAIN MERGING SPEED, WHEN I MERGED SAFELY IN FRONT OF SEMI THE ENGINE SHOOK VIOLENTLY AND LOST POWER. TO AVOID BEING HIT, I JERKED VEHICLE INTO EMERGENCY LANE. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS FLASHING AND THE CAR PLACED IN LIMP MODE. I TURNED THE VEHICLE COMPLETELY OF AND RESTARTED THE ENGINE AND EVERY THING APPEARED TO HAVE RETURNED TO NORMAL. I LATER READ THAT NIGHT THAT THE F150 WITH SAME ENGINE WAS HAVING SIMILAR PROBLEMS. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO FORD THE FOLLOWING MONDAY. THE SERVICE ADVISOR INFORMED ME THAT FORD HAS BEEN HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM WITH MY ENGINE THAT IS IN THE FORD F150 IN HUMID AREAS. HE STATED THAT LARGE AMOUNTS OF CONDENSATION FORMS IN THE INTERCOOLER WHEN DRIVING FOR LONG PERIODS WITHOUT UTILIZING TURBO, THEN NEXT TIME YOU ACCELERATE HARD THE TURBOS SUCK ALL THE CONDENSATION INTO THE ENGINE CAUSING A MISFIRE AND PUTS ENGINE INTO LIMP MODE. AFTER A WEEK OF THEM CONTACTING FORD ENGINEERS AND RUNNING TEST, THEY TOLD ME THEY CANNOT REPEAT PROBLEM AND THE ENGINE DID NOT STORE ANY CODES IN THE ECM FROM THE PROBLEM. FORD ALSO TOLD THE DEALER THAT I'M THE ONLY PERSON WITH A 2013 EXPLORER WITH THE 3.5 ECOBOOST ENGINE THAT HAS EVER REPORTED PROBLEM. SINCE THEN I HAVE READ ABOUT TWO LAWSUITS WHICH HAVE BEEN FILED AGAINST FORD INVOLVING THE ECOBOOST ENGINE AND INCLUDED THE 2013 FORD EXPLORER SPORT. APPARENTLY THIS STATEMENT IS NOT TRUE. THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE FOR ME AND MY FAMILY. THE FORD COMPANY IS APPARENTLY DENYING THE ISSUE EXIST, LEAVING ME TO DRIVE A VEHICLE THAT CAN POTENTIALLY PUT MY FAMILY OTHERS WITH THE SAME VEHICLE IN HARMS WAY. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR