NHTSA Complaint #10534349 — 2010 FORD ESCAPE

WE WERE RIDING ON INTERSTATE 40 TRAVELING AT ABOUT 75MPH. MY 18 YEAR OLD SON WAS DRIVING. THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY LOST POWER. WE HAD TO PULL TO THE SIDE OF THE INTERSTATE. LUCKILY THERE WAS NOT ANY TRAFFIC OR TRANSFER TRUCKS DIRECTLY BEHIND US. WITHOUT WARNING, THE VEHICLE LOST POWER AND THE 'WRENCH LIGHT' CAME ON. WE IMMEDIATELY DROPPED DOWN TO ABOUT 40 MPH. WE SAT BESIDE OF THE INTERSTATE AND CALLED MY HUSBAND TO COME TO WHERE WE WERE. WE DID NOT ATTEMPT TO CRANK THE VEHICLE WHILE WAITING FOR HIM BECAUSE WE DID NOT KNOW WHAT WAS WRONG AND FEARED CAUSING FURTHER DAMAGE (I WAS NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE THROTTLE/POWERTRAIN LIGHT WARNING). WHEN MY HUSBAND GOT THERE, WE CRANKED THE VEHICLE AND I DROVE US HOME WITHOUT INCIDENT. I WAS AFRAID TO ALLOW MY SON TO DRIVE IT BECAUSE I FEARED THE SAME THING WOULD HAPPEN AGAIN. I HATE TO THINK WHAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED HAD THERE BEEN ANOTHER CAR OR A TRANSFER TRUCK BEHIND US. DUE TO THE FACT THAT WE LOST POWER WITHOUT WARNING AND SO SUDDENLY, I FEEL THAT IF THERE HAD BEEN A TRANSFER TRUCK DIRECTLY BEHIND US IT WOULD NOT HAVE HAD TIME TO STOP OR SLOW DOWN AND IT WOULD HAVE HIT US. THANKFULLY, WE ARE SCARED, BUT FINE THIS TIME. WE ARE NOW AFRAID TO DRIVE MY 2010 FORD ESCAPE ON ANY INTERSTATE OR IN ANY FAST MOVING TRAFFIC. *TR