NHTSA Complaint #10541693 — 2013 FORD C-MAX HYBRID

6 OF 21 AVAILABLE PLUG-IN MILES REMAINING, DRIVING IN NORMAL FREEWAY TRAFFIC. VEHICLE SUDDENLY LOST POWER AND WENT INTO "STOP SAFELY NOW" MODE WITH WRENCH ICON AND RED WARNING TRIANGLE. VEHICLE RETAINED MINIMAL POWER AVAILABILITY AND WAS EVENTUALLY ABLE TO LIMP VEHICLE OUT OF TRAFFIC AND ONTO SIDE ROAD. CALLED TWO DIFFERENT DEALERS AND WAS TOLD TO WAIT A FEW MINUTES AND RESTART. AFTER 10 TO 12 MINUTES AND THREE RESTART ATTEMPTS, FINALLY RESTARTED WITH FULL FUNCTIONALITY RESTORED. ERROR AGAIN APPEARED JUST AS I REACHED HOME. CALLED DEALER AGAIN AND WAS TOLD BATTERY MUST HAVE OVERHEATED; CHECK AGAIN IN THE MORNING AND IT SHOULD BE FINE. THIS IS THE THIRD TIME THE PROBLEM HAS OCCURRED SINCE PURCHASE IN MID-JUNE 2012. EACH TIME TAKEN TO DEALER THEY CAN FIND "NOTHING WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE - NO ERROR CODES SET." CONCERNED ABOUT THE SUDDEN LOSS OF PROPULSION POWER IN FREEWAY TRAFFIC, AND LIMITED KNOWLEDGE OF SERVICE PEOPLE / LIMITED RETENTION OF ERROR CONDITION CODES BY THE VEHICLE'S COMPUTERS. RUNNING A FORD SYNC VEHICLE HEALTH REPORT IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE EVENT OCCURS SHOWS ALL SYSTEMS "OKAY." *JB