NHTSA Complaint #10543619 — 2010 FORD TAURUS

MY WIFE WAS DRIVING THE CAR ON THE HIGHWAY WHEN IT STALLED WITHOUT WARNING AND LOST ALL POWER (INCLUDING POWER STEERING). THE DOORS ALSO LOCKED AUTOMATICALLY. SHE WAS ABLE TO GET THE CAR TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD SAFELY. THE CAR STARTED NORMALLY A FEW MINUTES LATER AND SHE DROVE IT DIRECTLY TO A FORD DEALERSHIP IN HACKETSTOWN NJ. THEY MADE SOME (IN RETROSPECT QUESTIONABLE) REPAIRS, REPLACING THE BATTERY AND THE FUEL PUMP. WHEN THE CAR WAS PICKED UP IT STALLED AGAIN LEAVING THE DEALERSHIP. WE TOOK IT TO ANOTHER MECHANIC WHO SAID THE FUEL PUMP WAS IMPROPERLY INSTALLED AND FIXED IT. THE CAR RAN FINE FOR ANOTHER FEW MONTHS, BUT STALLED AGAIN, IN THE EXACT SAME MANNER, GOING ABOUT 50 MILES PER HOUR. ONCE AGAIN, AFTER SAFELY NAVIGATING TO THE SHOULDER THE CAR ENGINE STARTED WITHOUT ISSUE. THIS TIME WE TOOK THE CAR TO MANHATTAN FORD AND CONTACTED FORD CUSTOMER CARE. FORD CUSTOMER CARE DID NOT CONCEDE ANY ISSUES WITH THE MODEL, AND USED THE SOMEWHAT CIRCULAR REASONING THAT IF THERE WERE A PROBLEM THE MODEL THEN THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN A RECALL, AND BECAUSE THERE WAS NO RECALL, THERE WAS NO PROBLEM. THEREFORE, THEY CONCLUDED, THE ISSUE RESTED SOLELY WITH MY INDIVIDUAL CAR. ON THE OTHER HAND, FORD CUSTOMER CARE WAS LESS ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT REPORTING THE PROBLEM TO THE NHTSA. WHEN I FIRST REACHED OUT TO THEM ON 9/9/13 THEY SAID I DID NOT NEED TO REPORT ANYTHING SINCE FORD WOULD DO IT ON MY BEHALF. LATER, WHEN I SPOKE TO THE FORD CUSTOMER CARE REGIONAL SUPERVISOR [XXX] ON 9/11/13, SHE DISMISSED THE EFFICACY OF NHTSA, DISCOURAGING ME FROM MAKING A REPORT BY STATING THAT IT WOULD NOT MAKE A DIFFERENCE. FOR THEIR PART, THE MANHATTAN FORD DEALERSHIP SEEMED TO HAVE A GOOD GRASP OF THE SITUATION AND REPLACED THE THROTTLE BODY ASSEMBLY. THE DEALERSHIP EVEN DISCOUNTED THE REPAIR AFTER FORD REFUSED TO COVER IT UNDER THE ENGINE/POWERTRAIN WARRANTY. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR