NHTSA Complaint #10544150 — 2010 FORD ESCAPE

TONIGHT I WAS DRIVING HOME DOING ABOUT 55MPH WHEN MY VEHICLE SUDDENLY SHUDDERED AND LOST ALL POWER. LUCKILY I WAS ABLE TO COAST IT TO WHERE IT WAS MOSTLY OFF OF THE ROAD. IT DID NOT DIE BUT CONTINUED TO SHAKE WHILE IN HIGH IDLE. THE POWER STEERING WAS NOT WORKING PROPERLY AND NO ENGINE LIGHTS CAME ON. PUSHING THE GAS PEDAL PRODUCED ZERO RESULTS. I SHUT IT DOWN AND PONDERED WHETHER TO TRY AND START IT BACK UP OR JUST CALL A TOW TRUCK. BEING OUT IN THE COUNTRY I DECIDED TO TAKE A CHANCE. IT STARTED UP AND RAN FINE...FOR LESS THAN TWO MILES...WHEN IT REPEATED THE SAME SCENARIO ONLY IN A MUCH MORE DRAMATIC LOSS OF POWER SHUDDER AND REAL ROUGH IDLE. WRENCH LIGHT CAME ON. I TOOK A PICTURE OF THE DISPLAY PANELS. DIDN'T NOTICE THE LOSS OF POWER STEERING THAT TIME AND THE ENGINE DID NOT DIE. CALLED THE DEALERSHIP... NO TOW TRUCK AVAILABLE. TOOK MY CHANCES AGAIN AND DROVE IT TO THE DEALERSHIP SINCE IT WAS ONLY A FEW MILES FURTHER THEN GOING HOME. DIDN'T HAVE ANY PROBLEM DURING THAT DRIVE BUT DETECTED AN ENGINE WHINE SOUND THAT I HAD NEVER NOTICED BEFORE. VEHICLE HAS 53,393 MILES ON IT. ENGINE WAS PULLED AT 8K FOR OIL LEAKS. HAVE HAD NUMEROUS INCIDENTS OF SHIFTING CLUNKING SOUND AT TAKE OFF OVER THE LIFE OF IT. HAVE HAD BRAKES FAIL IN REVERSE. ALWAYS PUMP THEM BEFORE BACKING OUT OF MY GARAGE TO MAKE SURE THEY'RE WORKING OK THAT DAY. ALL WORK, RIGHT DOWN TO TIRE ROTATIONS HAVE BEEN DONE ONLY AT THE DEALERSHIP I PURCHASED THIS BRAND NEW AT. LUCKILY I PURCHASED AN EXTENDED WARRANTY. GUESS I'LL LEARN TOMORROW WHAT'S UP WITH IT THIS TIME. SAD TO HAVE A $28,000 VEHICLE THAT I'VE NEVER REALLY TRUSTED SINCE ITS EARLY FAILURE. JUST THANKFUL I WASN'T STILL ON THE INTERSTATE MOVING ALONG IN 70+ MPH RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC. I WILL NEVER TRUST THIS VEHICLE AGAIN AFTER EXPERIENCING THIS. *TR