NHTSA Complaint #10545070 — 2011 FORD ESCAPE

WHILE DRIVING ON MY MORNING WORK COMMUTE I WAS STUNNED WHEN MY 2011 FORD ESCAPE JUST BECAME UNRESPONSIVE AND WAS COASTING ON A 5 LANE FREEWAY DOING 65 MPH. I REALLY DID NOT KNOW WHAT WAS GOING ON SINCE THE ONLY SIGNAL THAT COULD CLASSIFY A PROBLEM WAS THE LITTLE WRENCH LIGHT AT THE BOTTOM LEFT OF THE DASHBOARD THAT WAS ON. I DID NOT DO ANYTHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY, AND I DID NOT NOTICE ANYTHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY WITH THE RIDE. MY OBSERVATIONS - RPMS DROPPED BELOW 1,000, SPEED WAS COASTING BUT DROPPING SINCE THERE WAS NO ACCELERATION, ELECTRICAL WAS ON, STEERING WAS SLUGGISH LIKE SOMETHING WAS WRONG, AND A SMALL SHAKING OF THE VEHICLE OCCURRED. THE ONLY THING I COULD DO IS PUT MY BLINKER TO MOVE TO THE SHOULDER BUT MY FELLOW COMMUTERS DID NOT RESPECT THAT VERY WELL. SO I PROMOTED MY DESIRED TO GET OFF THE FREEWAY BY TURNING MY HAZARD EMERGENCY LIGHTS AND THAT'S WHEN THEY STARTED TO MOVE AWAY FROM ME TO GET TO THE SHOULDER. MY EXPERIENCE DID RATTLE ME SINCE I FELT HOPELESS IN A SENSE THAT I WANTED TO HIT THE BRAKE AND REMEMBERED THAT I WAS ON A FREEWAY WHICH WOULD BE REALLY BAD. AFTER PULLING OVER TO THE SHOULDER I DID MANAGE TO TURN THE VEHICLE OFF COMPLETELY PULL THE KEY OUT AND GIVE IT ABOUT A MINUTE. AFTER I STARTED IT UP AGAIN I FIGURED IT WAS A SINGLE OCCURRENCE, WHICH I WAS WRONG WHEN IT HAPPENED AGAIN ON THE WAY HOME BUT I WAS DOWN THE STREET FROM MY HOUSE.