NHTSA Complaint #10546379 — 2011 FORD ESCAPE

AT HIGHWAY SPEED, ENGINE AND DRIVE TRAIN BECAME TOTALLY UNRESPONSIVE ON CONGESTED DALLAS FREEWAY. WRENCH LIGHT CAME ON, NO OTHER INDICATIONS. VEHICLE LOST ALL SPEED AND WAS FORCED TO CROSS TRAFFIC LANES WITH NO MOTIVE POWER TO SAFETY LANE VERY NEARLY CAUSING THREE DIFFERENT TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS WITH OTHER VEHICLES. TOTALLY LIMP. ONCE PARKED, SHUT OFF MOTOR AND RESTARTED. ENGINE STARTED AND DRIVE TRAIN ENGAGED AGAIN. WRENCH LIGHT NO LONGER APPEARED, NO OTHER INDICATING LAMPS OR ERRORS. RETURNED TO ROADWAY AND WITHIN 5 MINUTES SAME THING RECURRED. PULLED OVER, RESTARTED ENGINE, DRIVE TRAIN REENGAGED, RETURNED TO ROADWAY AND EXITED TO SIDE ROADS TO HOME. ONCE ON THE SIDE ROAD, SAME THING HAPPENED AGAIN IN FRONT OF A SEMI COMING UP FROM BEHIND AND NARROWLY ESCAPED GETTING HIT FROM BEHIND BEFORE PULLING OVER AGAIN. SAME ROUTINE OCCURRED 4 MORE TIMES BEFORE I COULD GET IT INTO THE DEALERSHIP. LAST OCCURRENCE IN ADDITION TO THE WRENCH LIGHT COMING ON AND OFF, THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND STAYED ON. VEHICLE CONDITION IS KNOWN, REPORTED MULTIPLE TIMES AND HAS BEEN INVESTIGATED BY THE NTHSB ALREADY WITHOUT A RECALL. THIS KNOWN CONDITION IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS TO THE OPERATORS OF AFFECTED VEHICLES AND TO OTHER UNSUSPECTING MOTORIST AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC. PRESSURE NEEDS TO BE APPLIED TO FORD MOTOR COMPANY TO ADDRESS THIS MATTER AND NOTIFY AFFECTED OWNERS AND OPERATORS OF AFFECTED VEHICLES. TODAY THE VEHICLE IS AT THE DEALERSHIP AND WITH JUST A THOUSAND OR SO MILES OVER WARRANTY, DEALER SAYS IT IS NOT COVERED AND THE ESTIMATED $600 REPAIR IS MY ISSUE. *TR