NHTSA Complaint #10546524 — 2012 FORD F-150

TRAVELING WITH MY WIFE FROM LITTLE ROCK TO HOUSTON ON A RAINY / HUMID DAY WITH THE TEMPERATURE AT ABOUT 80-85 DEGREES, I ACCELERATED QUICKLY TO PASS ON A 4-LANE HIGHWAY. THE TRUCK BEGAN SHUDDERING VIOLENTLY AND WE EXPERIENCED A LOSS OF POWER. AFTER SLOWING DOWN AND PULLING OFF AND RESTARTING THE TRUCK IT SEEMED TO RUN FINE. THIS HAPPENED TWO MORE TIMES DURING THE TRIP. THE SECOND TIME THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT BEGAN TO FLASH, BUT ENDED UP GOING OFF. THE THIRD TIME THE LIGHT FLASHED AND STAYED ON. AFTER GETTING BACK TO HOUSTON I TOOK THE TRUCK IN AND THEY "REPROGRAMMED THE CAC" AND INSTALLED A NEW "AIR DAM DEFLECTOR PLATE." I JUST GOT THE VEHICLE BACK SO I DO NOT YET KNOW IF THIS FIXED THE PROBLEM PERMANENTLY, HOWEVER, I HAVE SEARCHED NUMEROUS BLOGS AND WEBSITES AND DISCOVERED THAT HUNDREDS OF OTHER OWNERS HAVE HAD THE EXACT SAME EXPERIENCE WITH THEIR 3.5L ECOBOOST ENGINES. I ALSO UNDERSTAND THAT FORD HAS NOT OFFERED ANY KIND OF RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM. THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE POWER LOSS (AND EXACTLY AT A CRITICAL TIME WHEN POWER IS NEEDED) WERE FRIGHTENING AND EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. HAD I BEEN PASSING ON A TWO-LANE ROAD INSTEAD OF A 4-LANE HIGHWAY, WE COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED. THERE IS THE POTENTIAL FOR A HEAD-ON COLLISION, A SECOND CAR REAR-ENDING MY VEHICLE, OR A LOSS OF CONTROL DUE TO THE SHUDDERING AND INSTABILITY AT HIGH SPEEDS. I DID CONTACT FORD REGARDING THIS AND WAS BASICALLY TOLD THERE IS NO RECALL AND THEY JUST RECOMMENDED THAT I HAVE THE REPAIRS DONE. IT IS COMPLETELY RIDICULOUS THAT THEY KNOW ABOUT THIS ISSUE AND DON'T 1) RECALL THE VEHICLES THAT MAY EXPERIENCE THIS PROBLEM AND, 2) LET THE GENERAL PUBLIC KNOW ABOUT THE ISSUE - FOR THOSE PURCHASING A NEW VEHICLE. IT IS DECEPTIVE AND IRRESPONSIBLE. *TR