NHTSA Complaint #10562594 — 2002 FORD ESCAPE

ON NOV 26 I WAS DRIVING TO MY WORK AT 45 MILES PER HOUR AND THE DISTANCE I KEPT FROM THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME WAS SUFFICIENT TO ALLOW ME STOPPING ADEQUATELY. SUDDENLY, I NOTICED THAT TRAFFIC WAS APPROACHING TO A RED LIGHT SO I TAP ON THE BRAKES TO SLOW DOWN AND STOP. HOWEVER, THE BRAKES WERE NOT REDUCING THE SPEED SO IMMEDIATELY I STAMPED ON THE BRAKE PEDAL TO LET THE CAR STOP WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY, I LOOKED TO REALIZE THAT I COULD NOT CHANGE LANES. AT THIS POINT I WAS LEFT WITH NO TIME TO GEAR DOWN THE TRANSMISSION OR TO PULL THE EMERGENCY BRAKE. CONSEQUENTLY, MY FORD ESCAPE WAS FORCED TO STOP BY CRASHING INTO THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME AND PRODUCING A DOMINO EFFECT INVOLVING A THIRD VEHICLE IN FRONT OF US. FORTUNATELY, NO PERSONAL INJURIES WERE REPORTED FROM THE OTHER TWO DRIVERS WHOSE CARS WERE INVOLVED.. I DID SUFFERED SLIGHT NECK PAIN AND AFTER VISITING THE HOSPITAL I DID NOT HAD MAJOR INJURIES OR NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT SO FAR. IN REGARDS TO PERSONAL PROPERTY DAMAGES, THE TWO CARS IN FRONT OF MINE, HAD MINIMAL DAMAGES BUT, MINE WAS SEVERELY DAMAGED TO THE POINT IS TOTALLY INOPERABLE. ALL CLAIMS WERE REPORTED AND TAKEN CARE BY GEICO, MY INSURANCE COMPANY. ALSO A TRAFFIC CRASH CAR REPORT WAS FILED. I RECEIVED A DRIVING TRAFFIC CITATION FROM THE POLICE, WHICH I PLAN TO ESCALATE TO THE COURTHOUSE, AFTER KNOWING THAT THE BRAKE FAILURE I EXPERIENCED RESULTED FROM MANUFACTURER'S DEFECTS REPORTED BY FORD UNDER RECALLS 11S24 AND 12 S37. * PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS WRITING IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES AND TO ALERT ANY OTHER DRIVERS TO PERFORM ON-TIME MAINTENANCE CHECK-UPS TO PREVENT SIMILAR OR WORST SCENARIOS. *TR