NHTSA Complaint #10585892 — 2013 FORD ESCAPE

2013 FORD ESCAPE. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO "ENGINE FAULT- SERVICE NOW" WARNING APPEARED ON THE DASH WHEN STARTING VEHICLE. CONSUMER STATES VEHICLE STALLED AND LOST ALL POWER. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED THE FIRST ENGINE FAULT LIGHT HAPPENED IN OCTOBER 2013. HE TURNED THE ENGINE OFF AND RE-STARTED IT AGAIN, AND THE LIGHT DIDN'T COME BACK ON. THE SECOND FAULT OCCURRENCE AS HE WAS LEAVING THE HOUSE IN MID-FEBRUARY. THE VEHICLE MOVED VERY SLUGGISHLY AND DIDN'T APPEAR TO BE GETTING ANY POWER. ON MARCH 15, 2014, THE VEHICLE STALLED AND LOST ALL POWER. THE ONLY MESSAGE THAT DISPLAYED SAID TO PUT THE VEHICLE IN PARK. FORTUNATELY, THE VEHICLE STARTED AGAIN. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, BUT A DIAGNOSTIC TEST DIDN'T REVEAL ANY PROBLEMS. THE DEALER KEPT THE VEHICLE FOR 2 WEEKS, WITH NO SUCCESS IN FINDING A PROBLEM. THE NEXT MORNING, THE ENGINE FAULT SERVICE NO ERROR MESSAGE APPEARED ON THE DASH. WHEN HIS WIFE ATTEMPTED TO DRIVE AWAY, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED SHARPLY AND TOOK OFF DOWN THE ROAD AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED, LEAVING HER WITH NO CONTROL OF THE ACCELERATION OR SPEED OF THE VEHICLE. SHE APPLIED THE BRAKES, AND THE VEHICLE STOPPED. THE CONSUMER DROVE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER, AND ON THE WAY THERE, IT REPEATEDLY SPUTTERED AND THEN IT SUDDENLY ACCELERATED AND LUNGED FORWARD ALL THE WAY TO DEALER. EVEN THE ENGINE FAULT CODE DISPLAYED ON THE DASH, THE MECHANIC WAS UNABLE TO GET AN ERROR CODE ON THE COMPUTER. THE MECHANIC TEST DROVE THE VEHICLE WITH THE CONSUMER, AND IT WAS THEN THE VEHICLE EXHIBITED EVERYTHING THE CONSUMER WAS REFERRING TO. WHEN THEY RETURNED, THE MECHANIC, HOOKED THE COMPUTER BACK TO THE VEHICLE, AND AN ERROR SHOWED A HARNESS ISSUE, WHICH WAS RELATED TO A WIRE SPLICING INTO TWO WIRES, WHICH SOMEHOW BECAME TANGLED DURING ASSEMBLY. *JB