NHTSA Complaint #10587342 — 2006 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID

TIME OF DAY: 1800, TEMPERATURE ABOUT 80F. "STOP SAFELY NOW" MESSAGE APPEARED ON CONSOLE. VEHICLE SLOWED DOWN WHILE TRAVELING AT 65MPH ON AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY DURING A HEAVY RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC. FORTUNATELY, I WAS TRAVELING ON THE LEFT LANE AND SAFELY MOVED TO THE LEFT CURB AND WITHIN SECONDS THE ENGINE DIED. I KEPT TRYING TO START BUT NO SUCCESS. WHILE ON THE PHONE WITH THE INSURANCE COMPANY FOR A TOW TRUCK, I TRIED AGAIN, AND THE ENGINE RESTARTED. I WAS ABLE TO CONTINUE DRIVING HOME FOR ABOUT 25 MINUTES, APPROXIMATELY 15 MILES. WHILE APPROACHING A TRAFFIC LIGHT, THE "STOP SAFELY NOW" MESSAGE APPEARED AND THIS TIME THE CAR DIED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET. THIS TIME, IT DIED WITHIN 3 SECONDS AFTER THE MESSAGE APPEARED. IT WAS A MAJOR SAFETY HAZARD WHEN OTHER CARS WERE APPROACHING AND WITH VERY LITTLE ROOM TO STOP AND REACT. THIS WAS IN A 35 MPH RESIDENTIAL ZONE. I HAD TO CALL A LOCAL POLICE DEPARTMENT TO ASSIST MANAGING THE TRAFFIC. AFTER ABOUT 15 MINUTES, I WAS ABLE TO START THE CAR AGAIN AND CONTINUED THE LAST 2 BLOCKS TO MY RESIDENT. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE THAT COULD HAVE RESULTED IN MULTI CARS ACCIDENT HAD I NOT HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO DRIVE TO THE CURB BEFORE IT STOPPED. *TR