NHTSA Complaint #10615084 — 2011 FORD F-150

WHILE ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE AND PASS SLOWER TRAFFIC ON THE HIGHWAY, MY 2011 F150 (4X4, ECOBOOST) TRUCK LOST ALMOST ALL ENGINE POWER, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT STARTED TO BLINK, AND THE ENTIRE TRUCK SHOOK VIOLENTLY. DUE TO THE TRUCK'S SUDDEN DECELERATION WITHOUT BRAKE LIGHTS SIGNALING IT, ONCOMING TRAFFIC (INCLUDING A LARGE TRACTOR/TRAILER) APPROACHED FROM BEHIND RAPIDLY AND EVERYONE HAD TO BRAKE ABRUPTLY TO AVOID A COLLISION. I TURNED ON MY HAZARD LIGHTS, PULLED THE TRUCK TO THE RIGHT SHOULDER AND SAT THERE FOR A FEW MINUTES WHILE I CALLED WORK TO INFORM THEM THAT I WOULD LIKELY HAVE TO WAIT FOR A TOW TRUCK AND BE DELAYED. DURING THAT CALL, THE ENGINE LIGHT STOPPED BLINKING AND THE TRUCK BEGAN RUNNING NORMALLY AGAIN. I REENTERED THE HIGHWAY WHEN TRAFFIC WAS CLEAR AND THE TRUCK PROCEEDED TO RUN NORMALLY UNTIL I REACHED MY WORKPLACE (ROUGHLY 2-3 MORE MILES ON THE HIGHWAY AND ABOUT 5 MILES THROUGH THE CITY). A LESS SEVERE INSTANCE OF THIS OCCURRED MONTHS BEFORE. IN THAT CASE, THERE WAS A SHORT POWER LAG UPON ATTEMPTED ACCELERATION, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT BLINKED 2-3 TIMES AND THEN STOPPED BLINKING AND THE TRUCK DID NOT SHAKE AT ALL. THE WHOLE EPISODE DISAPPEARED AS QUICKLY AS IT APPEARED AFTER LETTING OFF THE ACCELERATOR FOR A SECOND OR TWO. I BELIEVED IT WAS A ONE-OFF THING. AFTER TODAY'S MUCH MORE SEVERE EPISODE, IT IS CLEARLY NOT A ONE-OFF AND OBVIOUSLY HAS THE POTENTIAL TO CAUSE AN UNSAFE SITUATION. CONDITIONS (IN CENTRAL PA) AT THE TIME OF TODAY'S OCCURRENCE (7:45AM): TEMP: 69F, HUMIDITY: 96%, OVERCAST (NOT RAINING), WIND: 0MPH, TRUCK SPEED: ABOUT 65MPH, A/C: ON AUTO SET TO 72F, LOAD: DRIVER W/ PERSONAL BELONGINGS (NO EXTRA LOAD). *TR