NHTSA Complaint #10689813 — 2011 FORD F-250 SD

THIS VEHICLES HAS EXPERIENCED TWO INCIDENTS OF THE FAILURE OF THE EGT EXHAUST TEMPERATURE SENSORS. THE FIRST IN OCT. 2014 THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER WHERE THE ISSUE WAS DIAGNOSED AND FIXED. AT THE TIME I WAS A SURPRISED TO DISCOVER THE PURPOSE OF THE SENSORS, BUT NOT OVERLY CONCERNED. IN APRIL 2014, LEAVING TOWN ON A SUNDAY MORNING WITH A HORSE TRAILER IN TOW, AT 40 MPH ON A CITY STREET RECEIVED A MESSAGE THAT TOLD ME TO PULL OVER SAFELY AND WITHIN 60 SECONDS THE ENGINE SHUT DOWN LEAVING ME IN THE RIGHT LANE OF A BUSY STREET WITH TWO HORSE IN THE TRAILER. NO RESTART, CALLED A FRIEND TO COME HELP WITH THE TRAILER AND AAA TO TOW THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER. THIS TIME A DIFFERENT SENSOR FAILED, WITH NO WARNING. THERE ARE SO MANY SCENARIOS WHERE THIS COULD RESULT IN A CATASTROPHIC EVENT, INCLUDING AT HIGHWAY SPEED, WITH THE TRAILER OR IN A REMOTE LOCATION WITH NO ABILITY TO RESTART AND MOVE THE VEHICLE. THE CONCEPT / DESIGN OF THE SENSOR SYSTEM MAKES NO SENSE TO ME; SENSOR IS DESIGNED TO SHUT DOWN THE ENGINE WHEN EGT INDICATE OVERHEATING, SAME RESULT WITH SENSOR FAILURE. THE IDEA IS SHUT DOWN THE ENGINE BEFORE IT OVERHEATS AND CAUSES DAMAGE, YET A SENSOR FAILURE, WHICH IS APPARENTLY A FREQUENT OCCURRENCE, CAN CREATE A VERY DANGEROUS EVENT. I WOULD MUCH PREFER ENGINE DAMAGE TO THE ALTERNATIVE. *TR