NHTSA Complaint #10689858 — 2011 FORD F-450 SD

TRUCK WAS PULLING MY 16K 5TH WHEEL CAMPER OVER THE PASSES BETWEEN MONTANA AND IDAHO IN TOW HAUL MODE UP AND DOWN. THESE ARE ONLY 4,200 FOOT PASSES BUT STEEP. USUALLY IN 6TH GEAR BUT SOMETIMES 4TH GOING 50-55; OIL TEMPS SHOW AS 220 TO 239 THEN THE BIG FAN KICKS IN TO COOL IT. ON ONE OF THE SMALLER PASSES, SHORTLY AFTER I CRESTED THE HILL THE TRUCK SHARPLY DOWN SHIFTED (I THINK IT SKIPPED 4TH AND WENT INTO 3RD. IMMEDIATELY THEREAFTER THE "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT CAME ON, ?TOOL? EMBLEM SHOWED ON DASH, "LOW POWER" NOTICE SHOWED ON DASH, AND I BARELY HAD TIME TO GET HALFWAY OFF THE ROAD BEFORE I LOST POWER STEERING AND BRAKES. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A HORRIFIC DISASTER ON JUST ABOUT ANY OTHER INTERSTATE HIGHWAY LOCATION, LET ALONE TWO LANE ROADS THAT WE HAVE BEEN WITH OUR TRUCK/TRAILER. AS IT WAS, IT WAS ONE VERY SCARY TEN SECONDS. I HAD NO POWER STEERING OR BRAKES. LATER I LEARNED THAT IF IT HAPPENS AGAIN THAT I SHOULD KEEP IT ABOVE 5 MPH TO GET OFF ROAD AND LINED UP, THEN STOMP ON BRAKES BECAUSE YOU ONLY HAVE ONE CHANCE. ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, "?CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT IS RED, BUT NO OTHER WARNING LIGHTS NOW. I CAN GET NO REVS OUT OF ENGINE. I TURN OFF KEY AND SHUT DOWN. CHECK FLUIDS UNDERNEATH, AND UNDER HOOD ALL IS WELL. TRY PHONE - NO COVERAGE. CLOSEST TOWN IS 16 MILES. RESTART ENGINE AFTER 5 MINUTES. IT WAS ABOUT 60 OUTSIDE AT THE TOP OF THE PASS, AND I CAN NOW REV ENGINE, BUT ENGINE LIGHT IS ON. HEAD TO TOWN, GET CELL COVERAGE ON NEXT RISE AND CALL AHEAD TO NEAREST FORD DEALER FOR DIRECTIONS. ANOTHER PASS IS BETWEEN US - 4TH OF JULY, A TALLER ONE THAN THE SHUTDOWN EVENT. IDAHO DEALER ([XXX], LAKE CITY FORD) KINDLY SQUEEZES ME IN. SEE ENGINE LIGHT ON. TECH [XXX] SEES LIGHT AND RUNS SCAN AND SEES NO RECORD OF ANY CODES IN ANY SYSTEMS. WHAT THE?? NEXT MORNING, FORD TOLD DEALER THAT THERE IS NO WAY THAT A CODE DID NOT REGISTER IF THE LIGHT WAS ON. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR