NHTSA Complaint #10691042 — 2006 FORD ESCAPE

I BOUGHT A USED 2006 FORD ESCAPE FROM PASADENA AUTO PLANET IN SOUTH HOUSTON TX. ON 1/31/15. ABOUT A WEEK LATER I THOUGHT I SAW SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER MY HOOD BUT I DISMISSED IT BECAUSE THERE WAS A CAR IN FRONT OF ME WITH SMOKE COMING FROM THE MUFFLER. ON ANOTHER DAY THE SAME THING. I WASN'T BEHIND ANY CAR AND I SAW SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER MY HOOD SO I PULLED OVER. I COULD SMELL COOLANT. MY CAR DID NOT INDICATE OVERHEATING BECAUSE IT IS COLD OUTSIDE. WHEN I LIFTED MY HOOD SMOKE GALORE CAME OUT FROM THE RADIATOR. IT WAS DARK SO I COULDN'T SEE ANYTHING. THE NEXT MORNING I TOOK IT TO A MECHANIC AND WE DISCOVERED THE RADIATOR WAS CRUSHED FROM AN APPARENT PRIOR ACCIDENT AND THE FANS WEREN'T WORKING EITHER. I CALLED THE CAR LOT THE NEXT MORNING AND SPOKE WITH A MAN NAMED [XXX]. I TOLD HIM THE SITUATION. HE TOLD ME WHEN HE GOT TO THE CAR LOT HE WOULD PULL MY FILE AND CALL ME BACK. 3 HOURS WENT BY AND NOTHING. SO I WENT TO THE CAR LOT AND THERE HE WAS. HE DID NOT LOOK HAPPY TO SEE ME. I WENT INSIDE AND TOLD HIM AGAIN ABOUT THE DAMAGED RADIATOR. WE WALKED OUTSIDE AND HE LIFTED THE TOP OFF THE COOLANT SYSTEM AND SAID TO ME, "WELL, YOU DON'T HAVE ANY FLUID IN HERE." LIKE HE WAS TRYING TO DANCE ALL AROUND IT. I FINALLY MADE HIM GET ON HIS KNEES AND LOOK AT THE DAMAGE AND HE SAID, "OH, THAT'S JUST THE CONDENSER." SO I ASKED HIM WHAT WAS HE GOING TO DO ABOUT IT. HE SAID HE WOULD "TRY" TO GET APPROVAL TO FIX IT AT NO COST TO ME. I DECIDED I DON'T WANT THEM FIXING IT BECAUSE AT THIS POINT I DO NOT TRUST THEM. I WANT MY MONEY BACK. AFTER RESEARCHING, I FOUND OUT THAT FIRE CAN RESULT FROM A CAR OVERHEATING SO HE SOLD ME A SAFETY HAZARD. MY 1ST CAR PAYMENT IS DUE THIS SATURDAY, 2/28/15. I'M NOT PAYING IT FOR I JUST WANT MY MONEY BACK. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR