NHTSA Complaint #10701545 — 2014 FORD ESCAPE

ONCE AGAIN VEHICLE WOULD NOT START AFTER BEING PARKED FOR OVER AN HOUR. TRIED SEVERAL TIMES TO START. ALL DASH LIGHTS AND HEADLIGHTS, RADIO, WINDOWS, ETC. WOULD FUNCTION, BUT NO INDICATION OF IGNITION WHEN KEY WAS TURNED. TRIED BOTH KEYS TO MAKE SURE IT WAS NOT A BAD KEY. NEITHER KEY WORKED. LEFT CAR WHERE PARKED OVERNIGHT AND RETURNED IN THE MORNING. CAR STARTED. CALLED DEALER AND IT WAS SUGGESTED THAT I DRIVE THE CAR IN, RATHER THAN HAVE IT TOWED IN. I DID. I LEFT THE CAR AT THE DEALER AND WAS INFORMED LATER THAT DAY THAT THEY HAD BEEN ABLE TO VERIFY MY COMPLIANT. THEY INDICATED THAT IT WAS A BUILD UP OF RESISTANCE IN A WIRE THEN THE ENGINE WAS HOT. IT WAS WRAPPED AND I WAS ASSURED THE I WOULD NO LONGER HAVE THE PROBLEM. I DID SOME RESEARCH AND FOUND THAT SOME 2013-14 FORD ESCAPES HAVE BEEN RECALLED FOR INSUFFICIENT COMPRESSION OF CASING AROUND THE WIRING, CAUSING EXACTLY THE PROBLEMS I HAVE BEEN HAVING. ALL THE POTENTIAL PROBLEMS LISTED IN THE RECALL, SHORT OF A POSSIBLE CRASH HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCED TO DATE! MY VEHICLE WAS MANUFACTURED AT ONE OF THE AFFECTED ASSEMBLY PLANTS DURING THE AFFECTED DATES. HOWEVER, THE RECALL INDICATES 2.0 LITER ENGINES. MINE IS A 1.6 LITER ENGINE. THEREFORE, DEALER SAID THEY COULD NOT DO ANYTHING FOR ME AND ASSURED ME THE PROBLEM HAD BEEN SOLVED. I REQUESTED THAT THE WIRING HARNESS BE REPLACED BECAUSE I FELT UNSAFE IN MY VEHICLE AND WAS AFRAID THAT IT WOULD STOP SUDDENLY AND I COULD CRASH. I WAS TOLD THAT REPAIR WAS NOT POSSIBLE, BECAUSE MY SPECIFIC VIN WAS NOT RECALLED. I WAS ASSURED THAT I SHOULD HAVE NO FURTHER PROBLEMS. I ACCEPTED THE RETURN OF MY VEHICLE, WITH THE ASSURANCE THAT IF IT HAPPENED AGAIN, WE WOULD ESCALATE MY REQUEST FOR REPLACEMENT OF THE WIRING HARNESS. THE DEALER HAD MY CAR FOR OVER A WEEK. *TR