NHTSA Complaint #10702430 — 2006 MERCURY MARINER HYBRID

MY SON WAS DRIVING TO HIS WORK AS AN EMT. I ALLOWED HIM TO USE MY MARINER. TRAVELING APPROX 65MPH ON THE 5 FREEWAY SOUTH IN SUNLAND, HE HEARD THE ROD GO AND SAW THE LIGHTS ON THE DASH INDICATE THE ENGINE OVERHEATING. HE PULLED OFF THE 5 FREEWAY AND PARKED WEAR IT WAS SAFE AND CALLED FOR HELP. I HAD AAA PICKUP THE VEHICLE AND BRING IT TO THE MECHANIC IN WESTLAKE VILLAGE CA. THEY INDICATED TO ME THAT THE ENGINE HAD THROWN A ROD AND WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THEY THOUGHT IT MIGHT HAVE RUN OUT OF OIL OR SOMETHING ELSE, BUT BOTTOM LINE WAS THAT THE ENGINE WAS DESTROYED. THEY QUOTED ME A PRICE OF $15,000 MINIMUM TO FIX, SO I HAD IT TOWED TO MY DRIVEWAY WHERE IT HAS REMAINED SINCE. IT WASN'T' FOR 10 MONTHS LATER WE WOULD GET ANY INDICATION THAT SOMETHING ELSE MIGHT HAVE CAUSED THIS TO HAPPEN. I LAST SERVICED MY MARINER IN MARCH & MAY OF 2013. MY NEW CONCERN PUTTING 2+2 TOGETHER, IS THAT THOUGH THE CAR WAS DUE FOR AN OIL CHANGE, COULD THIS CATASTROPHIC EVENT HAVE BEEN DUE TO THE OVERHEATED COOLANT SYSTEM THAT AS YET HADN'T BEEN RECALLED? ID LIKE TO SEE IF ANY OTHER MERCURY/FORD CUSTOMERS EXPERIENCED THIS. *TR