NHTSA Complaint #10730371 — 2012 FORD EXPLORER

DRIVING TO WORK AT THE NORMAL SPEED LIMIT 6:30 AM IN LIGHT TRAFFIC. AMBIENT TEMPERATURE WAS 65 DEGREES IN DRY CONDITIONS. SUDDENLY FELT LIKE THE TRANSMISSION HAD BEEN PLACED IN NEUTRAL. ENGINE CONTINUED TO RUN BUT NO POWER TO THE TRANSMISSION. WAS ABLE TO LET THE CAR COAST UNTIL I COULD TURN ON TO A SIDE STREET AND STOP. AN ERROR CONDITION DISPLAYED "AWD OFF" AND THEN A WRENCH ICON APPEARED. I PLACED THE TRANSMISSION IN PARK AND TURNED OFF THE ENGINE. RESTARTED THE ENGINE AND THE CAR RESUMED NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS. TOOK THE CAR THE NEXT DAY TO THE FORD DEALERSHIP. WAS TOLD THAT NO ERROR CODE WAS CAPTURED SO THEY COULD NOT DO ANYTHING. I ASKED HOW IT WAS THAT THE COMPUTER COULD DISPLAY THE "AWD OFF" MESSAGE AND THE WRENCH ICON WITHOUT A CODE BEING STORED. NO RESPONSE. WAS TOLD TO LEAVE CAR RUNNING NEXT TIME, CALL A TOW TRUCK AND THEN THEY COULD GET THE CODE. OF COURSE, I AM NOT ALWAYS CLOSE TO THE DEALERSHIP, IT COULD HAPPEN AFTER THEY CLOSED OR ON A WEEKEND. NOTED THAT IN MARCH 2014 FORD SETTLED A COMPLAINT ON "THROTTLE BODY" PROBLEMS IN ESCAPE, FUSION, ETC, THAT HAD A SIMILAR DESCRIPTION. EXPLORER WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THAT SETTLEMENT. *TR