NHTSA Complaint #10747652 — 2013 FORD ESCAPE

MY 2013 FORD ESCAPE SEL IS EQUIPPED WITH AN INTELLIGENT KEY SYSTEM. THIS KEY ALLOWS THE DRIVER TO UNLOCK THE CAR BY SIMPLY TOUCHING THE DOOR HANDLE. THE SYSTEM ALSO INCLUDES A FEATURE THAT PREVENTS THE DOORS FROM LOCKING OR UNLOCKS THE DOORS IMMEDIATELY IF KEYS ARE LEFT INSIDE THE CAR WITHOUT A DRIVER OR PASSENGER PRESENT. THE CAR ALSO INCLUDES A AUTO-LOCKING FEATURE THAT IS SUPPOSED TO LOCK ALL DOORS ONLY WHEN THE CAR IS IN DRIVE AND BEGINS MOVING ABOVE 5 MPH. ON THREE OCCASIONS, INCLUDING THE LAST (7/22/2015) THIS SYSTEM HAS MALFUNCTIONED TO SUCH A DEGREE THAT ITS BEHAVIOR WAS THE EXACT OPPOSITE OF ITS INTENDED DESIGN. ON TWO OCCASIONS INVOLVING MY WIFE, WHO NATURALLY CARRIES THE KEYS IN HER PURSE. SHE HAS GOTTEN OUT OF THE CAR OR LOADED THE CAR FROM THE PASSENGER SIDE AND CLOSED THE DOOR WITHOUT LOCKING THE CAR MANUALLY. HER KEYS REMAINED IN HER BAG ON THE PASSENGER SIDE, WHILE SHE WALKED AROUND THE CAR TO RETRIEVE THEM OR TO ENTER THE DRIVERS SIDE. ON THESE OCCASIONS THE CAR HAS LOCKED ITSELF WITH THE KEYS INSIDE AS SOON AS SHE CLOSED THE DOOR AND SHE COULD NOT GET INTO THE CAR. THE FIRST TIME A WINDOW HAD TO BE BROKEN TO REGAIN ACCESS, THE SECOND THE DOOR WAS OPENED BY A LOCKSMITH. THE LAST TIME WE WERE AT A RESTAURANT I HAD A KEY IN MY SHIRT POCKET AND MY WIFE HAD HERS IN HER PURSE, WE GOT OUT TO SPEAK WITH FRIENDS BEFORE WE WENT IN. WHEN MY WIFE TURNED TO GET HER PURSE THE DOORS WERE LOCKED AND WOULD NOT UNLOCK, I WALKED OVER TO OPEN THE DOOR THERE WAS NO RESPONSE FROM ANY DOOR, PULLED THE KEY FROM MY POCKET AND PRESSED THE UNLOCK BUTTON NO RESPONSE, PUSHED IT TWO MORE TIMES BEFORE THE DRIVERS DOOR UNLOCKED. ALL OF THESE HAPPENED IN TEMPERATURES ABOVE 97 THERE ARE TWO MAJOR FAILINGS OCCURRING. IF YOU GET OUT OF THE CAR WITHOUT THE KEYS AND CLOSE THE DOOR, IT CAN LOCK ITSELF. MAYBE WITH A CHILD INSIDE. FORD CANNOT REPLICATE THIS INTERMITTENT PROBLEM.