NHTSA Complaint #10760726 — 2011 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID

WHILE DRIVING EASTBOUND ON I70 THROUGH KANSAS, MY 2011 ESCAPE HYBRID LOST POWER TO THE DRIVE TRAIN. WITHOUT WARNING, THE ENGINE STARTED RACING AS IF IT HAD SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL. WHILE COASTING, I PUT THE CAR INTO NEUTRAL AND THEN BACK TO DRIVE. IT CONTINUED TO BE UNRESPONSIVE TO MY STEPPING ON THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. I COASTED TO A STOP ON THE SHOULDER OF THE HIGHWAY. I DID NOT NOTICE ANY INDICATOR WARNING AT THE TIME, ALTHOUGH IN SUBSEQUENT SIMILAR EVENTS, THE STOP SAFELY HAZARD WARNING LIGHT CAME ON. I TURNED THE IGNITION OFF AND RESTARTED. THE CAR SHOWED NO SIGN OF ANY PROBLEM. I PUT THE CAR IN GEAR AND DROVE ON WITHOUT FURTHER TROUBLE. THE DEALER FOUND NO PROBLEM WITH THE CAR AND SUGGESTED THAT THE PROBLEM WAS SOMEHOW A RANDOM OCCURRENCE THAT WAS UNLIKELY TO HAPPEN AGAIN. AS I DISCOVERED, IT HAPPENED OVER AND OVER AGAIN, BUT ONLY ON LONG TRIPS, AND THE SERVICE PEOPLE COULD NOT REPLICATE THE PROBLEM. MOST RECENTLY THE CAR FAILED AS DESCRIBED NO LESS THAN 16 TIMES ON A 1300 MILE TRIP THIS SUMMER.