NHTSA Complaint #10778131 — 2010 FORD FUSION HYBRID

I HAVE HAD MULTIPLE INCIDENTS WITH MY 2010 FORD FUSION HYBRID WHERE I HAVE BEEN DRIVING AND THE ENGINE WILL SUDDENLY LOSE POWER AND THE THROTTLE BECOMES UNRESPONSIVE. SOME OF THESE INCIDENTS OCCURRED DURING FREEWAY DRIVING. WHEN THIS HAPPENED, AN ORANGE WRENCH WOULD APPEAR ON MY DASH DISPLAY, SOMETIMES ACCOMPANIED BY THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH, I FOUND THAT THIS IS A KNOWN ELECTRONIC THROTTLE BODY ISSUE. PER NHTSA ACTION NUMBER : PE13003, FORD HAD ISSUED AN EXTENDED WARRANTY PROGRAM TO COVER REPLACEMENT OF THIS DEFECTIVE PART, BUT THEY ELECTED TO EXCLUDE THE FUSION HYBRID. UPON CONTACTING FORD CUSTOMER SERVICE AND SPEAKING WITH A SUPERVISOR. I WAS ADVISED THAT FORD WAS EXCLUDING THE HYBRID MODEL BECAUSE ITS 2.5L ENGINE IS DIFFERENT THAN THE 2.5L ENGINES IN THE NON-HYBRID MODELS. WHILE THERE MAY BE DIFFERENCES IN THE ENGINE, THIS IS STILL THE SAME DEFECTIVE PART NUMBER THAT IS IN ALL OF THE OTHER FORD VEHICLES THAT RECEIVED THE EXTENDED WARRANTY, AND ACCORDING TO THE SERVICE MANAGER AT THE DEALERSHIP WHERE I HAD THE CAR SERVICED, THE CAR INCORRECTLY RETURNED THE SAME ERROR CODE (P2112, "THROTTLE BODY STUCK CLOSED") THAT THE COVERED VEHICLES RETURNED. THE SERVICE MANAGER ADVISED THAT IT MAKES NO SENSE THAT MY VEHICLE WOULD BE EXCLUDED AND ADVISED THAT I CONTACT FORD CUSTOMER SERVICE. I WAS ADVISED BY CUSTOMER SERVICE THAT EVEN THOUGH THE PART IS DEFECTIVE WHEN INSTALLED ON SOME VEHICLES, IT MAY NOT BE DEFECTIVE WHEN INSTALLED ON OTHERS. THAT SAID, THE PART DISPLAYED THE SAME PATTERN OF FAILURE, THE SAME SYMPTOMS AND THE SAME ERROR CODES AS THE PART COVERED UNDER THE EXTENDED WARRANTY. IT'S THE SAME DEFECTIVE PART. IT MAKES NO SENSE THAT 1.6 MILLION THROTTLE BODIES MAY BE FAULTY ON NON-HYBRID VEHICLES, BUT THE SAME PART HAPPENS TO BE OKAY ON ALL 60,000 FUSION HYBRIDS. I WAS FORCED TO MAKE THE REPAIR OUT OF POCKET.