NHTSA Complaint #10780705 — 2013 FORD FUSION HYBRID

BEGINNING ABOUT JANUARY 2015, AND OCCURRING A TOTAL OF ABOUT SIX TIMES SO FAR, MY WIFE'S 2013 FUSION HYBRID (CURRENTLY WITH 25,500 MILES) EXPERIENCED WHAT FEELS LIKE A POWER SURGE. (I EXPERIENCED THIS ONCE IN THIS VEHICLE; THE REMAINDER WHEN MY WIFE WAS DRIVING.) IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THIS IS RELATED TO THE REGENERATIVE BRAKING SYSTEM AT LEAST IN PART, AS I HAVE SEEN OTHERS DESCRIBE IT AS A FEELING OF HITTING AN ICE PATCH. THE GENERAL CONDITIONS WOULD INCLUDE: A) FOOT ON BRAKE; B) DECELERATING; C) PRESUMABLY IN EV MODE [THOUGH NOT NECESSARILY]; D) BEGINNING A LEFT TURN [BUT WE BELIEVE THIS IS INCIDENTAL]; E) WARM ENGINE; F) LESS THAN 30 MPH. ON OCTOBER 1, 2015, A NEW CONDITION CAUSED THE FEELING OF UNINTENDED ACCELERATION, AS MY WIFE WAS ON A SIDE STREET NEAR OUR HOME WHEN SHE WAS APPROACHING A STOP SIGN AND FELT THE POWER SURGE, WHICH SHE STATES WAS MANY TIMES WORSE THAN ANY OTHER INSTANCE OF THIS EVENT THAT SHE EVER EXPERIENCED. CONDITIONS THIS TIME WERE THE SAME AS ABOVE BUT MOVING STRAIGHT AND LESS THAN 25 MPH. WE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE LOCAL FORD DEALERSHIP THE EVENING OF THE LAST INCIDENT. OF COURSE THEY FOUND NO CODES AND NO EVIDENCE OF ANYTHING WRONG. I ALSO CONTACTED THE FORD CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP CENTER WHILE IT WAS IN THE SHOP TO DOCUMENT THAT WE HAD THIS PROBLEM. THEY SEEMED HELPFUL HOWEVER, UNLESS FORD MOTOR COMPANY AND THEIR ENGINEERING COMMUNITY ACKNOWLEDGE A PROBLEM AND DO SOMETHING TO ADDRESS IT, IT WILL FOREVER BE A GHOST IN THE MACHINE, WITH THE BLAME AND DOUBT FALLING ON THE VEHICLE OWNERS, NOT UNLIKE TOYOTA'S WELL DOCUMENTED, FATAL AND SHAMEFUL UNINTENDED ACCELERATION CASES. I AM CONCERNED ABOUT OUR SAFETY WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE. I HOPE THAT NO ONE GETS HURT OR KILLED WHILE THIS PROBLEM EXISTS AND URGE FORD MOTOR COMPANY TO GET TO THE ROOT OF THE ISSUE THAT MYSELF AND OTHER OWNERS ARE FEARFULLY EXPERIENCING.