NHTSA Complaint #10783095 — 2011 FORD EDGE

ON A FRIDAY AFTERNOON IN BUSY, FAST MOVING HIGHWAY TRAFFIC, I BEGAN A LANE CHANGE TO TURN RIGHT OFF OF THE HIGHWAY ONTO A NEIGHBORHOOD STREET. MY CAR JOLTED THEN ABRUPTLY LOST ALL ACCELERATION. I DID HAVE ELECTRICAL POWER AND POWER STEERING, BUT NO SPEED. I WAS ABLE TO CREEP ALONG AT SNAIL PACE STAYING TO THE FAR RIGHT. I PUT ON MY FLASHERS, AND FORTUNATELY ALL TRAFFIC BEHIND ME COULD SAFELY MANUEVER AROUND TO PASS ME. I WAS QUITE SCARED BY THE SUDDEN ONSET OF THIS PROBLEM, THE LOSS OF CONTROL AND THE FACT THAT THE INSTRUMENT PANEL ONLY GAVE ME "WRENCH" SYMBOL AND NO INSTRUCTIONS OR DESCRIPTIONS THAT WERE HELPFUL. ONCE I TURNED THE CAR OFF AND TURNED IT ON AGAIN, THE SYMBOL LIGHT WAS GONE AND MY CAR DROVE NORMALLY. AT NO TIME PRIOR TO THIS EVENT DID MY INSTRUMENT PANEL DENOTE ANY ISSUE WITH MY POWER TRAIN. ONCE I HAD THIS FAILURE, I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO MY DEALER, MAXWELL FORD IN AUSTIN, AND THEY INFORMED ME THIS IS AN EVENT THAT THEY HAVE SEEN BEFORE. I AM REPORTING IT TO YOU BECAUSE I FEEL THIS WAS A VERY THREATENING SITUATION. LOSING ALL ABILITY TO ACCELERATE PUT ME AT RISK OF BEING HIT FROM BEHIND. I WAS LUCKY TO BE GOING OFF THE HIGHWAY TO THE RIGHT...A LEFT TURN WOULD HAVE BEEN FATAL IN THIS CIRCUMSTANCE, AS THERE WAS NO WAY TO ACCELERATE AND CLEAR MYSELF FROM ONCOMING TRAFFIC. THIS ISSUE SHOULD BE ADDRESSED BY FORD BEFORE SOMEONE GETS KILLED.