NHTSA Complaint #10811218 — 2010 FORD FLEX

WHILE WAITING AT A LIGHT IN MY 2010 FORD FLEX THE ENGINE WAS IDLING ROUGH, AFTER THE SIGNAL TURNED GREEN THE POWER SEEMED LOW AND SLUGGISH AS I ACCELERATED. WHEN I WAS AT ABOUT 45 MPH THE ENGINE POWER RETURNED AND SEEMED MORE NORMAL, SUDDENLY WITHOUT NOTICE THE ENGINE TURNED OFF AND ALL DASH LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. I WAS ABLE TO PULL INTO A DRIVE WAY BUT WAS VERY HARD AS THERE WAS NO POWER STEERING. I WAS ABLE TO COAST TO A STOP SAFELY. ONCE STOPPED THERE WAS A VERY STRONG SMELL OF COOLANT. I OPENED THE HOOD AND FOUND A LARGE AMOUNT OF COOLANT ON RIGHT SIDE OF ENGINE. MY CAR WAS TOWED TO MY HOME TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THE ISSUE COULD BE. ON FURTHER INSPECTION IT IS SUSPECTED THAT THE WATER PUMP FAILED WHICH IS INTERNAL TO THE TIMING CHAIN COVER AND THEREFORE DUMPED A LARGE AMOUNT OF COOLANT INTO THE CRANKCASE WHICH THEN CONTAMINATED THE ENGINE OIL AND OVER FILLED THE OIL PAN. I WAS FORTUNATE THAT THIS OCCURRED ON A CITY STREET AND NOT ON THE FREEWAY AS THIS COULD HAVE CAUSED A MAJOR ACCIDENT. ON FURTHER RESEARCH I HAVE FOUND THIS HAS OCCURRED MANY TIMES. THE ENGINE IN QUESTION IS THE CYCLONE ENGINE AND IS FORDS LATEST V6 FAMILY OF GASOLINE ENGINES INTRODUCED IN 2006, AND IS KNOWN AS THE DURATEC 35 WHICH DISPLACES 3.5 L, THE DURATEC 37 WHICH DISPLACES 3.7L AND THE ECOBOOST 35 WHICH IS A TWIN TURBO CHARGED VARIANT OF THE DURATEC 35, THESE ENGINES ARE INSTALLED IN THE FOLLOWING VEHICLES, 2007'PRESENT FORD EDGE, 2010'2012 FORD FUSION SPORT, 2011'PRESENT FORD MUSTANG, 2009'PRESENT FORD FLEX, 2010'PRESENT FORD TAURUS SHO, 2013'PRESENT POLICE INTERCEPTOR SEDAN, 2011'PRESENT FORD EXPLORER, 2013'PRESENT FORD POLICE INTERCEPTOR UTILITY, 2011'PRESENT FORD F-150, 2015'PRESENT FORD EXPEDITION/EXPEDITION EL, 2014'PRESENT FORD TRANSIT, 2015'PRESENT LINCOLN NAVIGATOR/NAVIGATOR L, 2010'PRESENT LINCOLN MKS, 2010'PRESENT LINCOLN MKT, 2007'PRESENT LINCOLN MKX, 2007'PRESENT MAZDA CX-9(MZI).