NHTSA Complaint #10870508 — 2014 FORD ESCAPE

MY ESCAPE SUFFERED A CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE WHILE DRIVING. THE ENGINE FAILURE WHILE DRIVING ON AN INTERSTATE PRESENTS A CLEAR AND POTENTIAL LIFE THREATENING EVENT AS ALL POWER WAS SUDDENLY LOST. AT THE TIME OF ENGINE FAILURE I WAS TRAVELING AT ABOUT 35 MPH. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A LOCAL DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIRS. THE DEALERSHIP TOLD ME THAT THE ENGINE FAILURE WAS DUE TO THE AC COMPRESSOR LOCKING UP CREATING TENSION ON THE DRIVE BELTS THAT RESULTED IN SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER AND ENGINE SHUT DOWN. HAD THIS OCCURRED ON A MAJOR INTERSTATE HIGHWAY WITH SEMI TRUCKS BARRELING UPON YOU, THE RESULTS WOULD HAVE BEEN DEADLY. FORTUNATELY FOR ME THE FAILURE OCCURRED 1/2 MILE BEFORE ENTERING THE INTERSTATE. I HAVE SINCE LEARNED OTHER OWERS OF FORD PRODUCTS HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME THING. THIS IS A SERIOUS DESIGN FLAW THAT NEEDS TO BE FIXED IN THE INTEREST OF PUBLIC SAFETY. I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE NEW AND IT CURRENTLY HAS LESS THAN 13,800 MILES ON THE ODOMETER.