NHTSA Complaint #10893624 — 2015 FORD EDGE

THE ETB (ELECTRONIC THROTTLE BODY) IN OUR CAR MALFUNCTIONED, CAUSING THE TRANSMISSION TO DISENGAGE WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. THE ENGINE STILL RAN, BUT THE TRANSMISSION WAS NON-FUNCTIONAL. IT WAS ONLY AFTER COASTING TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND RE-STARTING THE VEHICLE COULD THE TRANSMISSION ENGAGE TO GET HOME. THIS HAPPENED TWICE WITHIN FOUR MILES. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER AND THE ETB REPLACED. THE SERVICE REP SAID THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH FORD VEHICLES. I ASKED IT THE REPLACEMENT ETB A CORRECTIVE PART TO FIX THIS ISSUE, BUT HE STATED HE 'DID NOT KNOW'. THIS CAR HAS ONLY 9300 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. MY CONCERN IS THAT THIS COULD BE A VERY SERIOUS AND DANGEROUS PROBLEM IN SOME CIRCUMSTANCES, SUCH AS BEING IN THE MIDDLE OF A HIGH-SPEED MULTI-LANE TURNPIKE. YOU CAN EASILY IMAGINE BEING STALLED IN SUCH AN INSTANCE AND BEING HIT FROM BEHIND BY FOLLOWING TRAFFIC. MY ONLINE RESEARCH SHOWS THIS IS A PROBLEM DATING BACK ON FORD VEHICLES FROM 2009 AT LEAST, AND THAT THE NHTSA IS 'STUDYING' THE PROBLEM, BUT NO RECALL HAS BEEN ISSUED. MY QUESTION IS WHY HASN'T THIS BEEN DONE SINCE I AM CONVINCED MOST PEOPLE WOULD CONSIDER THIS ISSUE AS AN EXTREMELY SERIOUS HEALTH AND SAFETY CONCERN, VERY DANGEROUS TO BOTH SUCH VEHICLE OWNERS, AND OTHER TRAFFIC.