NHTSA Complaint #10979258 — 2013 FORD FUSION

ON APRIL 1, 2017, I WAS STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT ON A HIGHWAY ON MY WAY HOME FROM A TRIP WHEN MY ENGINE TEMPERATURE SPIKED AND I LOST ALL POWER TO THE ENGINE. I WAS BARELY ABLE TO GET IT TO THE MEDIAN. I HAD JUST HEARD ABOUT THE RECALL THAT DAY COINCIDENTALLY, SO I HAD IT TOWED TO A FORD DEALERSHIP ON MONDAY. THEY DETERMINED THAT IT WAS A CRACKED ENGINE HEAD DUE TO OVERHEATING. THE MECHANIC SEEMED UNAWARE OF THE RECALL WHEN I INQUIRED, BUT THEY AGREED TO CHECK INTO IT. THAT WAS TWO AND A HALF WEEKS AGO. I WAS ADVISED TO CONTACT FORD AND HAVE BEEN DEALING WITH THE REGIONAL CUSTOMER SERVICE REP. EVER SINCE. FORD HAS BASICALLY OFFERED NO INFORMATION UNTIL TODAY. TODAY I WAS INFORMED VIA E-MAIL THAT THE RECALL IS FOR THE "COOLANT SENSOR" AND "THIS DOES NOT COVER THE REPAIR TO REPLACE THE CYLINDER HEADS." I HAVE READ THE RECALL AND IT STATES VERY CLEARLY THAT THE DANGER OF THE RECALL IS OVERHEATING AND A CRACKED CYLINDER HEAD. I DO NOT HAVE AN OFFICIAL ESTIMATE YET, BUT I HAVE BEEN ADVISED IT WILL COST ME THOUSANDS TO FIX. THIS IS A CAR THAT IS LESS THAN FIVE YEARS OLD AND 72000 MILES, JUST OUT OF WARRANTY. I CHANGE THE OIL AND CHECK THE FLUIDS REGULARLY. IT WAS APPARENTLY BURNING ANTIFREEZE AT FAST ENOUGH TO CAUSE IT TO OVERHEAT AND CRACK A CYLINDER HEAD. MINE DID NOT CATCH ON FIRE, BUT BASED ON MY UNDERSTANDING OF THE RECALL THIS KIND OF DAMAGE COULD HAVE CAUSED A FIRE AND MANY HAVE CAUGHT FIRE. BASED ON MY READING OF THE RECALL ISSUED BY FORD, THE ONLY SOLUTION THEY ARE OFFERING IS A COOLANT SENSOR. RATHER THAN ADDRESS THE REAL ISSUE OF OVERHEATING AND THE RESULTING DAMAGES, FORD IS APPARENTLY TRYING TO GET AWAY WITH MERELY INSTALLING A SENSOR THAT WILL GIVE YOU A HEADS UP BEFORE YOUR ENGINE EXPLODES. SURELY THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE IN A MODERN VEHICLE.