NHTSA Complaint #11011284 — 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID

I WAS DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE WITH MY 2 YEAR OLD AND 4 YEAR OLD IN THE CAR. I HAD BEEN DRIVING FOR ABOUT 45 MIN AT INTERSTATE SPEEDS, THEN SLOWED DOWN TO ABOUT 5-10 MILES PER HOUR DUE TO TRAFFIC. ALL OF A SUDDEN, WHILE SLOWLY MOVING IN TRAFFIC, A TONE SOUNDED, A RED TRIANGLE APPEARED ON THE DASH AND THE MESSAGE CENTER SHOWED 'STOP SAFELY NOW'. THE ENGINE TURNED OFF, SO THE CAR STALLED AND STOPPED ITSELF FOR ME WITH NO TIME TO REACT. I WAS STUCK IN THE MIDDLE LANE OF A 3 LANE INTERSTATE AND THE CAR WOULD NOT RESTART. IT JUST KEPT THE SAME MESSAGE 'STOP SAFELY NOW', WITH THE RED TRIANGLE DISPLAYED. EVENTUALLY A ROAD RANGER ASSISTED ME TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD BY PUSHING MY DEAD CAR WHILE IN NEUTRAL. I LET THE CAR SIT AND COOL OFF OVER NIGHT AND THEN WAS ABLE TO RESTART IT IN THE MORNING WITH NO ISSUES AT ALL. AFTER READING ONLINE, THE FAILURE SOUNDS IDENTICAL TO OTHER FORD ESCAPE HYBRID PROBLEMS WITH THE FAILURE OF THE MOTOR ELECTRONICS COOLANT (MEC) PUMP. THERE WAS A RECALL THAT COVERED MY VEHICLE MODEL PRODUCTION YEAR MODEL AND LOCATION OF PRODUCTION, NHTSA RECALL NO. : 14V-526 MANUFACTURER RECALL NO. : 14S19. HOWEVER, AFTER INQUIRIES WITH NHSTA AND FORD, BOTH HAVE TOLD ME THAT MY VIN IS NOT COVERED UNDER THE RECALL. THERE IS NO EXPLANATION THAT EITHER ENTITY WILL PROVIDE AS TO WHY MY SPECIFIC VEHICLE, WITH THE SAME PRODUCTION DATE, LOCATION, AND MODEL AS THIS RECALL, DOES NOT FALL UNDER THIS RECALL. I WAS NEVER NOTIFIED OF ANY RECALLS WHEN THE RECALL WAS INITIATED EITHER, IF THIS HAD OCCURRED LESS THAN A MINUTE EARLIER, IT WOULD HAVE CAUSED A MAJOR ACCIDENT AND ONLY BY CHANCE IT OCCURRED WHEN TRAFFIC WAS MOVING SLOWER, LEAVING TIME FOR OTHER DRIVERS TO REACT TO MY STALLED VEHICLE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE INTERSTATE.