NHTSA Complaint #11020110 — 2013 FORD ESCAPE

FIRST INCIDENT: AUGUST 3RD 2016 WHILE DRIVING 50MPH CAR DISPLAYED A ENGINE OVERHEATING WARNING MESSAGE AND SLOWED DOWN AS I PULLED OFF THE ROAD. AFTER A FEW MINUTES I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE AGAIN AND THE MESSAGE DID NOT REAPPEAR, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON. I TOOK THE CAR TO KEARNEY PERSON FORD 7303 CLAIREMONT MESA BLVD SAN DIEGO, CA 92111 THEY TOLD ME THEY COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG AND TURNED THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT OFF. SECOND INCIDENT: DRIVING TO WORK EARLIER THIS YEAR 2017 I GOT THE SAME MESSAGE THAT MY ENGINE COOLANT WAS LOW, AND TO SLOW DOWN BECAUSE OF CRITICAL OVERHEATING, EVEN THOUGH I HAD JUST HAD THE CAR SERVICED FOR A REGULAR MAINTENANCE CHECK, ONCE AGAIN AT KEARNY PERSON FORD. I WAS DRIVING NORMALLY ON A ROAD AT AROUND 30-40MPH BUT ACCELERATING WHEN THE MESSAGE POPPED UP. I REFILED THE COOLANT AS THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT DID NOT TURN ON. THIRD INCIDENT: THIS WAS THE MOST DANGEROUS TIME. CRITICAL ENGINE OVERHEATING MESSAGE AND LOW COOLANT MESSAGE POPPED UP WITHOUT WARNING WHILE DRIVING UP HILL IN TRAFFIC GOING ABOUT 20MPH ON THE I-5S AT THE IN CALIFORNIA GRAPEVINE. THE ENGINE NEARLY SHUT OFF AND LIMPED ON JUST A COUPLE CYLINDERS AS I TRIED TO GET TO THE SHOULDER. SMOKE WAS COMING OUT FROM UNDER THE HOOD AND THE ENGINE WAS HOT. IT ALL HAPPENED IMMEDIATELY AND WITHOUT WARNING, THE TEMP GAUGE WAS NORMAL AND THEN BAM! OVERHEATED WITH WARNING MESSAGES CRIPPLING THE CAR. DRIVING SLOWLY BUT THE WEATHER WAS HOT IT WAS NEARLY 110 DEGREES OUTSIDE. SEEMS SUPER DANGEROUS. BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF WARNING WHEN THESE INCIDENTS HAPPEN. THE WAY THAT THE COOLANT JUST DISAPPEARS, AND THE SMOKE AND CHANCE OF FIRE.