NHTSA Complaint #11032145 — 2015 FORD ESCAPE

WE WERE TRAVELING IN THE CAR AT APPROXIMATELY 80 MPH. THE CAR ENGINE BEGAN TO RACE STRONGLY WITHOUT A CORRESPONDING INCREASE IN SPEED. THIS HAPPENED TWICE AND THEN A RED OIL INDICATOR LIGHT CAME ON. IT SOUNDED ALSO LIKE A HEAD GASKET BLEW ON THE 1.6 LITER ECO-BOOST ENGINE AS THERE WAS A RATTLING NOISE LIKE TUMBLING PEBBLES IN A CAN OR DRUM. WE LOST POWER. BLUE SMOKE STREAMED OUT THE TAIL PIPE OF THE CAR. WE COASTED OVER TO THE SHOULDER OF THE HIGHWAY AND CAME TO A STOP. BY THE TIME THE CAR CAME TO A STOP SMOKE WAS COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD OF THE CAR. I GOT OUT OF THE CAR AND LOOKED TOWARD THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT FROM THE PASSENGER SIDE. FLAMES WERE COMING FROM BELOW THE CAR JUST INSIDE THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE TIRE. WE QUICKLY GOT EVERYONE AND EVERYTHING OUT OF THE CAR. THE FLAMES SPREAD VERY QUICKLY. THE FRONT HALF OF THE CAR WAS ENGULFED IN FLAMES IN APPROXIMATELY 4 MINUTES AND THE WHOLE CAR WAS CONSUMED IN ABOUT 8 OR 9 MINUTES.