NHTSA Complaint #11040980 — 2013 FORD ESCAPE

WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AT 65 MPH, AN ALERT APPEARED STATING "LOW COOLANT". IN THE PAST THE CAR HAD STATED THE SAME ALERT BEFORE ALARMING THAT THE CAR WAS OVERHEATING AND NEEDED TO BE PULLED OVER. AT THAT POINT THE CAR WOULD THEN GOING INTO LIMP MODE. DUE TO THIS HISTORY, WE KNEW WE HAD TO ATTEMPT TO GET TO THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. WITHIN ONE MINUTE, THE CAR DID ALARM "OVERHEATING" AND WENT INTO LIMP MODE. WE WERE ONLY ABLE TO GET TO THE LEFT HAND SHOULDER OF AN ON-RAMP (MIDDLE OF THE HIGHWAY). AT THIS POINT WE GOT OUT OF THE CAR AND FOUND THAT THE COOLANT LEVEL WAS NORMAL. AFTER WAITING 20 MINUTES WE DROVE IN REVERSE UP THE ON-RAMP TO GET OFF THE HIGHWAY, BECAUSE WE WERE CONFIDENT WE COULD NOT SAFELY GET TO THE NEXT EXIT (SEVERAL MILES AWAY). WE THEN HAD THE CAR TOWED TO A LOCAL FORD DEALER (PHIL LONG FORD OF DENVER). THIS IS THE DEALERSHIP WHERE WE HAD PREVIOUSLY BROUGHT OUR VEHICLE TO REPAIR THIS SAME ISSUE. AT THAT TIME, THE DEALERSHIP REPLACED A BROKEN TEMPERATURE SENSOR, STATING THAT THIS WAS WHAT WAS CAUSING THE OVERHEATING ISSUES. OUR VEHICLE ALSO HAD MAINTENANCE COMPLETED ON IT AS PART OF THE 13S12 RECALL (RISK OF OVERHEATING) IN 2015. THE ISSUE CLEARLY HAS NOT BEEN RESOLVED AFTER MULTIPLE "FIXES" HAVE BEEN PERFORMED.