NHTSA Complaint #11042753 — 2013 FORD ESCAPE

INITIALLY I HAD BEEN HAVING ISSUES WITH THE ENGINE LIGHT COMING ON AND OFF. INITIALLY WHEN I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO BE LOOKED AT, BY THE HUNT FORD IN LA PLATA, MD. THEY CHANGED THE OXYGEN SENSOR. SO THE LIGHT WENT OFF. THEN A FEW MONTHS LATER IN 2016 THE LIGHT CAME BACK ON. EVENTUALLY I STARTED DRIVING ON ROUTE 5 NORTH AND HEARD A 'POP' NOISE IN THE ENGINE AREA. THE VEHICLE STARTED TO LOSE ACCELERATION AND WOULD HESITATE. THEN EVENTUALLY MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND STARTED BLINKING. PRIOR TO THE ENGINE LIGHT BLINKING THE CAR BEGIN TO MISFIRE, HESITATE WHEN TRYING TO ACCELERATE, AND THE ENGINE WOULD OVERHEAT FROM TIME TO TIME PREMATURELY. THE CAR WOULD SOMETIMES STALL AND MISFIRE WHEN TRYING TO ACCELERATE OR WHEN SITTING IDLE. WHEN I LOOKED ONLINE IT SHOWS A RECALL FOR THESE SPECIFIC ISSUES FOR THE SAME MAKE, MODEL & YEAR, BUT NOT FOR MY SPECIFIC ENGINE LITER. FOR EXAMPLE, IT SHOWS THE ENGINE OVERHEATING, MISFIRES AND ENGINE WIRING SPLICES MAY CAUSE STALL FOR 2013 FORD ESCAPES BUT ONLY FOR 1.6L. MY CAR IS EXPERIENCING VERY SIMILAR ISSUES AS THOSE LISTED UNDER THE RECALL, BUT MY ENGINE IS A 2.0L. SO WHILE ON MY WAY HOME FRIDAY, 10/27/2017, I STARTED TO HAVE ISSUES WITH MY VEHICLE. I WAS TRAVELING ON PENNSYLVANIA AVE TOWARDS DC, WHEN I REACHED AN INTERSECTION (SOUTHERN AVE), AND THE CAR STARTED TO JERK AND THEN THE ENGINE LIGHT STARTED BLINKING. AT ONE POINT I BEGAN TO SEE WHITE SMOKE ONCE THE ENGINE LIGHT STARTED TO BLINK, AND SMELLED FUMES. NOT TOO LONG AFTER THAT BEGAN TO OCCUR, I MAKE A U-TURN AT THE LIGHT AND PULLED OVER IN FRONT OF THE FUNERAL HOME. BEFORE I WAS PULLED OVER ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD (WHILE MAKING THE U-TURN) THE CAR STARTED TO MISFIRE AND STALL. SO I TURNED THE ENGINE OFF, AND CALLED AAA TO HAVE IT TOWED. A FEW DAYS LATER I HAD A MECHANIC COME AND RUN A DIAGNOSTIC ON THE VEHICLE AT THE HOME. I HAVE ATTACHED A COPY OF THEIR REPORT.