NHTSA Complaint #11045217 — 2014 FORD ESCAPE

I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY 1 1/2 MILES FROM MY HOME WHEN THE ENGINE CUT OUT. I WAS ABLE TO DRIFT TO THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY AND COME TO A STOP. I REMAINED IN THE CAR AND SMELLED BURNING. THERE WAS SMOKE COMING FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. AFTER A FEW MINUTES THE SMOKE STOPPED. THERE WERE NO TROUBLE/WARNING LIGHTS PRIOR TO THE ENGINE FAILURE. I ARRANGED TO BE TOWED TO OUR REGULAR MECHANIC. HE INFORMED ME THAT HE THOUGHT I SHOULD GET THE VEHICLE TO A FORD DEALERSHIP, AS THERE HAD BEEN A FIRE IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT AND THERE WAS A HIGH PROBABILITY THAT IT WAS RELATED TO A FORD RECALL 17S09. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A NEARBY FORD DEALERSHIP AND A DIAGNOSTIC WAS PERFORMED. THE SERVICE MANAGER ALSO SUSPECTED THAT IT WAS PART OF THE ISSUE ASSOCIATED WITH THE RECALL. HE OPENED A FORD "HOTLINE" CASE. A DAY OR SO LATER THE SERVICE MANAGER CALLED AND SAID THAT THEY DETERMINED THAT IT WAS NOT PART OF THE RECALL BECAUSE THE COOLANT SYSTEM HAD PASSED THEIR PRESSURE TEST AND THERE HAD NOT BEEN A COOLANT LEAK. HE ALSO DETERMINED THAT THERE WAS A CRACKED HEAD AND CRACKED MANIFOLD, AND THAT THE VEHICLE HAD LOST OIL THROUGH THE CRACKED HEAD. WHEN I INQUIRED AS TO WHY THE HEAD WOULD CRACK WHEN THE VEHICLE HAS REGULAR OIL CHANGES (THE MOST RECENT JUST 20 DAYS PRIOR) AND THE COOLANT SYSTEM WAS FULL HE DIDN'T HAVE AN ANSWER. AT THAT TIME HE SAID THE ENGINE WOULD COST CLOSE TO $5,000 TO REPAIR, BUT THAT HE COULDN'T GUARANTEE THAT IT WOULDN'T HAVE "OTHER ISSUES" RELATED TO THE DAMAGES IDENTIFIED. BECAUSE OF LIMITED SPACE HERE, I HAVE ATTACHED A FULL DESCRIPTION AS A PDF.