NHTSA Complaint #11072937 — 2015 FORD EXPLORER

WHILE DRIVING IN THE CAR WITH MY TWO CHILDREN ON ROUTE 193 IN MARYLAND (NOT A HIGHWAY BUT A BUSY ROAD), THE CAR SUDDENLY STOPPED ACCELERATING, AN ERROR APPEARED ON THE SCREEN THAT SAID "TERRAIN MANAGEMENT SYSTEM ERROR", A WRENCH INDICATOR LIGHT CAME ON AND THE LIGHT ON THE TMS KNOB WENT OUT (CAR HAD FULL TANK OF GAS). I PULLED OVER ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, TURNED THE CAR OFF, RESTARTED IT AND THE ERROR INDICATORS WERE GONE. IT THEN DROVE WITH NO PROBLEMS. WE TOOK IT TO THE DEALER THE FOLLOWING DAY FOR AN OIL CHANGE AND ASKED THEM TO LOOK INTO THE PROBLEM. AFTER CHARGING US $175 FOR A DIAGNOSTIC, THEY TOLD US THAT THEY COULDN'T REPLICATE THE PROBLEM AND NO CODES WERE STORED IN THE COMPUTER SO THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO. WE PICKED UP THE CAR AND BROUGHT IT HOME. SUNDAY MORNING, ONCE AGAIN IT ABRUPTLY STOPPED ACCELERATING, AND THE SAME ERROR MESSAGES APPEARED. THE TERRAIN MANAGEMENT SYSTEM ERROR ONLY APPEARED FOR A COUPLE OF SECONDS AND WAS THEN REPLACED WITH A WRENCH ERROR ON THE SCREEN. THIS TIME I TOOK PICTURES IN THE HOPES THAT IT MIGHT HELP THE DEALER PINPOINT THE PROBLEM. I THEN CUT THE CAR OFF AND RESTARTED AGAIN. IT DROVE WITH NO PROBLEMS AGAIN BUT WE TOOK IT BACK TO THE CAR AT THE DEALER ON TUESDAY BECAUSE CLEARLY THERE IS A PROBLEM. I SHOWED THE PICTURES AND WAS TOLD, IN ORDER FOR ANYTHING TO BE FIXED, THEY HAVE TO BE ABLE TO REPLICATE THE PROBLEM AND BECAUSE WHEN I RESTART THE CAR THE ERROR CODES ARE DELETED FROM THE HISTORY, THERE'S NOTHING FOR THE DEALER TO DO. I RECEIVED A CALL TODAY (2/14/18) AND AGAIN WAS TOLD THAT THE PROBLEM COULDN'T BE REPLICATED SO NO FIX IS AUTHORIZED. I UNDERSTAND WANTING TO DIAGNOSE THE CORRECT PROBLEM, HOWEVER THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. BOTH TIMES THIS HAS HAPPENED I HAVE BEEN WITH MY KIDS AND THANKFULLY IN PLACES WHERE I COULD SAFELY PULL OVER BUT WHAT IF IT HAPPENS WHILE I AM ON A HIGHWAY OR IN AN INTERSECTION?