NHTSA Complaint #11090788 — 2010 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID

ON SUNDAY, APRIL 22, 2018, WHILE ASCENDING A GRADE ON THE PACIFIC COAST HIGHWAY IN NEWPORT BEACH, CA, THE 'YELLOW WRENCH' WARNING LIGHT ON MY 2010 FORD ESCAPE SUDDENLY ILLUMINATED AND THE VEHICLE RAPIDLY DEACCELERATED AND DID NOT RESPOND TO THE THROTTLE. AT THAT MOMENT I WAS IN THE LEFT LANE OF A 3-LANE HIGHWAY WITH OTHER VEHICLES APPROACHING FROM BEHIND AND PASSING AT 50 MPH. MY VEHICLE SLOWED TO ABOUT 5 MPH AS I ATTEMPTED TO MOVE TO THE RIGHT WHERE I HOPED IT HAD ENOUGH MOMENTUM THAT I COULD MAKE IT TO THE TOP OF THE GRADE AND EXIT THE HIGHWAY. THE RIGHT-HAND EXIT WAS DOWNHILL AND I WAS ABLE TO COAST AND CREEP INTO A MARKET PARKING LOT WHERE I TURNED OFF THE ENGINE AND TRIED TO CALM DOWN. FROM THE VEHICLE MANUAL I LEARNED THAT THE 'YELLOW WRENCH' INDICATED 'THROTTLE CONTROL OR DRIVE TRAIN PROBLEMS.' AS IT TURNED OUT IT WAS A SUNDAY MORNING AND I DID NOT HAVE A PHONE WITH ME SO I DECIDED TO TRY RESTARTING THE ENGINE. IT STARTED AND THE YELLOW WRENCH DID NOT ILLUMINATE. AFTER A SHORT TEST DRIVE IN THE PARKING LOT I DECIDED TO CANCEL MY ERRANDS AND TRY TO RETURN HOME, A DISTANCE OF A FEW MILES. I DROVE AT 25-30 MPH ON RESIDENTIAL SIDE STREETS AND MADE IT HOME WITH NO FURTHER PROBLEMS. THE NEXT DAY I TOOK THE CAR INTO THE LOCAL FORD DEALER AND DESCRIBED WHAT HAD HAPPENED. I WAS TOLD THEY WOULD LOOK INTO IT AND REPORT BACK. LATER I WAS INFORMED THAT THE PROBLEM WAS A DEFECTIVE THROTTLE BODY AND THEY HAD A REPLACEMENT PART. WHEN I CAME IN TO PICK UP THE CAR I WAS INFORMED THAT THERE WAS NO CHARGE BECAUSE THE REPAIR 'WAS UNDER WARRANTY!' THIS WAS A BIG SURPRISE, SINCE I HAD NEVER RECEIVED ANY NOTICE OF A POTENTIAL PROBLEM NOR OF A WARRANTY EXTENSION. SUDDEN DEACCELERATION WOULD BE DANGEROUS ON A FREEWAY IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC, NOT MITIGATED BY "LIMP HOME" CAPABILITY