NHTSA Complaint #11114384 — 2012 FORD ESCAPE

VEHICLE WAS DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH ON I575 ON-RAMP WHEN THE HOOD FLEW OPEN AND SLAMMED AGAINST THE WINDSHIELD, CRACKING THE WINDSHIELD IN MULTIPLE PLACES AND BLOCKING ALL FORWARD VISIBILITY. THE HOOD DID NOT SHOW ANY SIGNS OF BEING UNLATCHED, SUCH AS RATTLING, PRIOR TO THE FAILURE. THE SAFETY LATCH DID NOT STOP THE MOVEMENT OF THE HOOD. FORTUNATELY I WAS ABLE TO SAFELY MOVE THE VEHICLE TO THE BREAK-DOWN LANE AND AVOID A COLLISION WITH MERGING TRAFFIC. THE HOOD WAS SEVERELY BENT BUT WAS ABLE TO BE SECURED SUFFICIENTLY TO GET THE VEHICLE HOME.