NHTSA Complaint #11184289 — 2016 FORD ESCAPE

THIS COMPLAINT IS A FOLLOW-UP TO ONE FILED EARLIER (11181564). THE PROBLEM IS NOW SOLVED THIS WIRE ISSUE IS NOT THE ONE IN THE TSB AND NOT CURRENTLY IN A RECALL. THIS VEHICLE AT APPROXIMATELY 43,000 MILES PRODUCED THE SAME SYMPTOMS AS THE TSB 13-12-12. MOTOR SUDDENLY STALLING, BACKFIRE SOMETIMES, ROUGH RUNNING, LOSS OF POWER, ETC. THE WIRE HARNESS HAD WORN THROUGH THE WRAP AND EVENTUALLY ONE OF THE WIRES IN THE BUNDLE ATOP THE MOTOR MADE INTERMITTENT CONTACT WITH A PART OF THE MOTOR. THIS CAUSED THE PCM TO THROW NUMEROUS CODES AND DISABLE CRITICAL SAFETY SYSTEMS. RANDOM, ERRATIC AND UNPREDICTABLE. WIRE BUNDLE ALIGNED WITH THE FUEL RAIL BEGINS AT THE DRIVER SIDE OF THE MOTOR. AT THE POINT WHERE IT BEGINS UP COME TO THE MOTOR THERE IS A POST (ALUMINUM, TOP, FRONT, DRIVERS' SIDE OF MOTOR). THIS WIRE BUNDLE WAS NOT SUFFICIENTLY PROTECTED FROM CHAFFING. THE REMAINDER OF THE WIRE IS WELL SECURED AND INSULATED BUT THIS POINT IS LITERALLY AND ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN. THIS WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO FIND AS THE PROBLEM AS IT WAS SO INTERMITTENT. NOT COVERED UNDER 5/60 WARRANTY AND MY DEALER CHARGED ME $318.00. IN TOTAL I'VE SPENT OVER $600 THE GETTING THIS FIGURED OUT AND RESOLVED. THIS LAST BREAKDOWN PLACED MY FAMILY IN GREAT DANGER AS THERE WAS NO SAFE PLACE TO GET OFF THE ROAD (70 MPH INTERSTATE WITH LITTLE SHOULDER AND MERGING STATE HIGHWAY). THIS WAS THE THIRD TIME HAVING TO TOW THIS VEHICLE FOR THIS. I AM CERTAIN OTHERS WILL EXPERIENCE THIS FAILURE AND I HOPE NO ONE GETS HURT. IN MY CASE IT ALSO DISABLED THE RESTRAINT SYSTEMS AND AIRBAGS WHEN IT OCCURRED.