NHTSA Complaint #11243406 — 2014 FORD ESCAPE

THIS VEHICLE SHOULD HAVE BEEN INCLUDED IN A 2017 SAFETY RECALL RELATED TO OVERHEATING AND COOLANT LEAKS, BUT IT WAS NOT. IN FEBRUARY 2019, IT OVERHEATED WITH LITTLE WARNING ON THE FREEWAY, BLOWING A HOLE IN THE MOTOR (AT 62K MILES). FORD REJECTED REQUEST FOR ASSISTANCE, SO REPAIR WAS DONE BY INDEPENDENT MECHANIC (MOTOR REPLACED). THREE MONTHS LATER, DURING FREEWAY DRIVE, MESSAGE APPEARED SEVERAL TIMES STATING POWER WAS BEING CUT TO KEEP ENGINE FROM OVERHEATING (NO INDICATION ENGINE ACTUALLY WAS OVERHEATING). ULTIMATELY, MESSAGE APPEARED WARNING TO PULL OFF THE ROAD IMMEDIATELY. OVERHEATED ENGINE COMPLETELY MELTED A BRACKET. MECHANIC IDENTIFIED A BURNT-OUT SENSOR BUT COULD NOT SAY WHY IT HAPPENED. I SECURED TWO DEALERSHIP DIAGNOSTICS. FIRST CONDUCTED COMPREHENSIVE DIAGNOSTIC AND CONCLUDED A WASTE GATE WAS STUCK OPEN; NO MENTION OF DAMAGED SENSOR. SECOND SAID THE DEGAS BOTTLE WAS CRACKED AND DECLINED TO PERFORM PRESSURE TEST; NO MENTION OF DAMAGED SENSOR OR WASTE GATE ISSUE. I CANNOT AFFORD ALL THESE RANDOM REPAIRS AND IN ANY CASE, DO NOT FEEL THIS CAR CAN BE PUT INTO A SAFE CONDITION FOR DRIVING.