NHTSA Complaint #11271610 — 2013 FORD FUSION

ON 10/10/2019, MY TEMPERATURE GAUGED SPIKED UP TO HIGH AND INSTANTLY DROPPED BACK DOWN TO NORMAL WHILE STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT, THEN THE CAR DISABLED ITSELF, LEAVING ME STRANDED. REPLACED THE TEMP. SENSOR AND ADDED COOLANT AND WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE CAR. ON 10/30/2019 IT HAPPENED AGAIN WHILE DRIVING ON CITY STREETS, LEAVING ME STRANDED FOR A SECOND TIME, SO I REPLACED THE TEMP. SENSOR AGAIN THINKING IT WAS DEFECTIVE. ON 10/12/2019, IT HAPPENED TWO MORE TIMES, ALSO WHILE DRIVING ON CITY STREETS, AND WITH DOING MORE RESEARCH, I FOUND IT STEMMED FROM A MANUFACTURING RECALL #17S09/ NHTSA RECALL #17V209, (COOLANT LEAKS/ENGINE OVER HEATING). ON 10/14/2019, I CALLED ADVANTAGE FORD IN STUART, FL AND WAS TOLD TO BRING MY CAR IN ON 10/23/2019 TO HAVE THE RECALLS(WHICH I WAS NEVER NOTIFIED OF) TAKEN CARE OF. ON 10/16/2019, MY CAR STARTED BLOWING WHITE SMOKE OUT OF THE EXHAUST AND WHEN I CALLED BACK ADVANTAGE FORD, THEY TOLD ME TO BRING IT IN RIGHT AWAY. SINCE MY CAR WAS NO LONGER DRIVE-ABLE, I HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED TO THE DEALER. WHEN I SPOKE TO THE TECHNICIAN AT FORD, HE SAID THAT THEY WOULD TAKE CARE OF THE RECALL AND REPLACE A HOSE THAT WAS LEAKING, BUT THAT THE DAMAGE WAS ALREADY DONE TO THE ENGINE, PROBABLY BAD RINGS (BECAUSE THE COOLANT LEAKED CAUSING THE ENGINE TO OVERHEAT GUNKING UP THE OIL IN THE ENGINE), AND THAT THIS WAS OUR FAULT AND THAT I SHOULD TRADE THE CAR IN WHILE IT STILL RUNS! HE WASN'T SURE OF WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS, NOR DID HE SUGGEST ANY TYPE OF REPAIRS, JUST THAT THIS WAS OUR PROBLEM. ON 10/22/2019, I CALLED FORD CUSTOMER SERVICE AND REPORTED THE PROBLEM. I WAS GIVEN A CASE # AND WAS TOLD THAT I WOULD BE CONTACTED BY A REGIONAL CUSTOMER SERVICE MANAGER. ON 10/28/2019, WE WERE TOLD BY THE MANAGER THAT THEIR FORD MECHANICS WOULD HAVE TO BREAKDOWN THE ENGINE TO SEE EXACTLY WHAT CAUSED THE SLUDGE AND IF THEY ARE AT FAULT OR IF THIS IS OUR PROBLEM.