NHTSA Complaint #11297954 — 2015 FORD EXPLORER

IN DECEMBER 2019 WHILE DRIVING AT ABOUT 70 MPH UPHILL ON INTERSTATE HIGHWAY AT NIGHTIME, THE ENGINE SUDDENLY LOST POWER. DEPRESSING THE ACCELERATOR PEDEL HAD NO EFFECT AND THE TRANSMISSION ACTED AS IF IT WAS SHIFTED TO NEUTRAL EVEN THOUGH IT WAS STILL IN DRIVE. THE ENGINE RPM SEEMED TO DROPP TO IDLE SPEED. I LOST FORWARD MOTION RAPIDLY. I HAD TO CROSS TWO LANES OF HIGH SPEED TRAFFIC TO PULL ONTO SHOULDER. IT WAS A VERY DANGEROUS MANUEVER AS THERE WAS CONSIDERABLE TRAFFIC AND I HAD TO REACT QUICKLY. I HAD TO CUT IN FRONT OF CARS MOVING MUCH FASTER THAN I WAS, CAUSING THEM TO HAVE TO BRAKE HEAVILY. THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO RUN FOR A WHILE AT ABOUT IDLE SPEED ONCE I REACHED THE SHOULDER, BUT WOULD THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT MOVE FORWARD. ALL LIGHTS ON VEHICLE, INCLUDING EMERGENCY FLASHERS, WORKED FINE. WITHIN ABOUT A MINUTE OF GETTING TO THE SHOULDER, THE ENGINE STARTED RUNNING ROUGH AND THEN SHUT DOWN ENTIRELY AND WOULD NOT RESTART. I LIFTED THE HOOD AND SAW NOTHING OBVIOUSLY WRONG. AFTER SEVERAL MINUTES, I ATTEMPTEDD TO RESTART THE ENGINE. THE ENGINE RESTARTED IMMEDIATELY AND RAN WITH NO PROBLEMS AND I WAS ABLE TO CONTINUE WITH MY TRIP.