NHTSA Complaint #11300132 — 2014 FORD ESCAPE

THE VEHICLE WAS BEING DRIVEN AND HAD ONLY BEEN STARTED AND MOVING FOR LESS THAN 5 MINUTES. NOTICED THAT WINDSHIELD WIPERS WOULD NOT SHUT OFF OR CHANGE SPEEDS, THEN NOTICED A SLIGHT ODOR IN CAR THAT INCREASINGLY STRENGTHENED. PHONED MY HUSBAND WHILE AT A STOP LIGHT, ODOR OF SOMETHING BURNING BECAME MUCH STRONGER, THEN NOTICED SMOKE COMING BETWEEN THE THE DRIVERS SIDE HOOD SEAM AND BETWEEN THE HOOD AND THE WINDSHIELD, THIS WAS IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWED BY NOTICABLE FLAME. I PUT THE VEHICLE IN PARK, TURNED ON HAZARD LIGHTS AND EXITED THE VEHICLE. LOCAL POLICE AND FIRE DEPARTMENT RESPONDED, BEGAN WITH SMALL FIRE EXTINGUISHERS, WITHOUT SUCCESS AND FIRE DEPARTMENT OPENED HOOD AND APPLIED WATER TO EXTINGUISH. THIS WAS ON A CITY STREET IN O'FALLON, MO. UNCERTAIN OF CAUSE, BUT AM NOW AWARE THAT FORD ISSUED A RECALL ON THIS MODEL (RECALL 17S09) AND BELIEVE THIS COULD BE A POSSIBILITY.