NHTSA Complaint #11320476 — 2015 FORD EDGE

I WAS DRIVING DURING MY NORMAL ROUTINE, FROM PICKING UP MY BABY AT DAYCARE TO GO HOME WHEN A RATTLE NOISE SUDDENLY STARTED. IT WAS NOT TOO LOUD IN THE BEGINNING, BUT AS I APPROACHED THE HOUSE, THE NOISE STARTED GETTING LOUDER AND LOUDER MOSTLY WHEN IDLING AT STOP SIGNS OR RED LIGHTS, FOR EXAMPLE. THE 2015 FORD EDGE AWD 2.0 L ECOBOOST IS 4.5 YEARS OLD AND HAS 66,000 MILES. THE DAY AFTER, I TOOK THE CAR TO A FORD DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD THAT THE FLEX PLATE WAS BROKEN AND SO IS PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING THAT IS ATTACHED TO IT INCLUDING THE CRANKSHAFT, TORQUE CONVERTER, AND FLUID PUMP AND THAT I WOULD NEED TO REPLACE THE WHOLE ENGINE. FORD PROVIDED ME A CASE NUMBER, BUT NO FURTHER ASSISTANCE SINCE THE VEHICLE IS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY. THE CAR IS CURRENTLY AT THE AUTHORIZED DEALERSHIP. I WAS QUOTED $7,300 TO FIX THE VEHICLE. A PROBLEM WITH A FLEX PLATE CAN BE VERY DANGEROUS AS I'M UNDERSTANDING THAT THEY TRANSMIT THE POWER FROM YOUR ENGINE TO THE TRANSMISSION. I COULD HAVE LOST MY ABILITY TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE'S POWER. A BAD FLEX PLATE COULD POTENTIALLY CAUSE A LOSS OF POWER TO THE WHEELS AND RESULT IN AN ACCIDENT. IN ADDITION, THE FLEX PLATE BROKE THE CRANK SHAFT AND TORQUE CONVERTER, WHICH ALSO PREVENTS THE ENGINE TO FUNCTION PROPERLY. MY VEHICLE IS LESS THAN 5 YEARS OLD AND THIS HAS HAPPENED ALREADY WITH IT. I'M FORTUNATE TO HAVE NOT SUFFERED AN ACCIDENT BECAUSE OF THIS.