NHTSA Complaint #11321695 — 2016 FORD ESCAPE

JUST AS MY CAR REACHED 61,699 MILES, THE TRANSMISSION FAILS. ON MARCH 29, I WAS DRIVING ON RIDGE RD IN OAK RIDGE, NJ AND STEPPED ON THE ACCELERATOR GOING UP A VERY SLIGHT HILL TO MAINTAIN MY SPEED OF 40 MPH, BUT THE CAR JUST STARTED SLOWING DOWN TO A STOP AND WOULD NOT MOVE FORWARD. AS A MATTER OF FACT, IT STARTED ROLL BACKWARDS DOWN THE HILL AND I HAD TO IMMEDIATELY STEP ON THE BRAKE. THE DIRECTION I WAS GOING IN WAS ON A SINGLE LANE ROAD AND THERE WERE CARS COMING BEHIND ME.THE ENGINE WAS STILL RUNNING BUT THE CAR WOULD NOT ENGAGE OR MOVE. THE ENGINE WAS REVVING BUT NO MOVEMENT. IN FACT, THE CAR STARTED TO GO BACKWARDS INTO THE OTHER CARS BEHIND ME. I IMMEDIATELY STEPPED ON THE BRAKE TO AVOID HITTING ANYONE BUT WAS NOT ABLE TO MOVE THE CAR OUT OF THE ROAD. SOMEONE CAME OUT OF THEIR HOME TO HELP ME BACK MY CAR INTO HIS DRIVEWAY WHILE I CALLED A TOW TRUCK. MY CAR IS STILL IN THE SHOP AT FETTE FORD IN CLIFTON, NJ. THEY WOULDN'T EVEN HELP ME WITH FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE BEING THAT I WAS ONLY 1,699 MILES OVER THE WARRANTY. IS IT NORMAL FOR A TRANSMISSION TO GO BAD IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE WARRANTY? I AM AN ESSENTIAL WORKER. ALSO, MY CAR WAS IN THE SHOP ON 3/2/20 BEFORE THIS HAPPENED FOR WHAT THEY CALL THE WORKS WHERE THEY CHECK ' TIRE ROTATION AND PRESSURE CHECK ' BRAKE INSPECTION ' VEHICLE CHECKUP ' FLUID TOP-OFF ' BATTERY TEST ' FILTER CHECK ' BELTS AND HOSES CHECK AFTER A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF MILES. THEY DID NOT PROPERLY SEAL THE OIL PLUG BECAUSE OIL WAS LEAKING OUT OF MY CAR AFTER I LEFT THEM AND I HADN'T NOTICED UNTIL MY HUSBAND TOLD ME. I WOULD THINK THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO CATCH ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE TRANSMISSION. IT WAS VERY BUSY THE DAY I WENT IN FOR THE WORKS AND IT TOOK HOURS TO GET THAT DONE.