NHTSA Complaint #11325609 — 2017 FORD EDGE

I PURCHASED A 2017 FORD EDGE, IN 2017, WHICH RAN FINE AT FIRST. A YEAR IN, THE CAR WOULD RUN ROUGH, AND TWICE BOGGED DOWN AND TURNED OFF. STARTED AGAIN, REPLACED BATTERY WITH UNDER 2YRS OF USE AND KEPT WORKING. FAST FORWARD TWO YEARS, A FEW WEEKS AGO, WHILE DRIVING HOME FROM WORK, I BEGAN TO SEE PERFORMANCE ISSUES AND SUDDENLY WHITE SMOKE COMING OUT THE EXHAUST. NO LEAKING WAS EVIDENT, AND I NEVER GOT A WARNING ON MY DASH ABOUT TEMP OR COOLANT OR ANYTHING OF THE LIKE. TOOK IT TO FORD, WHERE I BOUGHT IT, AND AFTER EXPLAINING THE NHTSA CUSTOMER SATISFACTION PROGRAM, TWO OF THE ASSOCIATES REACTED COMPLETELY OBLIVIOUS TO WHAT EVEN NHTSA STOOD FOR OR THE ISSUE, WHICH BTW SEEMS TO BE REPORTED OVER 10 TIMES ON THE NHTSA SITE. NEVERTHELESS, THEY SUGGESTED A NEW BATTERY, SPARK PLUGS/WIRES, AND THEN OFFERED TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE VEHICLE FOR A FEW DAYS CHARGING $125 FOR THE "DIAGNOSTIC", TO WHICH I REFUSED. THEY THEN GAVE IT A ONCE-OVER, AND FOUND COOLANT IN THE ENGINE, [MILKY OIL] WHICH INDICATES WATER SEEPING INTO THE ENGINE AND WOULD MOST LIKELY REQUIRE A CYLINDER HEAD AT THE VERY LEAST. THEY OFFERED TO GIVE ME A RENTAL, FOR WHICH THEY STATED "I WOULDN'T HAVE TO PAY" OUTSIDE OF THE $50 LIABILITY FEE, WHICH IS REFUNDABLE UPON FORD'S HQ/CREDIT TEAM GOT BACK TO THEM. IF THEY SAW THAT THIS WAS NOT A "RECALL" TYPE ITEM, I WOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR THE RENTAL AS WELL AS THE COST OF REPAIRS, WHICH BALL-PARKED AROUND $4500-$5000. CLEARLY, THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE, FOR A 3YR OLD CAR WITH UNDER 66K MILES TO HAVE THIS PROBLEM. FILING A COMPLAINT WITH NHTSA IN THE HOPES OF FINDING SOME SEMBLANCE OF JUSTICE. *TR