NHTSA Complaint #11366779 — 2018 FORD FUSION HYBRID

PRECURSOR 1: CAR HAD THREE SHORT TRIPS WITH BRIEF BREAKS. AND ABOUT 1 MIN IN OFF/PARK BEFORE PROBLEMS OCCURRED. PRECURSOR 2: ENGINE DID NOT FULLY START AND VEHICLE GEAR DIAL WOULDN'T MOVE OUT OF PARK. RECEIVED A MESAGE ABOUT THE BRAKE. THOUGHT THIS WAS CAUSED BY NOT DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL ENOUGH. TURNED OFF ENGINE, FIRMLY PRESSED BRAKE PEDAL AND TURNED ON ENGINE, SAME PROBLEM. TRIED A 3RD TIME, SAME PROBLEM. ON, MAYBE 4TH ATTEMPT THE MAJOR PROBLEM OCCURRED (VEHICLE ENGINE NOT TURNING OFF). THE NOT STARTING - BRAKE CONNECTION PROBLEM HAD OCCURRED IN AUG 2019 AND FEB 2020. FORD DEALER COULD NOT IDENTIFY PROBLEM IN AUG. IN FEB, PROBLEM ACCOMPANIED BY "PARKING BRAKE FAILURE" MESSAGE AND FORD REPLACED IT. NOT SURE IF IT'S PART OF THE PROBLEM AGAIN. MAJOR PROBLEM: ON ABOUT THE 4TH ATTEMPT TO START THE CAR ENGINE, THE VEHICLE ENGINE WOULD NOT POWER DOWN AND WAS NOT DRIVEABLE. POWER ON/OFF BUTTON WAS NOT RESPONSIVE TO TOUCH, THE SMALL GREEN LIGHT ON POWER BUTTON BLINKED. TWO WARNING LIGHTS APPEARED WHEN THIS OCCURRED--THE BATTERY LIGHT AND TRIANGULAR WARNING LIGHT WITH THE EXCLAMATION POINT. TURNED OFF RADIO AND AC IN RESPONSE TO LIGHTS. COULD MOVE GEAR DIAL FROM PARK TO DRIVE AND BACK BUT THERE WAS NO POWER TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE. ENGINE CONTINUED TO RUN FOR LONG TIME QUIETLY SEEMINGLY ON BATTERY ALTHOUGH PANEL DIDN'T SHOW IT WAS IN HYBRID MODE. WINDOWS AND LOCKS WORKED. WHEN OPENED DOOR, THE "DOOR AJAR" MESSAGE APPEARED THAT APPEARS ONLY WHEN ENGINE IS ON. WHEN TOW TRUCK DRIVER ARRIVED, HE WALKED LONG DISTANCE FROM CAR WITH KEY--ENGINE STILL RAN-- AND HE WAS UNABLE TO POWER DOWN THE ENGINE FROM INSIDE VEHICLE TOO. EVENTUALLY RESORTED TO DISCONNECTING THE SMALL BATTERY TO TURN OFF ENGINE; HOWEVER, THAT CLEARED OUT THE CODES FROM THE WARNING LIGHTS AND SO THERE'S NO DATA FOR FORD TO FIND OTHER THAN THE BATTERY CODES UPON RECONNECTING THE VEHICLE.