NHTSA Complaint #11383978 — 2013 FORD FUSION

I PURCHASED THE CAR 4 MONTHS AGO AND DISCOVERED SHORTLY AFTER IT WAS LEAKING COOLANT FROM A HOSE IN THE HEATING SYSTEM. THIS EXTERNAL COOLANT LEAK WAS A 500$ REPAIR. EARLIER THIS WEEK, MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON FOR THE FIRST TIME WHEN I WAS IN TRAFFIC ON MY WAY HOME FROM WORK. I WAS DRIVING ABOUT 20 MPH AND HEARD A DULL THUD (I WAS TOLD LATER THIS WAS PROBABLY MY ENGINE POPPING). I IMMEDIATELY TOOK THE CAR TO A SHOP TO HAVE THE CODE READ (P0302). I SCHEDULED AN APPOINTMENT AT MY LOCAL FORD DEALERSHIP AT 7 AM THE NEXT MORNING (14 HOURS AFTER THE LIGHT CAME ON). THEY DIAGNOSED THE CAR AND CALLED ME TO TELL ME THERE WAS AN INTERNAL COOLANT LEAK IN THE ENGINE AND THE ONLY WAY TO FIX THE CAR WAS A TOTAL ENGINE REPLACEMENT. THEY QUOTED ME AT 8500$ (MORE THAN THE AMOUNT I PURCHASED THE CAR FOR) AND TOLD ME MULTIPLE TIMES THERE WAS NOTHING ELSE I COULD DO TO FIX IT. I FOUND OUT AFTER MY FAMILY CHECKED OUT THE CAR THAT THE LEAK HAD CAUSED A CRACKED HEAD GASKET AND THE SPARK PLUGS IN THE CYLINDER WERE CONTAMINATED FROM THE COOLANT. THE FORD ECOBOOST 1.6L ENGINE HAS AN OPEN RECALL FOR CAUSING ENGINE FIRES BECAUSE OF AN INTERNAL COOLANT LEAK, BUT THEY REFUSED TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THE DESIGN FLAW IN THE ENGINE THAT CAUSE COOLANT LEAKS LED TO THE IRREPARABLE DAMAGE TO MY ENGINE. THEY TOLD ME I COULD DRIVE THE CAR OFF THE LOT SINCE I WAS NOT COMPLETING THE REPAIR THERE, BUT I COULDN'T MAKE IT OUT OF THE PARKING LOT AND HAD TO HAVE THE CAR TOWED TO MY HOUSE. THE CAR WAS SHAKING AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS FLASHING, WHICH IT HAD NOT BEEN WHEN I BROUGHT THE CAR IN. THE ENGINE IS NOT SAFE AND EVEN IF I WERE TO FIX IT THE DESIGN FLAW WOULD LIKELY CAUSE THE PROBLEM TO REOCCUR. FORD NEEDS TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE ENGINE IS UNSAFE AND PAY TO REPLACE IT WITH A NEWER ENGINE THAT DOES NOT HAVE THE SAME FLAWS.