NHTSA Complaint #11399631 — 2017 FORD ESCAPE

ON AND OFF FOR THE PAST YEAR, MY VEHICLE HAS FAILED TO AUTO-RESTART AFTER AUTO-STOPPING. WHEN WORKING PROPERLY, THE FEATURE AUTOMATICALLY SHUTS OFF THE ENGINE WHEN STOPPED (LIKE AT RED LIGHT) AND THEN RESTARTS WHEN YOU LIFT YOUR FOOT OFF THE BRAKE TO START MOVING AGAIN. THE ISSUE IS THAT THE CAR DOES NOT RESTART. SOMETIMES IT FAILS TO RESTART WITHOUT WARNING, OTHER TIMES IT DISPLAYS A MESSAGE THAT SAYS 'SHIFT TO PARK TO RESTART ENGINE'. THIS IS OBVIOUSLY DANGEROUS WHEN IN STOP-AND-GO TRAFFIC ON A HIGHWAY OR AT AN INTERSECTION, AS THE CAR WILL LITERALLY TURN OFF AND NEED TO BE SHIFTED INTO PARK TO BE RESTARTED. TODAY IT DID THIS AT ALMOST EVERY INTERSECTION WE STOPPED AT. OUR BATTERY WAS RECENTLY REPLACED, ALTERNATOR AND CHARGING SYSTEM ALL CHECKED AND NO ISSUES. APPARENTLY THIS IS A RECOGNIZED ISSUE BY FORD, ALTHOUGH THERE DOES NOT SEEM TO BE A FIX AS OF NOW. FORD HAS RECOGNIZED THIS ISSUE AS SSM 47043 (ATTACHED).