NHTSA Complaint #11471529 — 2013 FORD ESCAPE

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, the low coolant level message was displayed. The contact veered to the side of the road and noticed that the antifreeze was leaking from the radiator onto the ground. The contact looked underneath the vehicle and saw smoke. The contact then opened the hood and noticed that there was no antifreeze in the coolant reservoir. The contact contacted an independent mechanic who advised her to refill the coolant reservoir with water and to then take the vehicle to his location since she was 5 minutes away. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the heater hose assembly, the coolant return, and the vent tube assembly needed to be replaced. The parts were replaced. Additionally, the independent mechanic diagnosed that the fuel line hose directly connected to the ignition system was spraying out fuel. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist as the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V584000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) due to the vehicle manufacture date. The failure mileage was approximately 121,805.