NHTSA Complaint #11482570 — 2019 FORD ESCAPE

The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the accelerator pedal was depressed but the vehicle hesitated to respond and started shuddering. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that at times she would veer to the side of the road for a moment before resuming normal driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where four spark plugs were replaced; however, the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that coolant was leaking into the engine and the engine block was cracked. The dealer diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact that she needed to pay out-of-pocket for the repair because the failure could not be repaired under warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they would not assist unless she purchased a used engine as the engine production had been discontinued. The failure mileage was approximately 65,900.