NHTSA Complaint #11609001 — 2011 LINCOLN MKZ

As I was traveling home from work, I noticed the car jerk slightly and immediately decelerate. The engine temperature gauge light came on the dash and the temperature gauge immediately moved to the “H” position on the dash. Due to the fact that I was in rush hour traffic on the highway, I was worried I wouldn’t have enough speed to get to the median. I turned on my hazards and coasted safely to the side of the road but was nearly ran over by other vehicles not realizing the issue I was having. I was unable to accelerate out of the way and at the mercy of other drivers being courteous and give me space to move. I turned the car off and looked under the hood locating the coolant reservoir. It appeared empty. I was able to get a ride to the nearest auto parts store and buy coolant. When I returned to my car, I emptied coolant into the reservoir and cranked the vehicle. Within a minute the gauge returned to normal temp and carefully got back in flow of traffic but stayed close to the emergency lane. Within a couple hundred yards of driving again, the lights and gauges indicated another overheating issue. At the next stop, I pulled into a gas station. And parked the car to have it towed. My mechanic informed me that the coolant was leaking from the coolant pump into my oil pan. Now the engine is flooded with a mixture of oil and coolant and I will need a new engine. He said this issue has been reported before but wasn’t sure what Ford/Lincoln may be doing about it. I’m lucky I didn’t have an engine fire or some sort of collision while driving along a highway during rush hour traffic.