NHTSA Complaint #752015 — 2001 FORD ESCAPE

THE SUV WAS PURCHASED NEW IN MID-DECEMBER 2000. ON 9/7/07, I WAS SLOWING DOWN, ON A DOWNHILL SLOPE, TO MAKE A RIGHT TURN WHEN THE SUV SHUT ITSELF OFF AND THE STEERING COLUMN LOCKED UP. IT HAD 1/3 TANK OF GAS. I SHIFTED THE AUTOMATIC INTO PARK, TURNED THE KEY, THE CAR STARTED AND I EXTRICATED MY 7 YEAR OLD SON AND MYSELF FROM THE BUSY INTERSECTION AND FROM THE MOUTH OF ON-COMING TRAFFIC (WE LANDED IN THE LEFT TURN LANE, MUCH TO A JEEP'S DISMAY). I DROVE SLOWLY TO MY SON'S SCHOOL (3 BLOCKS DOWN), THEN TO WORK WHERE I NOTIFIED FORD VIA IT'S 800 NUMBER. I MADE AN APPOINTMENT FOR THAT AFTERNOON WITH THE DEALERSHIP TO HAVE THE CAR FIXED. I LEFT THE CAR WITH THE DEALERSHIP. ON 9/8/01, I CALLED AND THE DEALERSHIP SAID THE CAR WAS READY. I ASKED THE SERVICE MANAGER TO REVIEW THE REPAIRS WITH ME & MY HUSBAND AND TO EXPLAIN WHY THE REPAIR "FIXED" THE PROBLEM. HE SAID THEY REPLACED A VALVE WHICH CONTROLS AIR FLOW. HE SAID THIS WOULD CAUSE THE CAR TO SHUT OFF, ESPECIALLY IF I HAD BEEN ENGAGING THE BRAKES WHEN THE CAR SHUT OFF. I WAS ENGAGING THE BRAKES WHEN IT SHUT OFF, SO I ACCEPTED THIS EXPLANATION. I PACKED MY 7 YEAR OLD INTO THE SUV AND LEFT. WITHIN 7-10 MILES, THE CAR SHUT ITSELF OFF, AGAIN (ONLY 26 HOURS AFTER THE FIRST INCIDENT AND THE SUPPOSED "FIX")! THIS TIME I WAS ACCELERATING UP A SEMI-STEEP INCLINE. MY EYES WERE FORWARD. I NOTICED OUT OF THE BOTTOM OF MY FIELD OF VISION A RED GLOW. I LOOKED DOWN AND THE OIL LAMP WAS GLOWING. I JUST HAD THE OIL CHANGED WITHIN 1,000 MILES AND THE CAR WAS JUST AT THE DEALERSHIP THAT MORNING, SO THAT COULDN'T BE A PROBLEM. I THEN NOTICED THAT ALL OF THE OTHER DASHBOARD LIGHTS (MOST IN WHITE LIGHT) ALSO WERE LIT UP. AT THAT POINT, THE STEERING BEGAN TO LOCKED UP AND THE CAR SLOWED TO A STOP. I MANAGED TO MANEUVER THE SUV TO THE COMMUNITY CENTER'S DRIVEWAY ON THE RIGHT. WE NARROWLY MISSED BEING MOWED DOWN BY A VAN WHICH HAD GAINED SIGNFICANT MOMENTUM HAVING JUST SWOOPED DOWN THE DOWNGRADE AND WAS RACING UP THE INCLINE. 1/4 TANK GAS.