2009 Ford Escape Hybrid

DRIVING ON 26E IN CHARLESTON, SC, I SUDDENLY LOST POWER AND WAS UNABLE TO ACCELERATE NOR MAINTAIN SPEED. I PULLED OVER AND TURNED THE VEHICLE OFF AND IN DOING SO, A GRINDING SOUND CAME FROM THE ENGINE. I RESTARTED THE ENGINE AND BEGAN OPERATING NORMALLY FOR SEVERAL MINUTES AND BEGAN TO NOTICE THE RPM'S WOULD INCREASE AND DECREASE WITHOUT ADJUSTING PRESSURE ON THE PEDAL. AT THIS POINT I NOTICED I HAD LIMITED ABILITY TO ACCELERATE AND VERY SLUGGISH. THIS ISSUE CONTINUED TO HAPPEN SPORADICALLY OVER THEN NEXT 2 WEEKS UNTIL 9/12 WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS PRACTICALLY UNABLE TO BE SAFELY OPERATED DUE TO THE LACK OF POWER. I TOOK IT TO AN AUTO PART STORE AND THE DIAGNOSTIC INDICATED TROUBLE CODE P2112 "THROTTLE BODY STUCK CLOSED". I TOOK TO A FORD DEALER TO REPAIR THE OPEN RECALL FOR ELECTRIC POWER STEERING AND ASKED FOR AN ESTIMATE FOR THE THROTTLE BODY. CAR IS CURRENTLY IN MY DRIVEWAY AWAITING ME TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT TO GET REPAIRED ON MY DOLLAR... DOESN'T SOUND LIKE I AM THE ONLY ONE WITH THIS ISSUE. *TR

I WAS DRIVING AT A SPEED OF APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH AND THE THROTTLE WENT OUT. I COULD NOT ACCELERATE ABOVE 40 AND WAS VERY SLOW TO GET TO THAT SPEED. THE ENGINE WAS IDLING AT A HIGHER RPM THAN NORMAL AT STOP LIGHTS. WHEN DRIVING UP HILL THE SPEED WAS ABOUT 20 MPH AND THERE WAS NO THROTTLE TO INCREASE THE SPEED AT ALL. THE YELLOW WRENCH LIGHT CAME ON. ONCE I MADE IT HOME AND TURNED OFF THE VEHICLE, MY HUSBAND TOOK IT TO GET THE CODES PULLED AND THE WRENCH LIGHT HAD GONE OFF AND IT RAN LIKE NORMAL. WE COULD NOT GET THE CODES PULLED. *TR

THE SERVICE WRENCH WOULD GO ON AND HOLD AND BUT ALWAYS SEEM TO GO OFF WHEN I ARRIVED AT THE DEALERSHIP SO THEY COULD NEVER CHECK THE PROBLEM. THIS WENT ON FOR A MONTH UNTIL IN ADDITION TO THE LIGHT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE ABOVE 40 MPH. I TOOK THE VEHICLE IN AND THE THROTTLE BODY WAS REPLACED AT A CHARGE OF $476.99 SINCE MY VEHICLE WAS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY. THIS UPSETS ME BECAUSE I FIND OUT TONIGHT THAT THIS WAS A KNOWN ISSUE AND BECAUSE NO OFFICIAL RECALL WAS ISSUE, I WAS FORCED TO PAY FOR THE REPAIR. HTTP://WWW.LEMONAUTO.COM/COMPLAINTS/FORD/FORD_ESCAPE.HTM. MY VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED NEW AND DELIVERED IN NOVEMBER 008 - VEHICLES PRODUCED AFTER OCT. 15, 2009 HAVE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE BODIES MANUFACTURED WITH A NEW PROCESS THAT RESOLVED THIS CONDITION, THE GOVERNMENT SAID. THE BULLETIN INSTRUCTED DEALERS TO REPLACE THE THROTTLE BODY ON A NUMBER OF FORD AND LINCOLN VEHICLES. DEPENDING ON THE CONDITION OF THROTTLE CONTROL SYSTEM MALFUNCTION, A DRIVER MAY EXPERIENCE VARYING LEVELS OF REDUCED ENGINE PERFORMANCE. IN ADDITION, I WOULD HAVE NEVER KNOWN ABOUT THIS HAD IT NOT BEEN FOR THE FACT THAT I RECEIVED AN OFFICIAL RECALL NOTICE TODAY FOR SOMETHING ELSE. *TR

DRIVING 65MPH ON INTERSTATE, YELLOW WRENCH LIGHT APPEARED ON DASH, VEHICLE LOST POWER DURING RUSH HOUR. FORCED TO CROSS THREE LANES OF 65MPH TRAFFIC GOING 5-10MPH (LIMITED BY VEHICLE'S COMPUTER NO MATTER HOW FAR I PUSHED THE GAS PEDAL.) AFTER SHUTTING CAR IGNITION OFF AND RESTARTING, WRENCH LIGHT STILL ON. SHUTOFF IGNITION AGAIN, REMOVED KEY, OPENED DOOR (INTO TRAFFIC) TO COMPLETELY SHUTOFF ELECTRONICS, RADIO, DRIVING LIGHTS, ETC. RESTARTED VEHICLE AND WRENCH LIGHT WAS NOW OFF. PROCEEDED TO DRIVE WITH THE VEHICLE SURGING FASTER/SLOWER AS I DROVE. A DIAGNOSTIC CODE DTC P2112 WAS RETRIEVED INDICATING "THROTTLE ACTUATOR CONTROL SYSTEM - STUCK CLOSED" WHICH IS COVERED UNDER EXTENDED WARRANTY BY FORD CUSTOMER SATISFACTION PROGRAM 13N03 IN RESPONSE TO NHTSA?S OFFICE OF DEFECTS INVESTIGATION (ODI) ACTION NUMBER : DP12006. WHEN I CONTACTED FORD ABOUT THIS THEY RESPONDED THAT MY PARTICULAR VIN WAS NOT COVERED. THE FORD CUSTOMER SATISFACTION PROGRAM 13N03 EXTENDS THE WARRANTY FOR THE THROTTLE BODY TO 10YEARS 150,000 MILES. MY ESCAPE HYBRID IS 5 YEARS OLD WITH 86,XXX MILES BUT THEY SAY IT IS NOT COVERED. WHY? I HAVE THE DEFECTIVE PART NUMBER THROTTLE BODY 9LE-BC INSTALLED IN MY VEHICLE SINCE NEW, WHICH HAS BEEN SUPERSEDED BY PART NUMBER FORD OEM # DS7Z-9E926-D AND, WHICH FORD IS INSTALLING UNDER THIS PROGRAM TO REPLACE MY DEFECTIVE PART. WHY AM I BEING DENIED WARRANTY REPLACEMENT WHEN I MEET ALL OF THE CRITERIA THEY HAVE LISTED? DURING A CALL TO FORD 1-800-392-3673 ON 6_23_2014 I WAS TOLD THAT THEY DO NOT KNOW WHY MY PARTICULAR VIN VEHICLE IS NOT COVERED EVEN THOUGH I MEET THE CRITERIA FOR THE REPLACEMENT, HOWEVER THEY CAN POSITIVELY CONFIRM THAT IT IS NOT COVERED. I WAS FURTHER TOLD THAT I CAN BRING THE VEHICLE TO A DEALERSHIP FOR DIAGNOSIS, BUT THERE WILL BE A DIAGNOSTIC FEE I WILL BE REQUIRED TO PAY EVEN IF I DO NOT AUTHORIZE ANY OF THE REPAIRS THAT MAY BE NEEDED. *TR

DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35-40 MPH FOR ABOUT 15 MINUTES. SUDDENLY VEHICLE LOST POWER AND WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. A "WRENCH" WARNING LIGHT ON THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER ALSO ILLUMINATED, WHICH HAS NEVER OCCURRED IN THE PAST. I HAVE OWNED THE VEHICLE SINCE NEW AND HAVE NEVER HAD ANY ENGINE RELATED PROBLEMS.MAXIMUM SPEED WAS NOW 22-25 MPH. PRESSING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL TO THE FLOOR DID NOT INCREASE ENGINE SPEED OR VEHICLE SPEED. ENGINE RPM WAS AROUND 1500-1800 RPM ACCORDING TO TACHOMETER. DUE TO FASTER TRAFFIC SLOWING BEHIND ME I HAD TO PULL TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD FOR SAFETY. ENGINE CONTINUED TO OPERATE BUT WOULD NOT WORK PROPERLY. I TURNED THE VEHICLE OFF, WAITED A MINUTE AND RESTARTED THE ENGINE. WRENCH LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN AND I HAD A SCARY DRIVE BACK AT 25 MPH WITH MY KIDS IN THE CAR AND TRAFFIC SPEEDING AROUND ME. WOKE UP EARLY THE NEXT MORNING TO BRING IN FOR SERVICE AND THE WRENCH LIGHT WAS NOW OFF AND THE ENGINE WORKED NORMALLY. IT HAS BEEN 4 DAYS SINCE AND THE PROBLEM HAS NOT REAPPEARED. PROBLEM IS I AM NOW AFRAID TO DRIVE ON THE HIGHWAY OR FOR LONG DISTANCES, AND MY WIFE WILL NOT DRIVE THE VEHICLE AT ALL. *TR