2017 Ford Escape

TONIGHT, 11/16/2020, MY ESCAPE STARTED TO IDLE ROUGHLY. THE TACHOMETER WOULD GO UP AND DOWN BY AT LEAST 500 RPM WITHOUT ANY INPUT FROM ME. THE LIGHTS WOULD FLICKER. THE DASHCAM I HAVE MOUNTED TURNED OFF. I TRIED MAKING IT HOME AND IT JUST DIED. LOST ALL LIGHTS. I SHIFTED TO NEUTRAL AND COASTED TO THE LEFT TURN LANE. WHILE DOING THIS, THE AUTO START SYSTEM TRIED TO RESTART THE CAR, EVEN THOUGH IT HAD BEEN PREVIOUSLY DISABLED. I TRIED TO START THE CAR MANUALLY, ABOUT FIVE OR SIX TIMES. IT FINALLY STARTED AND I WAS ABLE TO MAKE IT HOME. I TURNED OFF THE HVAC AUTO FEATURE, MY DASHCAM AND RADIO IN CASE IT WAS A VOLTAGE ISSUE. JUST ONE MORE ISSUE WITH THIS VEHICLE. THE ELECTRONIC PACKAGE IS FINICKY AND HORRIBLE. IT HAS A MIND OF IT'S OWN. I HAVE ALSO HAD THE DEALER DO THE SERVICE BULLETIN ON THE [XXX] SYSTEM. IT STILL ACTS UP OCCASIONALLY LEAVING ME DEAD IN THE WATER UNTIL I CAN SHIFT TO PARK AND MANUALLY RESTART IT. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

1. HANDS FREE TAILGATE/TRUNK WILL AUTOMATICALLY SHUT WHEN OBJECTS OR A PERSONS BODY IS PRESENT. FAUB/ KEYS ARE NOT BEING PUSHED BY ACCIDENT, NOR IS THERE ANY MOVEMENT UNDER NUMBER THAT WOULD SENSOR DOOR TO CLOSE. WHEN IT DOES DO THIS, IT TAKES QUITE A WHILE FOR THE SENSOR TO REALIZE THERE IS AN OBJECT THERE AND TAKES SOME TIME TO OPEN AGAIN. 2. WHEN VEHICLE SLIPS ON ICE PATCES OR LARGE PUDDLES OF WATER--- WHEN THE TRACTION LIGHT COMES ON MY DASH BOARD, IT SEEMS TO TRIGGER MY ENTIRE VEHICLE TO SHUT COMPLETELY DOWN. VEHICLE ENGINE SHUTS OFF, STEERING WHEEL LOCKS UP, BRAKES STOP WORKING AND NO ELECTRICAL FROM THAT POINT ON. I HAVE HAD THIS HAPPEN 3 TIMES NOW, WITH THE NEED TO HAVE TO CALL A TOW. FOR BOTH COMPLAINTS, FORD SERVICE SAYS THEY CANNOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG AND CANNOT GET EITHER COMPLAINT TO DUPLICATE. NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE AT THIS POINT BY FORD TO FIX OR COMPENSATE FOR ANY OF THIS.

MY CAR RUNNING NORMAL UP TO YESTERDAY, I WENT TO WHOLE FOODS AND WHEN I WAS GOING TO TURN IT ON THE CAR COMPLETELY OUT OF POWER (BATTERY) I WENT TO AUTOZONE AND THE BATTERY AND ALTERNATOR ARE GOOD. TODAY I WENT TO BOUNTIFUL AND AGAIN AFTER BEING RUNNING GOOD THE CAR DIDN'T START, I TOOK THE CAR WITH A TOW TRUCK TO A MECHANIC SHOP AND THE MECHANIC CHECK IT AND THE MECHANIC SAID THAT I DIDN'T FIND ANY PROBLEMS.

I'VE HAD MY CAR TWO YEARS AND MULTIPLE THINGS HAVE BEEN AN ISSUE SINCE PURCHASE. REGARDLESS, MY MOST RECENT CONCERN IS MY HILL START NOT AVAILABLE LIGHT IS ON AND TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT IS ON AND WILL NOT GO OFF. I SENT MY CAR TO A DEALERSHIP TO DETERMINE THE ISSUE AND DISCOVERED THE SASM NEEDED TO BE REPAIRED. HOWEVER THE DEALERSHIP STATED THAT THIS DOES NOT BECOME AN ISSUE UNLESS THE CAR HAS BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT. MY CAR HAS NEVER BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT NOW NOR PRIOR TO MY PURCHASE. CAR FAX SHOW NO RECORDS OF ANY DAMAGE TO THE PHYSICAL BODY OF THE VEHICLE. THE DEALERSHIP HAD NO OTHER EXPLANATION AS TO WHY THESE LIGHTS WOULD HAVE BEEN ACTIVATED AND I'M VERY CONCERNED THAT IT WILL CAUSE FURTHER DAMAGE TO MY CAR. AGAIN I'VE ONLY HAD THE CAR TWO YEARS AND WOULD LIKE TO HAVE IT LONGER, IF SOMETHING CAN BE EXPLAINED ABOUT THIS ISSUE.

THE CAR WILL TURN OFF WHEN STOPPED (EX. AT A LIGHT) AND A MESSAGE COMES UP SAYING "AUTO STARTSTOP SHIFT TO P RESTART ENGINE". I DO THIS AND IT RESTARTS WITHOUT ISSUE. THIS HAS ONLY HAPPENED A FEW TIMES AND AT VARIOUS TIMES. EX. ONCE IN MORNING COLD WEATHER, ONCE IN AFTERNOON IN MILD/WARM WEATHER. I BOUGHT CAR NEW AND THIS HAS ONLY STARTED HAPPENING NOW (3 YEARS AFTER CAR WAS BOUGHT).

MY CAR HAS HAD AN ISSUE TWICE INVOLVING SQUIRRELS/RODENTS CHEWING THROUGH WIRES AND HAS COST QUITE A BIT OF MONEY. EVEN WHEN THE CAR WAS UNDER WARRANTY THE DEALER STATED THIS ISSUE IS NOT COVERED. I HAVE SEEN MANY INSTANCES OF THIS HAPPENING TO OTHERS ON THE INTERNET AND THE DEALER ALSO SAYS IT HAS BEEN HAPPENING QUITE OFTEN. I HAVE READ THAT THE WIRING COVERING HAS BEEN CHANGED FROM PETROLEUM BASED TO SOY BASED FOR ENVIRONMENTAL REASONS AND RODENTS LOVE TO EAT THE SOY BASED WIRING. MY FAMILY HAS HAD MANY CARS PARKED IN THE DRIVEWAY OVER THE YEARS AND THIS BEING THE NEWEST CAR IS THE ONLY ONE THAT HAS HAD THIS PROBLEM. I WOULD THINK THAT CAR MANUFACTURERS BEING AWARE OF THIS ISSUE WOULD HAVE COME UP WITH A SOLUTION BY NOW SUCH AS SPRAYING THE WIRES WITH SOMETHING THAT TASTES BAD TO THE RODENTS OR COMING UP WITH ANOTHER ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY SOLUTION TO AVOID THIS ISSUE AND EXPENSE TO THE CONSUMER.

EVERYTIME AUTO START STOP IS INITIATED AND I RELEASE THE BRAKE MY VEHICLE SHUTS DOWN WITH THE NOTIFICATION "SHIFT TO P AND RESTART ENGINE." THIS HAS HAPPENED NUMEROUS OCCASIONS. IT HAPPENED IN TRAFFIC AND NEARLY CAUSED A WRECK. THE PERSON SAW I RELEASED THE BRAKE AND EXPECTED ME TO BUT I'M STALLED BECAUSE OF THIS. I'M TIRED OF HAVING TO TO MANUALLY TURN AUTO START STOP OFF. THERE ARE 1000S WITH THIS ISSUE AND A RECALL NEEDS TO BE MADE. I BOUGHT THE VEHICLE FROM CARMAX SEPT 2019. WHEN I BOUGHT THE VEHICLE THE BUMP TO BUMPER WARRANTY HAD ALREADY EXPIRED.

WHEN STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT OR STOP SIGN OR ANY OTHER REASON, MY ESCAPE WILL SHUT OFF AND THE DISPLAY WILL SHOW "AUTO STARTSTOP SHIFT TO P RESTART ENGINE". THE AUTO STARTSTOP LIGHT IS ORANGE INSTEAD OF GREEN WHEN THIS OCCURS. IT IS NOT EVERY TIME, BUT IS IS OCCURRING MORE FREQUENTLY. THE TRANSMISSION WILL STILL BE IN DRIVE WHEN THIS OCCURS.