Engine Failure problems of the 2010 Ford Escape

Came home from a 45 mile trip. Pulled up in front of our home. I put the vehicle into reverse & the engine died. Ford had just reprogrammed this vehicle per a recall only about 1,000 miles before this engine failure. I had noticed since the reprogramming that the engine hesitated at times & sounded/felt like at other times like the engine was going to die. Ford replaced spark plugs 1, 2, & 4 stating that they were intermittently misfiring under load. Since spark plugs were replaced vehicle no longer hesitates but the engine continues to sound/feel like it is going to die at times.

On 30 December 2012 at approximately 5 pm I was driving my 2010 Ford Escape XLT on us 61 in port gibson, ms. I was traveling at approximately 55 mph with the cruise control engaged when the vehicle began to slow down unexpectedly. I glanced down to observe the gauges and discovered the cruise control had ceased functioning and the trouble light (shaped like a wrench) had illuminated. I pressed the accelerator pedal and the engine failed to respond. I pulled to the shoulder and shut down the engine. After checking under the hood for any loss of fluid or obvious mechanical failure I could detect nothing indicating a major mechanical failure. I restarted the engine and observed the gauges noting the trouble light was no longer present. Thinking the problem may have been a temporary issue, I again proceeded to travel upon the highway for approximately 100 yards and again the same trouble light illuminated and I lost the ability to accelerate after reaching around 45 mph. I again pulled over, shut off the engine, and restarted. I managed to turn around and go home, but not before I had the same failure occur approximately 4 more times at 65 mph. I contacted Ford roadside assistance and the vehicle is being towed to a dealership in vicksburg, ms, 35 miles away. This is the first time the vehicle has exhibited any defects since I purchased it in June, 2012 with approximately 33,000 miles on it. I feel this vehicle is not safe to be operated upon the roads and could endanger my family's safety as well as other motorists.

In the span of 4 days my 2010 Ford Escape xls engine failed to turn over 3 times. The first two incidents were resolved by jump starting probably due to low battery output. So yesterday, I took the vehicle to a local mechanic shop and replaced the factory-installed battery thinking this was it. Today this morning, as my family and I were about to head out for grocery shopping, the ignition won't start again. So I called for a jump starting service through my insurance and this time it won't start at all. It was towed and moved to the mechanic shop for further inspection. Since it wasn't a Ford dealership, they weren't able to do a complete diagnosis. But based on what they were able to do, it appears that there is a breakdown of communication between ignition and engine. I had this for two years now originally purchased from aafes military sales korea and the vehicle has never been in a major accident. I am completely baffled and irritated by all this event because there should be no reason for the car to stall like that. Currently I am overseas in korea with the us army and there are only a couple of Ford dealerships over and they are not near by.