A driver in a Ford Escape is on the freeway when suddenly the engine loses power, a wrench light turns on and the accelerator turns off.
A precarious situation no doubt. As vehicles speed past, a quick decision is made to try to try to pull over to the shoulder or center divide. The driver may have escaped with their life, but they are not out of harm’s way as they are now stranded.
This is an actual scenario where the driver was lucky to escape with their life.
Unfortunately, he was not alone. Its pretty common for many other Ford vehicles including Ford Explorer and Ford Fusion, as well as the Mercury Mariner and Mercury Milan. The issue had been identified in older model vehicles prior to 2013, but now new 2015 and 2016 vehicles are also grappling with this problem, according to reports on CarComplaints.com.
Indeed, these problems are nothing new to Ford owners, and dealerships who have identified it as a defective Electronic Throttle Body (ETB). The issue can involve engine stalls, a power surge or very limited power available. There may be a rough idle in the engine.
In the good old days, a throttle was connected to the accelerator pedal by a cable, but if that broke, all power to the gas pedal would be gone immediately. Auto manufacturers decided to replace the cable with a computer — the Electronic Throttle Body control. This control devices maintains the position of the throttle valve and manages how much air will enter the engine. When the ETC’s code malfunctions, a driver may find themselves without power and making life-or-death decisions in a split second.
If this happens, you may be able to crawl your way home or to the nearest mechanic with limited power or there is no power at all to the accelerator even though the engine may be running.
The problems discussed here involving the ETB have not gone unnoticed by the government. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) investigated the sudden power loss and surges in Ford engines in 2013. What they found was 59,807 Ford warranty claims involving ETB replacements. Ford ended up fixing some 1,600,000 cars and SUV’s. By 2014, the NTHSA had convinced Ford to create a customer satisfaction program on certain vehicles to extend the ETB warranty to 10 years or 150,000 miles.
Help for Ford Owners — Call 800-235-6801
Motorists who are grappling with ongoing problems with their Ford Escape, Fusion, Explorer or other vehicle could be eligible for compensation under California Lemon Laws.
Johnson Attorneys Group has helped thousands of clients resolve their lemon law cases and we can help you. Call us for a FREE CONSULTATION at 800-235-6801. Remember that our attorneys fees do not come out of your settlement because the manufacturer is required to pay them directly to us under California Lemon Laws.
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4 Comments on “Ford Motors’ Defective Electronic Throttle Body (ETB) in 2015 and 2016 Models”
Do you help people in Texas? I have been messing with this issue for about 2 years with no resolution. Now my 2016 Ford Fusion has run out of warranty and I can’t afford to get this fixed. My car shut off as soon as I drove into a very busy highway and only by the grace of God I was not hit. The other drivers managed to slow down enough to barely miss me. I have called Ford time and time again with no resolution.
Hi, We only handle cases in California. So sorry.
I had this same problem in my 2015 Ford F150 Truck with the 3.5 liter Ecoboost engine. Just had the electronic throttle body replaced for $500. This created a very unsafe situation as my truck stalled and went in limp mode on Interstate 5. I am from Pleasanton CA.
I am in ny have a 16 Ford and my etb went and was wondering if it was recalled please help