NHTSA complaint #11764767

Owner complaint summary

While driving on a highway, the vehicle suddenly lost power and could no longer maintain highway speed. It entered a reduced power mode, flashed multiple errors, and was pulled over to the shoulder and stopped. My pregnant wife, who was in the car by herself, was then stuck in a hot car on a dangerous elevated spot on a highway with high-speed traffic close by and on a limited shoulder. It had to be towed to a dealership. The dealership diagnosed a misfire in cylinder 2. The technician removed the spark plugs and found them fouled with oil, primarily one plug. Using a borescope, the technician inspected all cylinders and found a crack across the piston in cylinder 2. A head gasket failure was initially suspected but was ruled out. The oil was drained and inspected, and no metal debris was found in the drain pan. The failure was confirmed by the dealership, and a warranty claim was submitted to and approved by the manufacturer. The approved repair covers replacement of the piston, rings, rod bearing, and head gasket for cylinder 2 only, rather than the short block originally recommended by the technician. The dealership stated that root cause cannot be determined without engineering analysis of the damaged parts, which are to be sent to the manufacturer for review after the repair is complete. The damaged components are available for inspection. The vehicle had approximately 16,000 miles at the time of failure and was purchased new approximately 15 months prior. Complete loss of engine power and the inability to maintain speed in highway traffic created a substantial risk of being struck from behind.