I WAS DRIVING ALONG MY 2012 FORD F450SUPERDUTY TURBO DIESEL ALONG THE INTERSTATE 495 DC BELTWAY IN MARYLAND WITH MY SEVEN YEAR OLD SON IN THE BACK SEAT, WHEN A LCD IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SPEEDOMETER GAVE A WARNING WHICH READ "REDUCED POWER" AND COULD IMMEDIATELY FEEL A REDUCED RESPONSIVENESS OF THE TRUCK TO THE ACCELERATOR. A MOMENT LATER ANOTHER SIGN READ " CLEANING EXHAUST FILTER" WHICH DISAPPEARED ALMOST IMMEDIATELY. A MOMENT LATER A FINAL WARNING CAME UP WHICH READ" STOP AT A SAFE LOCATION. I BEARLY PULLED OVER TO A DANGEROUS SHOULDER WHEN MY TRUCK SHOT DOWN. AT THIS POINT I COULD NO LONGER MOVE MY TRUCK TO A SAFER LOCATION ON THE HIGHWAY SHOULDER. THE HIGHWAY ON WHICH MY TRUCK STALLED IS THE BUSIEST HIGHWAY IN MARYLAND. THE TRUCK STALLING LIKE THE WAY IT DID PUT MY LIFE, MY SONS LIFE AND THE LIVES OF OTHER MOTORISTS AT RISK AT MOMENT IT DID. WHILE I WAS SEARCHING ONLINE FOR WHAT MIGHT HAVE GONE WRONG WITH MY TRUCK, I CAME ACROSS AN ARTICLE ON WHICH AMBULANCES WERE RECALLED AND SENSORS IN THE EXHAUST WERE REPLACED TO FIX THE PROBLEM. ONE STRIKING SIMILARITY WAS THE FIVE AUDIBLE CHIME THE TRUCKS WERE EMITTING WHICH MY TRUCK ALSO EMITTED. I WAS NOT ABLE START THE TRUCK AT THAT STALL POINT SO I HAD IT TOWED TO A LOCAL DEALERSHIP.
NHTSA ODI 10779531