2003 FORD ESCAPE Complaints

THE VEHICLE WAS MOVING AT 35 MPH, THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE WHEEL STARTED MAKING NOISE AND GOT WOBBLY. I TOOK IT TO A FORD DEALER. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT TOOK A DAY TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM. THEY INDICATED THAT THE SUB FRAME HAS RUSTED OUT AND THE LOWER CONTROL ARMS ARE NOT SECURE IN THE SUB-FRAME AND MAY SEPARATE ANYTIME. THEY REFUSE TO FIX THE PROBLEM AS PER THE RECALL SAYING THAT THEY PUT A CROSS BRACE AND THE RECALL IS FIXED. THE CROSS BRACE THAT WAS PUT, IS A BAND-AID FIX AND DOES NOT ADDRESS THE FAILURE OF THE DEFECTIVE SUB-FRAME. THE SUB-FRAME WILL FAIL EVEN AFTER INSTALLING THE CROSS BRACE THAT FORD SEEMS TO THINK WILL FIX THE PROBLEM. THE LOWER CONTROL ARM WILL SEPARATE AND THE CROSS BRACE WILL NOT PREVENT ANY ACCIDENTS THAT COULD RESULT FROM LOWER CONTROL ARM SEPARATION.

THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE LOWER CONTROL ARM FAILED WHILE MY SON WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE. HE WAS GOING STRAIGHT, AND THE RIGHT FRONT SIDE JUST BUCKLED UNDER WHILE HE WAS IN MOTION. LUCKILY HE WASN'T ON A HEAVILY-TRAVELED ROAD WHEN IT HAPPENED, BECAUSE THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN A SERIOUS ACCIDENT. THE VEHICLE, ALTHOUGH IT IS A 2003 FORD ESCAPE, IS NOT PART OF RECALL #14S02. WHY, I DON'T KNOW? NO ONE AT FORD CAN EXPLAIN THIS TO ME, AS IT IS EXACTLY WHAT HAS BEEN HAPPENING WITH THIS MAKE AND MODEL/YEAR. WE HAD IT REPAIRED AT GREAT COST TO US, WITH EXACTLY THE PARTS/LABOR THAT FORD HAD BEEN DESCRIBING IN THE RECALL. OUR MECHANIC EVEN GOT THE REPLACEMENT CROSSMEMBER FROM FORD! FORD THEMSELVES WANTED NOTHING TO DO WITH THE REPAIR. IN ADDITION TO THE LOWER CONTROL ARM, AND CROSSMEMBER, THE TIRE HAD TO BE REPLACED, ALONG WITH THE RIGHT FRONT AXLE ASSEMBLY, AS THEY WERE SEVERELY DAMAGED FROM THE FRAME FAILURE. I WOULD REALLY LIKE AN ANSWER AS TO WHY MY VEHICLE IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL, WHEN THE RECALL DESCRIBES EXACTLY WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO MY VEHICLE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 FORD ESCAPE. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V165000 (STRUCTURE). THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 5 TO 10 MPH, THERE WAS A GRINDING NOISE. THE VEHICLE WAS COASTED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND TOWED TO A MECHANIC. IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE SUBFRAME WAS COMPLETELY RUSTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 115,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 FORD ESCAPE. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE FAILURE RECURRED NUMEROUS TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 04V165000 (POWER TRAIN). THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 130,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 FORD ESCAPE. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 33 MPH AND ATTEMPTING TO TURN, THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE WHEEL FAILED AND THE VEHICLE BECAME DIFFICULT TO CONTROL. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO PULL THE VEHICLE OVER TO THE SHOULDER AND DISCOVERED THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER WHEEL WAS RUSTED AND TWISTED OUTWARD. THE FAILURE CAUSED THE REAR CONTROL ARM TO ALMOST FALL OFF. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 140,000.

I PULLED INTO WORK AT 7:00 AM 9/15/16 AND AT 9:00 AM A FELLOW WORKING TOLD BE MY WINDOW WAS BLOWN OUT. IT LOOK LIKE IT BLEW FROM THE INSIDE OUT.

WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY THE STEERING STARTED TO BECOME UNSTABLE AND LOOSE. MOMENTS LATER THE LOWER CONTROL ARM (SUB-FRAME) ON PASSENGER SIDE SEPARATED CAUSING LOSS OF CONTROL ALMOST ENDING IN CRASH. NEVER RECEIVED NOTICE OF THE RECALL BELOW TO FIX THIS PROBLEM WHICH WAS ISSUED ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO. DEALERSHIP CONTACTED. THEY ARE DRAGGING THEIR FEET ON AN ANSWER AS TO WHETHER THEY'LL FIX. RECALL # 14S02 2001-'04 FORD ESCAPE RECALLED FOR RUST, STEERING PROBLEM FORD IS RECALLING 385,762 2001-'04 FORD ESCAPE SUVS BECAUSE A RUST PROBLEM MAY CAUSE THE LOWER CONTROL ARM TO SEPARATE, POTENTIALLY RESULTING IN DIMINISHED STEERING CONTROL. | APRIL 8, 2014 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY RECALL TITLE: FRONT SUBFRAME CROSSBRACE INSTALLATION NHTSA RECALL NUMBER: 14V165000 FORD RECALL NUMBER: 14S02

WHILE DRIVING, THE FRONT RIGHT TIRE FELT LIKE IT WAS GOING TO FALL OFF THE VEHICLE. I TOOK IT TO MY MECHANIC WHO STATED THAT THE SUB-FRAME WAS CRACKED AND FORD HAD A RECALL IN PLACE. I HAD IT TOWED TO THE NEAREST FORD DEALERSHIP WHO STATED THAT IT WOULD BE COVERED UNDER THE RECALL. INSTEAD, THEY PUT A CROSS-BAR ON THE CRACKED SUB FRAME BECAUSE THEY DETERMINED IT WAS "NOT BROKEN" ONLY "CRACKED". THE SUB FRAME HAD "RUSTED AND CORRODED" DUE TO FORD'S OWN ADMITTANCE OF "FAULTY PARTS". I ASKED IF THE VEHICLE WAS SAFE AND THEY STATED "NO". I ASKED IF THE VEHICLE WOULD PASS INSPECTION AND AGAIN THEY STATED "NO". I ASKED IF THIS WAS A "BANDAID" THAT THEY PUT ON TO MAKE THEMSELVES FEEL BETTER ABOUT THE FACT THAT ANYONE OPERATING THE VEHICLE COULD LOSE TOTAL CONTROL. I ASKED TO SPEAK TO A MANAGER, WHO TOLD ME THERE WAS NOTHING HE COULD DO. HE DID STATE HE WOULD MAKES SOME CALLS AND CALLED ME A DAY OR TWO LATER TO SAY, THAT HIS MANAGER SAID IF I WANTED THE VEHICLE FIXED, I COULD PAY $1,200 FOR THE PART AND AN ADDITIONAL $600-$800 IN LABOR TO FIX THE VEHICLE, OR I COULD TRADE IT IN. I AM BEYOND FRUSTRATED THAT FORD WILL NOT BACK UP THEIR PRODUCT. THE VEHICLE HAS LESS THAN 65,000 MILES ON IT!

I BEGAN MERGING ONTO I 820 WHEN MY VEHICLE (BY ITSELF) FLOORED THE ACCELERATOR. I TRIED PRESSING THE BRAKE (IT WOULDNT PRESS DOWN, IT WAS HARD AS A ROCK). I USED BOTH FEET TO NO AVAIL. AT 75-80 MPH I JAMMED IT INTO NEUTRAL. THE RPM'S WERE STILL AT MAX. BY THIS TIME IT HAD SLOWED (I WAS ON THE SHOULDER OF THE HIWAY) TO ABOUT 20 MPH, THEN JAMMED IT IN PARK. I LOOKED AT THE INSTRUMENT PANEL AND ALL THE INSTRUMENTS WERE ON 0. I HESITATED THEN GAVE THE CAR SOME GAS, IT WAS STILL RUNNING! I COULDNT EVEN HEAR THE ENGINE UNTIL I REVVED IT. I PROCEEDED TO TURN OFF THE IGNITION. THE CAR DID TURN OFF. I NOTICED A 17 YR OLD BOY DYING BACK IN 2012 -13 FROM THE SAME ACT MY CAR DID. ITS BAD ENOUGH TO LOSE A CHILD BUT TO LOSE A CHILD BECAUSE OF A MALFUNCTION FROM A VEHICLE AND THE COMPANY STATING THEY WILL HAVE TO LOOK INTO IT FURTHER, IS NOTHING SHORT OF TOTAL NEGLIGENCE AND REFUSAL TO ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR ONES ERROR AND WE WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO OUR YOUTH? LOOK WHO'S RAISING THEM AND GIVING THEM EXCUSES.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 FORD ESCAPE. THE CONTACTWAS INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT BE REPAIRED PER NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V165000 (STRUCTURE) DUE TO EXCESSIVE CORROSION ON THE SUBFRAME. THE VEHICLE WAS UNSAFE TO DRIVE. THE FRAME NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,000.