2001 FORD ESCAPE Complaints

I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE INTERSTATE IN WI, AND OUT OF NO WHERE MY REAR WINDSHIELD SHATTERED. THE REAR DEFROST WAS ON AND THE OUTSIDE AIR TEMP WAS APPROXIMATELY 16 DEGREES F. THERE WAS NO COLLISION AND NO EVIDENCE FLYING OBJECTS TO CAUSE THE SHATTER. *TR

WINDOW AND DOOR LOCK ON REAR DRIVER SIDE QUIT OPERATING CAUSING ME TO HAVE TO USE DUCT TAPE TO KEEP WINDOW IN PLACE AND DOOR CLOSED. THIS HAS NOW BEEN FIXED AT SUBSTANTIAL COST. NOW AM UNABLE TO USE EITHER DOOR ON PASSENGER SIDE. NO PROBLEM WITH WINDOWS AT THIS POINT, HOWEVER, AM UNABLE TO OPEN EITHER OF THE TWO DOORS. QUITE INCONVENIENT WITH OTHER PASSENGERS, PARTICULARLY WHERE THE FRONT SEAT IS INVOLVED...A LITTLE DIFFICULT CLIMBING OVER THE CONSOLE AREA FROM THE DRIVER SIDE TO GET TO THE PASSENGER SIDE AND VICE VERSA...BACK SEATING AREA NOT QUITE SO BAD...STILL INCONVENIENT. HAS THERE BEEN A RECALL REGARDING THIS AND/OR ANYONE ELSE EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM? RIGHT NOW, THE EXPENSE TO REPAIR IS HONESTLY MORE THAN IT'S WORTH TO RESOLVE THE ISSUE...ANOTHER $400-500+. DOES MAKE IT PARTICULARLY DIFFICULT TO LOAD AND UNLOAD---ESPECIALLY THE CHILDREN! *TR

WHILE ACCELERATING ON THE INTERSTATE, VEHICLE APPROACHED 50 MILES AN HOUR WHEN IT FELT LIKE THE TRANSMISSION WAS ABOUT TO FALL OUT OF THE VEHICLE. AFTER TALKING WITH A LOT OF PEOPLE AND DOING RESEARCH, THEY CALL THIS SHUDDER. IT FILLS LIKE WHEN YOU DRIVE OFF THE EDGE OF THE INTERSTATE WHITE LINE AND HIT THE ROUGH PAVEMENT. IT WOULD STOP IF I LET UP OFF THE GAS. I HAVE NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT OR TRANSMISSION LIGHT SHOWING ON THE DASHBOARD. NO ERROR CODES WHEN THE CODE READER WAS HOOKED UP ON THE VEHICLE. THIS VEHICLE HAS ALREADY BEEN TO THE DEALERSHIP TWICE FOR THIS ISSUE. THE FIRST TIME WE HAD ALL OF THE GASKETS AND VACUUM HOSES REPLACED COST WAS OVER 1400 DOLLARS. THE SECOND TIME WE HAD THE WHOLE TRANSMISSION SERVICED BY THE DEALERSHIP OVER 700 DOLLARS ALONG WITH OTHER ITEMS. THE DEALERSHIP HAS STILL NOT BEEN ABLE TO IDENTIFY THE CAUSE FOR THE PROBLEM. THERE WAS A TECH BULLETIN THAT CAME OUT A WHILE BACK ON THE CD4E SHUDDER PROBLEM AND APPEARS THAT NHTSA SHOULD FORCE FORD TO DO A RECALL ON FORD ESCAPES FOR THE SHUDDER PROBLEM THEY HAVE SINCE THE TECH BULLETIN HAS COME OUT AND NO SOLUTION HAS BEEN DONE. ALL THE RESEARCH I HAVE DONE SEEMS TO POINT TO THE TORQUE CONVERTER WHICH IS NOT AN EASY FIX AND IS COSTLY. THERE NEEDS TO BE A RECALL ON THIS. *TR

SHORTLY AFTER BEING PARKED AND SHUT OFF THE VEHICLE CAUGHT FIRE WITHIN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT AND DESTROYED EVERYTHING IN THE FRONT END OF THE VEHICLE. *TR

ON NOVEMBER 11, 2013, WHILE MY WIFE WAS DRIVING A 2001 FORD ESCAPE AT NIGHT APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH ON INTERSTATE 5 IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA, THE FRONT SIDE AIRBAG ON THE DRIVERS SIDE (BUILT INTO THE DRIVER'S SEAT BACKREST) SPONTANEOUSLY DEPLOYED, FRIGHTENING AND NEARLY CAUSING THE DRIVER TO LOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. THE CAR HAD NOT HIT A POT HOLE OR ANY OTHER OBJECT THAT MIGHT EXPLAIN THE DEPLOYMENT OF THE AIRBAG. THE AIRBAG HIT THE DRIVERS ARM, CAUSING RED MARKS THAT LASTED A DAY, BUT FORTUNATELY NO LASTING INJURY. AFTER PULLING THE CAR OVER AND FINDING NO OTHER DAMAGE (BESIDES THE RIPPED-OUT SIDE OF THE BACKREST WITH THE DEFLATED AIRBAG) THAT WOULD AFFECT OPERATION OF THE VEHICLE, IT WAS DRIVEN HOME APPROXIMATELY 10 MILES. THE INCIDENT HAS BEEN REPORTED TO FORD CUSTOMER SERVICE AND, ON 11/14, WAS DRIVEN TO JIM WILSON FORD IN YREKA, CA TO TRY TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE AND COST OF REPAIR. THE DEALER SAID THAT TWO OR THREE MALFUNCTIONS COULD HAVE CAUSED THE AIRBAG TO DEPLOY, BUT THEY COULDN'T PIN DOWN THE CAUSE. COST OF REPAIR IS ESTIMATED TO BE $2,043. AS OF TODAY (11/21/13), THE AIRBAG HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED, THINKING THAT MORE INVESTIGATION MIGHT BE PROPOSED FOR THE POTENTIALLY SERIOUS AND EVEN DEADLY DEFECT. *TR

AFTER DRIVING MY CAR WITHOUT INCIDENT FOR 6 YEARS, IT BEGAN TO INTERMITTENTLY LOSE POWER SO MUCH THAT THE DASH LIGHTS FADE AND THE CAR ALMOST STALLS. THIS IS WORSE AT LOWER SPEEDS, COASTING, AND IDLING. THE ENGINE MISSES OUT SO BADLY THAT THE CAR JERKS FORWARD IF THE BRAKE IS NOT PRESSED FIRMLY TO THE FLOOR AND WHEN IT'S WORST AT IDLE, IT SHAKES HORRIBLY. I HAD THE PLUGS REPLACED (NOT CHEAP) BECAUSE THAT WAS THE ERROR SHOWING WHEN THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT FINALLY CAME ON SEVERAL WEEKS AFTER I STARTED HAVING THIS ISSUE, AND A MECHANIC HAD ALREADY LOOKED AT IT AND THOUGHT IT WAS FIXED. AFTER HAVING THE PLUGS REPLACED, I HAD A LOT FEWER PROBLEMS BUT COULD STILL TELL THERE WAS A PROBLEM WHEN IT WAS COLDER OUTSIDE AND/OR WHEN I FIRST STARTED MY CAR FOR A COUPLE OF MONTHS. IT THEN BEGAN TO GET WORSE AGAIN AND IS JUST AS BAD NOW AS IT WAS BEFORE I HAD THE PLUGS REPLACED. I DON'T WANT TO KEEP REPLACING THEM IF IT'S JUST GOING TO KEEP HAPPENING AGAIN. WHILE WAITING AT A RED LIGHT ON AN UPHILL INTERSECTION JUST LAST WEEK, I PRESSED THE GAS TO PULL THROUGH THE INTERSECTION AND BARELY ANY POWER RESULTED. I LET OFF THE GAS AND DEPRESSED IT AGAIN, AT LEAST 3 DIFFERENT TIMES, JUST TO GET THROUGH THE INTERSECTION WITHOUT IT DYING OR LAUNCHING MYSELF INTO ANOTHER CAR. IT SEEMS THIS MODEL YEAR MAY HAVE A LOT OF ELECTRICAL ISSUES, BUT I'VE HAD ALL OF THE RECALL ISSUES ADDRESSED AND I'M STILL HAVING MAJOR ISSUES THAT AREN'T CHEAP TO FIX. I'VE ALSO HAD THE EMERGENCY BRAKE INDICATOR LIGHT COME ON WITHOUT THE BRAKE BEING ENGAGED TWICE DURING THE TIME I'VE OWNED THIS VEHICLE AND THE INDICATOR GOES AWAY JUST AS QUICKLY AS IT APPEARED WITHIN A COUPLE OF WEEKS. *TR

WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE, THE LEFT SIDE OF THE VEHICLE COLLAPSED AFTER EXPERIENCING A LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL. I JACKED UP THE VEHICLE TO INSPECT THE CAUSE AND DISCOVERED THE LEFT SIDE OF THE ENGINE/SUSPENSION CRADLE WAS SUFFERED FROM ABNORMAL CORROSION THAT ALLOWED THE LOWER CONTROL ARM TO BECOME DETACHED FROM THE VEHICLE. THIS CONDITION IS NOT PRESENT ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE VEHICLE, THEREFORE IT IS OBVIOUS THAT THIS IS A QUALITY ISSUE WITH THE COMPONENT THAT CAUSED A PREMATURE FAILURE AND A SAFETY ISSUE. THIS IS A FORD QUALITY ISSUE THAT IS NOT BEING ADDRESSED THAT COULD CAUSE SEVERE INJURY AND DEATH. *TR

ON OCTOBER 10TH, 2013, MY WIFE AND I HAD MET FOR HER BIRTHDAY DINNER AT A RESTAURANT IN OUR TOWN. MY WIFE DROVE THE 2001 FORD ESCAPE TO THE RESTAURANT, ABOUT 5 MILES, FROM OUR HOME AND PARKED THE CAR. WE HAD BEEN AT DINNER FOR APPROXIMATELY 25 MINUTES WHEN THE WAITRESS ASKED US IF WE DROVE A RED SUV. WE WERE LED TO THE VEHICLE THAT WAS ON FIRE AND IN THE PROCESS OF BEING EXTINGUISHED BY THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. THE FIRE INVESTIGATOR SAID THAT IT LOOKED AS IF THE FIRE HAD STARTED ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE OF THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT AND THAT NOTHING ELSE LOOKED SUSPICIOUS. HE POINTED OUT THAT THE WIRE INSULATION ON THAT SIDE OF THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT WAS ALL MELTED AWAY TO BARE COPPER AND THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE WIRING WAS STILL MORE INTACT. THE FIRE DESTROYED THE ENTIRE FRONT END OF THE CAR, THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT, THE DRIVER'S SIDE FENDER, THE DRIVER'S SIDE TIRE AND RIM AND MELTED THE DRIVER'S SIDE DASHBOARD. THE ENTIRE INSIDE OF THE VEHICLE IS SMOKE DAMAGED SINCE THE CAR WAS LOCKED UP. THE VEHICLE IS A TOTAL LOSS. JUST GRATEFUL THAT MY DAUGHTER OR WIFE WEREN'T DRIVING IT AT THE TIME OF THE FIRE. *TR

FIFTH TIME VEHICLE HAS BEEN TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR THE SAME PROBLEM. VEHICLE IS STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT OR IN TRAFFIC, THE VEHICLE LUNGES FORWARD WITH THE BRAKES APPLIED. DAUGHTER TOOK IT BACK TO THE SAME DEALERSHIP AND THEY THOUGHT THEY FIXED THE PROBLEM. SHE WAS ON HER WAY BACK TO COLLEGE...4 MILES FROM THE HOUSE AT A RED LIGHT. SHE CALLED AND SAID THE VEHICLE WAS STILL DOING WHAT IT WAS DOING BEFORE. THIS NEEDS TO BE INVESTIGATED AND A RECALL ISSUED. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 FORD ESCAPE. THE CONTACT STATED THE HATCH FAILED TO LOCK. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY AND INTERMITTENTLY STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DIAGNOSED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED ABOUT THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE AND VIN WERE UNAVAILABLE.