2008 FORD ESCAPE Complaints

I HAVE A 2008 FORD ESCAPE AND I CAN PUT THE SEATS DOWN FOR STORAGE AND WHEN I TRIED AND LIFTED THE PASSENGER SEAT UP BEHIND THE DRIVERS, THE SEAT BELT RETRACTOR WON'T RELEASE AND I CANNOT PUT THE SEAT UP. I HAVE TRIED A CAN OF AIR AND TAPPING ON THE RETRACTOR AND THIS WON'T RELEASE THE SEAT BELT SO I CAN PUT THE SEAT UP. *TR

DRIVING IN THIRD LANE ON INTERSTATE THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN IT STARTED VEERING TOWARDS THE LEFT AND HAD NO CONTROL. IT VEERED ME INTO THE CONCRETE WALL AND THEN I STOPPPED. BOTH AIR BAGS EXPLODED. *TR

POWER STEERING LOCKED UP ON SEVERAL OCCASION UPON START UP AND A COUPLE OF TIMES WHILE DRIVING, ALTHOUGH SPEED AT THE TIME STEERING LOCKED UP IS UNKNOWN. STEERING COLUMN HAD TO BE REPLACED IN JAN 2013 AT MY EXPENSE AND TOTALED $1244.60. DUE TO THE RECENT RECALL OF THE NUMEROUS FORD ESCAPE'S STEERING, I FEEL FORD SHOULD REIMBURSE ME FOR THE EXPENSES RELATED TO THE DEFECT. *TR

WRENCH LIGHT CAME ON AND I IMMEDIATELY TOOK MY VEHICLE TO JOHN BLEAKLEY FORD FOR A DIAGNOSTIC TEST TO SEE WHAT WAS GOING ON. I NOTICED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS STALLING WHILE GOING UPHILL AND SOMETIMES WOULD NOT GO MORE THAN 20. THEN WHEN DRIVING IN THE CITY THE VEHICLE WOULD SOMETIMES JERK. THIS IS A VERY NERVOUS FEELING!!! I WAS TOLD THAT IT IS A FACTORY PROBLEM & TOLD TO CONTINUE DRIVING IT. I WAS TOLD BY THE SERVICE MGR TO CONTACT THEM IN JANUARY AFTER HE CONTACTS FORD. I CALLED AND EMAILED OFTEN AD IT IS A NERVOUS FEELING TO DRIVE A CAR LIKE THIS. I FINALLY WAS ABLE TO FOLLOW UP WITH THE SERVICE MGR WHO AVOIDED ME UNTIL MAY 2014, AND HE ONLY SPOKE TO ME AFTER I CONTACTED MR BLEAKLEY! I HAVE QUOTED PRICES FOR A REBUILT TRANSMISSION AND A NEW TRANSMISSION WHICH IS VERY EXPENSIVE. I AM STILL TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT HAPPENS WHEN FORD CUSTOMERS DO NOT FIND THE MONEY TO MAKE EXPENSIVE REPAIRS. THE MILEAGE IS TOO LOW TO NEED A TRANSMISSION. ALSO I HAVE MAINTAINED MY CAR GOOD. THIS IS DANGEROUS & UNBELIEVABLE!!! *TR

I HAVE PROBLEMS WITH THE BEARINGS. I GO SLOW AND TURN. THE SAME SIDE CONTINUES TO NEED REPAIR I HAVE REPAIRED IT 3 TIMES IN 3 YEARS AND NOW IT IS MESSING UP AGAIN. I HAVE BEEN TO 2 DIFFERENT MECHANICS AND THEY BOTH SAID THE SAME THING (THAT THE BEARINGS GO OUT ON THESE CARS OFTEN ) I THINK THE CAR MY BE TOO HEAVY FOR THE WHEEL SYSTEM THEY CHOSE NOT SURE BUT IT STARTS TO PULL MY STEERING WHEEL TO THAT SIDE AND I HAVE HAD 2 ALIGNMENTS BECAUSE OF THIS ISSUE HELP! *TR

RECENTLY ON 2 OCCASIONS I WAS ABOUT TO MAKE A LEFT TURN AND MY STEERING BECAME VERY HARD TO TURN. ONCE MAKING THE TURN I HAD TO QUICKLY PUT MY CAR IN NEUTRAL AND TURN THE KEY OFF AND THEN ON AND THE STEERING WAS OK. *JS

FOR ALMOST A YEAR, TO START MY CAR I HAD TO PUSH KEY IN VERY FIRMLY, THEN TURN. FOR ABOUT ONE MONTH NOW, I HAVE TO PUSH IN, THEN JIGGLE IN AND OUT UNTIL IT CONNECTS AND STARTS CAR. SOMETIMES IT TAKES 5 MINUTES TO FIND THE CONNECTION. I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS RELATED TO THE PROBLEM OF HAVING NO POWER STEERING (POWER STEERING COMES AND GOES - USUALLY NONE) WHICH I UNDERSTAND IS ALSO AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM. *JS

FRIDAY JUNE 6TH, 2014 AT APPROXIMATELY 3:30PM WHILE DRIVING AROUND A MODERATE CURVE IN GOOD WEATHER CONDITIONS AT APPROXIMATELY 40MPH, THE ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING FAILED, LEAVING THE STEERING WHEEL 'LOCKED' IN A RIGHT TURN. BECAUSE OF THE SUDDEN LOSS OF STEERING, THE DRIVER WAS NOT ABLE TO CORRECT THE TURN AND LEFT THE ROADWAY. THE VEHICLE WENT HEAD ON INTO A LARGE STONE LINED CULVERT (APPROXIMATELY 6-8' DEEP), HIT THE FRONT END INTO THE CULVERT WALL, FLIPPED ACROSS THE DRIVE DOWN THE OTHER SIDE OF THE CULVERT, AND THEN ROLLED SEVERAL MORE TIMES UNTIL IT CAME TO REST ON IT'S WHEELS, APPROXIMATELY 20-30' FROM THE INITIAL POINT OF IMPACT. ALL OF THE AIRBAGS WENT OFF. THERE WAS NO FIRE, BUT THE ENGINE DID SMOKE. THE DRIVER WAS TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL VIA AMBULANCE AND, MIRACULOUSLY ONLY HAD SEVERE STRAINS, BRUISING, LACERATIONS, AND EMOTIONAL TRAUMA. THERE WERE MULTIPLE WITNESSES TO THE ACCIDENT. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD ESCAPE. WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, THE POWER STEERING MALFUNCTIONED AS THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME DIFFICULT TO TURN. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE STEERING COLUMN NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND CONFIRMED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V284000 (STEERING). THE DEALER WOULD NOT REPAIR THE VEHICLE BECAUSE THE DIAGNOSTIC CODES WERE NOT ASSOCIATED WITH THE RECALL. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 85,000.

WHEN I AM STOPPED AT A STOP-SIGN, I GO TO ACCELERATE AND THE VEHICLE DOES NOT GO. AFTER ABOUT 2-3 SECONDS OF PRESSING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL TO TURN ONTO A STREET, THE VEHICLE WILL THEN SURGE PICKING UP A LITTLE SPEED. I HAVE ALMOST BEEN HIT BY TRAFFIC WHEN TURNING ONTO A STREET NUMEROUS TIMES. IT DOES NOT HAPPEN WHEN DRIVING AT HIGHER SPEEDS ONLY WHEN I ACCELERATE FROM A COMPLETE STOP. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS BECAUSE WHEN I NEED TO ACCELERATE, THE VEHICLE WILL NOT LET ME. SO BASICALLY THERE IS A DELAY FROM THE TIME I PRESS THE ACCELERATOR, TO THE TIME THE VEHICLE ACTUALLY KICKS IN AND GOES. EXTREMELY DANGEROUS! *TR