2008 FORD ESCAPE Complaints

I HAVE A 2008 FORD ESCAPE. THE PROBLEM CONCERNS THE WIPERS. EACH TIME IT HAS SNOWED AND WE HAVE NEEDED TO DRIVE IN IT, SNOW AND ICE BUILDS UP ON THE MIDDLE 2/3RDS OF THE BLADE LIFTING IT ENOUGH SO THE BLADE DOES NOT MAKE CONTACT AND CLEAN THE WINDSHIELD. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP WHERE WE PURCHASED THE VEHICLE AND ASKED FOR "WINTER BLADES", I WAS TOLD THAT WAS NOT AVAILABLE, I THEN ASKED IF THEY COULD PUT DIFFERENT ARMS ON OUR VEHICLE SO IT COULD ACCEPT "REGULAR" WIPERS, I WAS AGAIN TOLD NO. THE WIPER IS CALLED A CONTOUR WIPER AND WHAT BOTH THE DEALERSHIP AND FORD MOTOR CONSUMER LINE HAVE TOLD ME, THERE IS NO OTHER WIPER ARM OR BLADE THAT WILL FIT THIS VEHICLE. OK, NOW THE DANGER FACTOR ARISES WHEN DRIVING IN SNOWY CONDITIONS, THE BLADE LOOSES CONTACT WITH THE WINDSHIELD, HENCE THE WINDSHIELD BUILDS UP SNOW AND ICE AND VISIBILITY IS NEAR ZERO. THE ONLY WAY TO CLEAN IT IS TO STOP, NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE AND CLEAN IT, AND THIS IS NOT EASY ON A VERY BUSY HIGHWAY, PROBLEM IS, WHEN YOU LOSE VISIBILITY, YOU HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO STOP WHEREVER YOU ARE. THE DESIGN IS SO POOR AND I CAN NOT BELIEVE IN ANY TESTING THAT THIS DID NOT ARISE. AND TO DESIGN AND PUT SUCH A LIMITED AVAILABILITY PRODUCT ON A VEHICLE THAT CAUSES SUCH A DANGEROUS CONDITION IS TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE. THEY DO NOT HAVE A SINGLE OPTION FOR A CONSUMER TO REPLACE THESE WIPERS EXCEPT WITH THE EXACT SAME DANGEROUS PRODUCT. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW HOW I MAY GET FORD TO TAKE A RETURN ON THIS VEHICLE OR TO REPLACE THIS WIPER. THANKS. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD ESCAPE. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN THE GARAGE, THE CONTACT NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM THE GARAGE DOOR. UPON FURTHER INSPECTION, SHE NOTICED HUGE FLAMES UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE EXPLODED AND THE BACK OF THE HOUSE AND THE GARAGE DOOR WERE BLOWN AWAY AS A RESULT. PRIOR TO THE FAILURE, THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN DRIVEN FOR TWO DAYS AND DISPLAYED NO SIGNS OF FAILURE. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS CALLED AND EXTINGUISHED THE FLAMES. THE HOME AND THE VEHICLE WERE DESTROYED. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE INSURANCE COMPANY INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND STATED THAT THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS UNKNOWN. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THEY WOULD FORWARD THE COMPLAINT TO THEIR ATTORNEY AND CALL THE CONTACT BACK WITH AN UPDATE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 12,000.

I HAVE A 2008 FORD ESCAPE THAT I HAVE HAD TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS AND WHEN PUT INTO REV. IT WOULD SLIP AND OR CHATTER. WHEN I BROUGHT IT INTO THE DEALERSHIP THEY STATED TO ME THAT THEY CAN NOT GET IT TO DO WHAT IT DID FOR ME. THIS HAPPEN FOR A FEW DAYS. IT STARTED TO DO IT WHEN IT GETS COLD OUTSIDE AND AFTER DRIVING IT. I HAVE 333000 MILES ON IT AND DO A LOT OF OUT OF TOWN DRIVING. I WOULD LIKE IT FIXED BEFORE IT LEAVES ME STRANDED OUT OF TOWN. THE DEALERSHIP HAS HAD IT FOR A WEEK NOW AND STILL CAN NOT FIND A PROBLEM WITH IT. IT IS HARD TO BELIEVE THAT THERE IS NO CODE SET FOR THIS PROBLEM. *TR

THE VEHICLE FEELS LIKE IT DOES NOT WANT TO SHIFT INTO GEAR WHEN IT IS PUT INTO REVERSE. THE WHOLE VEHICLE IS "CHUGS" OR SHAKES WHEN IT IS REVERSING AT SLOW SPEEDS. HAS BECOME WORSE WITH TIME. VEHICLE PURCHASED MAY 2008 AND HAS 14,000KM. CURRENTLY IN THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY ARE REPLACING THE ENTIRE TRANSMISSION. *TR

TRANSMISSION ISSUES. DOESN'T CATCH INTO REVERSE GEAR AND CANNOT GO IN REVERSE. SHIFTS INTO WHAT FEELS LIKE SECOND GEAR AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. *TR

2008 FORD ESCAPE - WINDSHIELD WIPERS. THE 2008 MODEL ESCAPE UTILIZES A NEW "SPRINGLESS" WIPER DESIGN. THE FORD EDGE AND TAURUS ALSO USE THE SAME WIPER DESIGN FOR 2008. THE DESIGN DOES NOT PLACE ENOUGH DOWNWARD PRESSURE ON THE WINDSHIELD TO ALLOW FOR CONSISTENT CONTACT LEAVING LARGE AREAS COMPLETELY MISSED BY THE BLADE. I'VE NOTICED THIS TO BE MORE PROBLEMATIC IN COLD WEATHER, WHICH MAY BE A RESULT OF THE BLADE MATERIAL STIFFENING ALLOWING FOR CURVED BLADE TO NOT FLEX AND LIE FLAT AGAINST THE WINDSHIELD SURFACE. I'VE CONTACTED FORD AND THE DEALER, AND FORD DOES NOT MAKE A WINTER BLADE FOR THIS VEHICLE. AFTER MARKET BLADES ARE ALSO NOT AN OPTION BECAUSE THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE BLADE ARM AND BLADE ONLY SUPPORTS THE FORD STOCK WIPERS. FORD ALSO DOES NOT CURRENTLY OFFER AN OPTIONAL BLADE ARM FOR THIS VEHICLE THAT WOULD UTILIZE A DIFFERENT CONNECTOR. WITH THE WIPERS CONSISTENTLY MISSING SECTIONS OF THE WINDSHIELD, THE DRIVER'S FIELD OF VIEW BECOMES LIMITED PRESENTING AN UNSAFE DRIVING CONDITION. REPLACING THE BLADES WITH THE SAME EXACT DESIGN OF BLADE WILL NOT CORRECT THE DESIGN PROBLEM. *TR

TODAY I NOTICED A SMALL PUDDLE OF FLUID UNDER THE RIGHT FRONT SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THE FLUID IS A RED, OILY FLUID. I DID A FURTHER INSPECTION OF THE UNDERCARRIAGE AND NOTICED A SMALL LEAK OF RED FLUID COMING FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. I THEN CHECKED THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FLUID LEVEL, AND IT WAS VERY LOW. I HAVE NOT RECEIVED ANY INDICATION LIGHTS ON THE DASH BOARD. THE SERVICE CENTER AT THE DEALERSHIP IS CLOSED TODAY, SO I WILL TAKE THE VEHICLE INTO THE SERVICE CENTER TOMORROW MORNING. *TR

IN DECEMBER OF 2007 I PURCHASED A 2008 FORD ESCAPE LIMITED. ABOUT 2 MONTHS AGO I HAD TO BRING IT IN BECAUSE IT WAS LOSING TRANSMISSION FLUID AND SHIFTING IRREGULARLY(IT HAD 33,000 MILES ON IT). THEY TOLD ME THAT THE FRONT SEAL OF THE TRANSMISSION WAS LEAKING AND THEY REPLACED IT AT THE DEALERSHIP. ABOUT 2 WEEKS AGO MY WIFE NOTICED THAT IT WAS SHIFTING POORLY INTO REVERSE, FIRST THERE WAS A PAUSE AND THEN IT WOULD SHIFT INTO REVERSE SHAKING THE ENTIRE VEHICLE, THE DEALERSHIP INFORMED ME THAT NOW WE HAVE AN INTERNAL LEAK AND THEY ARE IN THE PROCESS OF FIXING THAT PROBLEM (IT NOW HAS 40,000 MILES ON IT). *TR

TRANSMISSION COOLER LEAK, CAUSING IT TO JUMP WHEN BELOW 20 MILES AN HOUR. WHILE IN BOSTON DURING RUSH HOUR, COULD HAVE CAUSED A MAJOR ACCIDENT. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD ESCAPE. AFTER ACCELERATING FROM A STOP SIGN, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE PAST 40 MPH AND BEGAN VIBRATING UNCONTROLLABLY. THE CONTACT ACTIVATED THE CRUISE CONTROL ONCE THE VEHICLE REACHED 60 MPH AND THE VIBRATING CEASED. APPROXIMATELY 30 MILES LATER, HE WAS ABLE TO FIND A FORD DEALER AND THEY PERFORMED A DIAGNOSTIC. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE TORQUE CONVERTER WAS DEFECTIVE. THE MECHANIC COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE FAILURE AND THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO A DEALER NEAR THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE. THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THEY WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO REPLACE THE TORQUE CONVERTER BECAUSE THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THEY WERE NOT LIABLE FOR THE REPAIRS. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 7,100 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 4,800.