2004 FORD ESCAPE Complaints

I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE MY ALTERNATOR IN MY VEHICLE THREE TIMES NOW SINCE 2006. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHY. THE DEALER I BOUGHT IT FROM CAN'T FIND ANYTHING AND IS NOT WILLING TO HELP SINCE THE LAST TIME IT WAS REPAIRED WAS OVER TWO YEARS AGO. WHEN IT WAS IN FOR REPAIRS THEY STATED THE FORD DEALER IT WAS TAKEN TOO COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH IT. I EVEN FILED A COMPLAINT WITH THE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE BUT THEY GOT A LETTER OF SUCH IN ACCURATE INFO FROM THE DEALER THE CLAIM WAS DROPPED. I KNOW TWO OTHER PEOPLE WITH THE SAME YEAR FORD I HAVE WITH THE SAME ISSUE. I WOULD LIKE YOUR COMPANY TO BUY MY CAR AND GET ME INTO A NEW ONE OR AT THE VERY LEAST REPAIR THIS ISSUE AND ANY ISSUES THAT MAY BE FOUND IF AND WHEN THIS IS LOOKED INTO. I FEEL I SHOULD NOT NEED TO BE MAKING PAYMENTS ON A CAR THAT BREAKS DOWN EVERY TWO YEARS. SOMETIME MORE. PLEASE HELP. MY CAR IS A 2004 FORD ESCAPE XLT 4WD. MILEAGE: 111925VEHICLE LOCATION: INPOSSESSIONIF CONTACTED DEALER: YESDEALER NAME: DIEHL MOTOR. *TR

ACCELERATING UP HILL TO POSTED 50MPH WHEN ACCELERATOR PEDAL PUNCHED TO THE FLOOR ON IT'S OWN. VEHICLE REACHED 85MPH AND SLOWED TO APPROX 55MPH WHEN DOWNSHIFTED TO 1ST WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY PRESSING BRAKE PEDAL AND PULLING UP ON EMERGENCY BRAKE. ACCELERATOR PEDAL WOULDN'T COME UP DESPITE ATTEMPTS WITH FOOT. ULTIMATELY CRASHED, VEHICLE TOTALED, PROPERTY DAMAGE TO A HOUSE AND NEIGHBOR'S YARD, PERSONAL INJURIES SUSTAINED BY DRIVER ONLY; NO PASSENGERS. *TR

WHILE DRIVING HOME LAST WINTER MY ACCELERATOR PEDAL STUCK OPEN AND WOULD NOT RELEASE. I APPROACHED THE EXIT AT APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH AND HAD TO PUSH THE BRAKES TO THE FLOOR TO STOP THE VEHICLE. AFTER LETTING THE CAR SET FOR APPROXIMATELY 10 MINUTES EVERYTHING WORKED FINE AGAIN UNTIL THE MORNING WHEN I STARTED THE ENGINE AND IT STAYED AT 3000 RPM UNTIL THE CAR WARMED COMPLETELY UP. *TR

I WAS ON MY WAY TO WORK 7AM. IT WAS SNOWING LIGHTLY AND I BRIEFLY TURNED ON THE REAR WINDOW DEFROSTER TO MELT THE SNOW. APPROXIMATELY 1 MILE FROM HOME I TURNED OFF THE DEFROSTER WHILE SITTING AT A RED LIGHT AND HEARD AN EXTREMELY LOUD POP. I LOOKED AROUND AND DID NOT OBSERVE ANYTHING UNUSUAL. WHEN I LOOKED IN MY REARVIEW MIRROR I SAW THE DEFROSTER WIRES HANGING WITH PIECES OF GLASS ATTACHED AND THE REAR WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR ASSEMBLY HANGING BY A THREAD, I REALIZED THE LOUD NOISE WAS MY REAR WINDSHIELD EXPLODING. I HEADED BACK HOME TO ARRANGE TO HAVE THE GLASS REPLACED - FINAL COST $369.15. THE REAR WIPER MOTOR WAS DAMAGED DURING THE EXPLOSION. AFTER THE WINDSHIELD WAS REPLACED IT MADE A LOUD VIBRATING NOISE THAT WAS NOT THERE BEFORE. RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET INDICATES THAT OTHER FORD ESCAPE (04, 05 & 06) OWNERS HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME EXACT POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS OCCURRENCE. THESE COMPLAINTS CAN BE VIEWED AT: WWW.CARCOMPLAINTS.COM I CALLED FORD OWNER SERVICES AT 800-392-3673 AND FILED A FORMAL COMPLAINT. THEY TOLD ME THE VEHICLE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY AND NO RECALL ISSUED BUT I SHOULD BRING THE VEHICLE TO FORD DEALER FOR INSPECTION AND THE DEALER WOULD DECIDE IF REPAIR EXPENSE WOULD BE COVERED. THE FORD DEALER TOLD ME THE VEHICLE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY AND NO RECALL WAS ISSUED AND THAT FORD MOTOR WOULD DECIDE IF REPAIR EXPENSE WOULD BE COVERED. DEALER TOLD ME THAT FORD WILL NOT COVER ANY OF THE REPAIR EXPENSES. THE NEW WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR WILL COST $150 FOR THE PART AND $50 TO INSTALL. I AM CONCERNED THAT IF THE DAMAGED MOTOR IS NOT REPLACED, IT COULD CAUSE A MAJOR ELECTRICAL PROBLEM NOT TO MENTION THE SAFETY ISSUE OF NOT BEING ABLE TO SEE OUT OF THE TAILGATE WINDOW. THE DEALER OFFERED TO CHARGE ME ONLY FOR THE PART AND ABSORB THE LABOR TO INSTALL MOTOR. FOR OBVIOUS REASONS THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL AND FORD SHOULD BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR THE REPAIRS; NOT THE CONSUMER WHO UNKNOWINGLY PURCHASED A DEFECTIVE AND DANGEROUS PRODUCT. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 FORD ESCAPE. WHILE DRIVING LESS THAN 40 MPH, THE CONTACT PLACED THE VEHICLE INTO DRIVE AND PROCEEDED TO DEPRESS THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. THE PEDAL BECAME STUCK AND THE VEHICLE PROCEEDED FORWARD. SHE ATTEMPTED TO DEPRESS THE BRAKE PEDAL, BUT THERE WAS NO RESPONSE. THE VEHICLE CRASHED INTO A PLOWED AREA OF SNOW. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE ROADS WERE NOT ICY AT THE TIME OF THE CRASH. THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 04V574000 (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:CABLES), ALTHOUGH THE FAILURES WERE IDENTICAL. UPDATED 02-23-09 *BF UPDATED 02/24/09.*JB

WENT TO PULL CAR OUT OF GARAGE AND FOUND THAT THE REAR WINDOW HAD EXPLODED. FOUND PARTS OF THE WINDOW MORE THAN 20 FEET FROM CAR. THE CAR HAS NOT BEEN DRIVEN FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS. NOTHING HAD FAILED OR HIT THE WINDOW TO HAVE CAUSED THIS. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 FORD ESCAPE. THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR WOULD CONSTANTLY ILLUMINATE ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE AUTO SHOP REPLACED THE SEAT BELT PRE-TENSIONER CONNECTORS AT THE COST OF $480.48. THERE HAD BEEN NO OTHER FAILURES SINCE THE REPAIR. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 90,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 91,731. UPDATED 02/24/09. *LJ UPDATED 02/26/09. *JB

THROTTLE CABLE WOULD NOT RETURN TO IDLE POSITION WHILE AT HIGHWAY SPEED. HAVE HAD NUMEROUS PROBLEMS WITH THROTTLE AND RELATED COMPONENTS RECENTLY VEHICLE HAS BEEN TOWED 3 TIMES IN TWO WEEKS BECAUSE THROTTLE BECOMES STUCK WIDE OPEN AND IS HAZARDOUS TO DRIVE. RECALL ON THROTTLE CABLE WAS COMPLETED 3 YEARS PRIOR. BOTTOM LINE IS $1,000 PLUS DOLLARS LATER ON A FOUR YEAR OLD VEHICLE WITH 60,000 MILES ON IT. *TR

REPORTING AN EXPLODING BACK WINDOW ISSUE ON A 2004 FORD ESCAPE. ONCE IN 2005 AND NOW AGAIN IN 2009. THE ONLY THING BOTH TIMES HAD IN COMMON WAS THE RUNNING OF THE REAR WINDOW DEFROSTER. FORD HAS NO RECALLS OR BULLETINS AND WILL NOT PAY FOR SECOND REPAIR AS IT IS OUT OF WARRANTY. I AM CONCERNED FOR THE SAFETY OF PEOPLE DRIVING THESE VEHICLES AND PASSENGERS THEY MAY HAVE. THERE IS NO REASON FOR THIS TO HAPPEN ONCE BUT TWICE IS NOT ACCEPTABLE. I WAS GIVEN NOTHING FOR MY TROUBLE AND THEY ARE NOT RESEARCHING THIS DEFECT. OH WAIT, I GOT A FREE OIL CHANGE. THE DEALERSHIP I WAS DEALING WITH WAS AWESOME...BUT THE CORRESPONDENCE FROM FORD MOTOR LEAVES A LOT TO BE DESIRED! SOMEONE NEEDS TO CHECK INTO THIS ISSUE. *TR

THE BRAKES ON MY 2004 FORD ESCAPE, WHICH ONLY HAS 23,000 MILES ON IT, STARTED SQUEALING, AND I WAS HAVING TO PUSH A LITTLE HARDER THAN USUAL. ON DECEMBER 26, 2008 MY HUSBAND TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE SHOP TO HAVE THE BRAKES CHECKED, INSTEAD OF NEW BRAKE PADS, WHICH WERE CURIOUSLY IN GOOD CONDITION, WE ARE GOING TO NEED NEW FRONT DISCS, FRONT AND BACK CALIPERS, AS WELL AS BRAKE PADS. WE WERE ABLE TO AFFORD THE BRAKE PADS AS WELL AS THE RIGHT FRONT DISC AT COST OF 400 DOLLARS BUT WE ARE GOING TO NEED TO SHELL OUT ANOTHER 400.00 PLUS TO REPAIR THE REST. THE WAIT WOULDN'T BE SO BAD IF I DIDN'T NEED THE ESCAPE TO TRANSPORT MY DAUGHTER BACK AND FORTH TO SCHOOL EVERY DAY. *TR