2003 FORD ESCAPE Complaints

WINDING NOISE FROM UNDER THE CAR. AT 40 MPH TRANSMISSION LOST POWER. TRANSMISSION BLEW DRIVE GEAR NEEDS TO BE COMPLETELY REBUILT. ONLY 27 DAYS OUT OF WARRANTY, ONLY 26,324 MILES ON THE CAR. *NM

THE AIR BAG LIGHT IS ON 98% OF THE TIME. I TOOK IT TO A FORD DEALER AND THEY SAID THAT THIS IS A FORD PROBLEM, THAT FORD IS WORKING ON IT AND THAT THERE IS NOTHING THAT CAN BE DONE TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. THEY STATED THAT THE AIR BAGS WILL NOT FUNCTION WHEN THE AIR BAG LIGHT IS ON. ON A RARE OCCASION THE LIGHT WILL GO OUT. *JB

AIR BAG LIGHT WOULD SPORADICALLY COME ON. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE PROBLEM WAS FOUND IN THE FRONT SEAT BELT BUCKLES, THE SENSORS AND WIRES THAT HELP DEPLOY THE AIR BAGS WERE DEFECTIVE. N CASE OF AN ACCIDENT THE AIR BAGS WOULD HAVE NOT DEPLOYED. THE DEALER REPAIRED ALL THE SEAT BELT BUCKLES. *NM

DT:THE CONTACT STATES THE AIR BAG LIGHT CAME ON INTERMITTENTLY. THE LIGHT CAN CAME ON AT ANY TIME WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS BEING DRIVEN. ONCE THE LIGHT WAS ON IT STAYED ON UNTIL THE VEHICLE WAS NO LONGER IN USE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER ,AND THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM, THEREFORE , THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. *AK

DT: THE CONTACT STATED AT 55 MPH VEHICLE STALLED. THE VEHICLE WOULD TURN ON IMMEDIATELY AFTER AT FIRST. THEN, THE ACCELERATOR WOULD HAVE TO BE PRESSED FOR THE VEHICLE TO START. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A MECHANIC AND MULTIPLE COMPONENTS WERE REPLACED, BUT THE PROBLEM WAS NOT FIXED UNTIL THE THROTTLE WAS REPLACED. THERE HAVE BEEN NO MORE PROBLEMS SINCE THEN. *AK

I WAS EXITING OFF THE INTERSTATE AND AROUND 35 MPH MY ENGINE COMPLETELY DIED AND I LOST POWER STEERING. I WAS ABLE TO MAKE IT TO THE SHOULDER AND RESTART THE VEHICLE, BUT THE RPMS KEPT BOUNCING AROUND. I TOOK THE VEHICLE INTO MY LOCAL FORD DEALER, BUT THEY SAID NOTHING WAS WRONG WITH IT. I RESEARCHED ONLINE MYSELF AND FOUND THAT FORD HAD A RECALL THAT MATCHED MY EXACT SITUATION/PROBLEM. THE NHTSA ID IS 04V165000. FORD SAID MY VIN NUMBER WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. HOWEVER, I FIND IT HARD TO BELIEVE THAT MINE SHOULD BE EXCLUDED CONSIDERING THAT MY VEHICLE IS THE SAME MAKE/MODEL/YEAR/ENGINE TYPE OF THE RECALLED ONES AND MY PROBLEM MATCHED EXACTLY WITH WHAT WAS REFERENCED IN THE RECALL. ALSO MY WARRANTY RUNS OUT IN 2 WEEKS AND I DON'T WANT THE SAME PROBLEM TO HAPPEN AGAIN AND THEN LET THE DEALER FIND THE PROBLEM. IT ALSO CONCERNS ME BECAUSE MY WIFE DRIVES MY CAR AND I'M CONCERNED ABOUT MY FAMILY.*JB

APPARENTLY BRAKE FLUID LEAKED FROM THE MASTER CYLINDER ONTO THE ELECTRONICS CAUSING AN INCREASE IN INTERNAL VOLTAGE CAUSING THE ELECTRONICS TO SHORT OUT CAUSING A FIRE THAT DESTROYED THE WIRING HARNESS. MY CONCERN IS FORD CURRENTLY HAS A RECALL ON GOING FOR THIS ISSUE IN IT'S SUV'S BUT THE ESCAPE IS NOT MENTIONED. WHY? *JB

2003 FORD ESCAPE WAS INVOLVED IN A COLLISION, THE FRONT END RECEIVED MASSIVE DAMAGE. MY COMPLAINT IS THAT THE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. MY DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING , HIT HER HEAD. THE POLICE OFFICER ON THE SCENE MADE THE STATEMENT THAT THE AIRBAG SHOULD HAVE DEPLOYED. THE CAR IS AT THE AUTO SHOP FOR ESTIMATE, AS OF 10-10-05 THE ESTIMATE HAS HIT 9300.00, WITH MORE EXPECTED. *NM

PERIODICALLY AND UNPREDICTABLY, THE KEY WILL NOT TURN. SOMETIMES, IT CAN BE FORCED, IF YOU ARE STRONG ENOUGH. OTHER TIMES IT CANNOT EVEN BE FORCED. BUT THEN IT WILL WORK THE NEXT DAY. MOVING THE STEARING WHEEL DOES NOT ALLOW THE KEY TO TURN EVEN WHEN TRYING TO TURN THE WHEEL WITH FORCE. MY CAR HAS BEEN TOWED ONCE BECAUSE 3 PEOPLE TRIED AND COULD NOT TURN EITHER KEY I HAVE FOR THE VEHICLE. I'VE BEEN TOLD BY MECHANICS THAT THIS IS A COMMON FORD PROBLEM. I BELIEVE IT IS A SAFETY CONCERN BECAUSE YOU NEVER KNOW WHERE/WHEN YOU WILL BE STRANDED, WHETHER OR NOT YOU WILL HAVE ACCESS TO A PHONE. ONE MECHANIC SAID HE COULD REBUILD THE STEARING COLUMN AND THAT HAD WORKED FOR OTHER PEOPLE WITH THE SAME PROBLEM - HOWEVER, THAT DEALERSHIP WOULD NOT PROVIDE A LOANER CAR SO I WOULD BE WITHOUT ANY TRANSPORTATION FOR 1-2 DAYS. THE DEALERSHIP WHERE I BOUGHT MY CAR HAS REFUSED TO DO ANYTHING BECAUSE THE PROBLEM IS SPORATIC AND THEY SAY THEY CANNOT DUPLICATE IT. THE IGNITION HAS LOCKED 4 TIMES IN THE PAST MONTH. ADDITONALLY - THE ABS BRAKES ONLY WORK INTERMITENTLY WHICH MAKES IT DIFFICULT WHEN MAKING THE SPLIT SECOND DECISION OF WHETHER TO SLAM ON THE BRAKES OR PUMP THE BRAKE.

DT: THE CALLER PULLED THE HOOD RELEASE AND WITH THE HOOD IN THE RELEASE POSITION AND THE SAFETY LATCH ON THE HOOD WHILE SHE WAS DRIVING THE HOOD FLEW UP. THE CALLER SAID THE LATCH THAT HELD THE HOOD FROM THE OUTSIDE DID NOT HOLD WHEN THE HOOD FLEW UP. THE DEALER FIXED IT, AND SAID THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE LATCH. THE MANUFACTURER SAID THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE LATCH. THE CALLER WAS ABLE TO GET THE VEHICLE OFF THE ROAD. *AK *SC