2006 FORD ESCAPE Complaints

SIX DAYS AFTER PURCHASING THIS VEHICLE USED FROM A DEALER, MY FATHER LOST BRAKES WHILE DRIVING IN TOWN. THE ABS LIGHT CAME ON AND THE BRAKES HAD TO BE PUSHED TO THE FLOOR. THE REPAIR INVOLVED REPLACING THE ENTIRE HYBRID SYSTEM. THE NEXT TIMES THE ABS LIGHT WENT OFF WHILE EITHER HE OR MYSELF WAS DRIVING WE WOULD APPLY THE BRAKES TO MAKE SURE WE HAD PROPER USE OF THEM. WE DECIDED NOT TO BRING THE VEHICLE BACK IN TO BE LOOKED AT BECAUSE THE ABS LIGHT WOULD NEVER STAY ON AND THE BRAKES SEEMED TO BE IN WORKING ORDER. ALSO, WE DID NOT WANT BE WITHOUT THE VEHICLE FOR THE LENGTHY PERIOD OF TIME WE EXPERIENCED IN JANUARY. THE NEXT TIME THE VEHICLE COMPLETELY LOST BRAKES WAS SEPTEMBER 5, 2012 WHEN MY FATHER WAS DRIVING. THIS TIME THE TRACTION CONTROL AND ABS LIGHTS WENT ON. OUR DEALER SENT US TO THE LOCAL FORD DEALER AND THEY WANTED NOTHING TO DO WITH HELPING US OUT ON THE REPAIR TO HAVE A SAFE VEHICLE TO DRIVE. WE TOOK THE FORD BACK TO OUR DEALER WHO ENDED UP PUTTING A NEW AXLE ON THE VEHICLE AND CLEARING THE REST OF THE CODES. I WAS SHOCKED THAT I HAD TO BUY AN AXLE. IT WAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH A THE AXLE'S TONE RING BEING BROKEN AND NOT GIVING A READING TO THE SPEED SENSOR. THE NEXT TIME MY FATHER LOST BRAKES WAS ON SEPTEMBER 26, 2012. THIS TIME THE BRAKES WENT TO THE FLOOR AND HE HAD NO BRAKES AT ALL. WE HAD THE DEALER TOW THE VEHICLE THIS TIME. THE SERVICE SHOP SAID THEY CLEARED THE CODES AND COULD NOT GET THE PROBLEM TO REPRODUCE. BY THIS TIME WE ARE BOTH DONE WITH THIS CAR. I TOLD THEM I WANTED SOMETHING IN WRITING THAT THE VEHICLE WAS SAFE TO DRIVE IN CASE SOMEONE GOT INTO A ACCIDENT. THEY GAVE ME THE PAPERWORK STATING THEY COULD NOT GET THE PROBLEM TO DUPLICATE AND THE VEHICLE WAS OPERATING AS INTENDED AT THIS TIME . THE VERY NEXT DAY, MY FATHER LOST BRAKES WHILE DRIVING TO WORK. AGAIN, WE HAD THE DEALER TOW IN THE VEHICLE. *TR

THE VEHICLE STALLED OUT AND RESTARTED ABOUT 4 DIFFERENT TIMES AT 4 DIFFERENT RED LIGHTS, AFTER DRIVING IT HOME, IT NEVER STARTED AGAIN, TOWED IT TO MECHANIC WHO SAID RODS WERE BENT AND TIMING CHAIN OFF, TOWED TO ANOTHER MECHANIC WHO SAID THE SAME THING, FINALLY TOWED TO FORD MONTROSE WHO FOUND OUT SAME THING, THEY WERE TO FIX IT FOR $1,800, 5 WEEKS LATER THEY FOUND OUT ENTIRE ENGINE WAS BLOWN, NOW NEED A REMANNED ENGINE PUT IN IT FOR OVER $5,000, THE VEHICLE ONLY HAS 42,300 MILES ON IT, GREAT SHAPE, TOOK GREAT CARE OF IT, JUST PAID IT OFF IN AUGUST 2012 FOR THIS TO HAPPEN, I DID HAVE MY ONE YEAR OLD CHILD WITH ME AT THE TIME AND IF ANYTHING BAD WOULD HAVE HAPPENED I WOULD BE SUING SOMEONE, I HAVE CONTACTED FORD MOTOR COMPANY ABOUT 5 TIMES WHO SAID THEY COULD NOT HELP ME, I TRIED CALLING AN AREA ACTION I-TEAM NEWS TO HELP, NO LUCK, STILL NO VEHICLE 9 WEEKS LATER AND I HAVE TO FIND A WAY TO GET MYSELF TO WORK, MY DAUGHTER TO DAYCARE AND TRY TO DO EVERYTHING ELSE PEOPLE WHO HAVE A VEHICLE DO, PLEASE HELP! *TR

INCIDENTS OF THE ACCELERATOR STICKING WITHOUT ALLOWING THE DRIVER TO ACCELERATE HAS BEEN NOTED ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS. THIS HAS BEEN AN ONGOING PROBLEM AND IS VERY DANGEROUS DUE TO THE FACT A DRIVER COULD BE TRYING TO ENTER TRAFFIC, GET PARTIALLY INTO THE LANE THEN THE ACCELERATOR STICKS AND YOU HAVE CARS COMING TOWARD YOU AT 30-70 MPH. I LIVED IN FL WHEN I FIRST NOTICED THIS HAPPENING. NOTICED A PATTERN: ONLY DOES THIS WHEN WEATHER IS AT LEAST BELOW 60. NOW I LIVE IN A NORTHERN STATE AND THIS IS EVEN MORE OF A DANGER DUE TO THE FACT THIS COULD HAPPEN WHILE THERE IS ICE ON THE ROAD IN THE COMING MONTHS. *TR

MY 2006 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID CUT OFF THE COMBUSTION ENGINE WHILE TRAVELING DOWN A COUNTRY RD. WAS ABLE TO PULL OFF WITH DECLINING POWER IN THE ELECTRIC ENGINE. DISPLAY READ "PULL OVER SAFELY" AND NOTHING ELSE. I BROUGHT IT IN TO BOTH A FORD DEALERSHIP WHO REFERRED ME TO A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T HAVE ANYONE WHO KNEW ABOUT HYBRID CARS. SINCE THE PROBLEM DID NOT OCCUR AT THE TIME I BROUGHT IT IN AND THERE WERE NO PROBLEMS SHOWING ON A DIAGNOSTIC TEST THEY COULD NOT DO ANYTHING. THE SUV HAS DONE THIS NUMEROUS TIMES SINCE AND SOMETIMES SHUTS OFF BOTH ENGINES IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HIGHWAY. I THOUGHT SPEED AND HARD DRIVING WERE THE PROBLEM WHICH IT TENDS TO HAPPEN MORE SO ON 45MIN OR GREATER DRIVES BUT HAS BEEN KNOWN TO DO THIS AT 15MPH IN RESIDENTIAL AREAS. VERY SCARY, ESPECIALLY ON CROWDED HIGH SPEED ROADS AS YOU CANNOT "PULL OVER SAFELY" WITH NEITHER MOTOR RUNNING. IF THEIR EXCUSE IS ITS A SAFETY FEATURE IT IS NOT VERY SAFE. I CONTACTED FORD VIA E-MAIL AND THEY WERE NICE ENOUGH TO REFER ME BACK TO THE ORIGINAL FORD DEALERSHIP AND SEND THE DEALERSHIP THE E-MAIL I HAD SENT TO THEIR CUSTOMER SUPPORT IN CONFIDENCE STATING I DID NOT TRUST THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY SHOULD INVESTIGATE THEIR PRACTICES (FOR PREVIOUS REASONS RELATING TO OTHER CAR ISSUES). SAW MANY POSTS IN FORUMS THAT THIS PROBLEM RELATES TO THE COOLING PUMP FOR THE ELECTRIC MOTOR. ORDERING A NEW COOLANT PUMP ONLINE AS I WILL NOT GO TO THE FORD (AS I SAW A POST ELOQUENTLY PUT) "STEALERSHIP". *TR

WE WERE TRAVELING ON THE FREEWAY WHEN A WARNING APPEARED ON THE DISPLAY " STOP SAFELY NOW ". THE ENGINE LOST POWER AND WE MANAGED TO MOVE THE CAR TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. I RESTARTED THE CAR AND IT APPEARED TO WORK OK. DROVE ANOTHER 10 MILES AND THE "STOP SAFELY NOW" REAPPEARED AND THE CAR LOST POWER. WE PULLED OVER. WE WAITED FOR 10 MINUTES, RESTARTED THE CAR AND IT DROVE US HOME. LATER WHEN WE WERE DRIVING UP OUR STREET, THE SAME THING OCCURRED. *TR

VEHICLE STALLS WHEN ATTEMPTING TO STOP, CAUSING LOSS OF POWER TO STEERING AND BRAKE SYSTEMS. *TR

NOTICED MY GARAGE SMELLED OF GAS. FOUND DRIPS OF GASOLINE UNDER MY 2006 FORD ESCAPE. I FOUND THAT THE FUEL LINE UNDER THE SECOND PLASTIC STRAP FROM THE FUEL TANK, THE LINE HAS A SMALL SLOW LEAK. IT APPEARS THE PLASTIC STRAPS WORE A HOLE IN THE LINE. *TR

DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE AND THE CAR SHUTS DOWN DISPLAYING A STOP SAFELY NOW ERROR.... APPARENTLY A FAULTY PUMP. THE SAME PUMP THAT WE'VE ALREADY REPLACED 3 TIMES..... NOT ONLY IS THIS ANNOYING BUT IT'S A HUGE SAFETY PROBLEM. THE VEHICLE LOSES ALL POWER! *TR

THE AIR BAG ASSEMBLY ON THE STEERING WHEEL HAS AN EXTREMELY THIN COVER, IT IS MUCH THINNER THAN THE ONE ON MY 2003 FORD EXCURSION OR THE ONE MY 2009 KIA. THE COVERING IS A LITTLE THICKER THAN A PIECE OF PAPER AND IT IS NOW CRACKING. IT CURRENTLY HAS ABOUT A ONE AND A HALF INCH CRACK ON THE COVERING LOCATED ON THE RIGHT SIDE. THIS SEEMS TO BE A SAFETY CONCERN. THIS VEHICLE IS GARAGED AND DOES NOT REMAIN OUTDOORS FOR EXTENDED PERIODS. WHEN IT IS OUTDOORS A SUNSCREEN SHADE IS USED ON THE WINDSHIELD TO REDUCE SOLAR DAMAGE. *TR

MULTIPLE CONTINUED INSTANCES OF COMPLETE BRAKE FAILURE. SINCE THE INITIAL OCCURRENCE, ALREADY DOCUMENTED ON THIS SITE (ODI ID NUMBER : 10349431), IT RANDOMLY RECURRED AT LEAST 10 TIMES OVER THE PAST 2 YEARS, INCLUDING 3 TIMES IN A SINGLE TRIP IN JUNE 2012 AND TWO ADDITIONAL TIMES IN JULY 2012. THE BRAKE FAILURES TYPICALLY OCCURRED DURING HOT WEATHER WHEN RUNNING THE AIR CONDITIONER, BUT NOT ALWAYS. EVERY TIME WE THOUGHT WE'D "FIGURED OUT" A PATTERN TO THE FAILURES, THE BRAKES WOULD GO OUT AT A DIFFERENT TIME THAN THEY EVER HAD BEFORE -- AT A HIGHER SPEED, OR WHILE SLOWING FOR A STOP LIGHT GOING UPHILL VERSUS WHEN WE WERE TRYING TO SLOW TO A STOP AT THE BASE OF A STEEP HILL WITH A MARINA IN FRONT OF US. WE FINALLY SOLD THE CAR FEARING FOR THE SAFETY OF OUR FAMILY, OTHERS ON THE ROADWAYS, AND OUR FINANCES. NO WONDER FORD QUIT MAKING THESE VEHICLES... *TR