2005 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID Complaints

WHILE TRAVELING IN THE HIGH SPEED LANE AT APPROXIMATELY 2 AM, THE VEHICLE LOST ENGINE POWER WITHOUT ANY NOTICE AS THE ENGINE SHUT OFF AND THE POWER WAS REDUCED TO MINIMAL POWER GIVEN BY THE ELECTRIC MOTOR. THIS CAUSED AN INABILITY TO MAINTAIN SPEED ON A VERY DANGEROUS OVERPASS CURVE OF THE FREEWAY AND NEARLY CAUSED TWO VEHICLES IN THE IMMEDIATE PROXIMITY TO COLLIDE WITH MY VEHICLE AS SPEED RAPIDLY DROPPED AND THE VEHICLE SAID TO "PULL OVER ANDS SHUT OFF VEHICLE SAFELY". THIS PART OF THE FREEWAY HAD NO PULL OVER SPOT NOR DID IT HAVE AN AREA TO REALLY SAFELY PULL OFF THE FREEWAY. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THE CAR HAS DONE THIS AT HIGH SPEED WITHIN TWO WEEKS. IT HAS DONE THIS APPROXIMATELY 1-0 TIMES AT LOW SPEEDS ON CITY STREETS. THE CAR IS ABLE TO BE DRIVEN AFTER SHUTTING OFF THE POWER, LETTING IT SIT, AND THEN RESTARTING THE SYSTEM. THERE IS AN ACCOMPANYING OVERHEATING THAT OCCURTS AS A RESULT OF THE ENGINE SHUTTING OFF, CAUSING THE ENGINE TO BE UNABLE TO BE EASILY RESTARTED AT THAT POINT. THIS EVENT GIVES NO WARNING OR INDICATION IT WILL HAPPEN AND IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION FOR ANY DRIVER TO BE THRUST INTO. IF IT HAD BEEN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC, I AM CERTAIN THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN ACCIDENTS AND VEHICLE COLLISIONS AS A RESULT. *JS

GOING 65 MPH ON FREEWAY AND THE "STOP SAFELY NOW' ERROR COME UP ON THE INFORMATION DISPLAY. 2 MIN. LATER THE ENGINE STOPS AND I COAST TO THE RIGHT HAND SHOULDER AND SHUT EVERYTHING OFF. 5 MIN LATER I RESTART THE CAR AND EVERYTHING IS NORMAL AND THE CAR DRIVES PERFECTLY FOR THE NEXT 2000 MILES (PRESENT TIME). DEALER FINDS THE ERROR CODES BUT DOES NOT KNOW WHAT TO REPLACE TO PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING AGAIN. *TR

I HAVE OWNED MY FORD ESCAPE HYBRID SINCE 2005, AND HAVE BEEN AWARE OF A PROBLEM WITH THE MASTER CYLINDER FROM MY LOCAL FORD DEALERSHIP FOR THE PAST YEAR (2011). MY BRAKES SCARY ON THE ROAD WILL STOP WORKING ANYTIME THE 300 VOLT BATTER IS JIGGLED TOO MUCH FROM IT'S HARNESS. ONE BILL ALONE THAT FIT ME OVER A MONTH OF REPAIRS IN THE DEALERSHIP TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM WAS BEYOND TIME CONSUMING AND WAY OVER MY BUDGET. THEY TOLD ME I DIDN'T HAVE TO GET THE MASTER CYLINDER REPLACED RIGHT AWAY, AND IT WAS GOING TO COST AROUND A 1000 DOLLARS WHEN I DID. AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH I'VE NOTICED OTHER PEOPLE COMPLAINING ABOUT THE PROBLEM <HTTP://BLOG.YAGELSKI.COM/2010/01/MY-FORD-ESCAPE-HYBRID-BRAKE-REPAIR.HTML>. I AM A COLLEGE STUDENT AND IF THERE ARE ANY DEFECTS FROM MANUFACTURING SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE... ESPECIALLY BEFORE I GET KILLED OR KILL ANOTHER PERSON FROM DRIVING MY VEHICLE. IT REALLY HAS SCARED ME ON SEVERAL EPISODES SINCE RIGHT AROUND A YEAR AFTER I BOUGHT THE VEHICLE, IT IS NOT CONSISTENT. IT HAPPENS VERY IRREGULARLY BUT ENOUGH TO MAKE ME WORRY AND BE CONCERNED FOR THE SAFETY OF MYSELF AND OTHERS. IN ORDER TO CORRECT THE ISSUE I HAVE TO ROLL TO A STOP TURN THE IGNITION OFF AND RESTART THE SYSTEM. YESTERDAY ALONE IT HAPPENED TWICE AND I HAD TO PULL THE PARKING EMERGENCY BRAKE JUST TO COME TO A SAFE STOP WITHOUT LOSING CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. *TR

AT HIGHWAY SPEED, THE ENGINE SUDDENLY SHUT ITSELF OFF. AT THE SAME TIME, A DASHBOARD READOUT DISPLAYED THE MESSAGE "STOP SAFELY NOW." IN ORDER TO GET TO THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD I WAS FORCED TO CUT ACROSS A LANE OF TRAFFIC WITHOUT WARNING AND WITHOUT POWER. NO OTHER WARNING LIGHTS OR SIGNALS DISPLAYED. HAD THERE BEEN NO SHOULDER, I COULD EASILY HAVE BEEN A HIGH-SPEED CRASH. THE ENGINE STARTED AGAIN AS SOON I TURNED THE KEY AFTER STOPPING THE VEHICLE, BUT STILL NO WARNING LIGHTS OR EXPLANATIONS DISPLAYED. THIS HAPPENED THREE TIMES DURING A 3-HOUR TRIP ACROSS MARYLAND, AND IT HAPPENED AGAIN ONCE ON THE RETURN TRIP TWO DAYS LATER. AN INTERNET SEARCH REVEALS THAT THIS IS NOT AN UNCOMMON PROBLEM WITH FORD HYBRIDS, YET NO RECALL HAS BEEN ISSUED TO REMEDY THIS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS DEFECT. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE WAS VIBRATING AND EXHIBITING AN ABNORMAL NOISE. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD THAT THE POWER TAKE OFF UNIT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 50,700 AND THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS NOT AVAILABLE. UPDATED 03/14/12*LJ

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BRAKE WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER SEVERAL TIMES WHERE THE BRAKE PADS, ROTORS AND SENSORS WERE REPLACED, BUT THE FAILURE WAS NOT CORRECTED. THE VEHICLE WAS THEN TAKEN TO A LOCAL MECHANIC WHERE THE CONTACT WAS ADVISED THAT THE MANUFACTURER HAD PROVIDED A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN FOR THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 140,000.

THERE WAS A LEAK OF SOME FLUID NOTED IN MY DRIVEWAY, AND A REQUEST WAS MADE FOR THE DEALER TO INVESTIGATE DURING THE NEXT ROUTINE SERVICE. NO LEAK WAS FOUND. *TR AT 110,000 MILES, DURING ROUTINE SERVICE, A LEAK WAS NOTICED BY THE MECHANIC, BUT NO SOURCE WAS FOUND. SOME TIME AFTER THAT, A NOISE BEGAN TO DEVELOP IN THE FRONT END. AT 120,000 MILES, THE NOISE WAS SEVERE, AND AN INSPECTION DETERMINED THAT THE PTU WAS FAILING. I WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS OKAY TO DRIVE UNTIL THE PART ARRIVED. THE NOISE GOT WORSE WITHIN A FEW HUNDRED MILES, CHANGED TO A VIBRATION, AND THEN AN OCCASIONAL CLUNKING NOISE. I STOPPED DRIVING THE VEHICLE, AWAITING THE REPLACEMENT PART. I HAVE SINCE BECOME AWARE OF TSB 09-4-4 MAR 09 DRIVETRAIN - FLUID LEAK FROM PTU VENT. I FEEL THAT THIS MAY HAVE BEEN THE SOURCE OF THE REPORTED LEAK, AND THAT LOSS OF FLUID IN THE PTU LED TO THE FAILURE OF THE PTU, WHICH ONLY HOLDS 12 OUNCES OF FLUID. THIS LEAKAGE SHOULD HAVE BEEN DETECTED BY THE DEALER, AND THE LOSS OF MY PTU MIGHT HAVE BEEN PREVENTED. THESE PTUS FAIL PREMATURELY, AND ARE CONSISTENTLY ON BACK ORDER. MY DEALER HAD ANOTHER UNIT IN FOR THE SAME PTU REPLACEMENT WHEN I PICKED MINE UP AFTER THE REPAIR, AND ACKNOWLEDGES REPLACING MANY. FORD SHOULD COVER THE COST OF THE REPLACEMENT PTU, A SIMPLE MECHANICAL DEVICE THAT SHOULD LAST LONGER THAN THE CAR, CERTAINLY AS LONG AS OTHER DRIVELINE COMPONENTS LIKE THE REAR END, SEVERAL HUNDRED THOUSAND MILES.

WITHOUT PRIOR NOTICE OR CONCERN, THE POWER STEERING SYSTEM COMPLETELY STOPPED WORKING. UPON EXAMINATION BY A FORD DEALER IT HAS BEEN DETERMINED THAT THE POWER STEERING RACK ASSEMBLY AND POWER STEERING CONTROL MODULE SIMULTANEOUSLY FAILED CAUSING THE ISSUE. DURING ROUTINE DRIVING AT NORMAL SPEEDS THIS FAILURE COULD CAUSE A DRIVER TO LOSE FULL CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE DUE TO THE LACK OF ADEQUATE STEERING ASSISTANCE. *KB

I HAVE @75000 MILES ON MY FORD ESCAPE HYBRID 4WD. I STARTED HEARING A NOISE AND STRONG VIBRATION IN THE STEERING WHEEL AT 50 MPH AND A NOISE AS I SLOW DOWN. I TOOK IT IN TO THE DEALERSHIP I HAVE ALWAYS TAKEN MY CAR TO AND THEY EVENTUALLY DIAGNOSED IT AS BEING THE TRANSFER CASE. ON SEPT 15, 2011, THE DEALERSHIP SAID AT THAT TIME TO REPLACE THE TRANSFER CASE WOULD BE @$1500-1600. THE DEALERSHIP ALSO SAID IT WAS BACK ORDERED UNTIL OCT 10, 2011. THEY SAID IT OBVIOUSLY WAS A PROBLEM WITH MANY ESCAPES SINCE IT WAS BACK ORDERED AT FORD. I HAVE ASKED FORD TO PAY FOR THE REPLACEMENT OF THE TRANSFER CASE AND THEY HAVE REFUSED. I WENT ON LINE AND THIS PROBLEM HAS HAPPENED TO OTHER OWNERS OF THE ESCAPE, NOT JUST 2005. ONE OWNER SAID IT HAPPENED AT 60,000 MI. I FEEL IT IS A FLAW AND THAT THEY SHOULD PAY TO REPLACE IT. *KB

THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED AND WOULD NOT START. I RECEIVED WARNINGS ON THE DASH AND THE INFORMATION PANEL STATING TO SLOW TO A STOP AND SERVICE THE BRAKES. I WAS ABLE TO START THE VEHICLE AFTER DISCONNECTING THE BATTERY AND EVERYTHING OPERATED NORMALLY. AFTER GETTING HOME AND RUNNING DIAGNOSTICS EVERYTHING CAME BACK NORMAL. LATER THAT DAY THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START AGAIN WITH THE SAME WARNINGS AND IT WAS MORE AND MORE DIFFICULT TO GET THE VEHICLE WORKING AGAIN. I ALSO NOTICED THAT THE 12V BATTERY SEEMED TO BE LEAKING SO I INSPECTED AND CLEANED IT. THE NEXT DAY (MONDAY) I BROUGHT THE VEHICLE TO THE FORD DEALER AND EXPLAINED THE PROBLEMS INCLUDING THE LEAKING BATTERY. THE DEALER REPLACED THE 12 V BATTERY UNDER WARRANTY AND SAID MY PROBLEMS SHOULD BE FIXED BUT THEY WOULD CHECK FOR FAULT CODES. THE DEALER FOUND ADDITIONAL PROBLEMS WITH THE ABS BRAKE SYSTEM BUT COULD NOT IMMEDIATELY DIAGNOSE THE CAUSE. THE CAR WAS LEFT FOR ANOTHER DAY AND EVENTUALLY I WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS MOST LIKELY THE HYDRAULIC CONTROL UNIT (HCU) WITH WAS APPROXIMATELY A $4500 PART. I HAVE READ STORIES ONLINE THAT THIS IS A FAIRLY COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS MODEL YEAR ESCAPE HYBRID AND FORD IS AWARE OF THE ISSUE BUT NOT DOING ANYTHING TO CORRECT IT OTHER THAN MAKING THE OWNERS BUY $4500 REPLACEMENT PARTS. *TT