2005 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID Complaints

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPED AND OVER A BUMP, THE POWER STEERING FAILED; THE CONTACT HAD TO APPLY EXTRA FORCE TO KEEP CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE OCCURRED INTERMITTENTLY. THE CONTACT TURNED THE VEHICLE OFF FOR FEW MOMENTS AND THE FAILURE WOULD SUBSIDE. THE DEALER REPLACED THE POWER STEERING HARNESS AND COMPUTER MODULE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 31,567 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 91,000.

MASTER CYLINDER ON 2005 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID FAILED - 73940 MILES ON CAR. MOSTLY CITY & HIGHWAY DRIVING - NO RACING OR OTHER KIND OF DRIVING. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING, THE ABS AND BRAKE LIGHTS ILLUMINATED AND THE BRAKE PEDAL EXTENDED TO THE FLOORBOARD. THE CONTACT HAD TO USE THE EMERGENCY BRAKE TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE ELECTRONIC BRAKES FAILED TWICE AND THE VEHICLE LOST CONTROL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHO RECALIBRATED THE HYBRID ELECTRONIC BRAKES BUT THE FAILURE OCCURRED AGAIN TWO WEEKS LATER. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER WHO STATED THAT THE MASTER CYLINDER AND THE HYDRAULIC CONTROL UNIT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 60,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 60,500.

THE ISSUE I AM HAVING IS THE SAME AS DESCRIBED IN COMPLAINT #10318942. INTERMITTENTLY ON DRY PAVEMENT DURING NORMAL BRAKING, THE ABS WILL ENGAGE (WITH INDICATOR LIGHT FLASHING ON) AND YOU CAN FEEL THE TYPICAL ABS ON/OFF PULSING OF THE BRAKES IN THE BRAKE PEDAL. IT APPEARS THE CAR IS ALSO TAKING LONGER TO COME TO A FULL STOP WHEN THIS OCCURS. I HAVE REPORTED IT MULTIPLE TIMES AT THE FORD DEALERSHIP, BUT THEY ARE UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE. THIS HAPPENS TO ME REGULARLY (A COUPLE TIMES A WEEK).

ON 3/17/2009, AFTER WASHING THE VEHICLE AT A CAR WASH, THE SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT CAME ON. THE VEHICLE LATER STOPPED RUNNING AND WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. THEY HAD IT FOR 3 DAYS AND SAID THEY COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH IT. WE WERE CHARGED WITHOUT PRIOR NOTIFICATION. ON 9/01/2010, THE FUEL FILTER WAS REPLACED AT THE SAME DEALERSHIP. ON THE WAY HOME, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO OVERHEAT. IT STOPPED RUNNING IN TRAFFIC AND WE WERE ALMOST HIT. IT WAS TAKEN TO THE LOCAL FORD DEALER ON 9/07/2010 TO BE LOOKED AT AT THE ADVICE OF FORD. THEY FOUND A FAULTY WATER PUMP, REPLACED IT AND A FILTER, AND WE WERE TOLD THE PROBLEM WAS FIXED. ON 9/09/2010, THE VEHICLE ONCE AGAIN OVERHEATED, STRANDING US AGAIN. IT WAS RETURNED TO THE DEALER, WHERE THEY RESET THE COMPUTER AND AGAIN TOLD US IT WAS FIXED. ON 11/23/2010, IT WAS RAINING AND AGAIN THE VEHICLE STALLED, BUT WE WERE ABLE TO RETURN HOME. ON 12/17/2010, THE REPAIR ENGINE SOON LIGHT CAME ON, AND WE HAVEN'T DRIVEN IT SINCE.

TSB 05-8-5 STATES: ABS AND BRAKE WARNING LAMP ON WITH DTC C1526 - DTC C1524 MAY ALSO BE PRESENT VEHICLES BUILT PRIOR TO 2/11/2005. *TR

WHILE DRIVING MY 2005 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID THE FOLLOWING OCCURRED. I WAS STOPPED AT AN INTERSECTION AND WHEN I BEGAN MAKING A LEFT TURN, AN ALARM SOUNDED, A RED WRENCH SYMBOL, AND RED EXCLAMATION MARK LIT UP ON THE DASH. I IMMEDIATELY PULLED TO THE CURB AND THE CAR LOST ALL POWER AND STEERING LOCKED UP. THE CAR RESTARTED AND I TOOK IT TO FORD. THE SERVICE REP SAID THE CAR WENT INTO A "FAIL SAFE MODE" WHICH IT DOES TO PROTECT THE HYBRID BATTERY FROM OVERHEATING. I WAS TOLD THAT THE ALARM AND SYMBOLS OCCUR TO GIVE YOU ABOUT 5 MINUTES TO SAFELY GET OFF THE ROAD. THIS DID NOT HAPPEN. THE CAR JUST LOST POWER IMMEDIATELY. THE FORD DEALERSHIP DETERMINED THAT A COOLANT PUMP FOR THE HYBRID BATTERY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED WHICH WAS DONE. FIVE WEEKS LATER THE SAME THING HAPPENED AGAIN. I WAS STOPPED AT A LIGHT AND WHEN I BEGAN TURNING RIGHT, THE ALARM SOUNDED, THE RED WRENCH AND EXCLAMATION LIGHT LIT UP AND THE CAR LOST ALL POWER IMMEDIATELY. AGAIN, I WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE ENGINE SO I TOOK IT BACK TO FORD TO BE LOOKED AT. THEY REPLACED A "SUSPECT" COOLING PUMP RELAY AND ROAD TESTED THE CAR. THE PROBLEM COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED. MY CONCERN IS THAT THIS VEHICLE'S "FAIL SAFE MODE" MAKES THE CAR COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN IMMEDIATELY. BOTH TIMES I WAS ABLE TO MOVE INTO AN EMERGENCY LANE, BUT WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF I WAS ON A FREEWAY AND THE CAR JUST STOPPED? I AM CONCERNED THAT OTHER FORD ESCAPE HYBRIDS MAY HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM AND IT IS A REAL SAFETY HAZARD. THE SECOND TIME IT HAPPENED MY GRANDCHILDREN WERE IN THE BACKSEAT AND I COULD HAVE BEEN REAR ENDED. AFTER HAVING THE FORD DEALERSHIP LOOK AT IT AND REPLACE THE COOLING PUMP RELAY I TRADED IN THE VEHICLE THE NEXT DAY. I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE THIS DOCUMENTED IN CASE THERE IS A PATTERN WITH THESE CARS OR OTHER HYBRIDS. I WILL NEVER PURCHASE ONE AGAIN. *TR

POWER STEERING GOES OUT ON MY '05 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. HAPPENED ONCE WHEN I HAD CAR ABOUT 3 YEARS AND FORD SAID A FLUKE. DIDN'T HAPPEN AGAIN UNTIL '09 BUT NEVER WAS HAPPENING WHEN I DROVE IT IN AND FORD COULDN'T FIND PROBLEM. I WAS ABLE TO GET THERE WHILE IT WAS HAPPENING BUT THEY STILL COULDN'T SAY FOR SURE BUT SUGGESTED I PAY TO REPLACE STEERING WIRING HARNESS AND SENSOR. I HESITATED TO DO THIS AS SEVERAL PEOPLE INCLUDING ANOTHER FORD MGR SAID DIDN'T MAKE SENSE AND ANOTHER FORD MGR SAID DIDN'T KNOW FOR SURE THAT WOULD TAKE CARE OF PROBLEM. SOMETIMES IT IS FINE FOR MONTHS, OTHER TIMES HAPPENS EVEN WHEN I FIRST TURN THE CAR ON. SOMETIMES THE STEERING JUST FEELS "LOOSE"....NOT NORMAL. USUALLY THOUGH, I'M DRIVING AND THE STEERING WHEEL MAKES A PULL LEFT AND THE STEERING GOES OUT. FORD MGR TOLD ME IT'S SAFE TO DRIVE BUT IT'S GETTING MORE NERVE WRACKING - SUDDEN HARD PULLS LEFT BUT POWER STEERING STAYS ON - FOR AWHILE. ONCE HAPPENED WHILE AT A COMPLETE STOP AT AN INTERSECTION. DRIVING A STRAIGHT LINE ISN'T BAD BUT TIGHT TURNS ARE DIFFICULT AND U TURNS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE. I'M AFRAID TO DRIVE TO THE MOUNTAINS. *TR

2005 ESCAPE HYBRID BRAKE FAILURE. I TRIED TO STOP AND BRAKES ONLY WENT HALF WAY DOWN. I RELEASED AND PUSHED AGAIN, HAD TO USE EMERGENCY BRAKE TO STOP OTHERWISE I WOULD HAVE GONE THROUGH A STORE FRONT WINDOW. TOOK TO FORD DEALER AND FOUND OUT IT WAS THE MASTER CYLINDER/SOLENOID. PER FORD'S TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN 0585 ISSUED 8/5/05, THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE CORRECTED BY INSTALLING A REVISED MASTER CYLINDER. THIS COULD HAVE KILLED ME AND THE PEOPLE INSIDE THE BUSINESS. IF THIS IS A KNOWN, VERY DANGEROUS PROBLEM, THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL. *TR

2005 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID - THE CAR WOULD BEGIN TO SKID AND SLIDE WHEN APPROACHING A STOP REGARDLESS OF THE VEHICLE SPEED OR ROAD CONDITIONS. THE ABS WOULD KICK IN AND THE INDICATOR WOULD COME ON TELLING THE DRIVER THAT THE CAR WAS SLIDING. THIS IS A DANGEROUS CONDITION AS THE CAR WOULD NOT STOP WHEN THE BRAKES ARE PRESSED. AFTER INVESTIGATING ONLINE, I DISCOVERED THAT THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH THIS MAKE AND MODEL OF HYBRID VEHICLE. MANY OTHER DRIVERS HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME THING. THE SUGGESTION WAS THAT THE TONE RINGS WERE CRACKED OR BROKEN. MY REPAIR SHOP DISCOVERED THAT BOTH OF MINE WERE BROKEN AND ONE AXLE NEEDED REPLACED. INTERESTINGLY, WHEN THE MECHANICS TOOK THE CAR ON A TEST DRIVE TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM, THE CAR WOULD REV BEYOND 4 RPMS, THEN THE ENGINE QUIT AND THE DASHBOARD READOUT STATED TO PULL OVER AND STOP THE CAR IMMEDIATELY. THE GAS ENGINE QUIT AND THE CAR WOULD NOT GO OVER 20 MPH. AFTER TURNING THE CAR OFF AND WAITING A FEW SECONDS, THE CAR WAS RESTARTED AND THE COMPUTER/CAR RESET ITSELF AND WOULD RUN AGAIN. THE SAME THING HAPPENED ON AN OPEN HIGHWAY GOING 60 MPH. THE INDICATOR LIGHTS WENT OFF AND THE WARNINGS TO PULL OVER AND STOP THE CAR IMMEDIATELY DISPLAYED. THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE BY FORD AS THEY HAVE ISSUED DTC C1526. THIS PARTICULAR BLOG (HTTP://BLOG.YAGELSKI.COM/2010/01/MY-FORD-ESCAPE-HYBRID-BRAKE-REPAIR.HTML) EXPLAINS THE PROBLEM AS WELL AS THOSE OF MANY OTHERS WHO ARE ALSO EXPERIENCING THIS ISSUE, WITH GREATER DETAIL AND ACCURACY THAN I CAN. PLEASE DO WHATEVER YOU CAN TO FORCE FORD TO ISSUE A RECALL ON THIS INCREDIBLE IMPORTANT AND EXPENSIVE SAFETY MATTER. THANK YOU. *TR