2005 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID Complaints

2005 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID - BRAKE FAILURE. CAR HAS NOT BEEN DRIVEN HARSHLY OR IN HARSH CONDITIONS. ON JULY 31ST, APPLIED BRAKES AT STOPLIGHT, ABS LIGHT CAME ON AND BRAKES FAILED. DEALER UNSURE HOW TO FIX. *TR

LOSS OF STEERING IN A FORD HYBRID ESCAPE ELECTRIC STEERING, COMPLETE LOSS OF STEERING IN A TURN AND NO ONE SEEMS TO CARE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED WHEN DRIVING AT 65 MPH AND WITHOUT ANY WARNINGS THE VEHICLE WOULD STALL AND THE STOP SAFELY NOW WARNING LIGHT WOULD ILLUMINATE. THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO BE RESTARTED WITHIN SECONDS. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE AND THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT GENERATE ANY DIAGNOSTIC CODES. THE MANUFACTURE ADVISED THEY WERE UNABLE TO PROVIDE ANY ASSISTANCE WITHOUT KNOWING THE EXACT FAILURE BASED UPON THE DEALER'S DIAGNOSIS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 82,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 88,837.

I WAS DRIVING MY 2005 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID APRIL 1, 2010, WEST BOUND ON I-90 IN MASSACHUSETTS BETWEEN STURBRIDGE AND CHICOPEE WHEN THE FIRST INCIDENT HAPPENED. THE "CONTROL MODULE" DISPLAYED A "STOP SAFELY NOW" MESSAGE AND THEN PROCEEDED TO SHUT DOWN THE VEHICLE. I WAS FORCED, WITHOUT POWER, TO TRAVERSE 3 LANES OF HIGH SPEED, HIGH VOLUME TRAFFIC, TO THE SHOULDER. I WAS FRIGHTENED FOR MY LIFE AT THE TIME. SINCE THE FIRST OCCURRENCE, THE SAME "STOP SAFELY NOW" MESSAGE AND VEHICLE SHUT-DOWN REPEATED SEVERAL MORE TIMES, BEFORE I TOOK IT IN TO THE FORD DEALERSHIP WHERE I BOUGHT IT - SUNNYSIDE FORD, IN HOLDEN MA. THEY HAVE HAD IT NOW SINCE APRIL 14TH 2010 AND ARE UNABLE TO REPAIR. AFTER FIRST REPLACING A MOTOR ELECTRONICS (MEC) PUMP, THE PROBLEM HAS GOTTEN WORSE - INDEED, THE VEHICLE WILL NOT DRIVE AT ALL BEFORE RECEIVING THE "STOP SAFELY NOW" AND VEHICLE SHUTDOWN MESSAGE. MY INDEPENDENT ONLINE RESEARCH HAS PROVIDED MUCH INFORMATION FROM OWNERS OF THE SAME FORD ESCAPE HYBRID, WHO HAVE HAD THE SAME OR CLOSE TO THE SAME SET OF PROBLEMS. ON APRIL 30TH 2010, I WROTE A LETTER TO SUNNYSIDE FORD'S SERVICE MANAGER, OUTLINING MY FINDINGS AND ASKING FOR A FORD CERTIFIED HYBRID ENGINEER TO INTERVENE IN MY VEHICLE'S REPAIR. THERE HAVE BEEN MANY, NOW INCLUDING MYSELF, WHO FEEL THE UNDERLYING PROBLEM IS A DESIGN ISSUE. I HAVE ONLY 23,250 MILES ON IT, WAY TOO EARLY FOR THE CAR TO BE HAVING MECHANICAL FAILURE DUE TO USAGE ALONE. ITS THE FACT THAT WHEN THE PROBLEM ARISES, THAT THE CONTROL MODULE (PCM) SHUTS DOWN THE VEHICLE THAT MAKES THIS A SAFETY ISSUE. ITS JUST A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE SOMEONE IS IN OR CAUSES A SERIOUS ACCIDENT, IF IT HAS NOT ALREADY HAPPENED. THE FORD ESCAPE HYBRID SHOULD UNDERGO A FORD RECALL AND RE-DESIGN ON THE ENTIRE ELECTRONICS OVERLAY, TO PERMANENTLY FIX THE ISSUE. *TR

2005 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID CAR HAS 65,000 MILES ON IT WITH NO HISTORY OF BRAKE TROUBLE. COMING DOWNILL THE ABS/BRAKE LIGHTS CAME ON ALONG WITH AN ALARM AND IMMEDIATE LOSS OF THE BRAKES. HAD TO USE MECHANICAL EMERGENCY BRAKES TO STOP. CALLED DEALERSHIP NEXT MORNING TO TOW IT IN, THEN READ ON LINE TO TRY RESTARTING THE CAR THE NEXT DAY AND THE PROBLEM MIGHT BE GONE. CAR STARTED, NO BRAKE ISSUES APPARENT (NO LIGHTS, BRAKES FUNCTIONAL) SO DROVE IT TO DEALERSHIP FOR REVIEW/REPAIR. TOOK COPIES OF ONLINE RESEARCH SHOWING THIS IS AN ISSUE WITH THE CAR. DEALERSHIP CLAIMED IT WAS THE REAR AIR CONDITIONER (HOLE IN THE EVAPORATOR CORE) - THEY HAD REPAIRED THE AC 4 MONTHS PREVIOUSLY, WHICH ONLY LASTED FOR 6 WEEKS. PLANNED TO HAVE THEM REPAIR IT AT THE 65,000 MILE SERVICE ANYWAY. PAID $1033. DROVE CAR HOME THAT NIGHT AND THE ABS/BRAKE LIGHTS WENT ON, ALARM SOUNDED BUT THIS TIME NOT A TOTAL LOSS OF BRAKES. INSTEAD WHENEVER PRESSURE IS APPLIED TO THE BRAKE PEDAL, THERE IS A LOUD THUMPING NOISE FROM THE FRONT BRAKES AND SHUDDERING THROUGHOUT THE CAR. PLAN IS TO RETURN TO DEALERSHIP AFTER THE WEEKEND AND BRING LATEST RESEARCH SHOWING FAULTY HCU UNITS HAVE BEEN FOUND TO BE AN UNDERLYING CAUSE, WHICH FORD IS DENYING. *TR

1. DRIVING NORMALLY AND THEN BRAKING NORMALLY 2. THE ABS BRAKE LIGHT COMES ON AND THE BRAKES "SLIP" (I.E., THE CAR SLOWS, THEN "SLIPS" FORWARD AGAIN BEFORE THE BRAKES RE-ENGAGE AND STOP THE CAR) OCCURS ONCE OR TWICE IN A 30-MILE STRETCH CONSEQUENCES: IF YOU NEED TO STOP COMPLETELY DUE TO A PEDESTRIAN OR CAR STOPPING IN FRONT OF YOU, THE CAR DOESN'T STOP FULLY. IT SLIDES AFTER YOU'VE PRESSED THE BRAKES AND THE ABS OVERRIDES YOUR BRAKING. 3. NO REPAIR HAS BEEN UNDERTAKEN YET. *TR

WE HAVE EXPERIENCED AN UNUSUAL PROBLEM WITH THE BRAKING SYSTEM IN OUT 2005 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. THERE HAVE BEEN MAY EPISODES OF THE YELLOW ABS AND THE RED BRAKE WARNING LAMP LIGHTING UP AND THE ALARM SOUNDING OVER THE PAST YEAR. THIS WOULD HAPPEN FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS AND THEN AFTER SHUTTING-OFF THE VEHICLE AND RESTARTING, THE BRAKES RETURNED TO NORMAL OPERATION. WE SPOKE WITH THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT AT OUR DEALERSHIP ABOUT THIS AND BECAUSE THE WARNING LIGHT WASN'T ON AT THE TIME, THEY SAID THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO TO DETECT THE PROBLEM. THE LAST TIME THIS HAPPENED THE BRAKES REVERTED TO FAIL SAFE MODE REQUIRING A "PEDAL TO THE FLOOR" EFFORT TO SLOW THE VEHICLE TO A SAFE STOP LUCKILY WHILE PULLING INTO OUR DRIVEWAY . AFTER THIS WE HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE DEALER AND WERE TOLD WE NEEDED A NEW "HCU" UNIT AND MASTER CYLINDER WITH A TOTAL REPAIR COST OF $4K+. I DECIDED TO DO SOME RESEARCH AND DISCOVERED MANY CASES OF THE EXACT SAME THING HAPPENING WITH THE SAME YEAR AND MODEL ESCAPE. WE ARE GOING TO WAIT A FEW DAYS TO THINK BEFORE MOVING FORWARD WITH THE REPAIR. *TR

FORD HYBRID ESCAPE BRAKE LIGHT KEEPS COMING ON. I HAVE TO TURN IT OFF AND THEN BACK ON TO GET THE LIGHT OUT. DEALER SAYS IT'S A GROUND FAULT AND FORD HAS A NEW WIRING HARNESS, BUT I AM REQUIRED TO PAY FOR IT, IT'S AN '05 WITH LESS THAN 8,000 MILES ON IT, YET I AM TO PAY AND FIX FORD'S PROBLEM, AND WE ARE TALKING BRAKES HERE, THAT FORD KNOWS ABOUT AND HAS ALREADY IDENTIFIED AND HAS A FIX FOR. IT NEEDS A RECALL. THE ELECTRIC STEERING HAS ALREADY FAILED ONCE AND HAD TO HAVE A NEW COMPUTER FOR THIS. FORD IS HIDING PROBLEMS WITH THE CAR. *TR

MY 2005 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID HAVE 140,000 MILES ON IT FOR THE PAST 3 WEEKS THE ABS LIGHT AND THE RED TRIANGLE STOP THE CAR SAFELY COME ON WHEN I START THE CAT. I PULL OVER SHUT THE CAR OFF RESTART AND ALL IS WELL UNTIL THE NEXT TIME. *TR

2005 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. PROBLEM IS FAILURE OF HYBRID REGENERATIVE BRAKE SYSTEM AS DESCRIBED IN FORD'S TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN, TSB 05-8-5 (AUGUST 5, 2005) (NHTSA ID #10017553). PROBLEM HAD OCCURRED SPORADICALLY AFTER THE WARRANTY PERIOD, BUT WITHOUT ANY KNOWN INCIDENT TO HAVE TRIGGERED THE PROBLEM. REPAIR HAS REQUIRED REPLACEMENT OF THE MASTER CYLINDER AND THE BRAKE SYSTEM'S HYDRAULIC CONTROL UNIT ("HCU"). TOTAL COST HAS BEEN ABOUT $7,000. TO SUMMARIZE MY CORRESPONDENCE FROM FORD... "SINCE THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION ("NHTSA") IS NOT CONCERNED (I.E. NOBODY HAS GOTTEN KILLED BY THESE DEFECTIVE BRAKES) THERE IS NO NEED FOR A RECALL. THEREFORE, FORD HAS NO RESPONSIBILITY TO PAY FOR OR DEAL WITH MY PROBLEM." MY STORY IN MORE DETAIL AT HTTP://BLOG.YAGELSKI.COM/2010/01/MY-FORD-ESCAPE-HYBRID-BRAKE-REPAIR.HTML. *TR