2005 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID Complaints

COMPLETE BRAKE FAILURE. FIRST TIME IT OCCURRED WAS ON THE INTERSTATE - 65 MILES AN HOUR AND THE BRAKE LIGHT AND THE ABS LIGHT CAME ON AND THERE WAS A BEEP. THERE WERE THEN NO BRAKES AT ALL. LUCKILY, I WAS ABLE TO GET TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND COAST TO A STOP. TURNED OFF THE TRUCK AND STARTED IT AGAIN AND IT HAD BRAKES. ON THIS LAST INCIDENT, THE SAME THING IN THE SAME ORDER HAPPENED. THANKFULLY, MY WIFE WAS ABLE TO GET THE VEHICLE TO COAST TO A STOP WITHOUT HITTING ANYONE OR ANYTHING. THIS PROBLEM IS VERY DANGEROUS. IT IS INTERMITTENT THUS MAKING IT HARD TO DIAGNOSE. *JB CONSUMER STATED VEHICLE WAS TRADED IN 2015. UPDATED 6/8/18*JB

2005 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID : ELECTRIC POWER STEERING. POWER STEERING FAILED, WHILE IN A TURN TWICE. AND CAME WITHIN INCHES OF HITTING A WALL, BECAUSE IT REVERTED TO MANUAL STEERING. IF NOT FOR QUICK THINKING AND REFLEX'S. I WAS A PASSENGER AND GRABBED THE WHEEL AND WRESTLED IT IN THE TURN TO AVOID THE WALL. TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY ACTED LIKE IT WAS A NO BIG DEAL. *JB

I OWN A 2005 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. WHEN I BOUGHT IT (BRAND NEW) I NOTICED AN AIR BAG ISSUE WHERE DURING DRIVING, IF THE PASSENGER MADE A SLIGHT SITTING ADJUSTMENT, THE AIRBAG WOULD DEACTIVATE. SOMETIMES IT WOULD NOT REACTIVATE, OR TAKE A LONG TIME (5, 10 MINUTES). I TOLD FORD ABOUT IT, AND THEY REPLACED THE AIRBAGS SEAT GEL PAD SENSOR. THE SYMPTOM IMPROVED, BUT STILL HAPPENS. MY FIANCE IS 120LBS AND SHE SITS NORMALLY IN HER SEAT. IF SHE MAKES A MOVE TO READJUST (AS ONE WOULD ON A ROAD TRIP, OR LONG DRIVE) THE AIRBAG MAY STILL DEACTIVATE. INITIALLY IT WAS FREQUENT (75% OF THE TIME) HOWEVER NOW IT IS 50/50 (SINCE THE REPLACED GEL PAD). HOWEVER, IT IS TROUBLING TO KNOW THAT WHEN I AM DRIVING, SOMETIMES MY FIANCEE''S AIRBAG IS DEACTIVATED. WE FEEL VULNERABLE THAT THE SAFETY ITEMS WE PURCHASED TO PROTECT US ARE NOT ALWAYS THERE FOR US. I TRIED COMMUNICATING WITH FORD TELLING THEM IT STILL PERSISTS, BUT THEY JUST DON'T "GET IT". I DON'T UNDERSTAND THAT WHEN A PASSENGER SITS IN THE SEAT AND THE CAR KNOWS IT - HOW CAN THE CAR DEACTIVATE THAT AIRBAG WHILE WE ARE DRIVING 60 MPH? THAT SEEMS LIKE A DESIGN FLAW - AS OBVIOUSLY THE PASSENGER CANNOT EXIT THE VEHICLE WHILE THE CAR IS IN MOTION, OR EVEN BEFORE THE DOOR OPENS. IN MY OPINION, IF THE CAR SENSES A PASSENGER WHEN STARTING TO MOVE, THEN THE AIRBAG SHOULD STAY ON - AT LEAST UNTIL IT STOPS MOVING (COMES TO A COMPLETE STOP). SO *MOTION* WOULD BE A CHECK POINT AND NON-MOTION WOULD BE ANOTHER POINT TO *REEVALUATE* - BUT DEFINITELY NOT IN THE MIDDLE OF FREEWAY DRIVING... I HOPE PEOPLE APPRECIATE THE GRANDEUR OF THE SITUATION WHERE THE AIRBAG PURPOSELY DEACTIVATES (FROM INCORRECT EVENT PROGRAMMING) WHILE DRIVING. ALSO, THE BELOW INCIDENT DATE IS IRRELEVANT. *JB

THIS REPORT IS FOR THE THIRD OCCURRENCE (THERE HAVE BEEN 2 PRIOR OCCURRENCES IN THE PAST 6-8 WEEKS). THIS VEHICLE HAS ROUGHLY 17,900 MILES AND KEEPS SHUTTING ITSELF DOWN WITHOUT MUCH (IF ANY) WARNING. THIS TIME, I HAD ABOUT 2-4 SECONDS WARNING (WHICH WOULD NOT BE ADEQUATE IF THE VEHICLE HAD BEEN ON A HIGHWAY OR BUSY ROAD). I WAS IN A PARKING LOT ABOUT TO PULL OUT INTO TRAFFIC WHEN THE YELLOW WRENCH LIGHT CAME ON. BEFORE I COULD DO ANYTHING, THE VEHICLE SHUT ITSELF OFF. AT ABOUT 16,000 MILES, THE "HIGH MOTOR TEMPERATURE" WARNING CAME ON. I WAS ABLE TO GET OFF THE HIGHWAY AND GET IT TOWED. THE DEALERSHIP TOLD ME IT WAS A BAD ELECTRIC WATER PUMP AND REPLACED IT. (I WAS LATER TOLD BY THE DEALER THAT THE WATER PUMP THAT FAILED WAS A KNOWN PROBLEM AT FORD - APPARENTLY A TRUCK CARRYING THESE WAS IN AN ACCIDENT AND BOXES OF THESE PUMPS LITERALLY FELL OUT OF THE TRUCK. FORD SUPPOSEDLY TESTED THEM AND DECIDED TO USE THEM ANYWAYS). ABOUT A WEEK LATER, I COULD TELL THERE WAS STILL SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE. (IT HAD BEEN "SURGING" FORWARD WHEN COMING TO A STOP WITHOUT WARNING AND HAD MANY OTHER NOISES/ISSUES THAT WERE A SIGN THAT SOMETHING WAS STILL WRONG). I BROUGHT IT BACK - AND AFTER THEY EXAMINED IT THEY ASSURED ME THAT EVERYTHING WAS FINE. WITHIN 2 WEEKS, WE WERE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY WHEN THE "HIGH MOTOR TEMPERATURE" LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN. MY HUSBAND GOT OFF AT THE FIRST EXIT AND TRIED TO GET IT TO THE FORD DEALERSHIP THAT WAS 2 BLOCKS AWAY. UNFORTUNATELY, WITHOUT WARNING, IT POWERED ITSELF DOWN RIGHT IN FRONT OF A CITY TRANSIT BUS. THIS TIME, THE DEALER SAID IT WAS THE WATER PUMP AND FUSE AGAIN AND REPLACED BOTH. AFTER GETTING THE VEHICLE BACK, I WAS STILL CONCERNED SINCE THIS SEEMED TO BE A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE (HAVING IT POWER DOWN IN FRONT OF A CITY BUS IS ENOUGH TO SCARE THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS OUT OF YOU). THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED. *NM

2005 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID, 9500 MILES, DROVE 20 MILES IN 5 DEGREE WEATHER. SHUT CAR OFF FOR 15 MINUTES. WHEN RESTARTED POWER STEERING FAILED. DROVE 5 MILES WITH POWER STEERING OFF. RESTARTED CAR AFTER 2 HOURS. POWER STEERING WORKED FINE. *NM

I PULLED OUT OF A PARKING LOT DRIVING OUR NEW 2005 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID AND APPROACHED THE FIRST INTERSECTION WHEN A MESSAGE FLASHED ON THE DASH "PULL OVER SAFELY NOW." BEFORE I COULD PULL OVER THE ENGINE TURNED OFF. AFTER A FEW TRIES, I WAS ABLE TO MOVE THE CAR ON THE BATTERY POWER THROUGH THE INTERSECTION (VERY SLOWLY) TO A BUSY BUS STOP. I COULDN'T START THE CAR AGAIN RIGHT AWAY. HOWEVER, ON BATTERY POWER AGAIN, I WAS ABLE TO GET BACK TO THE PARKING LOT. WE HAD THE CAR TOWED TO A FORD DEALERSHIP FROM THERE. IT TOOK THEM TWO WEEKS TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS WRONG AND FIX THE CAR. WHEN THE INCIDENT HAPPEND, THE CAR HAD 260 MILES ON IT.