2006 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID Complaints

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE REAR END DIFFERENTIAL BEGAN TO DISINTEGRATE FROM THE INSIDE OUT. SHE NOTICED THIS AFTER HEARING LOUD SCREECHING NOISES WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS. THE VEHICLE WAS THEN INSPECTED BY A DEALER WHO STATED THAT THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL NEEDED TO BE REPLACED OR THE VEHICLE WAS NO LONGER DRIVABLE. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS ALSO CONTACTED AND THEY ADVISED HER THAT SHE WAS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY AND OFFERED NO FURTHER ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 30,441. THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE HAS SINCE BEEN REPAIRED..

I JUST BOUGHT A 2006 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. THE SERVICE BREAK SYSTEM LIGHT AND MESSAGE CAME ON MONDAY, THE 2ND TIME I DROVE IT, ON THE WAY TO WORK. I STOPPED AT A GAS STATION BUT IT TURNED OFF. NEXT MORNING, SAME THING SO I CHECKED FLUIDS. IT WAS OFF AGAIN THE REST OF THAT DAY. LIT UP AGAIN WEDNESDAY. I MADE IT THAT EVENING TO A SERVICE STATION BEFORE THEY CLOSED (VERY RURAL AREA). THE WARNINGS WERE NOT ON AND HE COULD NOT SEE ANYTHING OBVIOUS ON PRELIMINARY INSPECTION BUT SAID TO BRING IN IN THE MORNING IF THE WARNING WAS BACK. THURSDAY IT ACTED FUNNY ON MY DRIVEWAY. THE NEXT CURVE I FOUND OUT WHY, NO BREAKING POWER EVEN WITH THE EXTREMELY STIFF AND DIFFICULT PEDAL TO THE FLOOR. I FINALLY GOT IT TO A STOP WAY PAST THE CRAZY RIDE AROUND THE CURVE. I STOPPED TO CALM MYSELF AND DECIDE IF IT WAS POSSIBLE TO GET TO TOWN. I DECIDED THE E-BRAKE SEEMED TO STOP IT IF I KEPT IT VERY SLOW. SO I PROCEEDED TO TOWN-NOT TO A FORD DEALER BECAUSE OF SOME VERY SCARY BIG HILLS, BUT INSTEAD TO THE SERVICE STATION WHO I TRUST. HE WAS BOOKED A WEEK AND A HALF AND HE DIDN'T KNOW IF HIS COMPUTER HAD THE HYBRID PROGRAMMING TO CHECK IT. SO I HAD TO TOW IT 63M TO THE DEALER I GOT IT FROM, THINKING THEY WOULD STAND BY IT OR IT WOULD BE COVERED BY THE "DRIVETRAIN PLUS" SERVICE AGREEMENT I PURCHASED TO COVER ANY SCARY PRICED REPAIRS THAT CROP UP ON OLDER CARS. IT WAS SOLD AS-IS, AND IOWA HAS NO LEMON LAW APPARENTLY, THE PLAN I PURCHASED SOUNDS LIKE IT WON'T COVER IT, AND THEY OFFERED ME A MEASLY 10% OFF THE BILL THAT IS ABOUT HALF AGAIN WHAT I PAID FOR THE CAR. I GOT TO DRIVE MY NEW USED CAR 4 1/2 TIMES. ALL I CAN DO IS THANK MY LUCKY STARS MY KIDS WEREN'T IN THE CAR, THERE WASN'T A CAR NEAR ME, I WASN'T COMING DOWN ONE OF THE STEEP AND CURVY RIVER BLUFFS ON MY WAY TO OR FROM WORK, OR ANY NUMBER OF OTHER SCARY SCENARIOS THAT COULD HAVE BEEN. FALIURE OF THE BRAKE SYSTEM'S HYDRAULIC CONTROL UNIT HCU AND MASTER CYLINDER IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND A DESIGN FLAW MANY HAVE EXPERIENCED.

IN 12/2006, MY FORD ESCAPE HYBRID BEGAN MALFUNCTIONING. I WOULD GET A "SERVICE BRAKE SYSTEM" MESSAGE AND THE EMERGENCY BRAKE LIGHT WOULD APPEAR. I BROUGHT IT IN TO CHAMPION FORD IN BOULDER, CO 3 TIMES. THE FIRST 2 TIMES THEY REFUSED TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE PROBLEM. THE 3RD TIME THEY ACKNOWLEDGED THE PROBLEM AFTER I GAVE THEM INFORMATION FROM THE INTERNET AND THE TSB. WITH COOPERATION FROM FORD SERVICE THEY PERFORMED A GROUND/HARNESS REPLACEMENT. CHAMPION FORD THEN WENT OUT OF BUSINESS. OVER THE NEXT 4 YEARS, I BROUGHT MY CAR TO SILL-TERHAR FORD IN BROOMFIELD, CO FOR THE SAME ISSUE AND ADDITIONAL 6 TIMES, WHERE THEY PERFORMED THE SAME SERVICE (REPLACE GROUND/HARNESS). NOW, THEY ARE SAYING THE FIX REQUIRES A NEW ABS MODULE ($4,000). THROUGH MY OWN RESEARCH, I HAVE DISCOVERED THAT THIS PROBLEM IS RAMPANT WITH OTHER OWNERS LOSING THEIR BRAKES. I NEVER LOST MY BRAKES, BUT AFTER DISCUSSING THIS WITH MY CURRENT FORD SERVICE REP, HE SUGGESTS THAT MY PROBLEM COULD RESULT IN "IMPROPER" BRAKING BEHAVIOR, WHICH MEANS I'VE BEEN DRIVING AN UNSAFE VEHICLE FOR 4 YEARS BASED ON FORD'S SERVICE RECOMMENDATION FOR MY PROBLEM. FORD IS REFUSING TO ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR MY PROBLEM, EVEN THOUGH WHEN MY PROBLEM STARTED, I WAS UNDER WARRANTY. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. THE CONTACT WAS TRAVELING 50 MPH WHEN THE ABS WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT APPLIED THE BRAKES AND THERE WAS A REDUCTION OF 80% BRAKING POWER. THE CONTACT REFERENCED TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN 10024326 (SERVICE BRAKE: CONTROL UNIT MODULE) AND BELIEVED THE FAILURE TO BE THE SAME. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 81,000. UPDATED 4/4/11 *CN THE REPAIR SHOP INSTALLED A MASTER CYLINDER. UPDATED 05/23/11

FORD ESCAPE HYBRID 2006 ABS AND BRAKE FAILURE LIGHT COME ON, LOSE POWER BRAKING. MUST PUSH VERY HARD ON BRAKE PETAL TO STOP CAR, HAS HAPPENED APPROX. 8 TIMES. AFTER STOPPING CAR, I CAN USUALLY TURN KEY OFF AND THEN RESTART CAR AND PROBLEM IS GONE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH, THE ABS WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY THE DEALER WHO INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THEY WERE UNABLE TO PERFORM A FULL DIAGNOSIS AND WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 54,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 59,000.

ON MY WAY TO WORK THIS MORNING THE WARNING "STOP SAFELY NOW", ILLUMINATED ON MY DASH AND THE VEHICLE IMMEDIATELY SHUTDOWN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. I WAS VERY FORTUNATE THAT I WAS ONLY GOING 25 MILES PER HOUR AND IMMEDIATELY PUT MY EMERGENCY LIGHTS ON WHICH PREVENTED TRAFFIC FROM REAR ENDING ME. I HAD TO HAVE THE VEHICLE TOWED AWAITING DIAGNOSIS WHICH I AM BEING TOLD BY THE DEAL WILL PROBABLY BE RELATED TO THE HYBRID BATTERY COOLING SYSTEM. THIS IS A CRITICAL SAFETY ISSUES THAT MUST BE ADDRESSED. *TR

I WAS TRAVELING ON THE HIGHWAY @ 65 MPH WHEN I EXPERIENCED A 'CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE' WITH FOUR OCCUPANTS. I DON'T KNOW IF IT WAS SKILLED DRIVING, DIVINE INTERVENTION OR JUST PLAIN LUCK THAT PERMITTED ME TO SAFELY STOP THE VEHICLE WITHOUT A CRASH OR INJURY. HAD VEHICLE TOWED BY AAA TO DEALERSHIP. SERVICE DEPARTMENT SAID THE "HYBRID BATTERY COOLING SYSTEM" HAD FAILED AND CAUSED THE ENGINE TO STOP WITH NO WARNING. I WAS ALMOST REAR-ENDED BY A SEMI TRUCK. *TR

LETTER FROM SENATOR DENT ON BEHALF OF CONSTITUENT REGARDING A 2006 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID (DOT/I # 2010-2203) *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED A WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED TO SERVICE THE BRAKE SYSTEM. THE CONSUMER STATED IT COST $120 TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM AS A FAULTY HYDRAULIC COMPUTER MODULE AND THE COST TO REPLACE IT WOULD BE $ 5,000. *JB

BRAKES ON MY 2006 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID FAILED AT HIGHWAY SPEED AND THE ABS AND BRAKE LIGHT CAME SIMULTANEOUSLY. BY PINNING THE BRAKE TO THE FLOOR I WAS ABLE TO SLOW THE VEHICLE IN THE SHOULDER. TURNING THE CAR OFF AND BACK ON "RESOLVED" THE ISSUE AND I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE HOME. THE PROBLEM HAPPENS RANDOMLY AND WITHOUT WARNING. I HAVE PLACED A CALL TO THE DEALER BUT HAVE NOT HEARD BACK YET. LOOKING ON LINE IT SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM, YET NO RECALL HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THIS VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. *TR