2006 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID Complaints

POWER STEERING FAIL NO DASH CODES E S P FAILED NO POWER ASSIST TO TURN THE STEERING

AS MY SEVENTEEN YEARS OLD DAUGHTER WAS PULLING OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY FOR SCHOOL SHE NOTICED THE STEERING WAS HARD TO TURN. SHE TOOK MY CAR TO SCHOOL. I WENT TO TRY AND MOVE THE CAR BACK UP THE DRIVEWAY AND COULD BARELY TURN THE WHEEL MYSELF. LUCKILY SHE WAS AT HOME AND NOT ON THE ROAD. THERE IS NO ASSISTED STEERING ANYMORE, IT JUST WENT OUT.

CAR SHUTS OFF WITH LITTLE OR NO WARNING, 3 TIMES NOW, ONCE ON INTERSTATE 64. DEALER FIRST SAID HYBRID BATTERY BAD, 2ND OPINION FROM HYBRID BATTERY COMPANY SAID BATTERY GOOD. DEALER SAID, 2ND TIME WITH CAR, NEED A $600 REPAIR THAT WILL RESOLVE. NOW, DEALER SAYS NO, THE BATTERY IS STILL THE ISSUE. THEY STILL CANNOT STATE WHY THE CAR DOES IT, WHAT WILL MAKE THIS CAR SAFE TO DRIVE AND IF THEY TRULY KNOW IT IS THE BATTERY, WHY DID THEY DO THE $600 REPAIR AND TELL US THAT WOULD FIX THE PROBLEM. I HAVE ASKED WYNNE FORD IN HAMPTON VA, THE DEALER, FOR A POC AT FORD MOTOR COMPANY TO BE ABLE TO GET ANSWERS ON HOW TO MAKE/KNOW OUR12 YR OLD CAR IS SAFE TO DRIVE, BEEN OVER A MONTH, BUT HAVE RECIEVED NO INFORMATION FROM WYNNE FORD. I GUESS I NEED TO DRIVE TO MICHIGAN TO SEE MR. WILLIAM CLAY FORD JR FOR ANSWERS. I DO NOT KNOW THE EXACT MILEAGE ON THE VEHICLE, VEHICLE IS AT THE DEALERSHIP. ALSO, THE ISSUE HAS HAPPENED 3 TIMES BUT THE LATEST WAS AROUND OCT 2018. EACH INCIDENT, WE HAD TO GET VEHICLE TOWED.

POWER STEERING JUST WENT OUT. NO WARNING UNTIL IT WAS OUT. I WAS ON MY WAY TO WORK DRIVING AND THE POWER STEERING JUST WENT OUT COMPLETELY. ALMOST CAUSED AN ACCIDENT WHEN IT WENT OUT DO TO HOW HARD IT IS TO STEER! IT'S NOT HYDRAULIC SYSTEM. IT'S ALL ELECTRIC ASSIST STEERING. THERE ARE MANY OTHER PEOPLE WITH THIS SAME ISSUE. SOME MECHANICS COULD NOT FIND THE ISSUE. INCLUDING PEOPLE THAT HAVE TAKEN IT TO A FORD DEALERSHIP. SOME PEOPLE HAVE SPENT OVER $1,000 AND THE ISSUE HAS CAME BACK WITHIN A FEW MONTHS. ALSO THIS ISSUE HAS CAUSED SOME ACCIDENTS. FORD NEEDS TO FIND THE PROBLEM AND FIX IT ON ALL CARS!

I WAS DRIVING AT A NORMAL SPEED, APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, ON A CITY STREET. AS TRAFFIC SLOWED I BEGAN TO DEPRESS THE BRAKE PEDAL AND SUDDENLY I GOT SEVERAL ALERTS ON MY INSTRUMENT CLUSTER (BRAKE, ABS, AND REGEN DISCONNECT). AT THE SAME TIME I LOST ALL OR MOST OF MY BRAKING POWER. I WAS FORCED TO USE THE PARK BRAKE TO STOP THE VEHICLE, AND BARELY AVOIDED A COLLISION WITH ANOTHER VEHICLE.THIS WAS A VERY FRIGHTENING EXPERIENCE. AFTER THE VEHICLE SAT FOR A SHORT TIME, WITH THE ENGINE OFF, THE SYSTEM APPARENTLY RESET ITSELF AND WHEN I RE-STARTED THE ENGINE ALL FUNCTIONS WERE OPERATIONAL ONCE AGAIN, AND ALL THE ALERTS WERE GONE. HOWEVER, THIS PERIOD WAS BRIEF. THINKING THIS MIGHT BE A SYSTEM GLITCH, I CAUTIOUSLY DROVE THE VEHICLE HOME. THE NEXT DAY THIS FAILURE RETURNED AFTER ABOUT 20 MILES OF DRIVING. AT THIS TIME I REALIZED THAT THERE IS A SERIOUS FLAW IN THE HYBRID BRAKING SYSTEM OF THIS MODEL YEAR FORD ESCAPE, AND POSSIBLY OTHER MODEL YEARS. I CONTACTED A LOCAL FORD DEALERSHIP AND I WAS SHOCKED WHEN THEY INFORMED ME THERE ARE NO RECALLS ON THIS VEHICLE FOR THIS PARTICULAR FAILURE. AS A MECHANIC I FIND THIS RIDICULOUS. AFTER A BRIEF SEARCH ONLINE I FOUND MANY HYBRID FORD ESCAPE OWNER'S THAT HAD THE SAME PROBLEM AS I DID. AT THIS POINT I DEEMED MY VEHICLE UNSAFE TO DRIVE AND DECIDED THE BEST THING TO DO WAS TO REPORT THIS FAILURE TO THE NHTSA WITH THE HOPES THAT THE FORD MOTOR COMPANY WILL DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS FAILURE BEFORE SOMEBODY GETS SERIOUSLY INJURED OR KILLED. MY OPINION IS THE PROBLEM IS IN THE HYDRAULIC CONTROL UNIT. (HCU). THIS IS A COMPLEX ELECTRONIC BRAKE CONTROL UNIT THAT IS SPECIFIC TO THE FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. FOR THE RECORD MY VEHICLE HAD ABOUT 146,000 MILES ON IT WHEN THIS HAPPENED.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE "STOP FOR SAFETY/HIGH MOTOR - COOLING" WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE OCCURRED ON MORE THAN ONE OCCASION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE COOLANT PUMP WAS FAULTY. A DEALER AND THE MANUFACTURER WERE NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 173,300.

VEHICLE WAS FAILING TO STOP WHEN BRAKES APPLIED. CODES CAME BACK FROM DEALER THAT HCU AND MASTER CYLINDER NEEDS TO BE REPLACED $7100 WHICH IS MORE THAN THE VEHICLE IS WORTH. OTHER YEAR MODES HAVE BEEN RECALLED AND SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN THE RECALL

THE VEHICLE HESITATES WHEN ACCELERATING AFTER COMING FROM A STOP, IT IS NOT TRANSMISSION, IT IS LIKE IT IS NOT GETTING FUEL. THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY WITHOUT WARNING OR REASON SHUTS OFF ALL POWER WHILE DRIVING. THE RED TRIANGLE WITH EXCLAMATION LIGHT COMES ON WITH A WARNING TO STOP SAFELY NOW ON THE DASHBOARD AND YOU ARE STRANDED. THIS HAS HAPPENED BOTH WHILE ACCELERATING FROM A STOP AND WHILE DRIVING BOTH FREEWAY AND SURFACE STREET SPEEDS, SUDDENLY. I AM AFRAID NOT ONLY TO NOT ONLY DRIVE THE VEHICLE BUT HAVING ANYONE IN THE CAR WITH ME, ESPECIALLY MAKING A LEFT TURN. IT IS NOT A SAFE VEHICLE. IT HAS LEFT ME STRANDED ON A DARK STREET AROUND 9PM, CUTTING OFF ON THE FREEWAY LEAVING ME NO CHOICE BUT TO COAST OFF THE SIDE OF THE FREEWAY. AGAIN IT JUST SHUT DOWN AGAIN WHILE DRIVING STRAIGHT @ 40 MPH, WHILE DRIVING ON THE SURFACE STREETS, THIS TIME IT WAS EARLY EVENING BUT ONCE AGAIN LEFT ALONE STRANDED UNTIL THE TOW TRUCK COMES. THE DEALER CAN FIND NOTHING WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE AND INDICATED THERE ARE NO RECALLS THAT WOULD ADDRESS THIS PROBLEM. BUT I CAN SEE THROUGH THE COMPLAINTS THERE IS AN OBVIOUS PROBLEM WITH THIS VEHICLE, WHICH IS AN EXTREME SAFETY ISSUE THAT IS NOT BEING ADDRESSED.

THE ABS LIGHT COMES ON, AND AFTER DRIVING IT FOR A FEW MINUTES, THE BRAKES COMPLETELY DO NOT WORK. AFTER BRINGING IT TO A FORD DEALERSHIP, THE PART ITSELF IS ABOUT $5,000 NOT INCLUDING LABOR. (HYDROCOLIC CONTROL UNIT). THEY DIDNT RECOMMEND FIXING IT BECAUSE OF HOW EXPENSIVE IT IS. I STILL OWE $5,000 SO IM STUCK PAYING FOR A PART THAT IS WORTH MORE THEN THE CAR ITSELF.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE THROTTLE BODY MALFUNCTIONED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE STALLED INTERMITTENTLY ON MORE THAN ONE OCCASION. LANDMARK FORD IN TIGARD, OREGON WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND STATED THAT THE THROTTLE BODY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS INVALID. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 124,000. *TT THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. *TR