2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID Complaints

STARTING IN MAY OF 2014, MY CAR'S PERFORMANCE HAS BEEN UNTRUSTWORTHINESS. SOME DAYS THERE'S NO PROBLEM-- I PUSH ON THE GAS PEDAL AND THE CAR MOVES ACCORDINGLY. AT A STOP SIGN, I CAN GO. WHILE MOVING AT 50 MPH ON THE FREEWAY, I CAN EASILY ACCELERATE AND MOVE AROUND A MONSTER SIZE 18 WHEELER. BUT ON THE DAYS WHEN I PRESS THE GAS PEDAL AND THE CAR DOESN'T RESPOND, I SWEAT. HERE'S A DESCRIPTION: FOOT ON THE GAS PEDAL, NO RESPONSE... SO I PRESS DOWN FURTHER, WITHOUT ANY ACCELERATION OF THE CAR. FINALLY, NOW FREAKED OUT THAT THE CAR IS NOT MOVING (AND THAT ANOTHER CAR IS RIGHT ON MY TAIL) I PRESS THE PEDAL TO THE FLOOR-- WITH NO IMMEDIATE REACTION. THEN-- BAM-- SURPRISE! IT WORKS AND THE SUDDEN SURGE SENDS ME FLYING BEYOND INTENTION AND I MUST PRESS ON THE BRAKES TO SLOW. AT STOP SIGNS THIS HAPPENS AND PEOPLE BEHIND ME GET FRUSTRATED, PROBABLY THINKING I'M ON DRUGS OR SOMETHING. BUT REALLY, IT'S NOT ME; IT'S MY FORD ESCAPE HYBRID 2008. THE RATE OF INCIDENCE HAS GRADUALLY INCREASED FROM MAY TO THE CURRENT DATE OF JULY, AND CONSEQUENTLY, I AM AFRAID TO DRIVE THIS CAR. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH, THE CHECK BRAKE SYSTEM AND THE ABS WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS ENGAGED, IT BECAME STUCK TO THE FLOORBOARD. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO COAST OUT OF TRAFFIC BUT RAN A RED LIGHT WHILE TRYING TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT HAD TO STEER THE VEHICLE INTO A CURB IN ORDER TO STOP. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN A LOCAL MECHANIC FOR FURTHER INSPECTION. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 70,000.

I WAS MAKING A CORNER AT APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH WHEN MY POWER STEERING GAVE OUT. IF I HAD NOT BEEN A WRESTLING COACH, I WOULD HAVE HAD AN ACCIDENT. IF MY WIFE HAD BEEN DRIVING, THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN AN ACCIDENT. I IMMEDIATELY GOT MYSELF TO THE DEALERSHIP, WHERE THEY HAD TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE STEERING COLUMN BECAUSE OF A BROKEN PART. I HAVE HAD TWO FRIENDS WHERE THIS HAS HAPPENED. I JUST RECENTLY RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE 14S05/NHTSA RECALL 14V-284. I WENT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND FOUND OUT THE RECALL WHICH AFFECTS THE STEERING MECHANISM IS A COMPUTER PROGRAM THAT PRODUCES THE SAME EFFECT AND NOT A STRUCTURAL PROBLEM OF THE STEERING COLUMN. I AM HAVING THE REPAIR DONE TODAY, BUT I AM CONCERNED THAT THERE MAY BE OTHER DANGEROUS STRUCTURAL PROBLEMS OUT THERE WITH THE STEERING COLUMN. MY EXPERIENCE HAS NOT BEEN UNIQUE. *TR

12/26/2012 I WAS MAKING A U-TURN AND MY STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP. ALMOST HIT THE LIGHT POST, ANOTHER CAR, ALMOST RAN UP ON THE CURB AND ALMOST HIT A ROCK/BOULDER SIGN. PROBLEM WENT AWAY ONCE I RESTARTED CAR. CAR SAT IN MECHANIC SHOP FOR WEEKS, DUE TO BACK ORDER, AND WAS FINALLY FIXED. A NEW STEERING COLUMN COST ME $1064.35 - I ALSO HAVE THE ORIGINAL PART. 10/26/13 I WAS DRIVING ON FREEWAY, AT MIDNIGHT, AND WAS TWO HOURS AWAY FROM MY HOUSE. MY CAR KEPT SLIPPING AND THE STEERING WHEEL WAS LOOSE. I ALMOST HIT THE FREEWAY MEDIAN MULTIPLE TIMES, ALMOST HIT MULTIPLE CARS, AND ALMOST SPUN OUT WHILE ON MY DRIVE HOME THAT NIGHT. I DID NOT HAVE A TOW TRUCK COME BECAUSE STATE FARMS COMPUTERS WERE DOWN AND I'D HAVE TO PAY $69 A MILE IF A TOW CAME- AND I WAS STILL TWO HOURS AWAY FROM HOME. I TOOK MY CAR TO MY MECHANIC THE NEXT DAY AND WAS TOLD, AGAIN, THAT I AM LUCKY TO BE ALIVE. MY U-JOIN WAS COMPLETELY BROKEN AND WAS TOLD THAT THIS IS ALSO RELATED FOR THE STEERING COLUMN. I PAID ANOTHER $287.06 AND HAD A NEW U-JOINT PLACED. I CONTACTED FORD ABOUT THIS STEERING PROBLEM, WHEN MY COLUMN HAD TO BE REPLACED, AND THEY TOLD ME THAT THEY HAVE NO DOCUMENTED REPORTS OF AN ISSUE AND THAT THERE IS NO RECALL. THE INTERNET STATES OTHERWISE, AND I READ THOUSANDS OF ACCOUNTS OF PEOPLE GETTING INTO ACCIDENTS DUE TO THEIR STEERING WHEEL LOCKING UP. *TR

WHILE DRIVING IN A RESIDENTIAL STREET AT 30 MILES PER HOUR THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP FOR ABOUT THREE SECONDS DURING A DECELERATION PERIOD APPROACHING A STOP SIGN. THIS OCCURRED WHILE TRYING TO MOVE THE VEHICLE SLIGHTLY TO THE LEFT IN THE CENTER OF THE LANE CORRECTION. *TR

AT APPROXIMATELY 8:00 AM ON THE ABOVE DATE, I WAS TRAVELING NORTH ON INTERSTATE 75 FROM CINCINNATI TOWARD TOLEDO AT AROUND 70 MPH. WITHOUT ANY WARNING WHATSOEVER, THE VEHICLE COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN AND THE COMPUTER ADVISED I SHOULD PULL OFF IMMEDIATELY TO SAFETY. WHEN THE ESCAPE CAME TO A STOP, I TURNED THE KEY OFF AND THEN WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE ENGINE. AFTER TRAVELING LESS THAN TWO MILES, THE SAME THING HAPPENED. THIS TIME I WAS ABLE TO LIMP OFF AN EXIT RAMP TO A SIDE STREET WHERE THE VEHICLE SEEMED TO BE ABLE TO RUN A BIT LONGER BEFORE CUTTING OFF HOWEVER, THE ENGINE DYING HAPPENED AT LEAST ANOTHER HALF DOZEN TIMES BEFORE I WAS ABLE TO MAKE IT TO AN ENTERPRISE RENTAL CAR LOCATION NORTH OF DAYTON. FROM THERE, I STOPPED BY THE NEAREST FORD DEALERSHIP (BEAU TOWNSEND FORD) AND THEY WERE ABLE TO RETRIEVE THE VEHICLE FROM THE ENTERPRISE PARKING LOT. THE DEALERSHIP WAS NOT ABLE TO LOOK AT THE VEHICLE UNTIL SEVERAL DAYS LATER ON 6/19/14 HOWEVER, AT THAT TIME THEY DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS A DEFECTIVE / SHORTED-OUT MOTOR ELECTRIC COOLING SYSTEM PUMP. THE PART WAS ORDERED AND REPLACED THE FOLLOWING DAY HOWEVER, INCLUDING TOWING AND THE NECESSITY OF RENTING A VEHICLES (I WAS ON A BUSINESS TRIP), THE INCIDENT ENDED UP COSTING ME CLOSE TO $1,000. FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND, FORD WAS AWARE OF THIS DEFECTIVE PART AT THE TIME OF MANUFACTURING AND DID NOTHING TO PREVENT IT FROM BEING INSTALLED ON TENS OF THOUSANDS OF VEHICLES. THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS ON FILE REGARDING THIS PART AS WELL AS A CLASS ACTION LAW SUIT WHICH WAS FILED IN THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA. LET'S HOPE THAT FORD FINALLY STEPS UP TO THE PLATE AND ADMITS THEIR GRAVE ERROR IN JUDGMENT BEFORE SOMEBODY GETS KILLED BECAUSE OF THIS FAULTY PART. THOSE OF US WHO HAVE HAD TO INCUR EXPENSES DUE TO THE MALFUNCTION SHOULD BE FULL REIMBURSED BY FORD. *TR

MY VEHICLE IS PART OF THE FORD RECALL FOR THE POWER STEERING CONTROL MODULE. FORD IS REFUSING TO COVER IT, EVEN THOUGH OUR VIN IS REPORTED ON FORD'S RECALL WEBSITE AS PART OF THE RECALL. *TR

I WAS PULLING OUT OF A PARKING SPACE AND LOST POWER STEERING. THE TORQUE SENSOR LIGHT CAME ON. I HAD IT TOWED TO MY FORD DEALERSHIP, WHO INFORMED ME THEY NEEDED TO REPLACE THE POWER STEERING MODULE FOR $2200. WE WERE DECIDING WHAT TO DO NEXT, WHEN THE RECALL CAME OUT FOR THIS EXACT ISSUE. THE DEALERSHIP COULD NOT FIX IT AS FORD HAS NOT PUT OUT CORRECTIVE ACTIONS. IT IS NOW JUNE 16TH, WHICH IS WHEN THEY PROMISED CORRECTIVE ACTION WOULD BE OUT BY. WHEN WE CALLED ABOUT GETTING A RENTAL VEHICLE, AS MY HUSBAND AND I ARE NOW USING ONE CAR, THEY SAID THEY WOULD NOT COVER IT. THEN 15 DAYS LATER THEY CALLED AGAIN SAYING NOW WHAT IS WRONG WITH OUR CAR IS NOT COVERED BY THE RECALL. HOWEVER, READING THE RELEASE FROM THEIR SPOKESWOMAN ON AUTOBLOG, IT IS EXACTLY WHAT IS COVERED, WHICH IS REPLACING THE POWER STEERING ELECTRONIC SENSOR MODULE. FORD IS TRYING TO PASS THE BUCK HERE AND NOT TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE PROBLEM. WE HAVE LOST INCOME DUE TO OUR LACK OF HAVING A SECOND CAR, AS I MUST DRIVE MY HUSBAND TO WORK 15 MILES ONE WAY, THEN GO BACK ANOTHER 55 MILES THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION, SO NEITHER OF US CAN TAKE ON EXTRA WORK SO THAT EACH OF US HAS A WAY TO GET TO AND FROM WORK. *TR

AS WE WERE DRIVING, A "HAZARD" LIGHT COME ON THE DASH, THE ENGINE SHUT COMPLETELY OFF, AND A MESSAGE, "STOP CAR SAFELY," ALSO APPEARED ON THE DASH. WE DID SO, AND TURNED OFF THE CAR AND TURNED IT BACK ON. CAR DROVE FINE FOR ABOUT 5 MINUTES AND THE SAME THING HAPPENED. WE DID THIS FOR ABOUT AN HOUR OR SO TO GET HOME. HAD WE BEEN ON A BUSY INTERSTATE. A SUDDEN ENGINE SHUT OFF COULD HAVE BEEN VERY DANGEROUS. WE TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP AND WERE INFORMED THAT THE ELECTRIC BATTERY HAD OVERHEATED BECAUSE THE WATER PUMP WAS NOT WORKING. I HAVE COME ACROSS SIMILAR COMPLAINTS WHILE LOOKING INTO MY SITUATION. SOME EXAMPLES: HTTP://REPAIRPAL.COM/COOLANT-PUMP-ON-HYBRID-MAY-FAIL-AND-CAUSE-CELENGINE-SHUTDOWN-562. *TR

THE ELECTRIC COOLING PUMP FAILS CAUSING THE MOTOR TO SHUT DOWN. THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM BY FORD AND THERE IS A SERVICE BULLETIN ON THIS PROBLEM. FORD NEED TO RECALL THIS ITEM. *TR