2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID Complaints

LOST POWER STEERING TOTALLY ON MY FORD ESCAPE. NO WARNING LITES WERE DISPLAYED. HAVE HAD THE STEERING STOP A FEW TIMES BEFORE AND STOPPED VEHICLE AND RESTARTED AND NO PROBLEMS. PER FORD WHEN I ASKED IN PAST IT WAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE SENSOR LOCATED IN STEERING COLUMN BUT NOTHING SHOWED UP IN THE COMPUTER. I HAVE EMAILED FORD AND RECEIVED A RESPONSE THAT THERE IS NO RECALL OR FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO REPAIR PROBLEM. THEY RECOMMEND I SAVE THE RECEIPT OF ABOUT $1700.00. IN CASE THEY DO A RECALL LATER. *TR

SEVERAL TIMES SINCE BUYING MY CAR IN NOV 2013 MY STEERING WHEEL HAS LOCKED UP ON ME SO THAT IT IS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO TURN THE WHEEL, TYPICALLY WHEN TURNING A CORNER, ALMOST CAUSING ACCIDENTS. I HAVE BEEN VERY LUCKY THAT THERE WERE NO OTHER VEHICLES AROUND SINCE I WAS UNABLE TO PULL COMPLETELY OVER IN ONE CASE AND I WAS UNABLE TO COMPLETE THE TURN IN MY OWN LANE IN ANOTHER. I AM VERY WORRIED THAT THIS WILL HAPPEN IN TRAFFIC AND MYSELF AND OTHERS COULD BE INJURED OR EVEN KILLED. AND NEITHER FORD OR WARRANTY COMPANY IS WILLING TO REPAIR/REPLACE. *TR

I STOPPED AT A STOP SIGN AND ATTEMPTED TO TURN LEFT UP A HILL. THE STEERING LOCKED AND FOR A SECOND OR TWO I COULDN'T TURN AND WAS AFRAID I WOULD CRASH INTO THE HILLSIDE. AFTER BRAKING THE STEERING COLUMN UNLOCKED. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY WERE UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM SO THEY RECOMMEND REPLACING THE WHOLE COLUMN AT MY EXPENSE. *TR

SINCE THE FIRST TIME I EXPERIENCED A BRAKING FAILURE INCIDENT I HAVE DONE A LOT OF RESEARCH&VISITS TO MECHANICS TO RETRIEVE CODES THROWN FROM THE CAR OFF DIAGNOSTIC MACHINES. REPLACING THE HCU CARRIES A PREMIUM PRICE TAG OF $5K-7K. PRIOR TO THE FIRST ACCIDENT,THERE IS NO OBVIOUS WAY THAT I COULD HAVE DAMAGED THE HCU WITH MY VERY NORMAL DRIVING HABITS (I.E.NO HISTORY OF TOWING, NO LONG DOWNHILL BRAKING)&THE HCU IS NOT A COMPONENT SUSCEPTIBLE TO WEAR TO THE POINT OF EARLY FAILURE. I BELIEVE THAT THE ESCAPE HYBRIDS BRAKING SYSTEM IS DEFECTIVE BY DESIGN (HENCE THE TSB)&FAULT LIES WITH FORD.I CONSIDER THIS BRAKE FAILURE VERY SERIOUS&A PROBLEM THAT FORD HAD NEVER BOTHERED TO NOTIFY ME ABOUT OR RECALL.MY ATTEMPTS TO GET FORD'S ATTENTION ON THIS MATTER HAVE BEEN FRUITLESS.TO SUMMARIZE NHTSA IS NOT CONCERNED B/C NOBODY HAS GOTTEN KILLED BY THESE DEFECTIVE BRAKES. FORD CLAIMS NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS VERY SERIOUS&SIGNIFICANTLY DANGEROUS DESIGN FLAW.AFTER SEVERAL EPISODES OF BRAKE FAILURE I FOUND TSB 05-8-5 (8/5/05 NHTSA ID#10017553:ESCAPEHYBRIDVEHICLES EXHIBIT THE YELLOW ABS&RED E- BRAKE WARNING LAMPS ILLUMINATING AFTER THE ENGINE IS STARTED,&AN INCREASE INBRAKE PEDALEFFORT)FORD CLAIMS NO RESPONSIBILITY TO DEAL W/THE PROBLEM.ITS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE W/O THE REPAIR,IT HAD NO VALUE BEING BROKEN,&I DID NOT HAVE THE CONSCIENCE TO SELL THE VEHICLE W/A DANGEROUS PROBLEM.FORDS FAILURE TO PROACTIVELY ADDRESS THIS SAFETY ISSUE IS RATHER APPALLING.FORD ABANDONED ME W/A$7,000 BILL TO REPAIR A PROBLEM THAT IS SOLELY RELATED TO THEIR POOR DESIGN.FIRST ACCIDENT DESCRIPTION:ABS WARNING LIGHT&SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON CLUSTER."SERVICE BRAKE SYSTEM"&"REGENERATIVE BRAKING DISABLED" ILLUMINATED ON MESSAGE BOARD. ON THE HIGHWAY IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC,UPON EXTREME BRAKING, BRAKES FAILED TO STOP THE VEHICLE IN TIME TO AVOID A REAR-END COLLISION WITH THE VEHICLE STOPPED IN FRONT OF ME. *TR

THIS HAS HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES.... WHILE DRIVING SLOW (5-10 MPH) AND TURNING, POWER STEERING GOES OUT MAKING IT EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO TURN THE WHEEL. THIS HAS RESULTED IN NEAR HEAD-ON COLLISIONS MORE THAN ONCE WHEN THE TURNING RADIUS COULD NOT BE MAINTAINED AND I DRIFTED OVER INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY CONCERN THAT MANY OTHERS WITH THESE ELECTRIC POWER STEERING ESCAPE HYBRIDS HAVE HAD. I WILL NOT LET MY WIFE DRIVE THE VEHICLE NOW UNTIL WE HAVE SAVED ENOUGH TO FIX THE PROBLEM (QUOTED $1,400.00). *TR

MULTIPLE INCIDENTS OF THE VEHICLE SHUTTING DOWN OCCURRED ON 3/8/2014 BEGINNING WHILE TRAVELLING ALONG A 2-LANE HIGHWAY (CA-74 AROUND IDYLLWILD AREA) AT APPROXIMATELY 10:30 P.M. VEHICLE DISPLAYED RED TRIANGLE ICON WITH EXCLAMATION POINT INSIDE THE TRIANGLE AND WORDS IN RED "STOP SAFELY NOW", AT WHICH POINT POWER TO THE ENGINE WAS DISABLED ALTHOUGH POWER STEERING APPEARED TO STILL BE ACTIVE. I THEN PULLED OVER AT A TURN-OUT (LUCKILY ONE WAS NEARBY SINCE I WAS GOING UPHILL AND LOSING SPEED QUICKLY). I PROCEEDED TO TURN THE IGNITION TO THE OFF POSITION AND WITHIN MINUTES RE-STARTED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT UNTIL APPROXIMATELY MIDNIGHT AT WHICH POINT I WAS TRAVELLING ALONG A MAJOR FREEWAY IN SAN DIEGO I-15 SOUTHBOUND AT A SPEED OF 65-70 MPH. AT THIS POINT THE VEHICLE BECAME DISABLED AFTER DISPLAYING THE RED ICON AND WORDS DESCRIBED ABOVE. THIS HAPPENED AGAIN 4 SEPARATE TIMES. THESE 4 INCIDENTS OCCURRED WITHIN A 6 MILE STRETCH OF EACH OTHER AND WITHIN A 20 MINUTE WINDOW. THERE WAS NO OTHER INDICATION THAT ANYTHING WAS WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE - NO SYSTEM NOTICE OF OVERHEATING, FAULTY ELECTRICAL, ETC. *TR

CAR LIGHTS COME ON .I CHANGED WATER PUMP.NOW SIGN COMES AGAIN IT IS HEAT SENSOR WHAT I HEAR FROM OTHER PEOPLE .SIGN SAYS STOP NOW SAFELY, , ONCE YOU STOP TURN THE SWITCH OFF AND ON THEN CAR STARTS , BUT IT HAPPENS AGAIN EVERY WEEK, I HAVE FAMILY LIKE MOST OF OTHER PEOPLE WHO HAVE FORD ESCAPE HYBRID ARE GOING WITH SAME ISSUE,S .FORD IS NOT DOING ANY THING ABOUT IT, WHEN SIGN COME ON THE FREE WAY THAT IS VERY DANGER. HOW COME THERE IS NO RECALL ON IT. WHEN JAPANESE TOYOTA PRIUS OR ANY CAR HAS PROBLEM THAT BE CAME BIG ISSUE BUT WHEN THAT IS FORD MADE IN USA NO ONE TALKS ABOUT IT, SO SAD, I HOPE FORD WILL DO SOME THING ABOUT THIS. *TR

THIS WEEK THE NEWS HAD STORIES ABOUT GENERAL MOTORS RECALLING SEVERAL CARS BECAUSE THE IGNITION CAN SUDDENLY TURN OFF CAUSING THE CAR TO LOSE POWER WHILE DRIVING. THERE WERE EVEN DEATHS DUE TO BAD ACCIDENTS AS A RESULT OF THE IGNITION FAILURE AND CAR LOSING POWER. THIS REMINDED ME OF AN INCIDENT THAT HAPPENED TO ME WHICH WAS SIMILAR. I WAS DRIVING MY 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID LAST DECEMBER, ON I-280 IN SAN FRANCISCO DURING RUSH HOUR AT 65 MPH, WHEN SUDDENLY THE DASH BEEPED AT ME, FLASHED THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, DISPLAYED A MESSAGE TO PULL OVER SAFELY, AND THE ENGINE HAD NO POWER! I SUDDENLY FOUND MYSELF IN HEAVY TRAFFIC, MIDDLE LANE OF THE FREEWAY AND NO POWER TO SAFELY PULL OVER. I WAS LOSING SPEED AND SLOWED TO WHERE I CUT BETWEEN OTHER CARS AND OVER TO THE SHOULDER. I'M SURE I CUT SOMEONE OFF IN THE PROCESS. LUCKILY THERE WAS NOT A HORRIBLE ACCIDENT. THERE COULD HAVE EASILY BEEN AN ACCIDENT. THE SAME THING HAPPENED THREE MORE TIMES IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS BEFORE I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER TO BE FIXED. THEY INDICATED THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM OF WHICH THEY ARE AWARE. THE FORD DEALER DIAGNOSED IT WITH CODE P1A0D, WHICH WAS A BAD COOLANT PUMP FOR THE ELECTRIC GENERATOR. I DID SOME RESEARCH AND FOUND THAT MANY OTHER FORD ESCAPE OWNERS HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME SITUATION AS I DID WHERE THE VEHICLE LOST POWER WHILE AT HIGH SPEED AND PUT THEM INTO A DANGEROUS SITUATION. A SIMPLE GOOGLE SEARCH ON THIS FINDS SEVERAL BLOG REPORTS OF PEOPLE WITH SIMILAR SITUATIONS. FORD HAS YET TO ISSUE A RECALL ON THIS, BUT I HAVE FOUND THAT THERE IS A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT AGAINST FORD: MACDONALD V. FORD, CASE NO. 3:13-CV-02988, IN THE US DISTRICT COURT FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA. *TR

WHILE DRIVING 65 MILES PER HOUR AN ALARM SOUNDED AND THE ODOMETER READ "STOP SAFELY NOW." I LOST ALL POWER TO THE VEHICLE AND WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER SAFELY. I WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE WITH NO PROBLEM AND CONTINUED ON MY WAY. WHEN I REACHED 60 MILES PER HOUR THE SAME THING HAPPENED. THIS CONTINUED TO HAPPEN 6 TIMES AND THEN THE ODOMETER READ "HIGH ENGINE TEMP" AND THE VEHICLE THEN DIED AND MADE A "WHIRLING" SOUND. I HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP AND WHEN I GOT THERE THEY TOLD ME "I WAS ABLE TO START IT RIGHT UP." THE DEALERSHIP FOUND IT TO BE TSB 8-24-5. THE COOLANT PUMP WAS NOT WORKING AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. FORD IS WELL AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM AND STILL HAVE NOT PLACED A RECALL ON THIS!! WHAT WILL IT TAKE, PEOPLE TO DIE WHEN THIS HAPPENS? FOR ME, THIS WAS THE LAST STRAW. I TRADED IN MY 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID AS I NO LONGER FELT SAFE IN THIS VEHICLE!!

STEERING WHEEL DEVELOPED EXCESS PLAY AND NOW PULSES AND VIBRATES WITH MINIMAL PRESSURE ON THE STEERING WHEEL. STEERING HAS NOT YET FAILED BUT TAKING CAR INTO THE DEALERSHIP TOMORROW. AFTER READING ABOUT SIMILAR PROBLEMS WITH FORD'S ELECTRONIC POWER ASSIST STEERING I'M NOW AFRAID TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE. OTHER PROBLEMS SEEM TO BE REPORTED AT SIMILAR MILEAGE TO OUR VEHICLE'S. *TR