2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID Complaints

IT WAS THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2013. THE AMBIENT AIR TEMPERATURE WAS ABOUT 62 DEGREES. IT WAS SUNNY. THE STREETS WERE DRY. I WAS DRIVING SOUTH FROM AUSTIN TO NEW BRAUNFELS, TEXAS ON I-35 AT APPROXIMATELY 7:15 A.M. I HAD THE SPEED CONTROL SET FOR 55 M.P.H. AS I WAS LEAVING SAN MARCOS, AN ALARM TONE SOUNDED, AND THE DASH BOARD DISPLAY SHOWED "STOP SAFELY NOW" AND THE ENGINE SHUT OFF. I WAS ABLE TO MOVE TO THE SHOULDER USING BATTERY POWER ONLY AT LESS THAN 20 MILES AN HOUR, CAUSING ISSUES WITH OTHER TRAFFIC ON THE INTERSTATE, WITH MANY OF THE OTHER DRIVERS ANXIOUS TO GET TO WORK. I STOPPED THE CAR, AND WHEN IT WAS SAFE TO DO SO, EXITED THE VEHICLE AND DID A PERIMETER SCAN FOR ISSUES. NONE WERE DETECTED. I OPENED THE HOOD AND CHECKED FOR UNTOWARD ISSUES. THERE WAS NO SMOKE. THE ENGINE WASN'T OVERLY HOT. OIL WAS FULL TO THE APPROPRIATE MARK. THE VEHICLE HAD BEEN SERVICED BY THE DEALERSHIP WHO SOLD THE VEHICLE TO ME ABOUT 1790 MILES PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT, AND A FULL DIAGNOSTIC WAS PERFORMED WITHOUT ANY ISSUES DETECTED. AFTER COMPLETING THIS CHECK, I RESTARTED THE CAR AND DROVE FOR ANOTHER 20 OR SO MILES WHEN THE ALARM AND DISPLAY REPEATED AS ABOVE. AGAIN THERE WERE NO ISSUES. I RESTARTED THE VEHICLE AFTER ABOUT THREE MINUTES AND WAS ABLE TO COMPLETE THE 75 MILE COMMUTE. THE RETURN TRIP HAD NO ISSUES. SINCE THE VEHICLE SHUT DOWN COMPLETELY WITHOUT WARNING IN FAST-MOVING TRAFFIC, THIS IS A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE. INFORMATION FROM THE INTERNET INDICATES THAT FORD HAS HAD THIS ISSUE SINCE THE FIRST ESCAPE HYBRIDS WERE ON THE ROAD, AND THERE APPEARS TO BE NO DEFINITIVE PROBLEM OR CORRECTION. I REQUEST THAT THE NHTSA EXAMINE THIS TO DETERMINE IF A RECALL SHOULD BE PERFORMED BEFORE SOMEONE IS KILLED BECAUSE OF A FAULTY ALARM THAT SHUTS THE VEHICLE DOWN COMPLETELY WITHOUT WARNING. *TR

DRIVING ON HIGHWAY WITH NO APPARENT PROBLEM, THEN SUDDENLY, THREE THINGS HAPPEN SIMULTANEOUSLY: 1) THE GAS ENGINE SHUTS OFF COMPLETELY, LEAVING NO POWER TO MAINTAIN SPEED, DECELERATION HAPPENS. 2) SAFETY ALERT LIGHT ILLUMINATES IN THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER. IT'S A RED TRIANGLE WITH "!" INSIDE OF IT. 3) MESSAGE CENTER DISPLAYS "PULL OVER SAFELY" OR WORDS TO THAT EFFECT. THIS LEAVES YOU WITH ABSOLUTELY NO RECOURSE, OTHER THAN TO SOMEHOW GET TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, OUT OF THE WAY OF ANY TRAFFIC CONDITIONS THAT ARE AROUND YOU AT THAT INSTANT. THE ELECTRIC HYBRID MOTOR STILL OPERATES, BUT THAT'S ONLY GOOD TO CREEP ALONG LIKE A GOLF CART, DOWN THE SHOULDER OF THE HIGHWAY, IF THE SAFETY OF THE SHOULDER LOOKS BETTER UP AHEAD, TO GET OUT OF THE WAY OF THE TRAFFIC THAT'S ZOOMING BY. CORRECTIVE ACTION, ONCE THE OWNERS MANUAL IS STUDIED, IS TO PUT IT IN PARK, AND TURN OFF THE IGNITION. THEN, RE-START AND GO. IT OPERATES AS IF NOTHING HAD JUST HAPPENED! THEN, IN A WHILE, IT HAPPENS AGAIN, AND AGAIN, AND AGAIN, (VARYING MILES BETWEEN EPISODES, ANYTHING ROUGHLY FROM 1 MILE TO 70 MILES) UNTIL EITHER YOU FINALLY GIVE UP AND HAVE IT TOWED, OR YOU FINALLY GET IT TO SOME FINAL DESTINATION. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THE ABS, BRAKE AND REGENERATIVE LIGHTS ALL ILLUMINATED AS THE BRAKE PEDAL BECAME STIFF AND SPONGY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSIS AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE HYDRAULIC CONTROL UNIT WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS THEN TAKEN TO A DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE MASTER CYLINDER WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 40,000.

FAILURE OF THE ELECTRONIC WATER PUMP FOR THE HYBRID SYSTEM CAUSES THE IMMEDIATE SHUTDOWN OF THE VEHICLE LEAVING DRIVER NO POWER TO MOVE TO A SAFE AREA. THERE IS NO WARNING BUT JUST AN IMMEDIATE ELECTRICAL SHUTOFF UNTIL DRIVER CAN MOVE TO THE SHOULDER AND RESTART THE VEHICLE. THIS OCCURRED TWICE AND LEFT US IN VERY DANGEROUS SITUATIONS BEFORE I HAD THE CAR REPAIRED. FORD WOULD NOT REPLACE THE PART CLAIMING IT IS NOT COVERED UNDER THEIR HYBRID WARRANTY ALTHOUGH THE PART IS INTEGRAL TO THE HYBRID SYSTEM. PART SHOULD BE RECALLED BEFORE FATALITIES OCCUR. *TR

VEHICLE WOULD SHOW A WARNING MESSAGE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS STOP SAFELY NOW AND THE FIRST TIME IT HAD DONE THIS WAS APPROX 1 YR FROM THE DATE OF ME BUYING THE VEHICLE. ON THE MORNING OF APRIL 21, 2013 THE SITUATION OCCURRED ONLY THAT THIS TIME I HAD A VEHICLE DIRECTLY BEHIND ME AND ANOTHER IN THE LINE TO MY RIGHT. MY ONLY OPTION ON A 2 LANE HIGHWAY WAS TO SWERVE TO MY LEFT TO AVOID ANY OTHER VEHICLES BEING INVOLVED. WITH NO CONTROL OVER BRAKES OR ACCELERATION I HIT THE METAL CENTER DIVIDER AIR BAGS ALL DEPLOYED EXCEPT FOR MY DRIVERS STEERING WHEEL. WITH THIS MY CAR WAS DECLARED TOTALED BUT I HAVE INCURRED MANY ADDITIONAL COSTS DUE TO THIS VEHICLE FAILURE. LOOKING AT THE WEBSITE 100+ COMPLAINTS AND ONLY 1 INVESTIGATION. SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE. *TR

WHILE TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEED, THE CAR SUDDENLY LOSES ALL POWER AND THE STOP SAFELY NOW LIGHT COMES ON IN THE DASH. I HAD TO PULL OVER QUICKLY WHILE AVOIDING BEING KILLED BY HIGHWAY TRAFFIC. NO WARNING AT ALL. DURING MY ROAD TRIP, THIS HAPPENED 3 TIMES ON THE HIGHWAY. DURING MY RETURN TRIP, IT HAPPENED 3 MORE TIMES. PROBLEM WILL ONLY OCCUR AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND DURING LONG ROAD TRIPS. MY 20-MIN DRIVE TO WORK HAS NO ISSUES. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY PROBLEM AND A FLAWED DESIGN ON FORD'S PART. MY FAMILY AND I COULD HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY INJURED OR KILLED DURING ANY ONE OF THE SIX TIMES THE CAR MYSTERIOUSLY DIED ON THE HIGHWAY. FROM MY RESEARCH, THIS PROBLEM CAN BE CAUSED BY SEVERAL COMPONENTS AND IS DIFFICULT TO DIAGNOSE IN THE SHOP. FOR OLDER MODELS, THERE HAS BEEN TSB'S ISSUED, BUT NOT FOR 2008 AND LATER MODELS. I HAVE KNOWN SEVERAL 2008 MODELS THAT EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM AROUND 60,000 - 70,000 MILES. BROWSING THOUGH THIS WEBSITE SHOWS MANY HAVE COMPLAINED ABOUT THIS ISSUE. FORD NEEDS TO ADDRESS THIS ASAP BEFORE SOMEONE GETS KILLED OR INJURED ON THE HIGHWAY. *TR

THE TONE RING ON THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE SPLIT CREATING A PULSATING SENSATION SIMILAR TO THE ABS PULSATING-HOWEVER THE ABS WARNING LIGHT DOESN'T ENGAGE THE STABILITY SENSOR FLASHES FOR AS LONG AS THE PULSATING OCCURS. THIS ONLY OCCURS WHILE DECELERATING NO MATTER WHAT SPEED. I HAD THE ISSUE FIXED. THEN THE ISSUE APPEARED AGAIN IN MARCH 2013. I AGAIN TOOK IT TO BE FIXED AND AFTER THE MECHANIC REPLACED THE CV AXLE AND RING THE ISSUE STILL WASN'T CORRECTED AND CURRENTLY BEING INVESTIGATED FURTHER. THIS ISSUE IS AN ANNOYANCE AND UNCOMFORTABLE FOR ANY PASSENGERS RIDING IN THE VEHICLE THAT EXPERIENCES THIS ISSUE. THE OUT OF POCKET COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS PROBLEM ARE NOT 'CHEAP.' FORD SHOULD ADDRESS AND PROVIDE A REMEDY TO THIS PROBLEM THAT DOESN'T CAUSE UNDUE FINANCIAL HARDSHIP TO THE OWNER. *TR

RECENTLY WHILE DRIVING, MY DASHBOARD SUDDENLY DISPLAYS A RED TRIANGLE WITH AN EXCLAMATION POINT IN IT AND ADVISES ME TO "STOP SAFELY NOW." REGARDLESS OF WHETHER I CAN STOP SAFELY OR NOT, I LOSE POWER SUDDENLY. THIS HAS HAPPENED MANY TIMES, AND I HAVE BEEN INFORMED THAT THIS IS A GENERIC WARNING THAT COVERS NUMEROUS CAR PROBLEMS. UNFORTUNATELY, I DO MANY MILES ON THE HIGHWAY AT HIGHER SPEEDS. IGNORING THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS WHEN THIS HAS HAPPENED, AND I MADE COMPLAINTS TO THIS SITE THEN, THE MOST CURRENT BOUTS HAVE OCCURRED WHEN I WAS IN VERY HEAVY COMMUTER VOLUME ON THE SAME HIGHWAY THAT IS CURRENTLY UNDER CONSTRUCTION WITH NO SHOULDERS. I LOSE POWER, WITHOUT EVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO AT LEAST GET OUT OF THE MIDDLE LANE. THIS SEVERELY DISRUPTS TRAFFIC, AND I HAVE ALMOST BEEN REAR-ENDED NUMEROUS TIMES. WHAT'S WORSE IS, I HAVE TAKEN IT TO A FORD DEALERSHIP AND THEY HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM. I HAVE HAD NUMEROUS THINGS FIXED, BUT I STILL HAVE THIS PROBLEM. THIS IS NOT SAFE, AND MOST LIKELY, ONE DAY I WILL BE INJURED BECAUSE OF IT. I WOULD RATHER HAVE THE OPTION OF RUINING MY VEHICLE BY DRIVING IT WHEN I SHOULDN'T THEN TO NOT HAVE THE OPTION OF GETTING OUT OF HARMS WAY. I UNDERSTAND THAT OTHER YEARS OF ESCAPES WERE RECALLED FOR THIS PROBLEM, SO WHY NOT MINE? THANK YOU. *TR

AFTER BACKING OUT OF MY GARAGE, I PUT MY VEHICLE IN DRIVE AND WENT TO TURN THE WHEEL TO POINT IT TO DRIVE DOWN THE ALLEYWAY AND SUDDENLY REALIZED I COULD NOT TURN THE FRONT WHEELS. I ALMOST HIT THE TREE BESIDE THE GARAGE AND HAD TO TAKE MY FOOT OFF THE GAS AND HIT THE BRAKES HARD. I TRIED AGAIN AND AGAIN TO TURN THE WHEELS AND COULD NOT FIGURE OUT WHAT HAD HAPPENED AS IT WAS FINE WHEN I DROVE IT AND PARKED IN THE GARAGE THE DAY BEFORE. I TURNED THE VEHICLE OFF AND RESTARTED AND FOUND I COULD BARELY STEER SO HAD TO BACKUP AND THEN GO FORWARD A COUPLE INCHES AT A TIME UNTIL AFTER ABOUT 30 TIMES BACK AND FORTH COULD LINE UP ENOUGH TO PULL STRAIGHT INTO THE GARAGE. THE VEHICLE IS STILL WAITING TO BE TOWED TO THE FORD DEALER FOR REPAIR. I HAD BEEN STARTING ON MY WAY TO THE AIRPORT TO PICK UP MY DAUGHTER, SON-IN-LAW AND THREE YEAR OLD GRANDDAUGHTER SO THANK HEAVENS THE POWER STEERING DID NOT GO OUT WHEN I WAS ON THE FREEWAY GOING TO OR FROM THE AIRPORT BECAUSE WE COULD HAVE LOST CONTROL AND BEEN KILLED.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSIS BUT THEY WERE UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 52,000.