2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID Complaints

WHILE DRIVING ON INTERSTATE 75 IN FLORIDA, THE GAS ENGINE SHUTDOWN AND A WARNING LIGHT/MESSAGE APPEARED "STOP SAFELY NOW". OUR VEHICLE IMMEDIATELY BEGAN TO DECELERATE, RUNNING ONLY ON THE ELECTRIC MOTOR, AS WE TRIED TO CROSS TWO LANES OF TRAFFIC "SAFELY". WE PULLED ONTO THE SHOULDER, AND TURNED THE CAR OFF. WE WERE ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE WITHOUT GETTING THE ERROR MESSAGE. WE EXPERIENCED THIS SAME SUDDEN ENGINE SHUTDOWN AND FEH WARNING 5-6 TIMES OVER THE COURSE OF OUR ROAD TRIP FROM WISCONSIN TO FLORIDA AND BACK. UPON RETURN TO WISCONSIN, WE HAD THE CAR CHECKED OUT BY OUR FORD DEALER, AND THEY INFORMED US IT WAS A FAULTY MOTOR ELECTRONICS COOLANT PUMP (PART #5M6Z-8C419-A). FORD HAS ISSUED A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN ABOUT THIS PROBLEM (TSB 08-24-5), BUT HAS NOT YET ISSUED A RECALL. SINCE THE UNEXPECTED DECELERATION OF A VEHICLE TRAVELING AT HIGH SPEEDS CONSTITUTES A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE (AS MANY FORD ESCAPE HYBRID OWNERS ON EDMUNDS.COM CAN ATTEST, HTTP://TOWNHALL-TALK.EDMUNDS.COM/DIRECT/VIEW/.F0FF5B5), I AM STRONGLY URGING YOU TO COMPEL FORD TO ISSUE A RECALL ON THIS PART. *TR

I HAVE A 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID (PURCHASED IN APRIL 2007), WITH 67,000 MILES ON IT. I WAS TRAVELING AT 65MPH, STARTING TO HEAD INTO THE SIERRAS OUTSIDE OF SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA. I HAD BEEN DRIVING FOR 2 HOURS, AND HAD TRAVELED 120 MILES THAT MORNING WHEN THE CAR ENGINE SUDDENLY CUT OUT, AND THE WARNING LIGHT "STOP SAFELY NOW" APPEARED ON THE DASH. LUCKILY, IT WAS ONLY 6AM AND THERE WAS ONLY ONE OTHER CAR NEAR ME ON THE ROAD. I PULLED OVER 3 LANES, BRAKES AND STEERING WORKING, BUT WITH NO GAS. I TURNED THE CAR OFF FOR A MINUTE, STARTED IT UP WITHOUT ANY PROBLEMS OR WARNING LIGHTS. I WAITED ANOTHER MINUTE OR TWO, AND HEADED OUT ON THE ROAD. WHEN I GOT BACK UP TO 65MPH THE ENGINE CUT OUT AND THE WARNING SHOWED UP AGAIN. THIS TIME I WAS ALREADY NEAR THE SHOULDER SO I STOPPED AGAIN. I WAS ABOUT TO GET INTO A SNOWY UPHILL CLIMB AND DECIDED THAT, NOT KNOWING WHAT THIS CAR WOULD DO, THAT IT WAS UNSAFE TO CONTINUE. I DROVE SLOWLY TO THE NEXT EXIT, AND GOT MYSELF TURNED AROUND. FOR THE FIRST HOUR I DROVE AT UNDER 60MPH WITHOUT ANY PROBLEMS. I WAS ABLE TO ACHIEVE 65MPH IN THE SECOND HOUR WITHOUT PROBLEM. I HAD THE ERROR CODES ASSESSED BY A FORD DEALER AND THEY SAID IT WAS AN MEC PUMP FAILURE (THE PUMP THAT COOLS THE ELECTRIC BATTERY). I WAS VERY LUCKY THAT THIS HAPPENED WITH SO LITTLE TRAFFIC VOLUME. THERE WAS NO WARNING, AND THE SUDDEN CUT OUT OF THE ENGINE WAS STARTLING AND UNSAFE. I FEARED FOR MY LIFE WHILE HEADING HOME AS THE VOLUME OF CARS PICKED UP AROUND ME. *JS

WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH THE GAS ENGINE SHUTS OFF, THE STOP SAFELY NOW LIGHT APPEARS AND THE MASTER VEHICLE WARNING LAMP COMES ON. HAPPENED ONLY A COUPLE TIMES THE FIRST 3 WEEKS. IN THE LAST 2 DAYS IT HAS HAPPENED 15-16 TIMES. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS TO HAPPEN WHILE IN TRAFFIC ON THE INTERSTATE. TO SHOULDN'T THIS BE A RECALL. TAKING INTO FORD DEALER TOMORROW. *TR

SUNROOF EXPLODED FROM INSIDE TO OUT, SENDING GLASS FRAGMENTS EVERYWHERE. IT WAS NOT HIT WITH ANYTHING. *TR

WHILE DRIVING I NOTICED A LACK OF POWER AND GOT THE MESSAGE "STOP SAFELY NOW". AS THE MANUAL STATED I PULLED OVER, WAITED A FEW MINUTES. THE CAR STARTED UP AGAIN BUT THE EVENT KEPT HAPPENING ALL THE WAY HOME. I BROUGHT THE CAR TO A DEALER WHO MADE A REPAIR COSTING 642 DOLLARS. THE CAR RAN FINE FOR A MONTH BUT WHEN ON A MAJOR HIGHWAY I HAD THE SAME EXPERIENCE EXCEPT IT WAS MORE DIFFICULT TO DEAL WITH THE LOSS OF POWER IN BUSY TRAFFIC. I WAS IN THE PASSING LANE TO ALLOW ANOTHER CAR ENTER THE HIGHWAY FROM AN ON RAMP WHEN IT HAPPENED AND I WAS LUCKY TO BE ABLE TO CROSS THREE LANES OF TRAFFIC TO BRING THE CAR TO REST. AGAIN, IT HAPPENED ALL THE WAY HOME CAUSING ME TO FINALLY DRIVE IN THE BREAKDOWN LANE WITH FLASHERS ON. I WENT ONLINE AND LEARNED THAT THIS IS AN ONGOING PROBLEM WITH FORD HYBRIDS. MY QUESTION IS WHY NO RECALL ON SUCH AN EXPENSIVE AND DANGEROUS PROBLEM? *TR

WHILE TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 70MPH AND AFTER SEVERAL HOURS OF HIGHWAY DRIVING, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY AND WITHOUT ANY WARNING LOST ALL FORWARD ENGINE POWER (COMBUSTION ENGINE AND HYBRID SYSTEM). THE INCIDENT OCCURRED WHILE IN THE LEFT LANE OF A MAJOR INTERSTATE HIGHWAY. THE MESSAGE "STOP SAFELY NOW" APPEARS ON THE DRIVER DISPLAY. MY WIFE WAS DRIVING AND NARROWLY AND MIRACULOUSLY AVOIDED ACCIDENTS WITH FOLLOWING TRAFFIC INCLUDING TRACTOR-TRAILERS AND WAS ABLE TO MOVE THE VEHICLE TO THE RIGHT HAND SHOULDER. AFTER SEVERAL MINUTES ON THE SIDE OF THE FREEWAY, THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED AND WAS ABLE TO BE DRIVEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE DIAGNOSIS INDICATES A HYBRID MEC PUMP FAILURE. AFTER RESEARCHING THIS FAILURE MODE ON THE INTERNET AND THROUGH OTHER SOURCES, IT APPEARS THAT THE FOLLOWING SITUATION EXISTS: 1) THIS COMPONENT EXHIBITS A VERY HIGH AND PREMATURE FAILURE RATE AT ALL MILEAGE LEVELS. 2) THE FAILURE MODE (SUDDEN AND UNEXPECTED LOSS OF ALL VEHICLE POWER) IS HIGHLY LIKELY TO RESULT IN FATALITIES AND MAJOR ACCIDENTS. 3) THE ABOVE INFORMATION IS WELL KNOWN TO FORD MOTOR COMPANY AND VARIOUS TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETINS HAVE BEEN ISSUED TO AID IN THE DIAGNOSIS AND REPLACEMENT OF THIS COMPONENT. 4) NHTSA HAS PREVIOUSLY RECEIVED 25 SIMILAR OR IDENTICAL DEFECT REPORTS, YET STILL NEITHER NHTSA NOR FORD MOTOR COMPANY HAS ACTED TO PROTECT FORD ESCAPE OWNERS FROM THIS SAFETY CRITICAL DEFECT. I URGE NHTSA AND FORD MOTOR COMPANY TO OPEN A FORMAL SAFETY INVESTIGATION ON THE FORD ESCAPE HYBRID MEC PUMP "STOP SAFELY NOW" POWERTRAIN FAILURES BEFORE LIVES ARE LOST AND MORE ACCIDENTS OCCUR DUE TO THIS DEFECT. *TR

VEH SHOWS A CAUTION SIGN (EXCLAMATION IN TRIANGLE) WITH A WARNING (PULL VEHICLE OVER SAFELY AND TURN OFF ENGINE). VEH LOSES ALL ACCELERATION AND I MUST PULL OVER IMMEDIATELY TO AVOID AN ACCIDENT. HAPPENS EVERY TIME WE DRIVE ON THE FREEWAY ONLY, NEVER ON A SIDE STREET OR IN STOP AND GO. I PULL VEHICLE OVER AND TURN OFF ENGINE FOR APPROX 2 OR 3 MINUTES, AND IT STARTS RIGHT UP. SOME TIMES IT WILL HAPPEN MULTIPLE TIMES WITHIN A 20 TO 30 MINUTE TIME PERIOD, SOMETIMES ONLY ONCE IN SEVERAL HOURS OF DRIVING. DEALER HAS NO IDEA WHY AND REQUIRES A TOW IMMEDIATELY WHEN IT HAPPENS TO DETERMINE CAUSE. CANNOT TOW WHEN ON THE WAY TO DR, OUT OF TOWN, OR OTHER. *TR

"STOP SAFELY NOW" APPEARS IN DASHBOARD WHILE GOING 70 MPH AND YOU LOSE THE ACCELERATOR - YOU CANNOT MAINTAIN / INCREASE SPEED. THE CAR BASICALLY DIES AND SHUTS OFF. THIS IS INCREDIBLY DANGEROUS, ESPECIALLY WHILE DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY OR IN TRAFFIC OF ANY KIND. THIS HAPPENED NUMEROUS TIMES AS WE WERE DRIVING TO FLORIDA FOR SPRING BREAK. ONCE WE STOPPED, WE WERE ABLE TO RESTART THE CAR AND CONTINUE ON UNTIL THE NEXT "STOP SAFELY NOW" APPEARED, SOMETIMES IN LESS THAN 3 MINUTES, SOMETIMES AFTER 3 HOURS. GIVEN THAT IT WAS A SUNDAY, WE WERE UNABLE TO FIND A FORD DEALER WITH A HYBRID TECHNICIAN ON STAFF. THE FIRST FORD DEALER WE TOOK IT TO HAD IT FOR 3 DAYS AND "COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG". THE SECOND DEALER WE WENT TO REPLACED THE THROTTLE BODY AND WATER PUMP. THIS BREAKDOWN IS UNACCEPTABLE AND DANGEROUS. NO CAR SHOULD SIMPLY STOP LIKE THAT. THIS DESIGN / FLAW SHOULD BE RECALLED AND FIXED BEFORE SOMEONE IS KILLED ON THE EXPRESSWAY. *TR

I STARTED THE CAR UP AND AS IT SAT IDLING THE STOP SAFELY NOW MESSAGE DISPLAYED AND THE ENGINE DIED. I TURNED EVERYTHING OFF ON THE CAR, RESET THE MESSAGE AND RESTARTED THE CAR. AS I PULLED OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY AND STEPPED ON THE GAS, THE CAR AGAIN DISPLAYED THE MESSAGE STOP SAFELY NOW AND THE ENGINE DIED. I HAD TO AGAIN TURN EVERYTHING OFF IN THE CAR, RESET THE MESSAGE, AND RESTART THE CAR. I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IS WRONG THIS TIME THAT IS MAKING THE MESSAGE DISPLAY. THERE NEEDS TO BE A RECALL ON THIS VEHICLE. THE STOP SAFELY NOW MESSAGE KILLS THE ENGINE AT ANY SPEED. THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS PROBLEM. NO CAR SHOULD SIMPLY SHUT THE ENGINE DOWN WHILE DRIVING. *TR

I WAS TRAVELING THROUGH NYC ON RT 95 DURING RUSH HOUR, BUMPER TO BUMPER TRAFFIC. ALL 3 LANES WERE TRAVELING AT 65 MPH WITH NO BREAKDOWN LANE DUE TO CONSTRUCTION IN THE AREA. THE CAR FOR NO APPARENT REASON DISPLAYED THE "STOP SAFELY NOW" MESSAGE AND THE ENGINE DIED. BY SOME MIRACLE THE JERSEY BARRIERS BLOCKING THE BREAKDOWN LANE OPENED UP FOR ABOUT 100 FT AND I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER. THE CAR LOSES ALL POWER WHEN THE STOP SAFELY NOW MESSAGE APPEARS. THIS IS A HAZARD AND THIS CAR SHOULD BE RECALLED FOR THIS PROBLEM. IT TURNED OUT THE COOLING PUMP NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. NO CAR SHOULD SIMPLY SHUT OFF WHEN DRIVING. IT CREATES AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION. I HAD 18 WHEELERS AND A STREAM OF CARS BEHIND ME AND HAD THE BREAKDOWN LANE NOT BEEN AVAILABLE, THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN A MULTIPLE CAR CRASH WITH POTENTIAL DEATHS. IT IS HARD TO BELIEVE THAT THERE HAVE BEEN NO ACCIDENTS DUE TO THIS PROBLEM. THIS CAR IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE BECAUSE YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHEN THE ENGINE WILL SHUT OFF. THE CAR NEEDS TO BE REDESIGNED SO THAT THE STOP SAFELY NOW MESSAGE NEVER SHUTS DOWN THE ENGINE. *TR