2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID Complaints

THE NIGHT OF JANUARY 27, 2012, AS I WAS DRIVING THROUGH TRAFFIC NEAR MY HOME, THE BRAKES ON MY 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID FAILED, MY DASHBOARD READOUT INDICATING MY REGENERATIVE BRAKES HAVE DISENGAGED. I CAREFULLY RETURNED THE QUARTER MILE OR SO HOME, AND TOOK MY VEHICLE TO THE NEARBY FAIRFIELD (CALIFORNIA) FORD DEALERSHIP EARLY SATURDAY MORNING, BOTH IN ORDER TO AVOID OTHER DRIVERS, AND HAVE MY BRAKES REPAIRED. TO THEIR CREDIT, THEY TOOK MY VEHICLE WITHOUT AN APPOINTMENT. OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS, THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT CONTACTED ME TO INFORM ME THAT TWO OF THE COMPUTER SYSTEMS ON MY VEHICLE HAD FAILED: ONE CONTROLLING THE REGENERATIVE BRAKES, THE SECOND CONTROLLING THE FANS USED TO COOL THE HYBRID VEHICLE'S BATTERIES. IN A MOMENT OF CANDOR, FORD SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE[XXX] INFORMED ME THE UNUSUAL FAILURE WAS THE BRAKE-RELATED FAILURE, AS THE FORD OF FAIRFIELD SERVICE DEPARTMENT WAS REPLACING THE FAN-RELATED COMPUTER PART, "ALL THE TIME." MY CONCERNS ARE SIMILARLY TWO-FOLD: FIRST, THE THOUGHT THAT MY REGENERATIVE BREAKS SIMPLY DISENGAGED IS DISTURBING ENOUGH, AS IT PUT ME AND MY CHILDREN IN IMMEDIATE HARM. ALMOST MORE THAN THAT, THOUGH, IS THE FACT THAT THE COMPUTER PART CONTROLLING THE COOLING OF MY HYBRID'S BATTERIES APPEARS TO FAIL "ALL THE TIME." SINCE THERE WAS NO INDICATION ON THE PART OF MY VEHICLE'S PERFORMANCE INFORMING ME THAT THE HYBRID BATTERY COOLING FAN WAS NOT OPERATING PROPERLY, THERE IS SIMPLY NO KNOWING WHEN MY VEHICLE COULD HAVE CAUGHT FIRE IN A MANNER SIMILAR TO THAT AFFECTING SOME VOLTS MANUFACTURED BY CHEVROLET. I AM INTERESTED IN MAKING SURE SIMILAR FAILURES TO NOT IMPACT OTHER OWNERS OF FORD ESCAPE HYBRIDS. SHOULD YOU NEED ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, MY DAYTIME PHONE NUMBER IS [XXX]. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING FROM YOU. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AT 65 MPH THE POWER CUT OUT AND A WARNING WAS DISPLAYED ON THE DASH TO PULL OVER SAFELY. I WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE CAR AND CONTINUE DRIVING, BUT IT HAPPENED AGAIN. I HAD TO HAVE THE CAR TOWED TO FORD. THE FORD DEALER HAD TO REPLACE THE THROTTLE BODY AND MOTOR ASSEMBLY. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS. *KB

I STARTED THE VEHICLE TO LEAVE MY OFFICE AT THE END OF THE DAY AND NOTICED A TUGGING SENSATION AT THE STEERING WHEEL. ON THE FREEWAY, IT SEEMED FINE, BUT WHEN I SLOWED TO A STOP I COULD FEEL IT AGAIN. THE NEXT DAY, THE POWER STEERING COMPLETELY FAILED. IT WAS LIKE DRIVING A TANK. THERE WERE NO WARNING LIGHTS ON THE DASH DISPLAY. MY FORD DEALER REPLACED THE ELECTRONIC STEERING COLUMN AT A COST OF $1,374.40. THE VEHICLE WAS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY DUE TO THE MILEAGE, BUT IS ONLY 4 YEARS OLD. *KB

INCIDENT TOOK PLACE ON 12/02/2011. AFTER WORK I WAS DRIVING SOUTH ON THE 405 FREEWAY IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. I WAS IN LEFT LANE GOING APPROXIMATELY 60 MILES PER HOUR WHEN THE CAR LOST POWER AND I COULD NO LONGER ACCELERATE. SMOKE STARTED TO COME UP FROM THE HOOD OF THE CAR. I IMMEDIATELY PUT ON MY HAZARD LIGHTS AND TRIED TO MAKE MY WAY TO THE RIGHT SHOULDER ON THE FREEWAY. THE ONLY LANE TO THE LEFT OF ME WAS THE CARPOOL LANE. IT WAS DURING A HEAVY TRAFFIC TIME AND I WAS NEARLY REAR-ENDED SEVERAL TIMES AS I TRIED TO GET TO THE SHOULDER ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE FREEWAY WITHOUT THE ABILITY TO ACCELERATE. THIS ENTIRE TIME THE CAR WAS GETTING SMOKY AND IT WAS HARD TO SEE AND BREATHE. CARS WERE HONKING AT ME AND ONE CAR PULLED UP NEXT TO ME AND YELLED AT ME THAT THERE WERE FLAMES COMING FROM MY CAR AND THE CAR WAS ON FIRE AND I NEEDED TO GET OUT IMMEDIATELY. I BARELY MADE IT TO THE SIDE OF THE FREEWAY AND PARKED AND GOT OUT OF MY CAR. I COULD SEE SMOKE AND FLAMES COMING FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE CAR NEAR THE ENGINE. ONE TRUCK WITH TWO MEN INSIDE PULLED OVER TO HELP ME. I USED A FIRE EXTINGUISHER I HAD IN THE CAR TO PUT OUT FIRE. THE TOW TRUCK TOWED MY CAR TO LOCAL FORD DEALER. THE DEALER TOLD ME THAT THE GEARS INSIDE THE HYBRID POWER UNIT CAME APART AND BROKE. THEN TRANSMISSION FLUIDS LEAKED ONTO THE EXHAUST AND BURST INTO FLAMES. MY SERVICE ADVISER BRIAN SAID THAT THEY DOCUMENTED THAT THERE WERE FLAMES AS A RESULT OF THIS. HE ALSO SAID HE DID NOT KNOW WHY A CAR WITH ONLY 66,000 MILES WOULD HAVE THIS PROBLEM. HE SAID THEY DID NOT HAVE AN EXPLANATION FOR WHY THE GEARS WOULD BREAK APART. FORD REPLACED THE UNIT BUT DID NOT CLEAN THE CAR, STILL HAS FLUID UNDER IT AND IT SMELLS HORRIBLY TO DRIVE. FORD CANNOT GUARANTEE IT WONT HAPPEN AGAIN BECAUSE THEY DON'T WHY IT HAPPENED IN THE FIRST PLACE. SUBMITTED CLAIM TO FORD AND THEY REJECTED IT. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN STARTING THE VEHICLE, THE ABS AND EMERGENCY BRAKE LIGHTS WERE ILLUMINATED. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 10 MPH AND DEPRESSING THE BRAKES, SHE NOTICED A JERKING SENSATION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THEY ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT THE HYDRAULIC CONTROL UNIT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND THEY OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGES WERE APPROXIMATELY 48,000.

WHILE DRIVING NORMALLY AT 40 MPH ON A STRAIGHT GOOD ROAD THE STEERING WHEEL BEGAN KICKING RIGHT TO LEFT ABRUPTLY. ALMOST LIKE A BIG RIGHT LEFT VIBRATION. THIS LASTED FOR SEVERAL MINUTES BEFORE THE POWER STEERING COMPLETELY FAILED AND MADE THE STEERING DIFFICULT TO CONTROL. I PULLED TO THE SIDE OF ROAD. TURNED OFF THE CAR AND RESTART AND TOOK IT IMMEDIATELY TO THE FORD DEALER. DEALER SAID THE ELECTRIC POWER STEERING UNITS WERE BACK ORDER 5 - 8 WEEKS BECAUSE MANY FAILURES. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND PEOPLE COULD DIE WITH THE POWER STEERING FAILURES. PLEASE RECALL THEM BEFORE SOMEBODY'S DIES. *TR

THE HYDRAULIC CONTROL UNIT OF THE ABS EXPERIENCED A FAILURE RESULTING IN INTERNAL LOSS OF PRESSURE. THE ONLY REPAIR SOLUTION IS FOR THE DEALER TO REPLACE THEN ENTIRE HYDRAULIC CONTROL UNIT AT A COST OF OVER $3000. IT SEEMS AWFULLY ODD THAT 1) ONLY THE DEALER CAN DIAGNOSE AND REPAIR ELEMENT, 2) ONLY THE DEALER CAN ORDER THE PARTS, 3) THERE IS NO WAY TO REPAIR JUST THE FAILING COMPONENT BUT THE WHOLE HCU MUST BE REPLACED, AND 4) THE COST IS SO EXTREME. I'VE READ ONLINE ABOUT OTHER FORD ESCAPE OWNERS WHOSE HCU HAD FAILED AND IT SEEMS THIS MAY BE DEFECTIVE IN EITHER DESIGN OR IN FUNCTION. CERTAINLY MAKING IT A DEALER-ONLY REPAIR SEEMS SHADY. *TR

I WAS TRAVELING ON THE EXPRESSWAY IN THE LEFT HAND LANE DOING ABOUT 70 MPH WHEN THE ENGINE SHUTDOWN AND A STOP NOW SAFELY MESSAGE APPEARED ON DASHBOARD. I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER TURNED OFF THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO RESTART AND CONTINUE TO MY DESTINATION. THIS AGAIN HAPPENED ON THE WAY HOME THE SAME DAY THERE WAS NO PROBLEM FOUND AT THE TIMES I PULLED OVER AND BOTH TIMES WAS ABLE TO CONTINUE. I HAD NO ABILITY TO ACCELERATE AND FORTUNATELY WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER, THIS WAS A SCARY. *KB

I WAS DRIVING AND GAVE A FRIEND A RIDE. I WAITED IN THE CAR WITH THE CAR STILL ON WHILE SHE GOT HER THINGS. WHEN SHE HOPPED ON I ACCELERATED AND WHEN I TRIED TO MAKE A TURN THE STEERING WHEEL WAS SO HARD. I COULDN'T TURN IT. I PULLED OVER AND TURNED IT OFF. WHEN I STARTED THE CAR, IT WAS BACK TO NORMAL ANOTHER DAY I WENT TO THE DRIVE THROUGH. SAME THING HAPPENED. I TRIED TO TURN AFTER AND COULDN'T. I HAD TO TURN HE CAR OFF AND THEN BACK ON. I WENT TO THE DEALER. THEY SAID THAT ON THEIR BULLETIN THERE IS A MSG THAT THE STEERING WHEEL COLUMN MUST BE REPLACED. THEY SAID IT WOULD BE ABOUT 1300.00 FOR ME TO REPLACE. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY I WOULD HAVE TO PAY. THERE ARE OTHER BLOGS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. *TR

WHILE DRIVING MY 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID, THE WARNING CHIME SOUNDED, "SERVICE BRAKES" FLASHED ON THE DISPLAY, AND I LOST ALMOST ALL OF MY BRAKING POWER AS I WAS COMING UP ON A STOP SIGN. I WAS BARELY ABLE TO STOP. LATER, AFTER THE CAR WAS TURNED OFF, THE BRAKES WERE RESTORED. THIS HAS OCCURED SEVERAL TIMES IN THE LAST WEEK. EACH TIME I START THE CAR, ALL IS OK, AS I ACCELLERATE, THERE IS A CLUNK AS IF THE ENGINE WANTS TO STALL BUT KEEPS GOING DUE TO MOMENTUM. A SCAN OF SYSTEM FAULTS SHOWS BRAKES ALL OK. I DRIVE THE CAR A FEW MILE AND THE ABS LIGHT COMES ON AND THE CHECK BRAKES LIGHT COMES ON AND STAYS ON. CAR STILL SEEMS TO RUN FINE WITH ABS LIGHT AND CHECK BRAKES INDICATOR. BUT SOFT BRAKES ARE VERY WOORYSOME. *TR