2005 Ford Escape Hybrid

EARLY SEPT 2014 - BEGAN TO EXPERIENCE INTERMITTENT ISSUES OF "LIMP HOME" MODE. ORIGINALLY, ISSUE BEGAN WITH SMALL "SURGES" IN ACCELERATION THAT I BELIEVED WERE SIMPLY RELATED TO THE HYBRID ENGINE KICKING INTO GEAR. THEN EXPERIENCED MULTIPLE BUT RANDOM "LIMP HOME MODE" EVENTS, PARTICULARLY WHEN STOPPING AT LIGHTS OR ACCELERATING (LIGHT-MOD PRESSURE) FROM A FULL STOP. CAR WOULD FLASH "SERVICE ENGINE SOON" AND NOT GO ABOVE 20MPH AND SOMETIMES NOT THAT. WOULD PULL OFF IF ABLE, OTHERWISE, WOULD HAVE TO STOP WITH FLASHERS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD, TURN OFF THE ENGINE, WAIT A MINUTE, AND THEN RESTART (REBOOTING CAR). THIS WOULD CLEAR THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND CAR WOULD RESUME NORMAL OPERATION - OF NOTE: CODES WOULD NOT STAY IN THE HISTORY OF THE COMPUTER. AFTER SEVERAL OCCURRENCES, MANAGED TO "LIMP HOME" TO A MECHANIC WHILE THE LIGHT WAS ON AND PULL CODES BETWEEN 2009-2012 AND WAS ADVISED TO HAVE THE COMPUTER REPROGRAMMED BY FORD SERVICE. CAR BEGAN LIMPING HOME DURING FULL TRAFFIC AND FULL ACCELERATION (NOT STOPPED OR SLOWING), CAUSING A MASSIVE SAFETY CONCERN. NOTED MULTIPLE INVESTIGATIVE MENTIONS ON INTERNET REGARDING 2005-2012 ETB ISSUES, BUT ALSO NOTED THIS WAS THEN ONLY "REPLACED" FOR 2009-2012. APPARENTLY, ANYTHING OLDER THAN 09 IS A LOST CAUSE. 10/23/14 - HAVE CAR IN FORD SERVICE AND RECALL (14S19) HAS BEEN NOTED REGARDING MOTOR ELECTRONICS COOLANT PUMP CAUSING "A FAILURE MODE EFFECTS MANAGEMENT STRATEGY THAT CAN RESULT IN A SUDDEN PARTIAL OR FULL LOSS OF MOTIVE POWER" TO PROTECT VEHICLE POWERTRAIN. BEING CHARGED FOR DIAGNOSTIC EVEN THOUGH THERE IS A RECALL ON THE PART THAT IS LIKELY CAUSING THE PROBLEM. *TR

WHEN THE VEHICLE IS WARMED UP AND DECELERATING BELOW 40MPH THEY GASOLINE ENGINE WILL SHUT OFF AS THE REGENERATIVE BRAKING CHARGES THE HYBRID HIGH VOLTAGE BATTERY. ON A RARE OCCASION DURING THIS BRAKING, THE GASOLINE ENGINE WILL TURN BACK ON GIVING A BRIEF SURGE WHICH REQUIRES PRESSING THE BRAKE HARDER. IT HAS DONE THIS SINCE I BOUGHT THE VEHICLE. *TR

THE "WRENCH" LIGHT AND "ENGINE" LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE DASH. THE INFORMATION SYSTEM FLASHED "SERVICE NOW" AND "SERVICE EMISSION SYSTEM." THE CAR SUDDENLY SEEMED TO BOG DOWN AND SLOWED TO AROUND 15 MPH. FROM THERE IT WOULD NOT ACCELERATE BEYOND 30 MPH. THE ACCELERATOR WAS UNRESPONSIVE AND SEEMED MUSHY. ONCE AT 30 MPH THE CAR WOULD HESITATE AND JERK. IT ALSO STALLED WHEN SLOWING. THESE ARE THE SAME EXACT SYMPTOMS THAT OTHER ESCAPE OWNERS HAVE EXPERIENCED AND WHICH FORD HAS RECOGNIZED AS A MANUFACTURING DEFECT UNDER CUSTOMER SATISFACTION # 13N03 FOR ESCAPE MODELS 2009-2012. THE FORD DEALER SAYS THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE BODY NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. HOWEVER, AS OF THIS WRITING FORD IS NOT COVERING THE REPAIR FOR EARLIER MODELS EVEN THOUGH THEY HAVE THE SAME ENGINE, SAME SYMPTOMS, SAME REPAIR NECESSARY. COME ON FORD, DO THE RIGHT THING! *TR

WHILE TRAVELING IN THE HIGH SPEED LANE AT APPROXIMATELY 2 AM, THE VEHICLE LOST ENGINE POWER WITHOUT ANY NOTICE AS THE ENGINE SHUT OFF AND THE POWER WAS REDUCED TO MINIMAL POWER GIVEN BY THE ELECTRIC MOTOR. THIS CAUSED AN INABILITY TO MAINTAIN SPEED ON A VERY DANGEROUS OVERPASS CURVE OF THE FREEWAY AND NEARLY CAUSED TWO VEHICLES IN THE IMMEDIATE PROXIMITY TO COLLIDE WITH MY VEHICLE AS SPEED RAPIDLY DROPPED AND THE VEHICLE SAID TO "PULL OVER ANDS SHUT OFF VEHICLE SAFELY". THIS PART OF THE FREEWAY HAD NO PULL OVER SPOT NOR DID IT HAVE AN AREA TO REALLY SAFELY PULL OFF THE FREEWAY. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THE CAR HAS DONE THIS AT HIGH SPEED WITHIN TWO WEEKS. IT HAS DONE THIS APPROXIMATELY 1-0 TIMES AT LOW SPEEDS ON CITY STREETS. THE CAR IS ABLE TO BE DRIVEN AFTER SHUTTING OFF THE POWER, LETTING IT SIT, AND THEN RESTARTING THE SYSTEM. THERE IS AN ACCOMPANYING OVERHEATING THAT OCCURTS AS A RESULT OF THE ENGINE SHUTTING OFF, CAUSING THE ENGINE TO BE UNABLE TO BE EASILY RESTARTED AT THAT POINT. THIS EVENT GIVES NO WARNING OR INDICATION IT WILL HAPPEN AND IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION FOR ANY DRIVER TO BE THRUST INTO. IF IT HAD BEEN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC, I AM CERTAIN THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN ACCIDENTS AND VEHICLE COLLISIONS AS A RESULT. *JS

THERE WAS A LEAK OF SOME FLUID NOTED IN MY DRIVEWAY, AND A REQUEST WAS MADE FOR THE DEALER TO INVESTIGATE DURING THE NEXT ROUTINE SERVICE. NO LEAK WAS FOUND. *TR AT 110,000 MILES, DURING ROUTINE SERVICE, A LEAK WAS NOTICED BY THE MECHANIC, BUT NO SOURCE WAS FOUND. SOME TIME AFTER THAT, A NOISE BEGAN TO DEVELOP IN THE FRONT END. AT 120,000 MILES, THE NOISE WAS SEVERE, AND AN INSPECTION DETERMINED THAT THE PTU WAS FAILING. I WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS OKAY TO DRIVE UNTIL THE PART ARRIVED. THE NOISE GOT WORSE WITHIN A FEW HUNDRED MILES, CHANGED TO A VIBRATION, AND THEN AN OCCASIONAL CLUNKING NOISE. I STOPPED DRIVING THE VEHICLE, AWAITING THE REPLACEMENT PART. I HAVE SINCE BECOME AWARE OF TSB 09-4-4 MAR 09 DRIVETRAIN - FLUID LEAK FROM PTU VENT. I FEEL THAT THIS MAY HAVE BEEN THE SOURCE OF THE REPORTED LEAK, AND THAT LOSS OF FLUID IN THE PTU LED TO THE FAILURE OF THE PTU, WHICH ONLY HOLDS 12 OUNCES OF FLUID. THIS LEAKAGE SHOULD HAVE BEEN DETECTED BY THE DEALER, AND THE LOSS OF MY PTU MIGHT HAVE BEEN PREVENTED. THESE PTUS FAIL PREMATURELY, AND ARE CONSISTENTLY ON BACK ORDER. MY DEALER HAD ANOTHER UNIT IN FOR THE SAME PTU REPLACEMENT WHEN I PICKED MINE UP AFTER THE REPAIR, AND ACKNOWLEDGES REPLACING MANY. FORD SHOULD COVER THE COST OF THE REPLACEMENT PTU, A SIMPLE MECHANICAL DEVICE THAT SHOULD LAST LONGER THAN THE CAR, CERTAINLY AS LONG AS OTHER DRIVELINE COMPONENTS LIKE THE REAR END, SEVERAL HUNDRED THOUSAND MILES.

I HAVE @75000 MILES ON MY FORD ESCAPE HYBRID 4WD. I STARTED HEARING A NOISE AND STRONG VIBRATION IN THE STEERING WHEEL AT 50 MPH AND A NOISE AS I SLOW DOWN. I TOOK IT IN TO THE DEALERSHIP I HAVE ALWAYS TAKEN MY CAR TO AND THEY EVENTUALLY DIAGNOSED IT AS BEING THE TRANSFER CASE. ON SEPT 15, 2011, THE DEALERSHIP SAID AT THAT TIME TO REPLACE THE TRANSFER CASE WOULD BE @$1500-1600. THE DEALERSHIP ALSO SAID IT WAS BACK ORDERED UNTIL OCT 10, 2011. THEY SAID IT OBVIOUSLY WAS A PROBLEM WITH MANY ESCAPES SINCE IT WAS BACK ORDERED AT FORD. I HAVE ASKED FORD TO PAY FOR THE REPLACEMENT OF THE TRANSFER CASE AND THEY HAVE REFUSED. I WENT ON LINE AND THIS PROBLEM HAS HAPPENED TO OTHER OWNERS OF THE ESCAPE, NOT JUST 2005. ONE OWNER SAID IT HAPPENED AT 60,000 MI. I FEEL IT IS A FLAW AND THAT THEY SHOULD PAY TO REPLACE IT. *KB

LOUD HIGH PITCHED CYCLICAL SQUEALING NOISE COMING FROM AXLE WHEN TRAVELING 1-40 MPH USUALLY AFTER DRIVING FOR OVER 30 MINUTES. BROUGHT VEHICLE FOR SERVICE ON 03/24/05 WITH 4201 MILEAGE AND MECHANIC DID NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG. HOWEVER, REMOVED TIRES AND INSPECTED ALL BRAKES. ON 10/13/05 WITH 10119 MILEAGE AGAIN MECHANIC DID NOT FIND ANYTHING. HOWEVER, REMOVED TIRES AND INSPECTED ALL BRAKES. 04/13/06 WITH 16081 MILEAGE INSPECTED VEHICLE AND DID NOT FIND ANYTHING. REMOVED TIRES AND INSPECTED ALL BRAKES. ON 03/23/07 WITH 28565 MILEAGE INSPECTED VEHICLE AND HEARD NOISE FROM FRONT SOFT FRAME, RETORQUED ALL BOLTS. *AK