2005 Ford Escape Hybrid

OVER THE PAST 3 YEARS I HAVE HAD THE ISSUE OF 'STOP SAFELY NOW' ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS. THESE ISSUES DIDN'T START UNTIL THE MEC PUMP WAS REPLACED UNDER A RECALL. AFTER THAT MY 2005 ESCAPE HYBRID WILL SHUT DOWN WHILE DRIVING OR NOT START OR CUT OUT THE HYBRID POWER AND RUN ON ENGINE ONLY. I TOOK IT TO THE LOCAL FORD DEALERSHIP WHERE WE HAVE GOTTEN ALL OTHER SERVICE DONE THREE TIMES FOR THESE ISSUES. THEY HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO TELL ME ANYTHING, STATING ONLY THAT THERE ARE NO CODES, SO NO IDEA WHERE TO LOOK. I COULDN'T UNDERSTAND HOW THE COMPUTER CAN KNOW TO TELL ME TO STOP DRIVING THE CAR, YET NOT RECORD A DTC. IT HAPPENED AGAIN ON THE FIRST WARM DAY OF THE SUMMER - DROVE ACROSS TOWN, PARKED IT, CAME BACK 20 MINUTES LATER AND IT WOULDN'T START, SHOWING 'STOP SAFELY NOW'. I LEFT IT UNTIL THE NEXT MORNING AND IT STARTED RIGHT UP AND I DROVE IT HOME. I WENT OUT AND BOUGHT SCANXL AND USED MY LAPTOP TO SCAN THE CAR. I FOUND P1A10, P1A14, P0A0A, AND P0A95. IF I CAN BUY SOME CONSUMER PROGRAM AND FIND THIS INFO, WAY IS FORD TELLING THERE ARE NO CODES? FORD ALSO REPLACED THE BATTERY FANS TWO YEARS AGO, STATING THEY WERE COVERED UNDER SOME RECALL OR WARRANTY. SEARCHING THE INTERNET GETS ME 100'S OF COMMENTS ON THIS STOP SAFELY ISSUE WITH DOZENS OF POSSIBLE CAUSES DEPENDING ON THE YEAR AND MODEL. MY SCAN TOOL SHOWS A BATTERY VOLTAGE OF 665 VOLTS, THOUGH IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE A 300 VOLT BATTERY. THE HYBRID EVAPORATOR TEMP CAN RANGE BETWEEN 220 AND 310 DEGREES F WHEN IT'S RUNNING OK. THAT CAN'T BE NORMAL. I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT'S GOING ON AND CAN'T GET ANY HELP FROM THE FORD DEALER.

I WAS ABOUT 115 MILES INTO A 130 MILE TRIP, DOING 70 MPH ON THE INTERSTATE, WHEN OUT OF NO WHERE MY VEHICLE JERKED VERY HARD AND THEN STARTED MAKING LOUD SOUNDS LIKE PARTS FALLING OUT. ALL OF THE CARS BEHIDE ME HAD TO SLAM ON BREAKS AND AVOID HITTING ME. NO LIGHTS OR WARNINGS HAD COME ON UNTIL AFTER THIS HAPPENED. I STEERED THE CAR OFF OF THE INTERSTATE AND DOWN THE RAMP INTO A STORE PARKING LOT. THE CAR WAS NOT RUNNING HOT. LOOKED UNDER CAR AND OIL WAS COMING OUT ALL OVER THE GROUND. A MAN LOOKED AND SAID IT LOOKED LIKE THE COOLANT SYSTEM MESSED UP AND IT THROUGH A ROD IN THE MOTOR BLOCK. I GOT THE CAR ONE MONTH AGO AND IT WAS DOING GREAT. BY LOOKING UP ON TYPE CAR THERE IS OTHERS HAVING PROBLEMS LIKE THIS AND RECALLS ON THE COOLANT SYSTEM. BUT NO ONE ON MY VIN. RECALL 14V526000

VEHICLE HAS 95,000 MILES ON IT AND THE ENTIRE BACK PASSENGER REAR WELL IS COMPLETELY RUSTED OUT, SO MUCH SO THAT THE SHOCK IS PUSHING UP INTO THE INSIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THE REST OF THE WHEEL WELLS ARE FINE AND SHOW VERY LITTLE WEAR AND THE VEHICLE RUNS JUST FINE. WHEN DOING SOME RESEARCH ON THIS ISSUE, IT APPEARS THAT A MULTITUDE OF PEOPLE ARE ENCOUNTERING THIS VERY SAME ISSUE WITH JUST THAT SAME SPECIFIC SPOT. MY FEAR IS THAT THIS MAKES THIS VERY UNSAFE TO DRIVE IN THE EVENT I HIT A LARGE BUMP OR POT HOLE.

I WAS DRIVING HOME ON A SATURDAY MORNING WITH MY LITTLE DAUGHTER IN THE BACK SEAT, WHEN I GOT THE SHOCK OF MY LIFE AS MY CAR, ALL OF A SUDDEN, STOPPED AND WENT DEAD. I WAS LUCKY TO HAVE NO TRAFFIC AND THAT I WAS GOING RELATIVELY SLOW, SO I GOT TO A COMPLETE HALT WITHOUT ANY PROBLEMS. I HAD TO WAIT UNTIL THE CAR COOLED DOWN AND THEN WAS ABLE TO RESTART IT TO DRIVE HOME, I WAS ONLY ONE BLOCK FROM MY HOUSE. I DID NOT DARE DRIVING IT UNTIL I GOT IT TO THE MECHANIC TWO DAYS LATER. THE FORD REPAIR SHOP REPLACED THE MECS PUMP THE MOTOR ELECTRONICS COOLING SYSTEM PUMP REFILL AND RETEST FOR $304.54 IN PARTS PLUS $443.00 IN LABOR. ONLY THIS YEAR, IN MARCH 2015, DID I FIND OUT ABOUT THE SAFETY RECALL OF A PART. SINCE I DID NOT IMMEDIATELY RECOGNIZE THE PART QUESTION, I HAD TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT FOR AN INSPECTION. THE INSPECTION JUST HAPPENED THIS WEEK AND CONFIRMED MY CAR WAS NOW FINE. I ALSO FOUND OUT THAT I HAD ALREADY PAID FOR THE RECALLED PART MYSELF. I SENT A COMPLAINT LETTER TO FORD MOTOR COMPANY/BOARD OF DIRECTORS FOR A REFUND THE SAME DAY I FILED THIS COMPLAINT WITH YOU.

I HAVE OWNED MY FORD ESCAPE HYBRID SINCE 2005, AND HAVE BEEN AWARE OF A PROBLEM WITH THE MASTER CYLINDER FROM MY LOCAL FORD DEALERSHIP FOR THE PAST YEAR (2011). MY BRAKES SCARY ON THE ROAD WILL STOP WORKING ANYTIME THE 300 VOLT BATTER IS JIGGLED TOO MUCH FROM IT'S HARNESS. ONE BILL ALONE THAT FIT ME OVER A MONTH OF REPAIRS IN THE DEALERSHIP TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM WAS BEYOND TIME CONSUMING AND WAY OVER MY BUDGET. THEY TOLD ME I DIDN'T HAVE TO GET THE MASTER CYLINDER REPLACED RIGHT AWAY, AND IT WAS GOING TO COST AROUND A 1000 DOLLARS WHEN I DID. AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH I'VE NOTICED OTHER PEOPLE COMPLAINING ABOUT THE PROBLEM <HTTP://BLOG.YAGELSKI.COM/2010/01/MY-FORD-ESCAPE-HYBRID-BRAKE-REPAIR.HTML>. I AM A COLLEGE STUDENT AND IF THERE ARE ANY DEFECTS FROM MANUFACTURING SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE... ESPECIALLY BEFORE I GET KILLED OR KILL ANOTHER PERSON FROM DRIVING MY VEHICLE. IT REALLY HAS SCARED ME ON SEVERAL EPISODES SINCE RIGHT AROUND A YEAR AFTER I BOUGHT THE VEHICLE, IT IS NOT CONSISTENT. IT HAPPENS VERY IRREGULARLY BUT ENOUGH TO MAKE ME WORRY AND BE CONCERNED FOR THE SAFETY OF MYSELF AND OTHERS. IN ORDER TO CORRECT THE ISSUE I HAVE TO ROLL TO A STOP TURN THE IGNITION OFF AND RESTART THE SYSTEM. YESTERDAY ALONE IT HAPPENED TWICE AND I HAD TO PULL THE PARKING EMERGENCY BRAKE JUST TO COME TO A SAFE STOP WITHOUT LOSING CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. *TR

I TOOK MY 2005 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID TO THE DEALER ON AUG. 4TH/2011 FOR 30K MAINTENANCE AT A COST OF $715 + $100 COUPON. IMMEDIATELY UPON PICKING UP THE VEHICLE, I NOTICED AN UNUSUAL SLUGGISHNESS ABOUT IT. I DRIVE VERY LITTLE, SO IT TOOK A FEW MORE DAYS (8/4) FOR THE CAR TO BREAK DOWN. IT WAS RUSH-HOUR TRAFFIC, AND CARS WHIZZED BY ME WITH KAMIKAZE MANEUVERS IN A PSYCHOTIC URGE TO PASS ME, AS MY VEHICLE WAS ONLY GOING A FEW MPH. AS THE FREEWAY BEGAN TO RISE, MY CAR SLOWED DOWN EVEN MORE. I THOUGHT IT WAS GOING TO ROLL BACKWARD. I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO DIE AND KILL OTHERS. IT WAS A NIGHTMARE. I HAD TO FEVERISHLY PUMP THE GAS PEDAL TO GET IT TO THE DEALERSHIP. TODAY (8/4/11) THEY CALLED TO TELL ME THAT THE THROTTLE BODY HAD GONE BAD. I LOOKED IT UP ONLINE, AND IT'S NOT A PART THAT 'GOES BAD'...BUT IT DOES REQUIRE CLEANING. UNFORTUNATELY MAINTENANCE OF THE THROTTLE BODY IS NOT A PART OF FORD'S MAINTENANCE PROTOCOL. I READ MANY OTHER HARROWING STORIES OF PEOPLE WHO HAD NEAR MISSES BECAUSE OF THROTTLE BODY MALFUNCTION. AT LEAST A COUPLE OF PEOPLE EVEN HAD WRECKS. EVENTUALLY SOMEONE IS GOING TO GET KILLED. I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW THERE WAS SUCH A PART IN A CAR...I AM NOT A MECHANIC, BUT IF I PAY HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS FOR ROUTINE MAINTENANCE, I DO EXPECT A MECHANIC TO TAKE CARE OF THE PROBLEM! IT WAS HORRIBLE AND VERY FRIGHTENING. I'M JUST GLAD THAT I DIDN'T HURT ANYONE. FORD NEEDS TO REALIZE THAT THIS PROBLEM WILL EVENTUALLY RESULT IN A FATALITY. I HAVE COMPLAINED TO THE FORD MOTOR CO. COMPLAINT LINE, SO HOPEFULLY THEY WILL LISTEN TO US. *TR

AS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, THE ENGINE SUDDENLY SHUT DOWN, AND WAS ABLE TO DRIVE TOWARDS THE SHOULDER. AFTER 5 MINUTES, I WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE ENGINE. TEN MINUTES LATER, IT HAPPENED AGAIN, STILL DRIVING THE HIGHWAY @60 MPH. LUCKILY, NO CARS WERE BEHIND, AND I WAS ABLE TO MOVE TO THE SHOULDER WITHOUT INCIDENT. THE FOLLOWING MONDAY, IT HAPPENED AGAIN, THREE TIMES . CAR WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER, I WAS TOLD THEY HAVE HAD ANOTHER CAR THE SAME MORNING, WITH EXACTLY THE SAME PROBLEM. DIAGNOSTICS: NEED TO REPLACE BOTH HIGH VOLTAGE TRACTION BATTERY COOLING FANS AND TO REPLACE MOTOR ELECTRONICS COOLING PUMP. WHEN DEALER SEARCHED FOR PARTS, THEY COULD NOT FIND ANY IN MN, BECAUSE APPARENTLY ALL DEALERS WERE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. IT WOULD TAKE SEVERAL DAYS UNTIL THEY WOULD GET THE PART FROM CA. FORD IS NOT WILLING TO RECOGNIZE THEY HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THE ENGINE AND BATTERY COOLING SYSTEM, ALTHOUGH IT HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES. FORD EVEN ISSUED TWO TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETINS (TSB 08-24-5 AND TSB 09-17-7) ADDRESSING BOTH ISSUES. IT IS A VERY SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE, GIVEN THE ENGINE SUDDENLY SHUTS DOWN ON THE HIGHWAY, AND THE CAR NEEDS TO BE MOVED RIGHT AWAY TOWARDS THE SHOULDER. CAR COULD BE HIT FROM BEHIND FROM ONCOMING TRAFFIC, GIVEN THE SUDDEN SPEED CHANGE, AND COULD CAUSE FATALITIES. DON'T WANT TO HAVE FOR ANOTHER FIRESTONE - FORD EXPLORER FIASCO.