2006 Ford Escape Hybrid

THE HYBRID ELECTRONICS SYSTEM OVERHEATED, THE DASHBOARD LIGHTS WENT ON AND THE ALERT SYSTEM SAID TO "STOP CAR SLOWLY" AND THEN "CHECK EMISSIONS SYSTEM". THE CAR SLOWED DOWN AND LOST ALMOST ALL POWER. AFTER TURNING IT ON AGAIN, THE CAR HAD NO POWER AND COULD NOT ACCELERATE. IT WAS LIKE THIS FOR SEVERAL MINUTES (THIS HAS HAPPENED BEFORE BUT THE CAR SEEMED NORMAL AFTER THE INITIAL STALL). THE CAR WAS TOWED TO A NEARBY MECHANIC'S GARAGE AND THEY TOLD US THE PROBLEM WAS WITH THE MECS PUMP WHICH WAS CAUSING THE HYBRID SYSTEM TO OVERHEAT. THIS SEEMS REMARKABLY SIMILAR TO RECALL #14S19 AND I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW MY CAR IS NOT COVERED UNDER IT. I ALSO CHATTED WITH A REP FROM FORD WHO COULDN'T TELL ME WHY MY CAR WASN'T COVERED. WHILE I UNDERSTAND THAT RECALLS ARE VIN SPECIFIC I BELIEVE THERE IS AN ERROR ON FORD'S END. THE REP TOLD ME MY VEHICLE WAS BUILT ON JULY 29, 2005 AND THE RECALL INCLUDES VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM 2005 TO JUNE 20, 2008. SHE SAID SHE COULDN'T FIND AN EXACT DATE FOR THE START OF THE "BUILD DATE" RANGE, BUT SHE THOUGHT IT INCLUDED ALL OF 2005. SO I SAID "SHOULDN'T MINE BE COVERED?" SIMILARLY, THE 14S19 RECALL NOTICE STATES: "MODEL YEAR 2005-2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID ELECTRIC VEHICLES MANUFACTURED OCTOBER 13, 2003, TO JUNE 20, 2008". I BOUGHT THE CAR IN LATE 2015, AFTER THE INITIAL RECALL DATE WAS ISSUED AND THE DEALER STATED THAT THERE WERE NO OUTSTANDING RECALL MATTERS WITH THE VEHICLE. HOWEVER, THE CAR ONLY HAD 60,000 MILES ON IT AND WAS LIGHTLY USED SO I WONDER IF THE PREVIOUS OWNER WAS EVEN AWARE OF THE MECS ISSUES. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. I AM CURRENTLY FACING $1,300 IN REPAIR COSTS AND THIS LOOKS EXACTLY LIKE THE RECALL PROBLEMS MENTIONED IN 14S19. I HOPE SOMEONE AT NHTSA CAN HELP BECAUSE I THINK FORD SHOULD REIMBURSE ME FOR THE DAMAGES. THANKS AGAIN. PLEASE CONTACT ME AT [XXX] IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

2006 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID WITH APPROX. 140,000 MILES. INITIALLY, HAD PROBLEMS WITH VEHICLE'S GAS ENGINE STALLING OUT WHILE IN MOTION AND AT VARIOUS SPEEDS FROM 35 TO 55 MPH. MESSAGE IN DASH SAID TO PULL OVER SAFELY. THIS HAPPENED 5 TIMES IN ONE DAY AND EACH TIME THE VEHICLE WOULD RESTART AND RUN FOR ONLY A FEW MINUTES. NEXT DAY IT RAN FOR ABOUT 15 MINUTES BEFORE OCCURRING ONCE AGAIN. EVENTUALLY THE HYBRID BATTERY HAD NO MORE JUICE AND I HAVE TO BE TOWED. GARAGE, NOT DEALER DX STICKING THROTTLE LINKAGE ASSEMBLY. THEY CLEANED IT, RECHARGED THE HYBRID BATTERY AND REPROGRAMMED THE COMPUTER. VEHICLE WORKED WELL FOR 6 WEEKS AND THEN PROBLEM RETURNED. ONLY DIFFERENCE WAS THAT AFTER INITIALLY STALLING OUT WHEN THE ENGINE WAS WARM, ON 2 OCCASIONS OCCURRED WHEN ENGINE WAS COLD. RETURNED IT TO GARAGE WHERE IT STALLED WHEN COLD ONE OF THOSE TIMES. AFTER THAT IS DIDN'T STALL FOR THEM AGAIN. GARAGE LOOKED ON LINE AND SAW A NUMBER OF POSSIBLE CAUSES FOR THE PROBLEM, BUT NO CONCLUSIVE DIAGNOSIS OR FIX. THEY SUGGESTED THAT CHANGING THE THROTTLE LINKAGE ASSEMBLY MIGHT FIX THE PROBLEM, BUT THEY WERE NOT CONFIDENT OF THIS. VEHICLE NOT REPAIRED.

CAR SHUTS OFF WITH LITTLE OR NO WARNING, 3 TIMES NOW, ONCE ON INTERSTATE 64. DEALER FIRST SAID HYBRID BATTERY BAD, 2ND OPINION FROM HYBRID BATTERY COMPANY SAID BATTERY GOOD. DEALER SAID, 2ND TIME WITH CAR, NEED A $600 REPAIR THAT WILL RESOLVE. NOW, DEALER SAYS NO, THE BATTERY IS STILL THE ISSUE. THEY STILL CANNOT STATE WHY THE CAR DOES IT, WHAT WILL MAKE THIS CAR SAFE TO DRIVE AND IF THEY TRULY KNOW IT IS THE BATTERY, WHY DID THEY DO THE $600 REPAIR AND TELL US THAT WOULD FIX THE PROBLEM. I HAVE ASKED WYNNE FORD IN HAMPTON VA, THE DEALER, FOR A POC AT FORD MOTOR COMPANY TO BE ABLE TO GET ANSWERS ON HOW TO MAKE/KNOW OUR12 YR OLD CAR IS SAFE TO DRIVE, BEEN OVER A MONTH, BUT HAVE RECIEVED NO INFORMATION FROM WYNNE FORD. I GUESS I NEED TO DRIVE TO MICHIGAN TO SEE MR. WILLIAM CLAY FORD JR FOR ANSWERS. I DO NOT KNOW THE EXACT MILEAGE ON THE VEHICLE, VEHICLE IS AT THE DEALERSHIP. ALSO, THE ISSUE HAS HAPPENED 3 TIMES BUT THE LATEST WAS AROUND OCT 2018. EACH INCIDENT, WE HAD TO GET VEHICLE TOWED.

THE VEHICLE HESITATES WHEN ACCELERATING AFTER COMING FROM A STOP, IT IS NOT TRANSMISSION, IT IS LIKE IT IS NOT GETTING FUEL. THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY WITHOUT WARNING OR REASON SHUTS OFF ALL POWER WHILE DRIVING. THE RED TRIANGLE WITH EXCLAMATION LIGHT COMES ON WITH A WARNING TO STOP SAFELY NOW ON THE DASHBOARD AND YOU ARE STRANDED. THIS HAS HAPPENED BOTH WHILE ACCELERATING FROM A STOP AND WHILE DRIVING BOTH FREEWAY AND SURFACE STREET SPEEDS, SUDDENLY. I AM AFRAID NOT ONLY TO NOT ONLY DRIVE THE VEHICLE BUT HAVING ANYONE IN THE CAR WITH ME, ESPECIALLY MAKING A LEFT TURN. IT IS NOT A SAFE VEHICLE. IT HAS LEFT ME STRANDED ON A DARK STREET AROUND 9PM, CUTTING OFF ON THE FREEWAY LEAVING ME NO CHOICE BUT TO COAST OFF THE SIDE OF THE FREEWAY. AGAIN IT JUST SHUT DOWN AGAIN WHILE DRIVING STRAIGHT @ 40 MPH, WHILE DRIVING ON THE SURFACE STREETS, THIS TIME IT WAS EARLY EVENING BUT ONCE AGAIN LEFT ALONE STRANDED UNTIL THE TOW TRUCK COMES. THE DEALER CAN FIND NOTHING WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE AND INDICATED THERE ARE NO RECALLS THAT WOULD ADDRESS THIS PROBLEM. BUT I CAN SEE THROUGH THE COMPLAINTS THERE IS AN OBVIOUS PROBLEM WITH THIS VEHICLE, WHICH IS AN EXTREME SAFETY ISSUE THAT IS NOT BEING ADDRESSED.

OUR VEHICLE SEEMINGLY RANDOMLY SHUTS OFF ALL POWER TO THE ENGINE AND THE ELECTRIC MOTOR. THIS CAN HAPPEN WHILE WE ARE MOVING OR STOPPED IN AN INTERSECTION. WE GET A MESSAGE OF STOP SAFELY NOW ON THE DASHBOARD. WHEN YOU ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION WAITING TO TURN LEFT IN SIX LANES OF TRAFFIC AND YOUR CAR STOPS FOR NO APPARENT REASON THIS ISN'T VERY SAFE. THIS HAS HAPPENED ABOUT 30 TIMES. SOMETIMES IT GOES A YEAR WITHOUT A MISHAP OR THREE TIMES IN ONE DAY.

FORD MEC PUMP RECALL, DID NOT HELP AFTER REPLACING PART. MY ESCAPE DIED ON ME WHILE GOING 70 MPH ON A BUSY HIGHWAY, WITH MY 18-MONTH OLD SON IN THE BACK SEAT. THE "STOP SAFELY NOW" MESSAGE APPEARED AND I WAS BARELY ABLE TO GET OVER 3 LANES ONTO THE SHOULDER BEFORE IT STOPPED COMPLETELY, WITH CARS SPEEDING RIGHT PAST ME. THIS WAS VERY DANGEROUS. IT HAPPENED 2 MORE TIMES ON THE WAY HOME. THIS WAS DURING THE LAST HALF OF JUST A 20 MILE TRIP.

THE BRAKE SYSTEM IS VERY IRRITATING BECAUSE MY ABS AND BRAKE LIGHT ARE ON AT WEIRD TIMES AND TO FIX THEY SAID IT WOULD COST ME $4500. THAT'S RIDICULOUS I CAN'T AFFORD SOMETHING LIKE THAT. IT ALSO JUST STARTED SPITTING GAS OUT AT ME WHEN I GO TO FILL IT UP. DID IT TO ME TWICE THE OTHER DAY AND I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THE REASONING WAS FOR THAT NEVER HAD HAPPEN BEFORE. THEN WHEN I GO TO DROVE OFF SOMETIMES THE VEHICLE LIKES TO MAKE A POP NOISE ONCE OR TWICE NOT SURE WHAT THAT'S ALL ABOUT. THESE CARS ARE HAVE MORE PROBLEMS THEN THEY ARE WORTH.

WHEN IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION, SUDDENLY THE "STOP SAFELY NOW" LIGHT CAME ON AND THE VEHICLE IMMEDIATELY SHUT DOWN. THE SHUT DOWN APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN CAUSED BY A FAULTY COOLANT SYSTEM. FROM ONLINE REPORTS, THIS IS A FREQUENT PROBLEM WITH THIS MODEL AND IS VERY UNSAFE. I WAS ALMOST HIT BY SURROUNDING TRAFFIC BECAUSE OF THE IMMEDIATE LOSS OF POWER AND CONTROL. *TR