2006 Ford Escape Hybrid

AS I WAS APPROACHING AN INTERSECTION AND RED LIGHT, MY BRAKES SUDDENLY STOPPED WORKING. I LITERALLY HAD TO STAND ON THE BRAKE AND IT FINALLY STOPPED MOVING. I CONTINUED TO DRIVE HOME AT LESS THAN 10 MPH AND HAD TO LET OFF THE GAS IN ORDER TO SLOW THE VEHICLE DOWN TO ATTEMPT TO USE THE BRAKES AND CAR WOULD SHAKE WHEN BRAKE WAS APPLIED. TOOK TO MECHANIC WHO CHECKED THE CODE AND IT WAS THE TRAVEL SENSOR.

ABS BREAK LIGHT CAME ON AND THE CAR FAILED TO STOP. WAS DRIVING ON THE ROAD IN A SMALL TOWN AND WAS STOPPING TO TURN ON TO A ROAD. THE PROBLEM HAD ALSO HAPPEN WHEN SOMEONE HAS STOPPED SUDDENLY IN FRONT OF ME AND I NEEDED TO BREAK SUDDENLY. HAD BREAK FLUID CHANGED AT FORD DEALERSHIP AND DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEM. WHEN YOU NEED TO STOP SUDDENLY AND HIT THE BREAKS HARD, THE PEDAL HARD IT STIFFENS UP AND WILL NOT STOP THE CAR. IF YOU TURN OFF THE CAR AND WAIT A FEW MINUTES AND TURN IT BACK ON, IT SEEMS TO RESET IT UNTIL YOU HIT THE BREAKS HARD AGAIN.

I WAS DRIVING AT A NORMAL SPEED, APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, ON A CITY STREET. AS TRAFFIC SLOWED I BEGAN TO DEPRESS THE BRAKE PEDAL AND SUDDENLY I GOT SEVERAL ALERTS ON MY INSTRUMENT CLUSTER (BRAKE, ABS, AND REGEN DISCONNECT). AT THE SAME TIME I LOST ALL OR MOST OF MY BRAKING POWER. I WAS FORCED TO USE THE PARK BRAKE TO STOP THE VEHICLE, AND BARELY AVOIDED A COLLISION WITH ANOTHER VEHICLE.THIS WAS A VERY FRIGHTENING EXPERIENCE. AFTER THE VEHICLE SAT FOR A SHORT TIME, WITH THE ENGINE OFF, THE SYSTEM APPARENTLY RESET ITSELF AND WHEN I RE-STARTED THE ENGINE ALL FUNCTIONS WERE OPERATIONAL ONCE AGAIN, AND ALL THE ALERTS WERE GONE. HOWEVER, THIS PERIOD WAS BRIEF. THINKING THIS MIGHT BE A SYSTEM GLITCH, I CAUTIOUSLY DROVE THE VEHICLE HOME. THE NEXT DAY THIS FAILURE RETURNED AFTER ABOUT 20 MILES OF DRIVING. AT THIS TIME I REALIZED THAT THERE IS A SERIOUS FLAW IN THE HYBRID BRAKING SYSTEM OF THIS MODEL YEAR FORD ESCAPE, AND POSSIBLY OTHER MODEL YEARS. I CONTACTED A LOCAL FORD DEALERSHIP AND I WAS SHOCKED WHEN THEY INFORMED ME THERE ARE NO RECALLS ON THIS VEHICLE FOR THIS PARTICULAR FAILURE. AS A MECHANIC I FIND THIS RIDICULOUS. AFTER A BRIEF SEARCH ONLINE I FOUND MANY HYBRID FORD ESCAPE OWNER'S THAT HAD THE SAME PROBLEM AS I DID. AT THIS POINT I DEEMED MY VEHICLE UNSAFE TO DRIVE AND DECIDED THE BEST THING TO DO WAS TO REPORT THIS FAILURE TO THE NHTSA WITH THE HOPES THAT THE FORD MOTOR COMPANY WILL DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS FAILURE BEFORE SOMEBODY GETS SERIOUSLY INJURED OR KILLED. MY OPINION IS THE PROBLEM IS IN THE HYDRAULIC CONTROL UNIT. (HCU). THIS IS A COMPLEX ELECTRONIC BRAKE CONTROL UNIT THAT IS SPECIFIC TO THE FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. FOR THE RECORD MY VEHICLE HAD ABOUT 146,000 MILES ON IT WHEN THIS HAPPENED.

THE ABS LIGHT COMES ON, AND AFTER DRIVING IT FOR A FEW MINUTES, THE BRAKES COMPLETELY DO NOT WORK. AFTER BRINGING IT TO A FORD DEALERSHIP, THE PART ITSELF IS ABOUT $5,000 NOT INCLUDING LABOR. (HYDROCOLIC CONTROL UNIT). THEY DIDNT RECOMMEND FIXING IT BECAUSE OF HOW EXPENSIVE IT IS. I STILL OWE $5,000 SO IM STUCK PAYING FOR A PART THAT IS WORTH MORE THEN THE CAR ITSELF.

I WAS APPROACHING A T-INTERSECTION AND ATTEMPTED TO MAKE A STOP AT THE STOP SIGN, BUT THE BRAKE PEDAL RESISTED MY FOOT PRESSURE AND I COULD NOT GET THE VEHICLE TO SLOW DOWN. I MANAGED TO MANEUVER THROUGH THE INTERSECTION WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT AND SPOTTED A SAFE PLACE TO PULL OVER TO GATHER MY THOUGHTS. THE BRAKE PEDAL AGAIN FAILED TO WORK WHEN I ATTEMPTED TO PULL OVER, BUT I USED THE EMERGENCY BRAKE TO STOP THE VEHICLE.. ONLY, THIS TIME THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOD, WITH NO BRAKING EFFECT TO THE VEHICLE. THIS TIME, UNLIKE THE FIRST, 2 BRAKE WARNING INDICATORS (ABS & BRAKES!) ILLUMINATED ON THE DRIVER'S CONSOLE. I TURNED OFF THE VEHICLE AND RESTARTED IT, AND THE INDICATORS HAD DISAPPEARED AND THE BRAKE PEDAL HAD NORMAL RESISTANCE TO MY FOOT PRESSURE AND THE BRAKES WORKED NORMALLY. I CALLED A LOCAL FORD DEALERSHIP AND THEY DESCRIBED THE PROBLEM AS A 'GLITCH', AND SAID IT WAS MOST LIKELY A SENSOR OR SOME OTHER COMPUTER MALFUNCTION, BUT THAT NO WORK DONE TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM WOULD BE COVERED SINCE THE VEHICLE IS OUT OF WARRANTY. WANTING MORE INFORMATION, I LOCATED A VIDEO ON YOUTUBE.COM THAT SHOWS ANOTHER VEHICLE WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. THE VIDEO IS SEARCHABLE AND IS FOUND UNDER THE TITLE OF 'FORD ESCAPE HYBRID BRAKE PROBLEM'. I SEARCHED FOR ANY RECALLS FOR THIS SAME VEHICLE'S VIN, BUT FOUND NONE LISTED. WHAT CAN BE DONE ON BEHALF OF THE CONSUMER, ESPECIALLY IF THOSE VIDEO COST ESTIMATIONS ARE CORRECT?

I BOUGHT A 10 YEAR OLD 2006 ESCAPE HYBRID WITH 73,000 MILES. AFTER 4,000 MILE THE ABS LIGHT WOULD GO ON AND THE BRAKES WOULD GO INTO MANUAL MODE AND THE WARNING LIGHTS READ CHECK BRAKE SYSTEM AND REGEN DISENAGED. AFTER RESTARTING THE CAR THE PROBLEM WOULD GO AWAY. THIS WOULD HAPPEN WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS MOVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS. THE CAR STILL DID STOP WITH MORE BRAKE PRESSURE. WE BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY RESET THE ERROR CODES AND GAVE US BACK THE CAR. THEY STATED THIS WAS PER THE FORD CORPORATE STANDARDS AND THEY COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE BRAKES DESPITE THE ERROR CODES. ABOUT 6 WEEKS LATER THE PROBLEM HAPPENED AGAIN AND KEPT HAPPENING. HOWEVER, THIS TIME THE BRAKE PEDAL IS SOFT AND WE ARE NOT CONFIDENT IT WILL STOP EVERY TIME AS IT DID BEFORE. WE BROUGHT IT BACK TO THE DEALER. NOW FORD HAS DIAGNOSED AN ISSUE WITH THE MASTER CYLINDER, HCU AND ABS COMPUTER ALL NEED TO BE REPLACED FOR $8100 (I ONLY PAID $7500 FOR THE CAR). SINCE FORD ARE THE ONLY ONES THAT CAN CALIBRATE THE ABS COMPUTER WE CANNOT GET THE REPAIR CHEAPER ELSEWHERE. FORD WILL DO NOTHING BECAUSE IT IS OUT OF THE WARRANTY PERIOD.