2006 Ford Escape Hybrid

MY ABS AND BRAKE LIGHT CAME ON AND BRAKES BECAME MANUAL. WHEN I CHECKED ON THE CODES (C1478, C1313 & C1480) I FOUND THAT THERE ARE QUITE A FEW COMPLAINTS OF THIS EXACT PROBLEM, THAT THE REPAIR COST IS RIDICULOUS AT APPROXIMATELY $5000. AND THAT THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS 2006 FORD ESCAPE HYBRIDS. THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD AND SHOULD BE A RECALL BY FORD!

NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO BRAKE, MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE WITH THE HYDROLIC REGENERATIVE BREAKING SYSTEM AND ABS. WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE ON CITY STREETS, SPEEDS BETWEEN 0-40MPH THE BRAKE PEDAL WILL BECOME VERY HARD AND IMPOSSIBLE TO PRESS WITH LOSS OF BRAKING. WHEN THIS HAPPENS I AM FORCED TO RAPIDLY RELEASE THE BRAKE PEDAL AND BRAKE AGAIN (PUMPING) THE BRAKES IN ORDER TO STOP. ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS THIS PUMPING OF THE BRAKES HAS CAUSE THE BREAK PEDAL TO GO FROM HARD/IMPOSSIBLE TO PUSH TO COMPLETELY SOFT HITTING THE FLOOR WITH NO BRAKING CAPABILITIES. ON THESE OCCASIONS I AM FORCED TO PULL OF THE ROAD QUICKLY, DOWNSHIFT TO LOW GEAR AND EVEN USE THE EMERGENCY BRAKE TO AVOID CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. ONLY ABOUT 60% OF THE TIME WHEN THIS EVENT OCCURRED DOES THE ABS LIGHT, BRAKE LIGHT AND SERVICE BRAKE SYSTEM WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATE OR DISPLAY. WHEN THIS OCCURRES I AM USUALLY FORCED TO TURN THE ENGIN OFF, REMOVE THE KEY, LET THE SYSTEM PURGE (MAKES NOISE) AFTER THE VEHICLE SITS FOR A COUPLE MINUTES AND THEN RESTART THE VEHICLE IN ORDER TO KEEP DRIVING AND FIX THE ISSUE. SOMETIMES IT FIXES TO ISSUE FOR THE REST OF THE DRIVING TIME WHILE OTHERS ONLY WORK TEMPORARILY AND THE ISSUE RETURNS ALMOST IMMEDIATELY. I FEEL THAT THIS BRAKING ISSUE IS A HUGE SAFETY CONCERN FOR MY FAMILY AND I AND OUR PIECE OF MIND IN THE SAFETY OF THIS VEHICLE IS NOT GOOD. AS AN ADDITIONAL NOTE THIS BRAKE ISSUE ONLY BECAME EVIDENT AFTER WE HAD ANOTHER RECALL ISSUE FIXED ON THIS VEHICLE FOR STALLING. BEFORE THAT FIX WE NEVER HAD ANY BRAKING ISSUES.

DRIVING CAR AND BRAKES FAILED COMPLETELY. HAD TO JUMP ON THE BRAKES TO GET ANY TRACTION WHATSOEVER. WAS FORTUNATELY ABLE TO USE THE EMERGENCY BRAKE BEFORE I GOT INTO AN ACCIDENT. YELLOW ABS AND RED BRAKE LIGHTS ARE ON, ALONG WITH MESSAGES OF CHECK BRAKE SYSTEM AND REGEN BRAKES DISABLED. APPEARS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM WITH ESCAPE HYBRID THAT IT IS THE HYDRAULIC CONTROL UNIT - A PART TO REPAIR WHICH IS MORE EXPENSIVE THAN THE CAR IS WORTH.

THE BRAKES ON OUR 2006 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID BEGAN GRINDING AROUND FEBRUARY 2016. WE HAD THE PADS AND ROTORS REPLACED AND IT BRAKED BETTER, BUT WITHIN A MILE AFTER LEAVING THE FORD SERVICE CENTER THE BRAKE LIGHT CAME ON AND SHORTLY AFTER - WHILE MOVING - THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR AND THERE WERE NO BRAKES. WE HAD TO COAST TO A STOP AND PULL OVER. WHEN THE CAR IS STOPPED AND TURNED ON AND OFF, YOU CAN SOMETIMES GET THE BRAKES TO WORK FOR LESS THAN A MILE. ITS SO UNSAFE, WE HAD IT TOWED TO SERVICE CENTERS FOR ESTIMATES. TWO FORD DEALERS AND ONE OTHER SERVICE PLACE INVESTIGATED THE PROBLEM THOROUGHLY AND ALL CAME BACK SAYING THE HYDRAULIC CONTROL UNIT MUST BE REPLACED AT AN AVERAGE COST OF $4,500. OTHERWISE, WE LIKE THE CAR, BUT THIS ONE REPAIR IS GREATER THAN THE BLUE BOOK VALUE AND IS VERY DANGEROUS.

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.

CAR HAD BEEN PARKED AT AIRPORT PARKING LOT FOR A MONTH. WHEN RETRIEVING IT UPON RETURN BRAKES FAILED, ABS AND BRAKE SERVICE WARNING LIGHT CAME ON, AND PEDDLE WENT TO THE FLOOR. WE PARKED THE CAR IN THE LOT, RENTED A CAR TO GET HOME. NEXT MORNING WE ARRANGED AAA TO TOW VEHICLE. WHEN TOW OPERATOR CAME THE VEHICLE BRAKING SYSTEMS WAS PERFECTLY FINE. WE CHOSE TO PAY HIM AND DRIVE THE CAR HOME. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER AND EXPLAINED THE ISSUE. THEY NEVER ACKNOWLEDGED ANY UNDERSTANDING OF THIS PROBLEM. THEY REPLACED REAR BRAKE PADS AND ROTORS BECAUSE THERE WAS ALSO LOUD BRAKE NOISE. NOW ONE YEAR LATER, JULY 27 2015, [97000+ MILES] SLOWING FOR A RIGHT TURN ON A RURAL HIGHWAY AND THE BRAKE SYSTEM FAILED AGAIN. WITH NO WARNING THE PEDDLE WENT TO THE FLOOR. WITH A CONCERTED EFFORT I WAS ABLE TO SLOW THE VEHICLE AND MAKE THE TURN WITHOUT INCIDENT. THE ABS LIGHT AND SERVICE BRAKE WARNING LIGHTS WERE LIT. CONDITION PERSISTED AS WE CONTINUED A FEW MILES TO THE SHOPPING PLAZA. AFTER SHOPPING WE DECIDED TO RETURN DIRECTLY HOME, BUT WHEN CAR WAS STARTED THE FAULT HAD CLEARED AND THE BRAKES FUNCTIONED NORMALLY. WE HAVE JUST SPENT THE MORNING SEARCHING INTERNET AND FIND THIS IS AN ISSUE FORD KNOWS ABOUT AND IS DENYING TO ACKNOWLEDGE. AND APPARENTLY IT IS VERY EXPENSIVE TO RESOLVE WITH THE NEED TO REPLACE THE HCU. WE NOW UNDERSTAND WHAT THE PROBLEM IS BUT ARE AMONG THE MANY WHO FEEL THIS IS CERTAINLY A SERIOUS ENOUGH SAFETY ISSUE FORD SHOULD PARTICIPATE IN ITS RESOLVE FOR OWNERS WITH DEFECTIVE BRAKE SYSTEMS. OUR EXPERIENCE SO FAR IS, THAT THOUGH THERE IS SOME ABILITY TO BRAKE IT IS NOT ANYWHERE EQUAL TO THE 'NORMAL' BRAKING CAPACITY AND THAT IS DANGEROUS. AND THE INTERMITTENT AND RANDOM OCCURRENCE IS TROUBLING TO SAY THE LEAST. WE WILL CONTACT THE DEALER TODAY TO GET THE REACTION TO OUR CONCERN.

DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, SUDDENLY RECEIVED WARNING MESSAGE ABOUT THE BRAKES AND HEARD WARNING BEEPS. IMMEDIATELY I LOST ALL BRAKING ABILITY (BRAKE PEDAL FELT SOFT AND GIVE VERY LITTLE RESISTANCE) BUT STILL HAD ACCELERATION AND STEERING CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. I NAVIGATED THE CAR TO A SIDE STREET AND WAS ABLE TO SLOW THE CAR DOWN TO AN EVENTUAL STOP ON THE SHOULDER USING THE EMERGENCY/PARKING BRAKE. I TURNED THE CAR OFF FOR APPROXIMATELY 5 MINUTES. TESTED THE PRESSURE ON THE BRAKE PEDAL AND IT SEEMED NORMAL. I THEN STARTED THE CAR UP AND MOVED A LITTLE BIT FORWARD AND DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL AND EVERYTHING WORKED FINE. NO WARNING MESSAGES OR SOUNDS. THE CAR OPERATED NORMALLY AS I DROVE IT BACK TO A SAFE SPOT. *TR

BASICALLY, THIS IS HAPPENING AT LEAST 1 X / DAY. I AM TAKING BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP TOMORROW, BUT FORD REALLY NEEDS TO RECALL THIS VEHICLE AND GET THIS FIXED. I WAS DRIVING ON A REGULAR ROAD AND MY ABS BRAKE LIGHT AND SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON WITH THE WARNING BELL. MY HYDRAULIC BRAKES FAILED AGAIN! I PUT MY FLASHERS ON, PULLED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, I DEPRESSED THE BRAKE ALL THE WAY THE FLOOR AND ROLLED TO A STOP WITH THROBBING EMERGENCY BRAKES STILL WORKING. THEN I TURN OFF MY VEHICLE AFTER PUTTING IT INTO PARK, TAKE OUT THE KEY, WAIT A FEW SECONDS, THEN START THE CAR AGAIN. IT WORKS AGAIN TEMPORARILY. NOW, I KNOW HOW TO DEAL WITH IT AND I PLAN FOR IT SINCE IT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME, BUT IF I AM EVER IN A SITUATION WHERE I CANNOT CONTROL MY ENVIRONMENT, I CANNOT GUARANTEE SOMEONE WILL NOT BE HARMED OR KILLED AS A RESULT OF THIS FAILURE IN MY VEHICLE. PLEASE! HELP US DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS. THIS NEEDS TO BE FIXED!!!

DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD I HAD A COMPLETE LOSS OF NORMAL AND EFFECTIVE BRAKING. THE ABS AND BRAKE SERVICE LIGHTS BOTH CAME ON IN THE DASH AND IN ORDER TO BRING THE VEHICLE TO A STOP IT, IT BECAME NECESSARY TO DEPRESS THE BRAKE PEDAL AS HARD AS POSSIBLE ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR. WHENEVER ATTEMPTING TO BRAKE THE VEHICLE WOULD LUNGE TO THE RIGHT, CLEARLY INDICATING THAT (AT LEAST) THE FRONT BRAKE ON THE PASSENGER SIDE WAS COMPLETELY USELESS/INEFFECTIVE. NEEDLESS TO SAY, THIS WAS A VERY TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCE AS IT TOOK ALL OF MY SKILL AS A MOTORIST TO AVOID A COLLISION WITH THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME AND TO PROTECT MY WIFE AND TWO CHILDREN WHO WERE ALSO WITH ME. AFTER GETTING ONLINE AND READING COUNTLESS FORUMS AND ARTICLES, I DISCOVERED THAT IT IS A DISTURBINGLY COMMON PROBLEM WITH FORD ESCAPE HYBRIDS TO LOSE EFFECTIVE BRAKING BY WAY OF A FAULTY HYDRAULIC CONTROL UNIT: A PART TO WHICH I LATER FOUND OUT COSTS AN APPROXIMATE $4,200 TO ACQUIRE. AFTER BRINGING THE VEHICLE TO A LOCAL FORD DEALER, I DISCOVERED THAT THIS WAS, IN FACT, THE EXACT PROBLEM WITH MY ESCAPE. THIS VEHICLE, APART FROM THE FAULTY HCU, IS IN INCREDIBLY GOOD SHAPE AND HAS NO OTHER MECHANICAL ISSUES. IT IS AN ABSOLUTE ATROCITY THAT FORD HAS NOT ISSUED A RECALL FOR THIS PART. IT HAS BEEN MADE VERY CLEAR THAT THEY HAVE NO INTENTION OF RECALLING THIS DANGEROUS UNIT UNTIL, INEVITABLY, FATALITIES OCCUR.