2006 Ford Escape Hybrid

I WAS DRIVING IN THE FAST LANE ON THE HIGHWAY AT 70 MPH WHEN MY CAR BASICALLY SHUT DOWN AND TOLD ME TO "PULL OVER SAFELY". A RED TRIANGLE (WITH THE EXCLAMATION POINT IN THE CENTER) APPEARED ON THE MESSAGE BOARD ALONG WITH THE "PULL OVER SAFELY" MESSAGE AND A CHIMING/ALERT SOUND. THIS WAS ON LABOR DAY, SO THE HIGHWAY WAS INCREDIBLY BUSY AND IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO CROSS OVER LANES AND "PULL OVER SAFELY". ADDITIONALLY, WHEN THIS MESSAGE APPEARS, IT PRETTY MUCH SHUTS DOWN YOUR CAR, NOT ALLOWING YOU TO ACCELERATE AT ALL WHICH ALSO MADE IT MORE DIFFICULT TO GET OVER. I MANAGED TO PULL OVER, TURNED OFF MY CAR AND THEN RESTARTED IT. THAT WAS ALL IT TOOK. NO ADDITIONAL MESSAGES OR PROBLEMS...YET. I PROBABLY HAD TO DRIVE AN ADDITIONAL 30 MILES OR SO HOME WITHOUT ANY ADDITIONAL MESSAGES SHOWING UP. THIS SERIOUSLY FRUSTRATED ME AS I HAVE YET TO BE ABLE TO FIND MUCH MORE INFORMATION ON THE ISSUE. IT SEEMS TO BE CAUSED FOR A DIFFERENT REASON FOR EACH PERSON. I HONESTLY DO NOT KNOW WHAT GENIUS AT FORD THOUGHT IT WAS A GOOD IDEA TO INCORPORATE THAT FEATURE INTO THE VEHICLE. IT WAS AN EXTREMELY SCARY SITUATION AND PUT THE SAFETY OF MYSELF, THOSE IN MY CAR, AND THE CARS AROUND ME AT A SERIOUS RISK FOR OUR SAFETY. IN ADDITION, IT IS VERY HARD TO FEEL SAFE DRIVING IN MY CAR NOW, AS I DO NOT KNOW WHEN THIS WILL HAPPEN AGAIN OR WHAT WILL PROMPT IT.

I WAS DRIVING TO WORK WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN A YELLOW WRENCH LIGHT CAME ON, MY CAR SHUT DOWN, AND I HAD TO COAST ACROSS 3 LANES OF HIGHWAY TRAFFIC TO STOP ON THE SHOULDER. IT WOULDN'T START AT FIRST, THEN I TRIED AGAIN AND IT STARTED AND DROVE THE REST OF THE WAY JUST FINE. I HAVE READ HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE SAME ISSUE. APPARENTLY THE THROTTLE BODY HAS A DEFECT GETTING OPEN OR CLOSED, CODES P2111 AND P2112, RESPECTIVELY. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS AND I CAN'T BELIEVE A RECALL HASN'T BEEN ISSUED FOR THIS BY FORD. I WAS ALREADY VICTIM OF ANOTHER RECALL FOR THE MEP FAILING THAT CAUSED THE SAME THING TO HAPPEN, COMPLETE SYSTEM SHUT DOWN. WHAT KIND OF JOKE FOR A SAFE VEHICLE IS THIS? I'M ABHORRED AND WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER FORD, AND I WILL MAKE SURE EVERYONE I SPEAK TO KNOWS HOW MUCH FORD DOESN'T TAKE CARE OF THEIR CUSTOMERS. THEY SHOULD BE ASHAMED.

I HAD GONE VA BEACH TO WASHINGTON D.C. AND WAS ON THE WAY BACK WHEN THE VEHICLE HAD COMPLETELY SHUTDOWN JUST BEFORE THE HAMPTON ROADS BRIDGE TUNNEL IN NEWPORT NEWS. WE WERE ON THE INTERSTATE DURING THE ENTIRE TRIP AND WAS LUCKY TO BE IN THE RIGHT LANE. A AAA BE TOW TRUCK PULLED US OFF TO THE SIDE. WE TRIED TO RESTART IT BUT IT SHUT OFF. EVERYTHING ELSE WAS WORKING FINE. I WENT BACK THE NEXT DAY AND THE VEHICLE WORKED FINE. I HAD IT CHECKED OUT BY THE DEALER AND THEY SAID THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH IT. I JUST HAD THE COOLING PUMP REPLACED BECAUSE OF THE RECALL. I LOOKED AT THE MANUAL AND IT STATED THAT WHEN THE HIGH VOLTAGE BATTERY GETS TOO HOT THAT IT WILL SHUT OFF. THIS COULD CAUSE A SERIOUS ACCIDENT. I BELIEVE THAT FORD SHOULD FIND A WAY TO ALLOW THE VEHICLE TO STILL OPERATE ON GAS POWER WHEN HIGH VOLTAGE BATTERY NEEDS TO COOL DOWN AND TO FIND A WAY TO ALLOW BETTER VENTILATION SO THE BATTERY DOES NOT GET SO HOT SINCE IT IS LOCATED IN THE TRUNK WHERE PEOPLE PUT THEIR BELONGINGS.

I WAS DRIVING ON A STATE ROAD AT ABOUT 45 MPG WHEN THE CAR STARTED TO OVERHEAT, AC WAS NOT COOLING AS IT WAS BEFORE THE WARNING THEN A SAFETY SIGN CAME ON THE DASHBOARD TO STOP THE VEHICLE SAFELY. THE NEXT DAY (SATURDAY) I CALLED GREENWAY FORD DEALERSHIP, COLONIAL SR 50, FL AND ASK IF THERE IS A RECALL ON MY VEHHICLE AND EXPLAINED WHAT HAPPENED. I WAS TOLD YES THERE IS A RECALL ON THE COOLING PUMP/MOTOR TO BRING IN THE VEHICLE ON MONDAY. I PAID FOR THE VEHICLE TO BE TOWED ON MONDAY AT 7:30AM AS I WAS TOLD NOT TO DRIVE IT. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP TO ENSURE THAT THE VEHICLE WAS THERE AND ASKED TO BE CONTACTED ONCE A DIAGNOSIS WAS DONE. NO ONE CALLED ME UNTIL 4:30PM TO PICK UP THE VEHICLE. TWO DAYS LATER THE VEHICLE WARNING SIGN CAME ON AGAIN TO SAFELY STOP THE VEHICLE. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP AGAIN AND I WAS TOLD I CAN WAIT AND SEE IF IT HAPPENS AGAIN WHICH I DID A COUPLE WEEKS LATER AND LEFT A VOICE MESSAGE. TWO DAYS AGO, THE SAME WARNING SAFETY SIGN CAME ON. YESTERDAY, I PRIVATELY WENT TO A MECHANIC TO RUN A DIAGNOSTIC, WHICH HAD AN ERROR CODE OF P1A10 - HYBRID POWERTRAIN MODULE -BATTERY DISABLED. I WENT TO THE DEALERSHIP AS I HAD NO RETURN CALL FROM THE MANAGER MARK FOSTER. AFTER 2 AND 1/2 HOURS I WAS TOLD THAT I HAVE TO REPLACE THE HYBRID BATTERY COOLING FANS AS ONE IS NOT WORKING FOR A COST OF $1,127.26 WHEN I INQUIRED ABOUT THE HYBRID BATTERY BEING DISABLED I WAS TOLD BY THE MANAGER AND TECHNICIAN THAT THE "BATTERY IS PROTECTING ITSELF FROM MELTING OR CATCHING ON FIRE BY DISABLING". THE PROBLEM THAT EXISTED PRIOR TO CHANGING THE COOLING PUMP STILL EXISTS AND THE FORD COMPANY NOR THE DEALERSHIP IS TAKING ANY RESPONSIBILITY.

THE ANTI-THEFT SYSTEM IS UNSTABLE AND IS TRIGGERED RANDOMLY. THIS IS AN ONGOING PROBLEM WITH THIS VEHICLE AND HAS BEEN REPORTED WIDELY AMONG OTHER OWNERS OF FORD ESCAPE - MODEL AND YEAR ARE VARIED. THE ANTI-THEFT SYSTEM IS TRIGGERED BY NO EXTERNAL CAUSE BUT DOES SEEM TO REACT STRONGLY TO HEAT. ALTHOUGH LATELY THIS IS NOW HAPPENING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT. FORD CHARGES EXCESSIVELY FOR DIAGNOSES AND REPAIR AND IT IS GENERALLY FOUND TO BE A PROBLEM WITH AN ACCESS POINT SENSOR. THIS IS A SYSTEMIC PROBLEM WITH THE FORD ALARM SYSTEM AND SHOULD NOT BE THE CONSUMER THAT BEARS THE BRUNT OF RESPONSIBILITY FOR A DEFECT THAT THE CORPORATION IS BUILDING INTO ALL YEARS OF THE FORD ESCAPE.

WHILE TEST DRIVING MY 2006 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID AT THE BILL WALSH DEALERSHIP IN OTTOWA, IL FEB 2009, SALESMAN [XXX]TOLD ME THAT THE INTERMITTENT HIGH PITCHED NOISE FROM THE BATTERY COMPARTMENT WAS NORMAL. WHEN I TOOK THE CAR IN FOR SERVICE NOV. 2009 AT THE TOM WOOD FORD DEALERSHIP IN CARMEL, IN, I WAS TOLD THAT THE SOUND WAS DUE TO A FAILED BATTERY DOOR ACTUATOR. I WAS TOLD THAT FAILURE TO REPLACE THIS PART COULD RESULT IN THE BATTERY OVERHEATING, AND POSSIBLE EXPLOSION OF THE HYBRID BATTERY. I PAID TO HAVE THE PART REPLACED, AND IT BROKE AGAIN MAY 2010. AFTER DOING RESEARCH, I HAVE FOUND THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR