2007 Ford Escape Hybrid

WENT TO PRESS ON THE BRAKES TO NOT HIT AN ANIMAL AND YELLOW ABS LIGHT ILLUMINATES,RED BRAKE LIGHT ILLUMINATES, AND "SERVICE BRAKE SYSTEM" MESSAGE APPEARED AND THE CAR JUST SLID. ONCE DRIVING YOUR ABS SYSTEM IS DEACTIVATED CAUSING THE CAR TO JUST SLIDE WHEN PRESSING ON THE BRAKES. AN OBDI CODE READER INDICATES C1478, C1479, AND C1480. FORD RECOMMENDS CHANGING HYDRAULIC CONTROL UNIT COSTING OVER 5 THOUSAND DOLLARS. WHEN UNLOCKING THE CAR OR TURNING THE KEY IGNITION TO THE ON POSITION YOU HEAR THE BRAKES TRYING TO BUILD UP PRESSURE AND THEN YOU HEAR A LOUD GRINDING NOISE AND THAT IS WHEN ALL THE MESSAGES APPEAR ON THE DASH. THIS SEEMS TO BE A REOCCURRING ISSUE WITH FORD ESCAPE HYBRIDS MADE FROM 2005 THROUGH 2008 ACCORDING TO MANY CUSTOMERS. NO RECALL YET.

THE ABS BRAKE LIGHT AND RED BRAKE LIGHTS COME ON AND I HAVE VERY LIMITED BRAKING. ALMOST LIKE BRAKING ON AN ICY ROAD AND AT TIMES ALMOST COLLIDED WITH SOME CARS. THEN IT'S NOT ON THE NEXT TIME I START IT UP AGAIN, ONLY TO COME ON AGAIN ON A DIFFERENT DAY OR SO. BROUGHT THE CAR IN TO MY MECHANIC, BUT SINCE THE LIGHTS WEREN'T ON AT THAT TIME, THEY COULD NOT DIAGNOSE IT. THEY DID HOWEVER CHECK OUT MY BRAKES AND SAID EVERYTHING LOOKED FINE. I HAVE 2 SMALL CHILDREN IN MY CAR AND DRIVE 20 MILES EACH WAY EVERYDAY TO WORK AND THEIR SCHOOL, THIS IS NOT SAFE!! THE LIGHTS GO AND AND THEN OFF THE NEXT TIME, WHEN THE LIGHTS ARE OFF, THE BRAKES ARE JUST FINE! THERE IS SOMETHING DEFECTIVE HERE THAT IS HAPPENING AND MY MECHANIC CANNOT FIGURE IT OUT!!! THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR 7 MONTHS NOW!! I WILL SUBMIT THE DATE BELOW OF THE LAST TIME IT HAPPENED.

A B S BRAKES QUIT WORKING AFTER A HARD STOP IN A PARKING LOT TO AVOID HITTING ANOTHER VEHICLE, AFTER THE FORD DEALERSHIP HAD THE ESCAPE FOR4 MONTHS AND IN CONSTANT CONTACT WITH THE MANUFACTOR WITH A RESULT OF REPLACING THEMASTER CYLINDER, TRAVEL SENSORAND NUMEROUS CONTAINERS OF BRAKE FLUID THEY WERE STILL UNABLE TO GET ANY BRAKES. AT THIS POINT THE MANUFACTOR DECIDED IT NEEDED A A B S MODULE, TOTAL PARTS ONLY WERE TOTALLING OVER $6000.00. IT IS A 2007 YEAR MODEL WITH ONLY 115000 MILES RAN AND LOOK GREAT. AFTER RESERCH ON LINE I SAW I WAS NOT THE ONLY PERSON WITH THIS SAME ISSUE. I THINK FORD SHOULD HAVE A RECALL BECAUSE THIS IS A SAFTEY ISSUE.

THE CAR WAS STATIONARY ON MAY 7TH 2016 ABS WARNING LIGHT CAME ON AND FLASHED AFTER STARTING VEHICLE. MY DAUGHTER TOOK TO FORD DEALER IN MARYVILLE TN THEY SAID NEEDS COMPLETE BRAKING SYSTEM REPLACED AT A COST OF $4,349.08. CONSIDERING I HAD THE FORD DEALER IN MADISON, OH CHECK VEHICLE FROM TOP TO BOTTOM (SAFETY CHECK) IN JAN. 2016 THEY REPLACED THE FRONT ROTORS & BRAKE SHOES AND DEEMED EVERYTHING ELSE IN PERFECT CONDITION. ANYWAY CAR WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER IN CAREY NC THEY SAID NEEDS COMPLETE BRAKING SYSTEM REPLACED AT A COST OF $4,800. AFTER RESEARCHING I HAVE FOUND (HUNDREDS) OF PEOPLE IN MY SITUATION DESCRIBING EXACTLY THE SAME ISSUES! SHAME ON FORD FOR NOT ALLOWING A RECALL! I CANT AFFORD THE PRICEY REPAIRS AND CAN'T AFFORD ANOTHER CAR! SO SORRY I REPLACED A HONDA CIVIC WITH 239,000 MILES WITH THIS HUNK OF JUNK ESCAPE HYBRID!!!! THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE THAT CAN HAVE A TERRIBLE OUTCOME.

SEVERAL TIMES, OVER A PERIOD OF 2 YEARS, AT LOW SPEEDS (APPROX. 30 MPH) ABS AND BRAKE LIGHT COME ON WITH ALARM SOUNDS. ABLE TO STOP,BUT BRAKES NOT RESPONDING CORRECTLY, TURNED OFF IGNITION, RESTARTED, EVERYTHING OK. THEN ABS AND BRAKE LIGHT COME ON AND WON'T GO OFF, HAVE BRAKES BUT THEY DON'T RESPOND CORRECTLY, MAKING THE CAR VERY UNSAFE TO DRIVE. GO FOR DIAGNOSIS; AFTERWARD NO BRAKES AND HYBRID ASSIST MESSAGE APPEARS. CAR IS NO LONGER OPERABLE. ALL BRAKE INCIDENTS OCCURRED ON CITY STREETS OR IN DRIVEWAY ON STARTING. DIAGNOSIS: MASTER CYLINDER NEEDS REPLACING AND PROBABLY HYDRAULIC CONTROL UNIT AS WELL. TOTAL COST FOR PARTS BEFORE LABOR $6,000,APPROXIMATELY THE SAME AS THE VALUE OF THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE OF THESE PARTS IS APPARENTLY A COMMON AND WELL KNOWN PROBLEM THAT FORD REFUSES TO ADDRESS.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE THE DRIVER WAS DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS JAMMED TO THE FLOORBOARD. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE THEY DIAGNOSED THAT THE BRAKES NEEDED TO BE BLED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED, HOWEVER THE FAILURE RECURRED AND THE ABS WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE BRAKES NEEDED TO BE BLED PROPERLY AND TUBING NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED HOWEVER THE FAILURE RECURRED AGAIN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT VEHICLE WAS RETURNED TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED AS THE HYDRAULIC CONTROL UNIT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUAFACTUER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 78,000. THE VIN WAS NOT PROVIDED.

WHILE DRIVING AT APPROX. 30 MPH THE AMBER ABS AND RED BRAKE WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON. POWER ASSIST FOR BRAKING FAILED. UNLIKE VACUUM ASSIST IN A NON-HYBRID VEHICLE (WHEN IN THE CASE OF FAILURE YOU CAN STILL STILL STOP FAIRLY QUICKLY WITH EXTREME FOOT PRESSURE ON THE BRAKE PEDAL) WITH THE ESCAPE HYBRID, NO MATTER HOW HARD YOU PRESS THE BRAKE PEDAL, YOU ARE LIMITED TO ABOUT 10% OF NORMAL BRAKING FORCE. DIAGNOSTIC ERROR CODE WAS C1477. FORD DOCUMENTED FIX IS TO TRY BLEEDING THE BRAKE SYSTEM AND SEE IF THAT WORKS. IF NOT REPLACE ABS MODULE AND HCU. DEALER SAID BLEEDING SYSTEM WOULD BE $900. IF THAT DID NOT WORK REPLACE ABS MODULE/HCU FOR AN ADDITIONAL $4500. SO, TRY BLEEDING THE BRAKES, RIDE AROUND FOR A MONTH OR TWO TO SEE IF PROBLEM RETURNS. IF PROBLEM RETURNS REPLACE ABS MODULE/HCU AND HOPE THAT FIXES IT. THERE MAY BE 2 OR 3 OR 4 VISITS TO THE SHOP TO HAVE THE PROBLEM FIXED. THATS AN EXTRA 1-3 TIMES FOR A FATAL ACCIDENT TO OCCUR. A NOTE TO NHTSA INVESTIGATORS....JUST BECAUSE THERE ARE NO DOCUMENTED DEATHS FROM THESE FAILURES (AS FAR AS I CAN TELL) IT DOES NOT MEAN THERE IS NO REASON FOR A RECALL. A SUDDEN FAILURE OF BRAKES WITH NO WARNING ON DOZENS (IF NOT HUNDREDS) OF THESE ESCAPE HYBRID VEHICLES IS CAUSE FOR ALARM.