2007 Ford Escape Hybrid

WHILE TRAVELING ON A TURNPIKE WITH FEW EXIT RAMPS AND LIMITED SHOULDER CLEARANCE, THE VEHICLE SIMULTANEOUSLY LOST ALL POWER AND DISPLAYED THE WARNING TRIANGLE ("TRIANGLE OF DEATH") AND THE INFORMATION DISPLAY INDICATED "STOP SAFELY NOW". THE KEY WAS REMOVED FROM THE IGNITION AND MANUAL CONSULTED. THE MANUAL INDICATED THIS WAS A HYBRID SYSTEM FAULT/FAILURE AND ADVISED ON ATTEMPTING TO RESTART THE VEHICLE AND TAKING IT TO THE NEAREST DEALERSHIP. THE RESTART WAS SUCCESSFUL AND TRAVELING CONTINUED FOR ANOTHER 15 MILES BEFORE THE SAME EXACT SCENARIO REPEATED. THE FORD DEALERSHIP DIAGNOSED THIS PROBLEM AS A FAILURE OF THE MOTOR ELECTRONIC COOLING SYSTEM (MECS)--A WELL DOCUMENTED FAILURE (AND A DANGEROUS ONE) THAT PLAGUES MANY FORD ESCAPE HYBRIDS. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 FORD ESCORT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HIS VEHICLE WOULD LOSE POWER WHEN DRIVING 70 MPH. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INSPECTED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. NO REPAIRS HAVE BEEN MADE TO THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 70,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE 76,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

ABS LIGHT AND LOW BRAKE FLUID LIGHT INTERMITTENTLY SIGNALED UNTIL CAR LURCHED AND SHUDDERED. DEALER REPLACED A BRAKE HOSE AND THEN PERFORMED A MULTI-POINT INSPECTION INDICATING THAT THE OTHER BRAKE LINES WERE FINE. THEN ON MARCH 31, 2014, THE ABS LIGHT AND LOW BRAKE FLUID LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN. TWO OTHER HOSES ARE NOW DEFECTIVE AND SUGGESTED THAT I REPLACE THE LAST ONE AS WELL. GIVEN THAT IT COSTS SEVERAL HUNDRED DOLLARS TO BLEED AND RECALIBRATE THE BRAKE SYSTEM FLUID ON A HYBRID, I'M CONCERNED THAT DEFECTIVE BRAKE LINES ARE EITHER A) NOT NOTED WHEN MULTI-POINT INSPECTIONS ARE DONE, OR B) CAN DEGENERATE WITHIN TWO MONTHS TIME, AS IN THE DATE THEY WERE DEEMED SAFE IN JANUARY TO THE DATE THEY WERE IN NEED OF REPLACEMENT 60 DAYS LATER. *TR

I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK WHEN THE DASHBOARD LIGHT THAT LOOKS LIKE A WRENCH CAME ON AS WELL AS THE DISPLAY SERVICE ENGINE SOON. I MADE IT HOME SAFELY AND THE NEXT TIME I DROVE THE CAR NO LIGHT AND SO FAR SEEMS OK. A SIMILAR OCCURRENCE HAPPENED ABOUT A MONTH AGO AT THAT TIME I LOST ALL POWER. FORTUNATELY I HAD JUST PULLED OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY. I SHUT THE CAR OFF AND BACK ON AND IT WAS FINE UNTIL THIS WEEK. IT LOOKS LIKE IT IS A DEFECTIVE THROTTLE BODY AND SENSOR AND WILL NEED TO BE REPLACED. *TR

WHILE TRAVELING ON AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY, THE VEHICLE DISPLAYED "STOP SAFELY NOW" MESSAGE ALONG WITH AN AUDIBLE CHIME AND A RED TRIANGLE WITH EXCLAMATION POINT SYMBOL. THE GAS ENGINE SHUT DOWN AND THE VEHICLE LOST POWER COASTING FROM HIGHWAY SPEED TO AROUND 35 MPH. THE VEHICLE REMAINED UNDER HYBRID ELECTRIC POWER ALLOWING ME TO MOVE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. MY VEHICLE IS AROUND 7.5 YEARS OLD AND HAS 89,000 MILES. I RESEARCHED THIS ISSUE AND IT APPEARS TO HAVE OCCURRED WITH SEVERAL OF THESE TYPE VEHICLES. THE DEALERSHIP REPORTED THAT THEY RETRIEVED ERROR CODES P1AOD, P0A3E, B139. THE DEALERSHIP SAYS THAT IT REQUIRES REPLACEMENT OF THE HYBRID DRIVE TRAIN MOTOR ELECTRONICS COOLING SYSTEM (MECS) WATER PUMP (PART# 5M6Z8C419A) AND (PART# AL8Z19E66F). THERE IS A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN (TSB) 08-24-5 THAT SEEMS TO RELATE TO SIMILAR PROBLEMS. THE PROBLEM IS NOT COVERED BY THE MANUFACTURER 8 YEAR /100,000 MILE HYBRID WARRANTY ACCORDING TO FORD CUSTOMER RELATIONS DESPITE BOTH PARTS BEING PART OF THE HYBRID DRIVE SYSTEM. *TR

WHILE TRAVELING DOWN THE INTERSTATE HIGHWAY THE TRIANGLE WITH AN EXCLAMATION POINT IN THE MIDDLE LIT UP AND THE DISPLAY READ "STOP SAFELY NOW". I WAS IN THE LEFT LANE OF THE INTERSTATE AND THE ENGINE SHUT DOWN - THERE WAS NO SHOULDER AND TRAFFIC WAS TOO HEAVY TO COAST ACROSS LANES. I FOUND A SERVICE STATION THAT WAS OPEN ON SUNDAY EVENING. THEY SAID MY COOLANT WAS FINE, THE OIL LEVEL WAS FINE, AND THEY COULD NOT SEE ANYTHING OBVIOUSLY WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE. I ELECTED TO CONTINUE MY TRIP ANOTHER 50 MILES AND THE PROBLEM OCCURRED 2 MORE TIMES. I KEPT THE SPEED UNDER 70, RAN BY HEATER ON FULL BLAST IN CASE THE PROBLEM WAS TEMPERATURE RELATED, AND COASTED AS OFTEN AS POSSIBLE. EACH TIME THE ENGINE SHUT DOWN, I SLOWED TO THE SHOULDER, TURNED THE ENGINE OFF, WAITED 5 MINUTES, THEN STARTED AGAIN. THE SERVICE RESULTS ARE STILL INCONCLUSIVE, BUT IT SEEMS THERE ARE A LOT OF OWNERS EXPERIENCING THIS EXACT PROBLEM. THE AUTOMATIC SHUT OFF OF THE ENGINE PUT ME IN AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH, THE STOP SAFELY NOW WARNING MESSAGE ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT SHUT OFF AND RESTARTED THE VEHICLE, AND IT VEHICLE OPERATED AS DESIGNED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE DID NOT DISPLAY A FAILURE. THE FAILURE RECURRED SEVERAL WEEKS LATER AND THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE FAILURE WAS RECURRING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER WHERE UNKNOWN REPAIRS WERE PERFORMED HOWEVER, DID NOT RECTIFY THE FAILURE AND THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE WHEN THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT FURTHER REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 79,750.

WHILE BACKING OUT OF A PARKING SPACE, THE RIGHT FRONT WHEEL SEPARATED FROM THE VEHICLE. UPON CLOSER INSPECTION, IT APPEARED THAT THE BOLT SHEARED, DISLOCATING THE WHEEL FROM THE DRIVETRAIN. THIS WAS LATER CONFIRMED AT THE REPAIR CENTER--THE BOLT HAD SHEARED AND HAD TO BE DRILLED OUT. THE FRONT LOWER CONTROL ARM BOLTS (FORWARD BOLT) REMOVED AND THREADS HAD TO BE REPAIRED. THE RIGHT FRONT AXLE ALSO HAD TO BE REPLACED. THIS VEHICLE IS ONLY 6.5 YEARS OLD, AND IS NOT DRIVEN OFF ROAD. FORD DOES NOT ACKNOWLEDGE THIS AS AN ISSUE. AS NOTED ELSEWHERE ON THIS SITE, WE ALSO HAVE HAD ISSUES WITH BRAKE SQUEALING, AS WELL AS THE WATER PUMP ISSUE. *TR

WHILE TRAVELING ON THE INTERSTATE, A "STOP SAFELY NOW" MESSAGE APPEARED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE MESSAGE WAS IMMEDIATELY PRECEDED BY A CHIME, AND THE VEHICLE LOST ENGINE POWER AS SOON AS THE MESSAGE APPEARED. THERE WAS NO WARNING THAT WOULD HAVE ALLOWED A SAFE MOVEMENT FROM THE ROADWAY, AND THIS PROBLEM HAS REPEATEDLY PUT ME AND MY FAMILY IN THE MOST DANGEROUS SITUATIONS WE HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED IN A CAR. THE CAR IS IN THE DEALERSHIP FOR THE SECOND TIME FOR THE SAME PROBLEM, AND WE HAD IT IN A YEAR BEFORE THE FIRST INCIDENT FOR A REPLACED COIL AND PLUG (AT 29,000 MILES). I JUST GOT A CALL FROM THE SERVICE MANAGER TELLING ME THAT THERE IS NOTHING HE CAN DO ON PRICES FOR THE REPAIR. I WILL BE CALLING FORD CUSTOMER SERVICE, DIRECTLY, AFTER FILING THIS COMPLAINT, SINCE THIS IS OBVIOUSLY A RECALL SITUATION. WE PURCHASED AN EXTENDED WARRANTY FOR $1300. IT WAS FOR 5 YEARS OR 60,000 MILES. THIS WAS A WASTE OF MONEY. THE ONLY THING WE GOT COVERED UNDER THAT WARRANTY WAS A WINDOW MOTOR THAT BROKE. INCLUDING THE WARRANTY FOR WHICH WE PAID, WE HAVE PAID OVER $2500 IN SERVICE FEES TO OUR DEALERSHIP. THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS JUST OVER 42,000. WE PURCHASED THE CAR, NEW, FOR $28,000. *TR