2007 Ford Escape Hybrid

ON JUNE 24,2013 I WAS COMING BACK FROM ARIZONA TRAVELING ON THE TWO LANE FREEWAY AT 70 MILES AN HOUR WITH THE AIR CONDITIONING RUNNING. WITH NO WARNING WHAT SO EVER THE ENGINE JUST QUIT AND FORTUNATELY, I WAS ABLE TO COAST TO THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD. HAD I BEEN ON A FOUR LANE FREEWAY IN THE FAST LANE AT TRAFFIC TIME IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A DIFFERENT STORY. I AM VERY CONCERNED THIS COULD HAVE RESULTED IN A REAR END COLLISION. AFTER SITTING ON THE SHOULDER FOR 10 MINUTES THE ENGINE STARTED AND I CONTINUED MY TRIP WITHOUT ANY ADDITIONAL PROBLEMS. I DIDN'T DRIVE THE CAR AGAIN AFTER I GOT HOME UNTIL I TOOK IT TO HUNTINGTON BEACH FORD FOR INSPECTION. THE DEALER FOUND THE ELECTRIC WATER PUMP WAS FAULTY AND FAILED THEIR TEST. THE WATER PUMP WAS REPAIRED, THE SYSTEM FLUSHED AND IT TESTED OK. A TEST DRIVE WAS ALSO PERFORMED BY THE DEALER WITH PASSING RESULTS. THE COST OF THIS WORK WAS $829.99 DOLLARS. I AM WRITING TO YOU OUT OF CONCERN FOR OUR FAMILY AND OTHERS THAT OWN THIS VEHICLE SINCE WE NO LONGER CAN TRUST WE WON'T HAVE ANOTHER NO WARNING ENGINE SHUT DOWN SOME PLACE WE WON'T BE ABLE TO GET TO THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

AS I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD, THE ABS AND 4X4 LIGHTS STARTED GOING OFF, WITH THE ABS ENGAGING ERRATICALLY WITH NO APPARENT REASON DUE TO CLIMATE OR TERRAIN. I CALLED FORD DEALER AND THEY SAID EITHER THE AXLE OR THE BRAKE HUB WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED, AT THE EXPENSES OF HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS JUST FOR THE PART, AND LIKELY HUNDREDS MORE FOR LABOR! I THEN GO ONLINE, HOWEVER, A SEE A LITANY OF COMPLAINTS FOR THE FORD ESCAPE HYBRID AND MERCURY MARINER SPANNING OVER THE COURSE OF A DECADE - ALL WITH THE EXACT SAME DESCRIPTION OF WHAT I EXPERIENCED. ALL THE TESTIMONIALS POINTED TOWARDS A THE FAULTY DESIGN OF THE TONE RING THAT IS USED BY THE ABS TO GAGE DRIVING CONDITIONS. APPARENTLY, AFTER A FEW YEARS OF DRIVING, IT TENDS TO SNAP! THIS 5$ - $15 DOLLAR PART IS THEN USED FOR AND AN EXCUSES FOR A REPAIR THAT MAY SPILL OVER INTO THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS, WHILE NOT TO MENTION, ENDANGERING THE DRIVER AND PASSENGERS OF SAID VEHICLES. WHEN I ASKED THE DEALER IF THEY'D REPLACE ONLY THE TONE RING, THEY SAID THEY DO NOT STOCK THE TONE RING ONLY, BUT THEY DO STOCK THE BRAKE HUB AND AXLE. THIS IS OBVIOUSLY A DANGEROUS MANUFACTURING FLAW, ONE THAT COULD PUT THE SAFETY OF THE DRIVER AT RISK. I WOULD HOPE THE DOT WOULD STRONGLY ENCOURAGE FORD TO CORRECT THIS CALAMITY BY REPLACING THE POORLY DESIGNED TONE RING WITH SOMETHING DURABLE, TO BETTER REFLECT THE QUALITY OF PRODUCT WE'D LIKE TO EXPECT FROM FORD, NOT TO MENTION A GENERAL SENSE OF CONCERN FOR OUR WELLBEING. *TR

AFTER DRIVING APPROX 20 MIN ON THE FREEWAY, MY 2007 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID SHUT OFF. WARNING LIGHT CAME ON DISPLAYING: MOTOR TEMP HIGH. THEN, STOP SAFELY. CONSIDERING I WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FREEWAY IN PHOENIX AZ, THE 2ND WARNING STATEMENT WAS QUITE UN-NERVING. WHEN I FINALLY MADE IT TO THE SHOULDER OF THE FREEWAY, I OPENED THE HOOD, NOTHING WAS OVERHEATING, NO STEAM, COOLANT LEVELS NORMAL. THE VEHICLE STARTED AGAIN WITHOUT ISSUE. I PROCEEDED APPROX 5 MINUTES DOWN THE FREEWAY AND EXITED. WHEN ATTEMPTING TO CROSS THE STREET AT THE END OF THE EXIT RAMP, THE VEHICLE SHUT DOWN AGAIN, DISPLAYING THE SAME MESSAGES. THIS INCIDENT LEFT ME IN THE MIDDLE OF A BUSY ROAD. WHEN I FINALLY ARRIVED HOME, I CONTACTED A FRIEND WHO IS MORE KNOWLEDGEABLE THAN I REGARDING MECHANICAL ISSUES. HE SAID HE HAD HEARD OF THIS AND SUGGESTED I LOOK ON THE INTERNET. I AM APPALLED AT THE # OF OCCURRENCES OF THE SAME ISSUE THAT HAVE BEEN REPORTED. YET NO ONE, NOT THE MANUFACTURER OR THE DEALERSHIPS HAVE NOTIFIED THE CONSUMER OF THIS VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. MY FATHER HAS PURCHASED FORDS FOR YEARS. THIS IRRESPONSIBLE ACTION, OF FAILURE TO NOTIFY THE CONSUMER OF POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS MALFUNCTIONS, DOES NOT FIT THE RESPONSIBLE COMPANY THAT HE HAS ALWAYS DESCRIBED. *TR

I WAS DRIVING AT FREEWAY SPEED AND THE CAR SUDDENLY GAVE THE SIGNAL "STOP CAR SAFELY NOW." I IMMEDIATELY BEGAN TO LOSE POWER AND BARELY HAD TIME TO PULL OVER TO THE LEFT-HAND SHOULDER TO GET OUT OF THE WAY OF TRAFFIC. NO PREVIOUS SIGNAL (E.G. WRENCH LIGHT OR WARNING TRIANGLE) HAD APPEARED TO GIVE ME ADVANCE WARNING. THIS HAD HAPPENED BEFORE (SEE 2/1/13 COMPLAINT), BUT WHEN WE TOOK THE CAR TO THE SHOP AFTER THAT FIRST OCCURRENCE, THEY WERE UNABLE TO IDENTIFY ANY PROBLEMS, SO I HAD DRIVEN IT AGAIN. BOTH TIMES THE PROBLEM OCCURRED AFTER SUSTAINED (2 HRS) FREEWAY SPEED (70 MPH) DRIVING. THIS TIME I WAS TOWED TO A FORD DEALERSHIP WHERE THEY IDENTIFIED THAT THE HYBRID BATTERY SYSTEM HAD OVERHEATED AND NUMEROUS PARTS NEEDED REPLACEMENT. *TR

WHEN THERE IS A FAULT WITH THE ELECTRICAL HYBRID BATTERY SYSTEM, THE VEHICLE CUTS POWER COMPLETELY TO THE ENGINE. IT SIMPLY FLASHES A "STOP SAFELY NOW" MESSAGE. HAVING TO POTENTIALLY CUT ACROSS 4 LANES OF FREEWAY TRAFFIC WITHOUT POWER IS VERY DANGEROUS. I NEARLY HAD AN ACCIDENT SEVERAL TIMES DUE TO THIS. IF THE HYBRID SYSTEM HAS A FAULT, IT SHOULD STILL KEEP THE GAS ENGINE OPERATIONAL. ADDITIONALLY, THE FAULT IS VERY INTERMITTENT, AND MY FORD FACTORY MECHANIC COULD NOT TRACK DOWN ANY DEFINITE CAUSE. *TR

I WAS TRAVELING NORTHBOUND ON I-95 IN MARYLAND, ABOUT 10 MILES SOUTH OF ELKTON. WHILE DRIVING IN THE SECOND FROM THE RIGHT LANE, IN HEAVY TRAFFIC JUST AFTER DARK, THE ENGINE COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN, WITH NO WARNING. MY INFORMATION SCREEN SAID "HYBRID SYSTEM FAILURE, PULL OVER IMMEDIATELY." I HAD NO POWER OF ANY KIND, HAD TO NAVIGATE HEAVY TRAFFIC AT HIGH SPEEDS, AND PULL OVER TO THE SHOULDER. IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT AND VERY DANGEROUS TO NAVIGATE. AFTER SITTING ON THE SHOULDER FOR SEVERAL MINUTES, THE CAR FINALLY STARTED, AND I WAS ABLE TO CONTINUE ON FOR A FEW MILES BEFORE IT HAPPENED AGAIN. AT LEAST I WAS IN THE RIGHT LANE THIS TIME. I AGAIN WAITED, AND ONCE AGAIN THE ENGINE STARTED. I PULLED OFF AT THE ELKTON EXIT, AND SPENT THE NIGHT AT A LOCAL HOTEL. THE NEXT MORNING, I CALLED THE LOCAL FORD DEALER, AND WAS TOLD THAT, SINCE I WAS NOT A REGULAR CUSTOMER, THEY COULD NOT HELP ME FOR TWO DAYS. AFTER TOWING THE CAR TO MY HOME DEALER, ABOUT 75 MILES, I WAS INFORMED THAT IT WAS A WATER PUMP FAILURE, NOT A HYBRID SYSTEM FAILURE, AND THEREFORE NOT COVERED BY THE WARRANTY. THIS SEEMED CURIOUS TO ME AS THERE WAS NO INDICATION THAT THE ENGINE WAS OVERHEATING, AND THE CAR ITSELF INDICATED THAT THERE WAS A HYBRID SYSTEM FAILURE. WHY WOULD THEY DESIGN A VEHICLE TO COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN, WITH NO WARNING. I CAN NOT IMAGINE THE PANIC THIS MAY HAVE CAUSED WITH A LESS EXPERIENCED DRIVER. THIS HAD DISASTER WRITTEN ALL OVER IT. FURTHER, I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY THIS WAS NOT A WARRANTY ISSUE. THE HYBRID SYSTEM IS SUPPOSEDLY WARRANTED FOR 100,000 MILES. THE SYSTEM SHOULD BE DESIGNED TO WARN THE DRIVER THAT A PROBLEM IS IMMINENT, AND THE ENGINE WILL SHUT OFF IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. AS DESIGNED, THIS IS A TERRIBLE AND DANGEROUS WARNING SYSTEM, AND THE WARRANTY SERVICE FROM FORD IS VAGUE AND AWFUL. *TR

WARNING LIGHT (ABS) AND MESSAGES APPEARED (SERVICE 4 X 4, SERVICE BRAKES SOON) UNEXPECTEDLY. AFTER LETTING THE CAR SIT FOR A DAY, THE LIGHT AND MESSAGES WENT AWAY. HOWEVER, THE NEXT TIME THE CAR WAS DRIVEN, IT BUCKED WHEN THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED, AND THE TRACTION CONTROL WARNING LIGHT CAME ON - ON A DRY ROAD. AFTER RESEARCHING THE PROBLEM ONLINE, IT SEEMS THAT MANY ESCAPE HYBRID OWNERS HAVE HAD THE SAME ISSUE. OWNER IS AFRAID TO DRIVE THE CAR FOR FEAR OF COMPLETE BRAKE FAILURE AND AFRAID TO TAKE IT TO THE DEALER FOR FEAR OF COSTLY REPAIRS FOR THIS ISSUE AFTER HAVING SPENT $5000 TO REPAIR COMPLETE FAILURE OF POWER TRAIN SYSTEM. *TR

WITHOUT WARNING, THE ENGINE AND MOTOR STOPPED UPON ACCELERATING AFTER RIGHT TURN, WITH WARNING MESSAGE AND MANY LIGHTS DISPLAYED. AFTER ROLLING TO A STOP AT THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, AND WAITING 5 TO 10 MINUTES, THE CAR STARTED AND DROVE NORMALLY. THIS HAS OCCURRED A NUMBER OF TIMES SINCE THEN, ON SURFACE STREETS AND EXPRESSWAYS. THE LOSS OF POWER IS ACCOMPANIED BY LOSS OF POWER STEERING, OF COURSE, AND CREATES A DANGEROUS SITUATION. *TR