2008 Ford Escape Hybrid

The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid. The contact stated while driving approximately 50 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled, but restarted after 45 minutes. The vehicle stability assists system warning light was illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 154,000.

APPROX. A YEAR AGO THE BRAKES STARTED FAILING. SUDDENLY YOU HAD TO PUMP THEM EXTRA HARD TO STOP. WARNING LIGHT APPEARED THAT TIRES NEED INFLATING. THEY DID NOT. THEN AN ABS WARNING LIGHT APPEARED. SUDDENLY THE BRAKES STARTED WORKING AGAIN, NO EXTRA PUMPING NEEDED. THEN AT HIGH SPEEDS THE WARNING LIGHT TURNED ON AND STEERING WHEEL SHOOK VIOLENTLY AND YOU COULDN'T GO ABOUT 60 MPH. AHHH! WHEN YOU HIT BRAKES THEY DIDN'T RESPOND OR A TERRIBLE GRINDING NOISE HAPPENED. LOOKED IT UP, COMMON IN THIS YEAR'S HYBRID THAT ABS BRAKES FAIL. ONLY HAD 150K ON IT. TOOK TO LOCAL FORD DEALER, THEY WANTED $7400 TO FIX. WHAT? "PROPRIETARY ABS BRAKES MUST BE REPLACED." THEY WOULDN'T TURN WARNING MESSAGE OFF COMPUTER OR DO ANYTHING LESS. WOULDN'T CHECK HOSES, CIRCUITS, OR PADS. JUST A FLAT "$7400" WITH NO EXPLANATION OTHER THAN ABS SYSTEM. WE FOUND OUT THROUGH COMPLAINT SITES ONLINE THAT OTHERS HAD THE SAME PROBLEMS. IT'S EXTREMELY HARROWING TO BE DRIVING AT HIGH SPEEDS AND HAVE THE CAR SUDDENLY START SHAKING AND THE BRAKES NOT WORK!!

THIS HAS HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES RANDOMLY WITHOUT WARNING. I HAVE BEEN ON A FREEWAY, BRIDGE, REGULAR STREET, TRAFFIC. A RED WARNING LIGHT WILL COME ON WITH "STOP SAFELY NOW" AND THE CAR WILL QUICKLY SLOW DOWN. IT WILL GO REALLY SLOW REGARDLESS OF STEPPING ON THE GAS. ONCE I PULL OVER I HAVE T STOP THE CAR AND PUT IT IN PARK THEN TURN IT BACK ON. THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS ESPECIALLY WHEN I AM ON THE FREEWAY OR ON THE BRIDGE (I WORK IN SAN FRANCISCO).

MULTIPLE EPISODES OF "STOP SAFELY NOW" (AFTER NEW ENGINE ($8000) WAS PUT IN 6/2014). AT TIME OF ENGINE REPLACEMENT, RECALL FOR POWER STEERING MODULE WAS COMPLETED. FAST FORWARD TO 3/2017.... MONDAY MORNING (8AM) NEW 'WRENCH' LIGHT GOES ON IN DASH. DROP KIDS AT DAYCARE AND WHEN I RESTART CAR (830AM) AND WENT TO BACK OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY - NO POWER STEERING!!! GOOD THING FORD TOOK CARE OF THAT RECALL BACK IN 2014...*SARCASM* NOW THEY SAY THAT THE ONLY WAY IT WOULD BE COVERED UNDER RECALL WAS IF LOSS OF POWER STEERING OCCURRED WITHIN 12 MONTHS OF RECALL BEING COMPLETED. THIS CAR HAS BEEN NOTHING BUT A HEADACHE AND 2 FORD DEALERSHIPS THAT DO NOT STAND BEHIND THE FORD NAME OR THEIR SERVICE!

THE SAFETY RECALL NOTICES 14S05 / NHTSA RECALL 14V-286 AND 14S09 / NHTSA 14V526000 WERE PERFORMED ON MY 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. HOWEVER, THE PROBLEMS DID NOT GO AWAY. SINCE THE RECALLS, THE CAR HAS HAD ISSUES WITH REDUCED STEERING RANGE, KEY/IGNITION NOT TURNING, POWER SURGE WHILE DRIVING, LOCKING STEERING WHEEL, AND THE WORST: A COMPLETE SHUT DOWN OF THE POWERTRAIN WHILE DRIVING, RESULTING IN A STALL-LIKE CONDITION, PUTTING OUR LIVES AT RISK. ON JUNE 11, 2016 THE CAR WAS SERVICED AND STEERING HOUSING REPLACED. WE ASKED FOR SERVICE TO CHECK THE ENTIRE CAR-- EVERYTHING!!!!-- AS THE CAR HAD BEEN ACTING STRANGELY WITH POWER SURGES AND LOCKING STEERING WHEEL WHILE DRIVING. TODAY, JULY 10 2016, WHILE DRIVING SOUTH ON INTERSTATE-5 IN CA, HEADING FROM HOME (DANVILLE, CA) TO COLLEGE (SAN DIEGO, CA) THE CAR'S SYSTEM COMPLETELY FAILED WHILE DRIVING UP THE GRAPEVINE, A SECTION OF FREEWAY THAT IS EXTREMELY CROWDED AND FULL OF LARGE 18 WHEELERS. MY POOR DAUGHTER (WHO NOW OWNS THE CAR) CALLED ME, SCREAMING HYSTERICALLY, FULL OF TERROR AND FEARING FOR HER LIFE. SHE HAD NO POWER, WAS UNABLE TO STEER, DID HER BEST THE DODGE THE 18 WHEELERS AND "LIMP MODE" OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE FREEWAY. SHE'S NOW ON THE WAY WITH TOW TRUCK DRIVER TO DROP THE CAR OFF AT FORD OF VALENCIA CA. I TOLD HER DO NOT EVER DRIVE THAT CAR AGAIN. IT IS A SERIOUSLY DANGEROUS VEHICLE.

I RECEIVED A RECALL LETTER FROM FORD IN OCTOBER 2014 STATING THAT THE MOTOR ELECTRONICS COOLANT PUMP MAY FAIL CAUSING THE ENGINE TO OVERHEAT CAUSING IT TO LOSE POWER AND STALL AND INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH. SO FAR I HAVE NEVER RECEIVED A NOTICE TO BRING THE CAR IN TO FIX IT. I DID STOP BY THE LOCAL FORD DEALER TO FIND OUT WHY THE HAVEN'T NOTIFIED ME AND THEY SAID THAT THEY NEVER RECEIVED THE PARTS FROM THE FORD COMPANY. WE ARE PLANNING ON A LONG TRIP SHORTLY BUT AFRAID TO DRIVE THIS CAR. [ ITS BEEN 6 MONTHS SINCE I RECEIVED THE LETTER ] I THINK ITS TIME THEY TAKE CARE OF THE SAFETY PROBLEM. CAN YOU HELP?? *TR

WHILE DRIVING I NOTICED A LACK OF POWER AND GOT THE MESSAGE "STOP SAFELY NOW". AS THE MANUAL STATED I PULLED OVER, WAITED A FEW MINUTES. THE CAR STARTED UP AGAIN BUT THE EVENT KEPT HAPPENING ALL THE WAY HOME. I BROUGHT THE CAR TO A DEALER WHO MADE A REPAIR COSTING 642 DOLLARS. THE CAR RAN FINE FOR A MONTH BUT WHEN ON A MAJOR HIGHWAY I HAD THE SAME EXPERIENCE EXCEPT IT WAS MORE DIFFICULT TO DEAL WITH THE LOSS OF POWER IN BUSY TRAFFIC. I WAS IN THE PASSING LANE TO ALLOW ANOTHER CAR ENTER THE HIGHWAY FROM AN ON RAMP WHEN IT HAPPENED AND I WAS LUCKY TO BE ABLE TO CROSS THREE LANES OF TRAFFIC TO BRING THE CAR TO REST. AGAIN, IT HAPPENED ALL THE WAY HOME CAUSING ME TO FINALLY DRIVE IN THE BREAKDOWN LANE WITH FLASHERS ON. I WENT ONLINE AND LEARNED THAT THIS IS AN ONGOING PROBLEM WITH FORD HYBRIDS. MY QUESTION IS WHY NO RECALL ON SUCH AN EXPENSIVE AND DANGEROUS PROBLEM? *TR