2008 Ford Escape Hybrid

THIS WEEK THE NEWS HAD STORIES ABOUT GENERAL MOTORS RECALLING SEVERAL CARS BECAUSE THE IGNITION CAN SUDDENLY TURN OFF CAUSING THE CAR TO LOSE POWER WHILE DRIVING. THERE WERE EVEN DEATHS DUE TO BAD ACCIDENTS AS A RESULT OF THE IGNITION FAILURE AND CAR LOSING POWER. THIS REMINDED ME OF AN INCIDENT THAT HAPPENED TO ME WHICH WAS SIMILAR. I WAS DRIVING MY 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID LAST DECEMBER, ON I-280 IN SAN FRANCISCO DURING RUSH HOUR AT 65 MPH, WHEN SUDDENLY THE DASH BEEPED AT ME, FLASHED THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, DISPLAYED A MESSAGE TO PULL OVER SAFELY, AND THE ENGINE HAD NO POWER! I SUDDENLY FOUND MYSELF IN HEAVY TRAFFIC, MIDDLE LANE OF THE FREEWAY AND NO POWER TO SAFELY PULL OVER. I WAS LOSING SPEED AND SLOWED TO WHERE I CUT BETWEEN OTHER CARS AND OVER TO THE SHOULDER. I'M SURE I CUT SOMEONE OFF IN THE PROCESS. LUCKILY THERE WAS NOT A HORRIBLE ACCIDENT. THERE COULD HAVE EASILY BEEN AN ACCIDENT. THE SAME THING HAPPENED THREE MORE TIMES IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS BEFORE I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER TO BE FIXED. THEY INDICATED THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM OF WHICH THEY ARE AWARE. THE FORD DEALER DIAGNOSED IT WITH CODE P1A0D, WHICH WAS A BAD COOLANT PUMP FOR THE ELECTRIC GENERATOR. I DID SOME RESEARCH AND FOUND THAT MANY OTHER FORD ESCAPE OWNERS HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME SITUATION AS I DID WHERE THE VEHICLE LOST POWER WHILE AT HIGH SPEED AND PUT THEM INTO A DANGEROUS SITUATION. A SIMPLE GOOGLE SEARCH ON THIS FINDS SEVERAL BLOG REPORTS OF PEOPLE WITH SIMILAR SITUATIONS. FORD HAS YET TO ISSUE A RECALL ON THIS, BUT I HAVE FOUND THAT THERE IS A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT AGAINST FORD: MACDONALD V. FORD, CASE NO. 3:13-CV-02988, IN THE US DISTRICT COURT FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA. *TR

WE WERE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY 80 GOING ABOUT 70 MPH WHEN THE ENGINE SUDDENLY SHUDDERED AND QUIT. A RED TRIANGLE WITH AN EXCLAMATION POINT IN THE CENTER APPEARED ON THE DASH WITH THE MESSAGE "STOP SAFELY NOW". FORTUNATELY, THERE WAS A SHOULDER AND NO TRAFFIC IN THE RIGHT LANE, SO WE PULLED OFF. WE SHUT THE ENGINE OFF AND RESTARTED IT A FEW MINUTES LATER. WE PROCEEDED, STAYING IN THE RIGHT LANE AND THE SAME THING HAPPENED. THIS OCCURRED 5 TIMES INCLUDING ONCE ON THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY BRIDGE. IN RESEARCHING THIS, I FOUND THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH FORD ESCAPE HYBRIDS AND THAT IT IS A FAULTY MOTOR ELECTRONICS COOLANT PUMP. FORD HAS ISSUED A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN ABOUT THIS PROBLEM (TSB08-24-5), BUT HAS NOT YET ISSUED A RECALL. SINCE THIS IS A POTENTIALLY SERIOUS PROBLEM THAT COULD LEAD TO INJURY OR DEATH, I STRONGLY URGE YOU TO FORCE FORD TO ISSUE A RECALL. *TR

IT WAS THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2013. THE AMBIENT AIR TEMPERATURE WAS ABOUT 62 DEGREES. IT WAS SUNNY. THE STREETS WERE DRY. I WAS DRIVING SOUTH FROM AUSTIN TO NEW BRAUNFELS, TEXAS ON I-35 AT APPROXIMATELY 7:15 A.M. I HAD THE SPEED CONTROL SET FOR 55 M.P.H. AS I WAS LEAVING SAN MARCOS, AN ALARM TONE SOUNDED, AND THE DASH BOARD DISPLAY SHOWED "STOP SAFELY NOW" AND THE ENGINE SHUT OFF. I WAS ABLE TO MOVE TO THE SHOULDER USING BATTERY POWER ONLY AT LESS THAN 20 MILES AN HOUR, CAUSING ISSUES WITH OTHER TRAFFIC ON THE INTERSTATE, WITH MANY OF THE OTHER DRIVERS ANXIOUS TO GET TO WORK. I STOPPED THE CAR, AND WHEN IT WAS SAFE TO DO SO, EXITED THE VEHICLE AND DID A PERIMETER SCAN FOR ISSUES. NONE WERE DETECTED. I OPENED THE HOOD AND CHECKED FOR UNTOWARD ISSUES. THERE WAS NO SMOKE. THE ENGINE WASN'T OVERLY HOT. OIL WAS FULL TO THE APPROPRIATE MARK. THE VEHICLE HAD BEEN SERVICED BY THE DEALERSHIP WHO SOLD THE VEHICLE TO ME ABOUT 1790 MILES PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT, AND A FULL DIAGNOSTIC WAS PERFORMED WITHOUT ANY ISSUES DETECTED. AFTER COMPLETING THIS CHECK, I RESTARTED THE CAR AND DROVE FOR ANOTHER 20 OR SO MILES WHEN THE ALARM AND DISPLAY REPEATED AS ABOVE. AGAIN THERE WERE NO ISSUES. I RESTARTED THE VEHICLE AFTER ABOUT THREE MINUTES AND WAS ABLE TO COMPLETE THE 75 MILE COMMUTE. THE RETURN TRIP HAD NO ISSUES. SINCE THE VEHICLE SHUT DOWN COMPLETELY WITHOUT WARNING IN FAST-MOVING TRAFFIC, THIS IS A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE. INFORMATION FROM THE INTERNET INDICATES THAT FORD HAS HAD THIS ISSUE SINCE THE FIRST ESCAPE HYBRIDS WERE ON THE ROAD, AND THERE APPEARS TO BE NO DEFINITIVE PROBLEM OR CORRECTION. I REQUEST THAT THE NHTSA EXAMINE THIS TO DETERMINE IF A RECALL SHOULD BE PERFORMED BEFORE SOMEONE IS KILLED BECAUSE OF A FAULTY ALARM THAT SHUTS THE VEHICLE DOWN COMPLETELY WITHOUT WARNING. *TR

DRIVING ON HIGHWAY WITH NO APPARENT PROBLEM, THEN SUDDENLY, THREE THINGS HAPPEN SIMULTANEOUSLY: 1) THE GAS ENGINE SHUTS OFF COMPLETELY, LEAVING NO POWER TO MAINTAIN SPEED, DECELERATION HAPPENS. 2) SAFETY ALERT LIGHT ILLUMINATES IN THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER. IT'S A RED TRIANGLE WITH "!" INSIDE OF IT. 3) MESSAGE CENTER DISPLAYS "PULL OVER SAFELY" OR WORDS TO THAT EFFECT. THIS LEAVES YOU WITH ABSOLUTELY NO RECOURSE, OTHER THAN TO SOMEHOW GET TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, OUT OF THE WAY OF ANY TRAFFIC CONDITIONS THAT ARE AROUND YOU AT THAT INSTANT. THE ELECTRIC HYBRID MOTOR STILL OPERATES, BUT THAT'S ONLY GOOD TO CREEP ALONG LIKE A GOLF CART, DOWN THE SHOULDER OF THE HIGHWAY, IF THE SAFETY OF THE SHOULDER LOOKS BETTER UP AHEAD, TO GET OUT OF THE WAY OF THE TRAFFIC THAT'S ZOOMING BY. CORRECTIVE ACTION, ONCE THE OWNERS MANUAL IS STUDIED, IS TO PUT IT IN PARK, AND TURN OFF THE IGNITION. THEN, RE-START AND GO. IT OPERATES AS IF NOTHING HAD JUST HAPPENED! THEN, IN A WHILE, IT HAPPENS AGAIN, AND AGAIN, AND AGAIN, (VARYING MILES BETWEEN EPISODES, ANYTHING ROUGHLY FROM 1 MILE TO 70 MILES) UNTIL EITHER YOU FINALLY GIVE UP AND HAVE IT TOWED, OR YOU FINALLY GET IT TO SOME FINAL DESTINATION. *TR

FAILURE OF THE ELECTRONIC WATER PUMP FOR THE HYBRID SYSTEM CAUSES THE IMMEDIATE SHUTDOWN OF THE VEHICLE LEAVING DRIVER NO POWER TO MOVE TO A SAFE AREA. THERE IS NO WARNING BUT JUST AN IMMEDIATE ELECTRICAL SHUTOFF UNTIL DRIVER CAN MOVE TO THE SHOULDER AND RESTART THE VEHICLE. THIS OCCURRED TWICE AND LEFT US IN VERY DANGEROUS SITUATIONS BEFORE I HAD THE CAR REPAIRED. FORD WOULD NOT REPLACE THE PART CLAIMING IT IS NOT COVERED UNDER THEIR HYBRID WARRANTY ALTHOUGH THE PART IS INTEGRAL TO THE HYBRID SYSTEM. PART SHOULD BE RECALLED BEFORE FATALITIES OCCUR. *TR

WHILE TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEED, THE CAR SUDDENLY LOSES ALL POWER AND THE STOP SAFELY NOW LIGHT COMES ON IN THE DASH. I HAD TO PULL OVER QUICKLY WHILE AVOIDING BEING KILLED BY HIGHWAY TRAFFIC. NO WARNING AT ALL. DURING MY ROAD TRIP, THIS HAPPENED 3 TIMES ON THE HIGHWAY. DURING MY RETURN TRIP, IT HAPPENED 3 MORE TIMES. PROBLEM WILL ONLY OCCUR AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND DURING LONG ROAD TRIPS. MY 20-MIN DRIVE TO WORK HAS NO ISSUES. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY PROBLEM AND A FLAWED DESIGN ON FORD'S PART. MY FAMILY AND I COULD HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY INJURED OR KILLED DURING ANY ONE OF THE SIX TIMES THE CAR MYSTERIOUSLY DIED ON THE HIGHWAY. FROM MY RESEARCH, THIS PROBLEM CAN BE CAUSED BY SEVERAL COMPONENTS AND IS DIFFICULT TO DIAGNOSE IN THE SHOP. FOR OLDER MODELS, THERE HAS BEEN TSB'S ISSUED, BUT NOT FOR 2008 AND LATER MODELS. I HAVE KNOWN SEVERAL 2008 MODELS THAT EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM AROUND 60,000 - 70,000 MILES. BROWSING THOUGH THIS WEBSITE SHOWS MANY HAVE COMPLAINED ABOUT THIS ISSUE. FORD NEEDS TO ADDRESS THIS ASAP BEFORE SOMEONE GETS KILLED OR INJURED ON THE HIGHWAY. *TR

WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AT HIGHWAY SPEED ON A SUMMER NIGHT AT AROUND 9:00 PM, THE CAR'S ENGINE SUDDENLY STOPPED, A RED WARNING TRIANGLE LIGHT CAME ON, AND THE DASH MESSAGE SCREEN SAID, "STOP SAFELY NOW." I PULLED THE CAR TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, TURNED IT OFF, AND WAS ABLE TO RESUME DRIVING AFTER A FEW MINUTES. ON 5 SEPARATE TRIPS SUBSEQUENTLY, THIS SUDDEN LOSS OF ENGINE POWER HAS HAPPENED, OFTEN IN HEAVY TRAFFIC WHERE PULLING TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WAS VERY DIFFICULT AND DANGEROUS. THE FAILURE OFTEN HAPPENS MULTIPLE TIMES ON THE SAME TRIP. EACH TIME THE FAILURE HAS HAPPENED HAS BEEN IN THE SUMMER AND IN THE LATE AFTERNOON OR EVENING. EACH TIME THE CAR CAN BE RESTARTED ONCE PULLED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND TURNED OFF. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE STALLED WITH THE ILLUMINATION OF A RED TRIANGLE ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WARNING THE CONTACT TO PULL OVER. THE CONTACT LATER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE MOTOR ELECTRONIC COOLANT SYSTEM FAILED AND CAUSED THE FAILURE. THE DEALER STATED THAT THIS WAS KNOWN ISSUE THAT THE MANUFACTURER HAD NOT CORRECTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 62,000. *TR

DRIVING FOR ABOUT 30 MINUTES AT HIGHWAY SPEED AND THE GAS MOTOR SHUTS OFF AND GOES IN TO LIMP MODE USING ONLY BATTERY HYBRID POWER. THE CAR WON'T RESTART MOTOR WHILE ROLLING. THE DASH SHOWS A MESSAGE TO PULL OVER AND STOP WITH A LITTLE RED TRIANGLE. IN ORDER TO RESTART THE MOTOR YOU HAVE TO COMPLETELY TURN THE KEY TO THE OFF POSITION. THE CAR WILL IMMEDIATELY START BACK UP AND DRIVE BETWEEN 1/2 TO 1 MILE THEN SHUTS DOWN AGAIN. REPEAT PROCESS AGAIN AND AGAIN UNTIL GOT OFF THE HIGHWAY. ONCE OFF THE HIGHWAY, I STOPPED WITH THE MOTOR SHUT IT OFF FOR APPROXIMATELY 15 MINUTES AND THE CAR STARTED BACK UP AND OPERATED NORMALLY. DROVE AN ADDITIONAL 30 MILES WITH NO PROBLEMS. NO ISSUES FOR ABOUT THREE WEEKS THEN SAME SCENARIO OF MULTIPLE STALLS ON THE HIGHWAY. CAR WORKED FINE THE FOLLOWING DAY. NO ENGINE LIGHTS OR CODES. THE FIRST INCIDENT OCCURRED WHILE RAINING. THE SECOND INCIDENT OCCURRED AT NIGHT WHEN IT WAS DRY. *TR