2008 Ford Escape Hybrid

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE ENGINE STALLED AND WAS ABLE TO RESTART. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO A DEALER WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE ELECTRONIC COOLANT PUMP NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 127,405...UPDATED 10/30/14 *BF..UPDATED 12/04/14 *BF UPDATED 7/9/2015*JS

SUBMISSION TO MARK FIELDS RE 2008 FORD HYBRID ESCAPE DEFECTS. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED ABOUT TWO WEEKS AGO, A RED MASTER VEHICLE ELECTRICAL HAZARD WARNING LAMP AND STOP SAFELY NOW MESSAGE APPEARED ON THE DASHBOARD, WHILE DRIVING AT 60 MPH. THE ENGINE IMMEDIATELY SHUT OFF. HE WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER SAFELY. HE TURNED OFF THE VEHICLE, WAITED 5-10 MINUTES BEFORE RE-STARTING IT AND DROVE A FEW MILES, BEFORE THE SITUATION REPEATED ITSELF, SEVERAL MORE TIMES, UNTIL HE ARRIVED HOME. AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH, HE NARROWED THE PROBLEM DOWN TO WHAT HE BELIEVED TO BE THE (MECS) MOTOR ENGINE COOLING SYSTEM PUMP, WHICH FROM HIS UNDERSTANDING, WAS UNIQUE TO THE 2005-2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRIDS. *JB

AT APPROXIMATELY 8:00 AM ON THE ABOVE DATE, I WAS TRAVELING NORTH ON INTERSTATE 75 FROM CINCINNATI TOWARD TOLEDO AT AROUND 70 MPH. WITHOUT ANY WARNING WHATSOEVER, THE VEHICLE COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN AND THE COMPUTER ADVISED I SHOULD PULL OFF IMMEDIATELY TO SAFETY. WHEN THE ESCAPE CAME TO A STOP, I TURNED THE KEY OFF AND THEN WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE ENGINE. AFTER TRAVELING LESS THAN TWO MILES, THE SAME THING HAPPENED. THIS TIME I WAS ABLE TO LIMP OFF AN EXIT RAMP TO A SIDE STREET WHERE THE VEHICLE SEEMED TO BE ABLE TO RUN A BIT LONGER BEFORE CUTTING OFF HOWEVER, THE ENGINE DYING HAPPENED AT LEAST ANOTHER HALF DOZEN TIMES BEFORE I WAS ABLE TO MAKE IT TO AN ENTERPRISE RENTAL CAR LOCATION NORTH OF DAYTON. FROM THERE, I STOPPED BY THE NEAREST FORD DEALERSHIP (BEAU TOWNSEND FORD) AND THEY WERE ABLE TO RETRIEVE THE VEHICLE FROM THE ENTERPRISE PARKING LOT. THE DEALERSHIP WAS NOT ABLE TO LOOK AT THE VEHICLE UNTIL SEVERAL DAYS LATER ON 6/19/14 HOWEVER, AT THAT TIME THEY DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS A DEFECTIVE / SHORTED-OUT MOTOR ELECTRIC COOLING SYSTEM PUMP. THE PART WAS ORDERED AND REPLACED THE FOLLOWING DAY HOWEVER, INCLUDING TOWING AND THE NECESSITY OF RENTING A VEHICLES (I WAS ON A BUSINESS TRIP), THE INCIDENT ENDED UP COSTING ME CLOSE TO $1,000. FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND, FORD WAS AWARE OF THIS DEFECTIVE PART AT THE TIME OF MANUFACTURING AND DID NOTHING TO PREVENT IT FROM BEING INSTALLED ON TENS OF THOUSANDS OF VEHICLES. THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS ON FILE REGARDING THIS PART AS WELL AS A CLASS ACTION LAW SUIT WHICH WAS FILED IN THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA. LET'S HOPE THAT FORD FINALLY STEPS UP TO THE PLATE AND ADMITS THEIR GRAVE ERROR IN JUDGMENT BEFORE SOMEBODY GETS KILLED BECAUSE OF THIS FAULTY PART. THOSE OF US WHO HAVE HAD TO INCUR EXPENSES DUE TO THE MALFUNCTION SHOULD BE FULL REIMBURSED BY FORD. *TR

CAR LIGHTS COME ON .I CHANGED WATER PUMP.NOW SIGN COMES AGAIN IT IS HEAT SENSOR WHAT I HEAR FROM OTHER PEOPLE .SIGN SAYS STOP NOW SAFELY, , ONCE YOU STOP TURN THE SWITCH OFF AND ON THEN CAR STARTS , BUT IT HAPPENS AGAIN EVERY WEEK, I HAVE FAMILY LIKE MOST OF OTHER PEOPLE WHO HAVE FORD ESCAPE HYBRID ARE GOING WITH SAME ISSUE,S .FORD IS NOT DOING ANY THING ABOUT IT, WHEN SIGN COME ON THE FREE WAY THAT IS VERY DANGER. HOW COME THERE IS NO RECALL ON IT. WHEN JAPANESE TOYOTA PRIUS OR ANY CAR HAS PROBLEM THAT BE CAME BIG ISSUE BUT WHEN THAT IS FORD MADE IN USA NO ONE TALKS ABOUT IT, SO SAD, I HOPE FORD WILL DO SOME THING ABOUT THIS. *TR

WHILE DRIVING 65 MILES PER HOUR AN ALARM SOUNDED AND THE ODOMETER READ "STOP SAFELY NOW." I LOST ALL POWER TO THE VEHICLE AND WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER SAFELY. I WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE WITH NO PROBLEM AND CONTINUED ON MY WAY. WHEN I REACHED 60 MILES PER HOUR THE SAME THING HAPPENED. THIS CONTINUED TO HAPPEN 6 TIMES AND THEN THE ODOMETER READ "HIGH ENGINE TEMP" AND THE VEHICLE THEN DIED AND MADE A "WHIRLING" SOUND. I HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP AND WHEN I GOT THERE THEY TOLD ME "I WAS ABLE TO START IT RIGHT UP." THE DEALERSHIP FOUND IT TO BE TSB 8-24-5. THE COOLANT PUMP WAS NOT WORKING AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. FORD IS WELL AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM AND STILL HAVE NOT PLACED A RECALL ON THIS!! WHAT WILL IT TAKE, PEOPLE TO DIE WHEN THIS HAPPENS? FOR ME, THIS WAS THE LAST STRAW. I TRADED IN MY 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID AS I NO LONGER FELT SAFE IN THIS VEHICLE!!

PULLING AWAY FROM COMPLETE STOP AT STOP SIGN THE ENTIRE CAR SHUT DOWN SUDDENLY LEAVING DRIVER WITHOUT ANY POWER TO PULL TO CURB OR TO SAFELY LEAVE ROADWAY. MESSAGE ON DASH READ "STOP SAFELY NOW". CAR TOTALLY DISABLED. RESTARTED AFTER SEVERAL MINUTES. STAR FORD OF GLENDALE HAD CAR FOR A COMPLETE DAY TO DETERMINE NATURE OF PROBLEM - AT END OF DAY HAD NO REASON FOR COMPLETE AND SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER. DRIVER AFRAID TO TAKE CAR ON FREEWAY FOR FEAR CAR WILL LOSE POWER ON FREEWAY AT HIGH SPEED. *TR

RECENTLY WHILE DRIVING, MY DASHBOARD SUDDENLY DISPLAYS A RED TRIANGLE WITH AN EXCLAMATION POINT IN IT AND ADVISES ME TO "STOP SAFELY NOW." REGARDLESS OF WHETHER I CAN STOP SAFELY OR NOT, I LOSE POWER SUDDENLY. THIS HAS HAPPENED MANY TIMES, AND I HAVE BEEN INFORMED THAT THIS IS A GENERIC WARNING THAT COVERS NUMEROUS CAR PROBLEMS. UNFORTUNATELY, I DO MANY MILES ON THE HIGHWAY AT HIGHER SPEEDS. IGNORING THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS WHEN THIS HAS HAPPENED, AND I MADE COMPLAINTS TO THIS SITE THEN, THE MOST CURRENT BOUTS HAVE OCCURRED WHEN I WAS IN VERY HEAVY COMMUTER VOLUME ON THE SAME HIGHWAY THAT IS CURRENTLY UNDER CONSTRUCTION WITH NO SHOULDERS. I LOSE POWER, WITHOUT EVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO AT LEAST GET OUT OF THE MIDDLE LANE. THIS SEVERELY DISRUPTS TRAFFIC, AND I HAVE ALMOST BEEN REAR-ENDED NUMEROUS TIMES. WHAT'S WORSE IS, I HAVE TAKEN IT TO A FORD DEALERSHIP AND THEY HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM. I HAVE HAD NUMEROUS THINGS FIXED, BUT I STILL HAVE THIS PROBLEM. THIS IS NOT SAFE, AND MOST LIKELY, ONE DAY I WILL BE INJURED BECAUSE OF IT. I WOULD RATHER HAVE THE OPTION OF RUINING MY VEHICLE BY DRIVING IT WHEN I SHOULDN'T THEN TO NOT HAVE THE OPTION OF GETTING OUT OF HARMS WAY. I UNDERSTAND THAT OTHER YEARS OF ESCAPES WERE RECALLED FOR THIS PROBLEM, SO WHY NOT MINE? THANK YOU. *TR

DRIVING AT 55 MPH, ENGINE STOPPED, KICKED OUT OF GEAR, LOUD BEEP SOUNDED, AND DASHBOARD WARNING LIGHT CAME ON. TRIANGLE WITH BOLT INSIDE. MESSAGE SAID "SLOW DOWN AND PULL OVER." THIS HAD HAPPENED 3 TIMES BEFORE WHILE IN CRUISE CONTROL, BUT I WAS NOT IN CRUISE CONTROL THIS TIME. FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED, I CONSULTED THE MANUAL. IT SAID TO TURN OFF THE ENGINE AND RESTART. I DID, AND WARNING LIGHT WENT OFF. SAME NEXT 2 INSTANCES. I ATTEMPTED THIS FIX FOUR TIMES ON THIS LAST OCCASION. CAR WOULD RESTART, THEN ENGINE WOULD SHUT DOWN IN A FEW HUNDRED FEET. FINALLY CALLED TOW TRUCK. FORD DEALER FOUND BAD AUXILIARY WATER PUMP CONNECTED TO HYBRID SYSTEM. IN RESEARCHING THIS, I FOUND THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH FORD ESCAPE HYBRIDS. CALLED FORD CUSTOMER SERVICE, BUT THEY REFUSED TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT THE REPAIR, WHICH COST $700. FELT VERY UNSAFE WITH THE WAY THE ENGINE JUST SHUT DOWN. LUCKILY, I WAS ON A ROAD WITH A SHOULDER. IF I HAD BEEN ON A BRIDGE, TUNNEL, OR IN TRAFFIC, I COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED, THE ENGINE SHUT DOWN SO QUICKLY. FORD NEEDS TO ISSUE A RECALL ON THESE WATER PUMPS, AS THEIR FAILURE CAUSES A DANGEROUS ENGINE FAILURE. *TR

WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY DURING A LONG TRIP (9 HOURS) A TRIANGULAR WARNING LIGHT FLASHED ON: STOP SAFELY NOW, AND THE CAR DECELERATED QUICKLY AS THOUGH THE ENGINE HAD ABRUPTLY STOPPED, BARELY ALLOWING TIME TO PULL OFF ROAD. FORTUNATELY, THERE WAS A SHOULDER AT THAT SPOT ON THE HIGHWAY. THERE IS NO WAY TO SAFELY STOP A CAR THIS SUDDENLY THAT IS TRAVELING ON A HIGHWAY! AFTER READING THE MANUAL WHICH DIRECTED DRIVER TO WAIT A BIT AND THEN RESTART CAR, THE DRIVER DID SO AND EVERYTHING SEEMED FINE UNTIL IT HAPPENED AGAIN, TWICE, ON THE HIGHWAY AGAIN AFTER DRIVING FOR ONLY 2 HOURS. PLEASE; JUST BECAUSE THERE WASN'T A CRASH, INJURY, FIRE, OR DEATH DOES NOT MEAN THIS IS "SAFE ENOUGH." *TR