2008 Ford Escape Hybrid

MY WIFE LEFT OUR HOUSE TO RUN ERRANDS IN OUR 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. SHE DIDN'T EVEN GET OUT OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD BEFORE SHE GOT THE "STOP SAFELY NOW" WARNING, AND THE VEHICLE WENT INTO "LIMP HOME MODE". SHE TURNED AROUND IN A NEIGHBOR'S DRIVEWAY AND CAME BACK HOME. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP TODAY THINKING THAT IT MIGHT BE THE MECS PUMP FOR WHICH THERE IS A RECENT RECALL. IT TURNS OUT THAT IT WAS THE THROTTLE BODY CAUSING THE WARNING. EVEN THOUGH THERE WAS A NHTSA INVESTIGATION ON THE THROTTLE BODIES OF THESE VEHICLES (DP12006), THE 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRIDS WERE NOT INCLUDED IN FORD CONSUMER SATISFACTION PROGRAM #13N03, WHICH EXTENDS THE WARRANTY OF THE THROTTLE BODY ON SOME ESCAPE MODELS (AMONG OTHER VEHICLES). SO, I NOW HAVE TO SPEND $775.00 TO REPLACE A PART THAT WAS KNOWN TO HAVE ISSUES. LUCKILY, MY WIFE WAS NOT ON THE HIGHWAY WITH OUR 2-MONTH OLD DAUGHTER WHEN THIS OCCURRED. I DON'T QUITE UNDERSTAND HOW ESCAPES FROM 2005 TO 2012 WERE PART OF THE INVESTIGATION, BUT THE PRELIMINARY EVALUATION PE13-003 ONLY APPLIES TO 2009 - 2012 MODELS. *TR

MECS COOLANT PUMP DEFECT CAUSES LOSS OF ENGINE POWER AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS RESULTING IN AN EXTREMELY UNSAFE CONDITION. FORD IS AWARE OF THE DEFECT IN THIS "HYBRID UNIQUE" COMPONENT BUT REFUSES TO COVER IT UNDER THEIR HYBRID COMPONENT WARRANTY. IN MY CASE I WAS DRIVING AT 55MPH ON A PUBLIC HIGHWAY WHEN THE DASH ILLUMINATED A RED TRIANGLE WITH THE MESSAGE "STOP SAFELY NOW". I HAD TO SCRAMBLE TO GET TO THE RIGHT SHOULDER AND CREATE A DANGEROUS CONDITION BY CUTTING OFF THE DRIVERS AROUND ME. I HAD TO PAY OUT OF POCKET FOR A REDESIGNED MECS PUMP REPLACEMENT AND HAVE NOT EXPERIENCED THE ISSUE SINCE. PENDING LAWSUIT, MACDONALD V. FORD MOTOR CO., CASE NUMBER 3:13-CV-02988, IN THE U.S. DISTRICT COURT FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA. *TR

STARTING IN MAY OF 2014, MY CAR'S PERFORMANCE HAS BEEN UNTRUSTWORTHINESS. SOME DAYS THERE'S NO PROBLEM-- I PUSH ON THE GAS PEDAL AND THE CAR MOVES ACCORDINGLY. AT A STOP SIGN, I CAN GO. WHILE MOVING AT 50 MPH ON THE FREEWAY, I CAN EASILY ACCELERATE AND MOVE AROUND A MONSTER SIZE 18 WHEELER. BUT ON THE DAYS WHEN I PRESS THE GAS PEDAL AND THE CAR DOESN'T RESPOND, I SWEAT. HERE'S A DESCRIPTION: FOOT ON THE GAS PEDAL, NO RESPONSE... SO I PRESS DOWN FURTHER, WITHOUT ANY ACCELERATION OF THE CAR. FINALLY, NOW FREAKED OUT THAT THE CAR IS NOT MOVING (AND THAT ANOTHER CAR IS RIGHT ON MY TAIL) I PRESS THE PEDAL TO THE FLOOR-- WITH NO IMMEDIATE REACTION. THEN-- BAM-- SURPRISE! IT WORKS AND THE SUDDEN SURGE SENDS ME FLYING BEYOND INTENTION AND I MUST PRESS ON THE BRAKES TO SLOW. AT STOP SIGNS THIS HAPPENS AND PEOPLE BEHIND ME GET FRUSTRATED, PROBABLY THINKING I'M ON DRUGS OR SOMETHING. BUT REALLY, IT'S NOT ME; IT'S MY FORD ESCAPE HYBRID 2008. THE RATE OF INCIDENCE HAS GRADUALLY INCREASED FROM MAY TO THE CURRENT DATE OF JULY, AND CONSEQUENTLY, I AM AFRAID TO DRIVE THIS CAR. *TR

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

WHILE TRAVELING AT INTERSTATE SPEEDS (65 -70 MPH) IN THE MIDDLE LANE, MY 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID HAD A SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER WITH A RED TRIANGLE EXCLAMATION MARK INDICATOR LIGHT IN THE DRIVER MESSAGE CENTER READING 'STOP VEHICLE SAFELY', HAD TO COAST TO THE SIDE OF THE INTERSTATE WHICH WAS VERY DANGEROUS, THIS SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER INCIDENT ALMOST ENDED IN ME BEING REAR ENDED AND THEN IN A COLLISION AS I TRIED TO CROSS OVER TO THE EMERGENCY LANE. COULD YOU PLEASE INVESTIGATE THIS. I WILL BE TAKING MY CAR INTO THE SHOP TOMORROW TO SEE WHAT THEY SAY. I SEE ON THE INTERNET THAT MANY OTHER FORD ESCAPE OWNERS HAVE HAD THIS SAME THING HAPPEN TO THEM. *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

ON 4 SEPARATE OCCASIONS, ALL OCCURRING AT HIGHWAY SPEED AFTER AT LEAST 40 MINUTES OF DRIVING ON A HOT DAY, THE CAR'S ENGINE SUDDENLY CUT OFF, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO LOSE SPEED RAPIDLY. A RED TRIANGLE WARNING LIGHT APPEARED ON THE DASHBOARD WITH THE FOLLOWING WORDS: "PULL OVER SAFELY NOW AND TURN OFF ENGINE". ALL 4 TIMES I WAS DRIVING AROUND 65 MPH ON AN INTERSTATE. ALL 4 TIMES THE CAR STARTED AGAIN NORMALLY AFTER A FEW MINUTES. AFTER THE 3RD INCIDENT, I STARTED THE CAR AGAIN SOON, AND IT STALLED AGAIN AFTER 10 MORE MINUTES OF HIGHWAY DRIVING. FIRST INCIDENT LATE JULY 2012, THEN LATE AUGUST 2012, AND TWICE ON JUNE 19, 2013. THIS IS A TERRIFYING EXPERIENCE, AND I WAS EXTREMELY LUCKY NOT TO BE REAR ENDED. THE DEALER CLAIMS IT CANNOT DUPLICATE PROBLEM OR SEE ANY CODES IN DIAGNOSTIC COMPUTER, REFUSES TO PURSUE. HELP!!!! *TR

DRIVING VEHICLE ON INTERSTATE HIGHWAY @ HIGHWAY SPEEDS. WHILE MERGING INTO TRAFFIC, EXPERIENCED ABRUPT LOSS OF POWER. AMBER WRENCH WARNING LIGHT CAME ON. MOVED TO SHOULDER OF ROAD IN HEAVY TRAFFIC, STOPPED VEHICLE, TURNED OFF IGNITION & AFTER ABOUT 30 - 40 SECONDS RESTARTED VEHICLE, POWER RESTORED & VEHICLE CONTINUED TO DRIVE NORMALLY (WRENCH LIGHT OFF). TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER, WHERE THROTTLE BODY WAS REPLACED, NOT UNDER WARRANTY (DESPITE TSB 09-19-12). ON FEB. 3, 2012, EXPERIENCED SIMILAR LOSS OF POWER PROBLEM, AND THE AMBER WRENCH LIGHT AND MASTER VEHICLE ELECTRICAL HAZARD WARNING LIGHT CAME ON, AND VEHICLE COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN (MILEAGE AT THIS POINT: 45,500 MILES). AFTER SHUTTING OFF THE IGNITION & RESTARTING, THE VEHICLE WOULD RUN NORMALLY FOR 45-60 SECONDS, THEN WOULD FAULT & SHUT DOWN. I WAS CLOSE TO MY WORKPLACE, SO I LIMPED IT BACK TO WORK. CALLED DEALER, WHO RECOMMENDED CALLING FORD'S ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE. VEHICLE WAS TRANSPORTED TO HYBRID CERTIFIED DEALER, WHERE THE THROTTLE BODY WAS REPLACED (UNDER WARRANTY THIS TIME) AND THE PCM WAS REPROGRAMMED. WHEN I CAME TO PICK THE VEHICLE UP, I EXPERIENCED THE SAME LOSS OF POWER & WARNING LIGHTS (OPEN WRENCH LIGHT). DEALER NOW CLAIMS A SENSOR IN THE SHIFT ASSEMBLY IS BAD & IS CAUSING THE PROBLEM (CLAIMING THIS IS NOT COVERED BY WARRANTY). VEHICLE IS STILL AT DEALER AT THE TIME OF THIS POST. *TR

I WAS ON A ROAD TRIP WITH A PASSENGER IN MY VEHICLE. WE STOPPED IN BARSTOW, CA FOR LUNCH. WHILE PULLING INTO A PARKING SPACE, MY VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED JUMPING THE PARKING BLOCK AND THE CURB. I WAS ABLE TO STOP THE VEHICLE FROM GOING INTO THE BUILDING BUT NOT BEFORE HITTING SOME NEWSPAPER VENDING MACHINES. THE FRONT BUMPER SUSTAINED MINOR DAMAGE. I HAVE BEEN DRIVING FOR MANY YEARS AND HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED ANYTHING LIKE THIS. BOTH MY PASSENGER AND MYSELF WERE PRETTY SHOOK UP AFTERWARDS. THE PERSON SITTING IN THE CAR NEXT TO US WHO WITNESSED THIS EVENT SAID THAT THERE WAS AN OLDER MAN STANDING RIGHT WHERE WE JUMPED THE CURB A FEW MOMENTS EARLIER. FORTUNATELY, HE HAD LEFT OR THIS INCIDENT WOULD HAVE BEEN MUCH WORSE. *TR

VEHICLE GAVE "STOP SAFELY NOW" READOUT ON DISPLAY AND RED TRIANGLE LIGHT ON DASH. POWER DROPPED OFF AND I HAD TO PULL OF THE ROAD. I WAS TRAVELING FROM LA TO SANTA CRUZ IN THE EVENING. HAPPENED FOUR MORE TIMES ON THE SAME DRIVE. JUST HAPPENED AGAIN COMING BACK FROM PALM SPRINGS ALSO IN THE EVENING. TOOK ME SEVEN HOURS TO DRIVE 140 MILES. CAR STOPPED OVER TWENTY TIMES. *TR