2008 Ford Escape Hybrid

DRIVING ALONG, MY WIFE SUDDENLY NOTICED THAT BRAKING WAS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT. DASHBOARD STATES ABS SYSTEM FAILURE, AND REGEN SYSTEM FAILURE. SHE PULLED OVER AND TURNED CAR OFF. RESTARTING, FAILURE LIGHTS STILL COME UP, BRAKING STILL EXTREMELY DIFFICULT. A LOOK UNDER THE HOOD, AND THE BRAKE FLUID IS ALMOST COMPLETELY GONE! IT'D BEEN FILLED AT LAST OIL CHANGE (LESS THAN 1500 MILES AGO) TOOK CAR TO FORD DEALERSHIP. AFTER 2 DAYS, THEY DETERMINED THAT THE MASTER CYLINDER AND HCU NEEDED TO BE REPLACED, THAT THEY WOULD BE SPECIAL ORDER PARTS AND THAT IT'D COST EXTRA $ FOR REPAIRS DUE TO THE COMPLEXITY OF THE REPAIR. (I'D TOLD THE DEALERSHIP THAT I'D RESEARCHED AND THIS IS A VERY COMMON ISSUE, FORD HAS MANY TSBS OUT FOR THIS, CALLS INTO QUESTION THE TRAINING OR THE ABILITY OF THIS DEALERSHIP TO PROPERLY DO THE REPAIR) FORD IS THE ONLY SUPPLIER FOR PARTS FOR THIS PARTICULAR REPAIR, AND THEY CHARGE A PREMIUM PRICE FOR THEM! $7000 FOR PARTS AND LABOR TO REPAIR A SAFETY RELATED PROBLEM THAT FORD SHOULD BE VOLUNTARILY RECALLING. IF THEY'RE NOT GOING TO ISSUE A SAFETY RECALL, THEY SHOULD AT LEAST MAKE THE PARTS AVAILABLE FOR A LOT LESS MONEY! *TR CONSUMER TRADED THE VEHICLE IN JULY 2014 TO MARK MILLER TOYOTA IN SALT LAKE CITY, UT. UPDATED 6/8/18*JB

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

A PROBLEM THAT SURFACED AGAIN AFTER EXPERIENCES MANY TIMES SINCE THE ABOVE MENTIONED INCIDENT DATE: A WRENCH SIGN WAS COMING ON THE DASHBOARD FREQUENTLY, AND SOMETIMES DISAPPEARED ITSELF WITHOUT DOING ANYTHING.SIMILAR SIGN OR INDICATION FOR OIL CHANGE WAS ALSO EXPERIENCED EVEN AFTER A SCHEDULED OIL CHANGE WAS DONE WITH THE DEALER. WHEN THE PROBLEM WAS REPORTED IN EARLY PERIOD, I (THE CUSTOMER) WAS ADVISED TO DISREGARD, BECAUSE THE MECHANIC FORGOT TO RESET AFTER THE OIL SERVICE, WHEN FORD CUSTOMER SERVICE WAS NOTIFIED TODAY (11/7/12), IT WAS ACKNOWLEDGED AS A SERVICE ISSUE, WHICH I DO NOT AGREE. SINCE THE PROBLEM EXISTED WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS NEW IN EARLY STAGES AFTER THE PURCHASE, MY CONCERN IS THAT THIS IS A MANUFACTURING DEFECT WITH BATTERY DOOR WHICH MALFUNCTIONS, AND DOES NOT ALLOW VENTILATION ON & OFF. THE BATTERY WAS DOWN, ALL CONTROLS DISAPPEARED AND THE CAR WAS LOCKED IN POSITION ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO (APPROXIMATE JUNE 2010). THAT TIME A MAJOR SERVICE WAS PERFORMED, WHICH REQUIRED A MONTH LONG PERIOD TO FIX IT. (SAFECAR REFERENCE 365127). UNFORTUNATELY, I NEVER HEARD BACK FROM YOUR OFFICE ON THIS PAST ISSUE AND COMPLAINT. SINCE BOTH PROBLEMS HAVE TO DO WITH BATTERY AND MONITORING DEVICES, I WOULD LIKE TO INFORM FOR SAFETY OF ALL USING THIS MODEL. PLEASE LET ME KNOW YOUR FINDINGS ON BATTERY VENT DOOR FUNCTIONING. THANKS *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

2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO TRANSMISSION AND ENGINE PROBLEMS *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED WHEN HE DECIDED TO SLOW DOWN BY APPLYING THE BRAKE AND SHIFTING THE CVT TRANSMISSION INTO LOW RANGE, TO HIS SURPRISE THE TRANSMISSION DID NOT SHIFT DOWN AND ALLOW THE ENGINE COMPRESSION TO SLOW THE VEHICLE DOWN. HE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER, BUT THEY WERE UNABLE TO FIND ANYTHING WRONG. THE CONSUMER WAS ADVISED BY FORD CUSTOMER SERVICE TO TAKE THE VEHICLE TO ANOTHER DEALER. THE SERVICE MANAGER STATED THE VEHICLE COULD NOT BE SHIFTED INTO LOW AT 50-60 MPH AND EXPECT IT TO SLOW DOWN. HOWEVER, THE CONSUMERS MANUAL STATED THE TRANSMISSION MAY BE SHIFTED INTO LOW AT ANY SPEED. UPDATED 09/11/12

WHILE TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 70MPH AND AFTER SEVERAL HOURS OF HIGHWAY DRIVING, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY AND WITHOUT ANY WARNING LOST ALL FORWARD ENGINE POWER (COMBUSTION ENGINE AND HYBRID SYSTEM). THE INCIDENT OCCURRED WHILE IN THE LEFT LANE OF A MAJOR INTERSTATE HIGHWAY. THE MESSAGE "STOP SAFELY NOW" APPEARS ON THE DRIVER DISPLAY. MY WIFE WAS DRIVING AND NARROWLY AND MIRACULOUSLY AVOIDED ACCIDENTS WITH FOLLOWING TRAFFIC INCLUDING TRACTOR-TRAILERS AND WAS ABLE TO MOVE THE VEHICLE TO THE RIGHT HAND SHOULDER. AFTER SEVERAL MINUTES ON THE SIDE OF THE FREEWAY, THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED AND WAS ABLE TO BE DRIVEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE DIAGNOSIS INDICATES A HYBRID MEC PUMP FAILURE. AFTER RESEARCHING THIS FAILURE MODE ON THE INTERNET AND THROUGH OTHER SOURCES, IT APPEARS THAT THE FOLLOWING SITUATION EXISTS: 1) THIS COMPONENT EXHIBITS A VERY HIGH AND PREMATURE FAILURE RATE AT ALL MILEAGE LEVELS. 2) THE FAILURE MODE (SUDDEN AND UNEXPECTED LOSS OF ALL VEHICLE POWER) IS HIGHLY LIKELY TO RESULT IN FATALITIES AND MAJOR ACCIDENTS. 3) THE ABOVE INFORMATION IS WELL KNOWN TO FORD MOTOR COMPANY AND VARIOUS TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETINS HAVE BEEN ISSUED TO AID IN THE DIAGNOSIS AND REPLACEMENT OF THIS COMPONENT. 4) NHTSA HAS PREVIOUSLY RECEIVED 25 SIMILAR OR IDENTICAL DEFECT REPORTS, YET STILL NEITHER NHTSA NOR FORD MOTOR COMPANY HAS ACTED TO PROTECT FORD ESCAPE OWNERS FROM THIS SAFETY CRITICAL DEFECT. I URGE NHTSA AND FORD MOTOR COMPANY TO OPEN A FORMAL SAFETY INVESTIGATION ON THE FORD ESCAPE HYBRID MEC PUMP "STOP SAFELY NOW" POWERTRAIN FAILURES BEFORE LIVES ARE LOST AND MORE ACCIDENTS OCCUR DUE TO THIS DEFECT. *TR

WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AT 65 MPH THE POWER CUT OUT AND A WARNING WAS DISPLAYED ON THE DASH TO PULL OVER SAFELY. I WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE CAR AND CONTINUE DRIVING, BUT IT HAPPENED AGAIN. I HAD TO HAVE THE CAR TOWED TO FORD. THE FORD DEALER HAD TO REPLACE THE THROTTLE BODY AND MOTOR ASSEMBLY. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS. *KB

INCIDENT TOOK PLACE ON 12/02/2011. AFTER WORK I WAS DRIVING SOUTH ON THE 405 FREEWAY IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. I WAS IN LEFT LANE GOING APPROXIMATELY 60 MILES PER HOUR WHEN THE CAR LOST POWER AND I COULD NO LONGER ACCELERATE. SMOKE STARTED TO COME UP FROM THE HOOD OF THE CAR. I IMMEDIATELY PUT ON MY HAZARD LIGHTS AND TRIED TO MAKE MY WAY TO THE RIGHT SHOULDER ON THE FREEWAY. THE ONLY LANE TO THE LEFT OF ME WAS THE CARPOOL LANE. IT WAS DURING A HEAVY TRAFFIC TIME AND I WAS NEARLY REAR-ENDED SEVERAL TIMES AS I TRIED TO GET TO THE SHOULDER ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE FREEWAY WITHOUT THE ABILITY TO ACCELERATE. THIS ENTIRE TIME THE CAR WAS GETTING SMOKY AND IT WAS HARD TO SEE AND BREATHE. CARS WERE HONKING AT ME AND ONE CAR PULLED UP NEXT TO ME AND YELLED AT ME THAT THERE WERE FLAMES COMING FROM MY CAR AND THE CAR WAS ON FIRE AND I NEEDED TO GET OUT IMMEDIATELY. I BARELY MADE IT TO THE SIDE OF THE FREEWAY AND PARKED AND GOT OUT OF MY CAR. I COULD SEE SMOKE AND FLAMES COMING FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE CAR NEAR THE ENGINE. ONE TRUCK WITH TWO MEN INSIDE PULLED OVER TO HELP ME. I USED A FIRE EXTINGUISHER I HAD IN THE CAR TO PUT OUT FIRE. THE TOW TRUCK TOWED MY CAR TO LOCAL FORD DEALER. THE DEALER TOLD ME THAT THE GEARS INSIDE THE HYBRID POWER UNIT CAME APART AND BROKE. THEN TRANSMISSION FLUIDS LEAKED ONTO THE EXHAUST AND BURST INTO FLAMES. MY SERVICE ADVISER BRIAN SAID THAT THEY DOCUMENTED THAT THERE WERE FLAMES AS A RESULT OF THIS. HE ALSO SAID HE DID NOT KNOW WHY A CAR WITH ONLY 66,000 MILES WOULD HAVE THIS PROBLEM. HE SAID THEY DID NOT HAVE AN EXPLANATION FOR WHY THE GEARS WOULD BREAK APART. FORD REPLACED THE UNIT BUT DID NOT CLEAN THE CAR, STILL HAS FLUID UNDER IT AND IT SMELLS HORRIBLY TO DRIVE. FORD CANNOT GUARANTEE IT WONT HAPPEN AGAIN BECAUSE THEY DON'T WHY IT HAPPENED IN THE FIRST PLACE. SUBMITTED CLAIM TO FORD AND THEY REJECTED IT. *TR

2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID, APPROX 65K MILES. DROVE APPROX 10 MILES ON EXPRESSWAY WHEN SUDDENLY VEHICLE LOSSES ENGINE POWER, RED TRIANGLE WITH EXCLAMATION POINT, AND MESSAGE "STOP SAFETY NOW." COASTED WITHOUT POWER TO PULL OVER ONTO SHOULDER. ANOTHER MESSAGE READ "ELECTRIC MOTOR TEMP HIGH." I TURNED OFF VEHICLE WAITED 2 MINUTES, TURNED ON VEHICLE AND DROVE APPROX 1/4 MILE AND AGAIN VEHICLE LOSSES POWER WITH SAME STOP SAFELY NOW MESSAGE. THIS OCCURRED 9 TIMES WHILE ON THE WAY HOME, AND ONCE ON THE JR EXPRESS WHICH IS 2 LANE SO I STOPPED ALL TRAFFIC. VERY DANGEROUS. THIS HAS HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES BEFORE AND HASSETT FORD SERVICE, NY TELLS ME THEY CAN NOT DO ANYTHING. CALLED FORD MOTOR COMPANY AND THEY WILL NOT DO ANYTHING. ARE THEY WAITING UNTIL THERE IS A DEATH AS A RESULT OF ENGINE POWER LOSS ON A 65 MPH EXPRESSWAY TO OFFER A REPAIR? NO ONE FROM FORD WILL OFFER A REPAIR. A PROPER INVESTIGATION IS NECESSARY AND A RECALL TO REPAIR THIS PROBLEM IMMEDIATELY BEFORE A SERIOUS CRASH FIRE OR DEATH OCCURS. *TR