2008 Ford Escape Hybrid

THE FORD REPAIR SERVICE CENTER HAS INFORMED ME THE MOTOR ELECTRONICS COOLANT MEC PUMP ON MY 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID HAS FAILED. THE MEC WAS PART OF A RECALL ISSUED IN SEPTEMBER OF 2014 FOR 2005-2008 FORD ESCPAES. THE NHTSA CAMPAIGN # IS 14V526000. HOWEVER, MY VIN NUMBER WAS NOT LISTED ON THE RECALL. THE DEALERSHIP COULD NOT TELL MY WHY MY VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE MY VEHICLE ADDED TO THE RECALL AND WOULD LIKE TO KNOW HOW TO GO ABOUT DOING SO. THANK YOU.

THE REGEN BREAKS DISABLED LIGHT IS ALWAYS ON. THE BREAKS DO NOT WORK PROPERLY, IF AT ALL. NUMEROUS TIMES I HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO STOP ALMOST CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. THE BREAKS SOMETIMES LOCK ON AND THE VEHICLE WON'T MOVE AT ALL. UNABLE TO GO MORE THAN 40 MPH. IF YOU ATTEMPT, THE VEHICLE SHAKES AND THE BREAKS SMOKE. I TOOK IT TO FORD FOR DIAGNOSTIC AND THEY INFORMED ME IT IS A COMMON PROBLEM DUE TO THE THE BEAK SYSTEM AND THE HYBRID SYSTEM BEING INTEGRATED. THE PART BY ITSELF IS $4200 AND THE VEHICLE BLUE BOOKS FOR ABOUT $3000 AT THE MOST. THE VEHICLE WON'T START OR EVEN TURN OVER. THE BATTERY IS GOOD.

I WAS DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE WITH MY 2 YEAR OLD AND 4 YEAR OLD IN THE CAR. I HAD BEEN DRIVING FOR ABOUT 45 MIN AT INTERSTATE SPEEDS, THEN SLOWED DOWN TO ABOUT 5-10 MILES PER HOUR DUE TO TRAFFIC. ALL OF A SUDDEN, WHILE SLOWLY MOVING IN TRAFFIC, A TONE SOUNDED, A RED TRIANGLE APPEARED ON THE DASH AND THE MESSAGE CENTER SHOWED 'STOP SAFELY NOW'. THE ENGINE TURNED OFF, SO THE CAR STALLED AND STOPPED ITSELF FOR ME WITH NO TIME TO REACT. I WAS STUCK IN THE MIDDLE LANE OF A 3 LANE INTERSTATE AND THE CAR WOULD NOT RESTART. IT JUST KEPT THE SAME MESSAGE 'STOP SAFELY NOW', WITH THE RED TRIANGLE DISPLAYED. EVENTUALLY A ROAD RANGER ASSISTED ME TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD BY PUSHING MY DEAD CAR WHILE IN NEUTRAL. I LET THE CAR SIT AND COOL OFF OVER NIGHT AND THEN WAS ABLE TO RESTART IT IN THE MORNING WITH NO ISSUES AT ALL. AFTER READING ONLINE, THE FAILURE SOUNDS IDENTICAL TO OTHER FORD ESCAPE HYBRID PROBLEMS WITH THE FAILURE OF THE MOTOR ELECTRONICS COOLANT (MEC) PUMP. THERE WAS A RECALL THAT COVERED MY VEHICLE MODEL PRODUCTION YEAR MODEL AND LOCATION OF PRODUCTION, NHTSA RECALL NO. : 14V-526 MANUFACTURER RECALL NO. : 14S19. HOWEVER, AFTER INQUIRIES WITH NHSTA AND FORD, BOTH HAVE TOLD ME THAT MY VIN IS NOT COVERED UNDER THE RECALL. THERE IS NO EXPLANATION THAT EITHER ENTITY WILL PROVIDE AS TO WHY MY SPECIFIC VEHICLE, WITH THE SAME PRODUCTION DATE, LOCATION, AND MODEL AS THIS RECALL, DOES NOT FALL UNDER THIS RECALL. I WAS NEVER NOTIFIED OF ANY RECALLS WHEN THE RECALL WAS INITIATED EITHER, IF THIS HAD OCCURRED LESS THAN A MINUTE EARLIER, IT WOULD HAVE CAUSED A MAJOR ACCIDENT AND ONLY BY CHANCE IT OCCURRED WHEN TRAFFIC WAS MOVING SLOWER, LEAVING TIME FOR OTHER DRIVERS TO REACT TO MY STALLED VEHICLE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE INTERSTATE.

WHILE DRIVING, THE BRAKE LIGHT AND ABS LIGHT CAME ON. MESSAGE ALSO SHOWED ON DASH SAYING, "CHECK BRAKE SYSTEM, REGEN BRAKES DISABLED. TOOK IT TO A LOCAL DEALERSHIP WHO SAID THE HYDRAULIC CONTROL UNIT MUST BE REPLACED AT A COST OF $5,600. DOING SOME RESEARCH ONLINE SHOWED THAT HUNDREDS OF CUSTOMERS HAVE HAD OR ARE HAVING THIS PROBLEM. BUT AS THE DEALERSHIP STATED, SORRY THERE'S NO RECALL. MY VEHICLE IS RENDERED USELESS AND FORD REFUSES TO STAND BY THEIR PRODUCT EVEN THOUGH MANY CUSTOMERS HAVE HAD THIS COSTLY SAFETY ISSUE WITH THE BRAKES.

WHEN I PUSH DOWN ON THE GAS PEDAL THE CAR WOULD SHUT THE ENGINE OFF AND GIVE ME A RED TRIANGLE SYMBOL AND TELL ME TO PULL OVER SAFELY. I WOULD THEN TURN THE CAR IGNITION OFF AND RESTART THE ENGINE AND IT WOULD BE FINE AGAIN. I THEN DID SOME RESEARCH AND FOUND THAT THIS WAS AN ISSUE WITH 2008-2011 FORD ESCAPES AND THE ISSUE WAS A FAULTY THROTTLE BODY WHICH FORD ISSUED A RECALL FOR. I WENT TO THE DEALER TO HAVE IT REPLACED, BUT THE RECALL THAT WAS ISSUED ONLY APPLIED TO FORD ESCAPE NON HYBRIDS EVEN THOUGH IT WAS THE SAME ISSUE. THIS ISSUE HAD BEEN GOING ON FOR 1 YEAR BEFORE I HAD IT REPLACED IN NOV OF 2014.

AFTER APPROX. 10 MINUTES OF STOP AND GO DRIVING AT <5MPH A TONE SOUNDED, A RED TRIANGLE LIT, AND THE LED INDICATED "STOP SAFELY NOW." THE ENGINE DID NOT STALL, SHUT DOWN, OR GIVE ANY OTHER INDICATION OF A FAULT, THEREFORE I CONTINUED DRIVING AT <15MPH TO THE NEAREST PARKING LOT AND TURNED OFF THE ENGINE. AFTER I RETURNED SEVERAL HOURS LATER THE ENGINE STARTED NORMALLY WITH NO FAULT INDICATION, AND I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE HOME WITHOUT ANY FURTHER FAULT INDICATION. I READ ON THE WEB THAT THIS HAD OCCURRED WITH OTHER 2008 ESCAPE HYBRIDS AND WAS DUE TO A FAULTY HYBRID SYSTEM ELECTRONICS COOLING PUMP. ONE COMPLAINANT INDICATED THAT THE 2008 ESCAPE HYBRIDS HAD BEEN RECALLED FOR THIS ISSUE, BUT THE RECALL DOES NOT SHOW ON YOUR, OR ON FORD'S, DATABASE FOR THIS VEHICLE. HAS THIS BEEN REPORTED PREVIOUSLY, AND WAS THERE A RECALL?

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!!