2008 Ford Escape Hybrid

ISSUE STARTED INTERMITTENTLY AND HAS INCREASED IN FREQUENCY OF FAILURE. THE PROBLEM WE ARE HAVING IS WITH STARTING THE CAR. THE KEY IS INSERTED AND TURNED, THE DASH INDICATORS TURN ON BUT THE ENGINE DOES NOT START. MULTIPLE ATTEMPTS ARE NEEDED TO START ENGINE. WE BROUGHT THE VEHICLE IN TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE ISSUE. THE ISSUE IS OCCURRING AT A RATE OF 9 OUT OF 10 ATTEMPTS AND IS CURRENTLY AN ISSUE WITH THE CAR.

I HAD RECALL FOR ELECTRIC POWER STEERING COMPLETED IN DECEMBER 2015, AND THEN IN JANUARY 2016 MY STEERING WHEEL STARTED VIBRATING/LOCKING. IN APRIL POWER STEERING WENT COMPLETELY OUT. I TOOK VEHICLE IN AND ASKED IF POWER STEERING WAS RELATED TO THE RECALL AND HE SAID NO IT WAS A SEPARATE SENSOR THAT WAS CAUSING THE POWER STEERING TO GO OUT. SO, I GAVE PERMISSION FOR THE WORK TO BE COMPLETED. THEN, I STARTED RESEARCHING AND FOUND THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING TO MANY PEOPLE. I HAD MY BOYFRIEND CALL BACK AS HE KNOWS MORE ABOUT CARS THAN I DO AND HE WAS TOLD AGAIN THAT A SENSOR NOT RELATED TO RECALL THAT WAS PERFORMED WAS CAUSING P.S TO GO OUT THAT WAS UNRELATED TO THE RECALL. WE GO TO PICK UP THE CAR AND PAY FOR IT AND WHEN WE ARE GOING OVER OUR PAPERWORK IN THE CAR WE FIND THAT THE WORK THEY DID WAS REPLACE THE TORQUE SENSOR WHICH IS PART OF THE RECALL. I CALLED THE OVERALL SERVICE MANAGER AND SPOKE TO HIM. I ASKED HIM IF I WOULDN'T HAVE BROUGHT IT IN DECEMBER WHEN I WAS EXPERIENCING NO ISSUES AND WOULD HAVE WAITED UNTIL APRIL WHEN MY POWER STEERING WENT OUT WOULD THE CODE (P2278) BE COVERED UNDER THE RECALL AND HE SAID YES, THAT I WOULD NOT HAVE TO PAY FOR THE WORK. THAT CODE WOULD CAUSE THEM TO REPLACE THE TORQUE SENSOR FREE OF CHARGE. SO I ASKED HIM IF HE WAS SUGGESTING THAT PEOPLE WAIT UNTIL THEY ARE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AND THE POWER STEERING GOES OUT SO THAT THE WORK WILL ACTUALLY BE COVERED? HE SAID NO OF COURSE NOT, BUT WHAT OTHER OPTION IS THERE? YOU TAKE IT IN WHEN THERE ARE NO ISSUES THEY UPDATE SOFTWARE, AND THEN WHEN YOU START HAVING ISSUES WITH TORQUE SENSOR OR STEERING COLUMN YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE BILL. WHAT OPTION ARE PEOPLE GOING TO TAKE? OBVIOUSLY, THEY ARE NOT GOING TO WANT TO PAY A 675 DOLLAR REPAIR BILL ON SOMETHING THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN COVERED BY A RECALL SO THEY WILL DRIVE UNTIL POWER STEERING GOES OUT WHICH IS NOT SAFE.

THE RECALL ISSUED IN MAY, 2014 FOR THE POWER STEERING ASSIST FAULT DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEM. THE SENSOR FAILED AGAIN, AND THE REMEDY BY FORD LITERATURE TO THE DEALERSHIP WAS ERRONEOUS AND OVERLY COSTLY TO ME. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT DETECTED A FAULT CODE, B2278, AND THE REMEDY LISTED THREE REPAIRS IN SEQUENCE TO FIX. THE FIRST WAS THE SOFTWARE UPDATE PROSCRIBED IN THE RECALL BULLETIN. THAT PROCEDURE HAD BEEN COMPLETED BY A DEALER PREVIOUSLY. THE SECOND IN THE SEQUENCE WAS TO REPLACE THE SENSOR. DEALER FOLLOWED THIS AND THE FIX FAILED, CAUSING REPLACEMENT OF THE STEERING COLUMN, COSTING AN ADDITIONAL $1200 ON TOP OF THE $500+ FOR THE FIRST FAILED FIX. ATTACHED RECEIPT FOR ENTIRE REPAIR OF A RECALL THAT DIDN'T GET FIXED THE FIRST TIME.

ABS LIGHT, REGEN LIGHT CHECK, BRAKE LIGHT AND EMERGENCY BRAKE LIGHTS CAME ON AND BRAKES FAILED AND WORKED IN DEGRADED MODE. BROUGHT TO DEALER, THEY ADVISED RECALIBRATION AND INTERNAL BLEED PROCEDURE, ABS MODULE REFLASH AND CALIBRATION, WHICH WAS PERFORMED AT A COST OF $221.49 ADVISED IF CODE RETURNS , HCU REPLACEMENT WILL BE NEEDED AT $5400.!!!! OUTRAGEOUS, THE CAR WAS BOUGHT NEW AND MAINTAINED METICULOUSLY. CAR NOW HAS 79,397 AND WE ARE DEATHLY AFRAID TO DRIVE IT AS THE BRAKES MAY FAIL. WHEN THE BRAKES FAILED THE CAR WAS RESTARTED ON THE PEAKING LOT AFTER BEING STOPPED FOR 15 MINUTES

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. AFTER STARTING THE VEHICLE, A POWER STEERING FAILURE MESSAGE DISPLAYED AND THE STEERING WHEEL BEGAN TO VIBRATE AT SPEEDS LESS THAN 35 MPH. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE STEERING TORQUE ANGLE SENSOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS PREVIOUSLY REPAIRED UNDER A RECALL FOR THE SAME FAILURE. THE VIN AND NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER WERE UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 120,900. UPDATED 04/14/16*LJ THE CONSUMER STATED THE WAS A COMPUTER SOFTWARE UPDATE BUT NO REPAIR WAS MADE TO THE VEHICLE. *TR

P2803 & P2800 SENSORS..BOTH SENSORS ARE DEFECTIVE AND THE COST TO REPAIR IS FAR ABOVE FAIR PRICING. HYDRAULIC CONTROL APPROX COST TO REPAIR 4100.00 DOLLARS. THIS IS UNUNFAIR REPAIR COSTS. THIS VEHICLE HAS BEEN MAINTAINED WITH ABOVE AVERAGE CARE AND HAS NOT BEEN MISUSED. CHECKING WEB SITE HAVE FOUND THAT THIS IS NOT AN UNCOMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS MODEL. PUBLIC SHOULD BE WARNED ABOUT THIS DEFECT IN THIS MODEL AND A POSSIBLE RECALL SHOULD ME MADE.

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?