2008 Ford Escape Hybrid

I HAVE A 2008 FORD HYBRID ESCAPE. WHILE DRIVING ON A RECENT TRIP - 70MPH IN 92 DEGREE HEAT, I EXPERIENCED A SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER, AND A MESSAGE ON THE DASH THAT SAID "STOP SAFELY NOW." THIS HAPPENED REPEATEDLY, AS I WAS TRYING TO GET HOME TO NC FROM FLORIDA. I WONDERED IF I HAD PURCHASED SOME BAD GAS, SO REFILLED THE TANK. I DROVE THE LAST 4 HOURS WITHOUT PROBLEMS, BUT THE TEMPERATURE FELL TO THE 70S. HOWEVER, YESTERDAY, AS I GOOGLED THE PROBLEM, I FOUND NUMEROUS MENTIONS OF THE SAME PROBLEM WITH VARIOUS "FIXES" ALL OVER THE INTERNET. SOME DRIVERS REPORTED THE SCARY SITUATION OF DRIVING ON A 2 LANE HIGHWAY WITHOUT A SHOULDER TO PULL OVER ON, AND THE SAME LOSS OF POWER. IT IS VERY SUDDEN WITH NO WARNING WHATSOEVER. IN MOST CASES, AFTER THE POWER FAILURE, THE CAR STARTS RIGHT UP AND YOU CAN DRIVE ON, BUT THE SAME THING WILL HAPPEN AGAIN IN FROM 10 TO 90 MINUTES. IT WAS VERY SCARY. I HAVE NOT TAKEN THE CAR IN YET, BUT THINK THE PROBLEM SHOULD DEFINITELY BE INVESTIGATED. FORD KNOWS ABOUT IT AND HAS NOT COME UP WITH ANY ONE "FIX." *TR

STOP SAFELY NOW WARNING WENT OFF AND THE ENGINE LOST POWER. MY WIFE WAS FORCED TO PULL OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE FREEWAY. AFTER TURNING THE ENGINE OFF, THE CAR DID RESTART AND SHE WAS ABLE TO DRIVE HOME SAFELY. TOOK IT TO THE DEALER FOR TROUBLE SHOOTING, BUT SO FAR IT HAS BEEN ALMOST 6 HOURS AND THEY STILL HAVEN'T FIGURED OUT WHAT IS WRONG. THE OWNERS MANUAL CLAIMS THIS IS A WARNING PRIOR TO FAILURE OF THE HYBRID SYSTEM IN HER FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. *TR

WHILE SLOWING DOWN TO MAKE A TURN ONTO ANOTHER STREET, THE STEERING WHEEL 'LOCKED' AND WOULD NOT TURN. I JAMMED ON THE BRAKES TO STOP BEFORE HITTING THE VEHICLE THAT WAS WAITING TO PULL OUT. I PULLED HARD ON THE STEERING WHEEL AND IT FINALLY MOVED. AFTER THAT, IT WENT BACK TO NORMAL OPERATION. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. IT HAS NOT DONE IT SINCE, BUT MAKES ME NERVOUS WHEN DRIVING IT. I HAVE NOT CONTACTED THE FORD DEALER YET. *TR

IN SEPT 2009 I EXPERIENCED COMPLETE & UNEXPECTED BRAKE FAILURE IN MY 08 FORD ESCAPE. I WAS ABLE TO NURSE THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP. THE DEALER TOLD ME THAT THE BRAKE PEDAL TRAVEL SENSOR CIRCUIT FAILED WHICH THEY SAID WAS PART OF THE MASTER CYLINDER. I WAS TOLD NO OPERATOR ERROR, JUST A DEFECTIVE PART. THE DEALER ALSO TOLD ME THEY COULDN'T JUST REPLACE THE TRAVEL SENSOR CIRCUIT, THEY HAD TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE MASTER CYLINDER WHICH ENDED UP COSTING ME $1530.63. MY SAFETY WAS TOTALLY JEOPARDIZED-I WAS JUST LUCKY I DIDN'T GET INTO AN ACCIDENT AND WASN'T ON FREEWAY WHEN BRAKES FAILED. THIS WAS EQUIPMENT THAT SHOULDN'T HAVE FAILED FOR YEARS, IF EVER, ESPECIALLY NOT IN A CAR WITH ONLY 40569 MILES ON IT. I WAS WITHOUT MY CAR FOR 5 DAYS AND HAD TO CANCEL CLIENT MEETINGS AND RENT A CAR. I TRIED TO CONTACT FORD TO HAVE THEM REIMBURSE ME FOR PARTS/LABOR ($1530.63)BUT WAS TOLD THEY WOULDN'T/COULDN'T DO THAT EVEN THOUGH THIS WAS NOT OPERATOR ERROR, BUT A FORD DEFECT. *DT

WAS DRIVING 2008 ESCAPE HYBRID ON HIGHWAY YESTERDAY @ 55MPH, ATTEMPTED TO PASS SLOWER VEHICLE BY SWITCHING LANES AND ACCELERATING. ACCELERATOR STUCK AND CAR CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE DESPITE MY ATTEMPTS TO STOP IT. I HAD TO DRIVE OFF THE ROAD WHILE SLAMMING ON THE BRAKES TO STOP THE VEHICLE. VEHICLE REACHED SPEED OF 80 + MPH BEFORE ACCELERATOR BECAME UNSTUCK. HEARD A "POP" SIMILAR TO THE SOUND OF A CAR HOOD POPPING OPEN ONCE ACCELERATOR BECAME UNSTUCK. CAR WAS THEN DRIVABLE, BUT I DID NOT DRIVE OVER 35 MPH AFTER THAT OUT OF FEAR THAT CAR WOULD AGAIN BECOME UNCONTROLLABLE. HAD VEHICLE TOWED TO FORD DEALERSHIP OUT OF FEAR OF DRIVING IT. CURRENTLY BEING EXAMINED BY DEALERSHIP AND PROBLEM HAS NOT YET BEEN DIAGNOSED. *TR

A FEW MONTHS AFTER I BOUGHT MY FORD ESCAPE HYBRID I HEARD A SQUEAKY NOISE WHEN MAKING A LEFT TURN. THIS NOISE HAS INCREASED OVER TIME. I HAVE TAKEN MY SUV ABOUT THREE TIMES TO THE DEALER WHERE I BOUGHT IT AND HAVE EXPLAINED MY CONCERNS ABOUT IT. THE MECHANIC SPECIALIZED IN HYBRID CARS HAS SAID IT IS FINE AND DID NOT NOTICE ANYTHING AND SUGGESTED TO USE THE PARKING BRAKE. HOWEVER, I STOPPED ONE AFTERNOON WHEN I WAS HAVING THE PROBLEM AND THE MECHANIC DROVE WITH ME AND HEARD IT. THEY CHECKED IT AND SAID THAT UNFORTUNATELY THAT THERE WAS A BRAKE DEFAULT PROBLEM WITH FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. I LEARNED THAT NOTHING WAS GOING TO BE MADE FOR NOW. HONESTLY, I DID NOT FEEL HAPPY ABOUT THE SERVICES AT FORD CAPITAL IN RALEIGH,NC AND DECIDED TO CALL FORD CAPITAL IN WILMINGTON, NC. I EXPLAINED I WANTED TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT AND TOLD THEM ABOUT MY CONCERNS AND THEY SAID THEY WERE AWARE OF THE BRAKING DEFAULT ISSUE AND FORD WAS WORKING ON HOW TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM. THIS WAS LAST YEAR AND I AM STILL WAITING FOR A SOLUTION. *JB

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. HE ALSO OWNS A FLEET OF 2008 AND 2009 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID VEHICLES. THE VEHICLE INTERMITTENTLY LOST POWER STEERING. USUALLY AFTER THE VEHICLE RESTARTS, STEERING BECAME LESS DIFFICULT. A TECHNICIAN FROM THE DEALER STATED THAT THE FLEET OF VEHICLES ARE WARRANTED FOR ONLY 36,000 MILES. THE STEERING COLUMNS ON THE FLEET OF VEHICLES WERE REPLACED FOR $1,000.00 EACH. THE REPAIR DID NOT REMEDY THE FAILURE. HE WAS ADVISED BY THE MANUFACTURER TO FILE A COMPLAINT WITH NHTSA. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 15. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 60,000.