2009 Ford Escape Hybrid

OUR 2009 FORD HYBRID ESCAPE CAUGHT FIRE IN OUR DRIVEWAY. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT CAME AND IT TOOK TWO FIREMEN TO PUT IT OUT. THE ENTIRE FRONT WAS DESTROYED. EVEN THE DASH BOARD WAS MELTED AS A RESULT OF THE FIRE. IT APPEARED TO BE AN ELECTRICAL TRIGGER, BUT THERE IS NO CERTAINIY AS TO WHAT CAUSE THIS FIRE, WHICH HAD FLAMES NEARLY 10 FEET HIGH. MY SON WAS SITTING IN THE CAR TALIKING ON THE PHONE. HE CAME RUNNING IN SAYNG THERE WAS SMOKE IN THE CAR AND WHEN I LOOKED OUT THE WINDOW IT HAD ALREADY STARTED TO CATCH FIRE. SMOKE AND CATCH FIRE. I AM THANKFUL HE WAS NOT INJURED AND THAT MY HOUSE -A CEDAR SIDED HOME- DID NOT CATCH ON FIRE.

MY STEERING WHEEL IS VERY VERY HARD TO STEER ON MY 2009 FORD ESCAPE 2 WD. I NEED THIS FIXED BY THE DEALER & WANT TO KNOW IF THIS IS PART OF THE RECALL#14S05 MY VIN IS: [XXX] . I HOPE THIS IS PART OF THE RECALL SO MY LOCAL DEALER CAN FIX IT FREE FOR ME. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

I AM ASKING THAT THE INVESTIGATION INTO FORD RECALL 14S05 BE REOPENED AS THE REPAIR OPTIONS WERE NOT SUFFICIENT TO ENSURE THE VEHICLE BE CORRECTLY REPAIRED AS WELL AS INSURE THE SAFETY OF VEHICLES OPERATION. VEHICLE STEERING WHEEL JITTERING, BUMPING AND VIBRATING WHILE VEHICLE IS STOPPED AND EXPERIENCING INTERMITTENT LOSS OF POWER STEERING. FORD RECALL 14S05 PERFORMED ON VEHICLE 12/17/2014. AT THE TIME FORD CHOSE NOT TO REPLACE ELECTRIC STEERING COLUMN AND ELECTED TO COMPLETE RECALL WITH ALTERNATE SOFTWARE UPDATE. ON 3/17/2017 THE SAME FORD DEALERSHIP THAT PERFORMED RECALL ON VEHICLE HAS DETERMINED THAT THE ELECTRONIC STEERING COLUMN MUST NOW BE REPLACED DUE TO PART FAILURES STATED IN RECALL. BOTH THE DEALERSHIP WARRANTY ADMINISTRATOR AND FORD CUSTOMER SERVICE STATE THAT RECALL HAS BEEN CLOSED ON VEHICLE DUE TO DECEMBER 2014 MAINTENANCE THEREFORE THE REPAIR COSTS OF THE RECALLED PARTS WILL NOT BE COVERED.

ON MARCH 9, 2016, OUR 2009 ESCAPE HYBRID COMPLETELY "STOPPED" IN TRAFFIC ON BOULDER HIGHWAY, LAS VEGAS, NEVADA WHICH OCCURRED ABOUT 1 MILE FROM A CARWASH THAT WE HAVE FREQUENTLY USED NO LESS THAN 15 TIMES ANNUALLY. OUR VEHICLE HAD COMPLETELY STOPPED IN TRAFFIC 5 TIMES WITHIN A 1 MILE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE INITIAL STOP ON BOULDER HIGHWAY TO OUR RV PARK. AT THE INITIAL STOP IN TRAFFIC MY WIFE AND I HAD TO PUSH OUR VEHICLE INTO A GAS STATION BECAUSE THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT RESTART. EACH TIME THE VEHICLE STOPPED THE RED MASTER VEHICLE ELECTRICAL HAZARD WARNING LIGHT HAD COME ON AND THE DIGITAL PANEL SHOWED THE MESSAGE "STOP SAFELY". THE MASTER VEHICLE ELECTRICAL HAZARD WARNING LIGHT "INDICATES HYBRID COMPONENT FAULT/FAILURE THAT WILL CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO SHUTDOWN OR FAIL TO START". THE VEHICLE DID BOTH. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO FORD COUNTRY IN HENDERSON, NEVADA. A DIAGNOSTIC TEST WAS PERFORMED, HOWEVER, THE COMPUTER RESULTS SHOWED AN ABS AND TRANSMISSION ISSUE, BUT NO HYBRID PROBLEM. THE ABS AND TRANSMISSION ERROR CODES EVENTUALLY CLEARED THEMSELVES. THE FORD TECHNICIANS STATED THAT SINCE THE UNDERCARRIAGE HAD BEEN WASHED, AS ALWAYS, AN ELECTRICAL SENSOR HAD PROBABLY CREATED THE FAILURE. I QUESTIONED THE IDEA THAT CAR WASHING COULD CREATE THE PROBLEM SINCE THE ONLY OPENING TO THE HYBRID BATTERY IS THE VENT LOCATED ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE NEAR THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE. THE MASTER VEHICLE ELECTRICAL HAZARD WARNING LIGHT FAILURE RESULTED IN THE COMPLETE SHUTDOWN OF OUR VEHICLE IN TRAFFIC AND IS WORRISOME SINCE OUR EXPERIENCE COULD HAVE RESULTED IN A MAJOR ACCIDENT WITH POSSIBLE FATAL CONSEQUENCES. IF A REGULAR CARWASH IS THE DIAGNOSIS FOR THE WARNING OF A "HYBRID COMPONENT FAILURE", WHICH COMPLETELY SHUTS DOWN THE ENGINE IN TRAFFIC, THERE MAY BE A VEHICLE DESIGN ISSUE. AND, THE FACT THAT THE ESCAPE'S COMPUTER FAILED TO STORE THE ERROR CODE IS ALSO ALARMING.

SUDDEN BRAKE FAILURE WITH NO WARNING. VEHICLE WAS INITIALLY TRAVELING AT 55 MPH WHEN A SUDDEN STOP WAS INITIATED BY DRIVER. VEHICLE STOPPED AS EXPECTED. VEHICLE ALSO STOPPED AS EXPECTED 3 MORE TIMES OVER NEXT COUPLE MILES. HOWEVER, WHEN BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED PRIOR TO NEXT TURN (NOW FROM 45 MPH), BRAKE PRESSURE WAS LOW, PEDAL TRAVEL WAS LONG, AND VEHICLE DID NOT SLOW. AT THIS TIME 3 DASH INDICATOR LIGHTS ILLUMINATED: ABS, BRAKE PRESSURE/EMERGENCY BRAKE, AND TRACTION CONTROL. NO WARNING CHIME OR DRIVER INFORMATION MESSAGE. VEHICLE DID BEGIN TO SLOW AT SLOW RATE ONCE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED ALL THE WAY TO FLOOR. ISSUE REMAINED FOR DURATION OF 1/2 MILE DRIVE HOME. VEHICLE WAS THEN PARKED, IGNITION SWITCHED OFF, THEN RESTARTED AFTER ~30 SECONDS. WARNING LIGHTS WENT OFF, AND BRAKE PEDAL PRESSURE WAS NORMAL AFTER RESTARTING. BRAKE FLUID RESERVOIR LEVEL WAS OKAY. ALL SYSTEMS FUNCTION NORMAL DURING 1 MILE TEST DRIVE. VEHICLE HAS NO HISTORY OF BRAKE PROBLEMS. *TR

A RECURRING ISSUE WITH THE ELECTRICAL/BRAKE SYSTEM OF THIS VEHICLE WAS A RANDOM-OCCURRING "SHORT" OR ELECTRICAL SYSTEM GLITCH THAT WOULD PARTIALLY DISABLE THE ELECTRIC POWER BRAKING SYSTEM AND CAUSING A SUBSTANTIAL LOSS OF ENGINE POWER, WHICH CAUSED THE BRAKING CAPABILITY OF THE VEHICLE TO BE REDUCED TO A BARELY FUNCTIONING OPERATIONAL LEVEL AS WELL AS THE LOSS OF POWER STEERING. THIS OCCURRED AT LEAST 20-TIMES DURING OUR FIRST 22-MONTHS OF OWNERSHIP. THIS SUDDEN AND SEVERE LACK OF BRAKING REQUIRED THE VEHICLE TO HAVE THE TRANSMISSION DOWNSHIFTED TO A LOWER FORWARD GEAR AND A HARD MECHANICAL EFFORT APPLIED TO THE BRAKE PEDAL AND STEERING WHEEL TO BRING THE VEHICLE TO A STOP. WITH THE VEHICLE STOPPED, THE IGNITION COULD BE TURNED-OFF AND THE KEY REMOVED. WHEN THE KEY WAS RE-INSERTED AND TURNED TO "START", THE VEHICLE WOULD ALWAYS START AS IF THE ENTIRE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM HAD "RESET". THIS REQUIRED A TOTAL OF FIVE (5) DIFFERENT MULTIPLE-DAY REPAIRS AT THE LOCAL FORD DEALER IN ATTENTION TO THE NORMAL MAINTENANCE INTERVALS SERVICE. EACH OF THE 5-"POWER PROBLEM" REPAIRS WERE FOUND TO BE FROM DIFFERENT CAUSES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO: FAULTY STARTING-BATTERY LOCATION AND WIRING HARNESS DAMAGE, FAULTY WIRING ASSEMBLY (DIFFERENT LOCATION), ABS BRAKE SENSOR MODULE. THE FORD DEALER WE PURCHASED THE VEHICLE FROM, AND FORD CORPORATE ULTIMATELY DID NOT STAND BEHIND OUR PURCHASED "FORD PREMIUM SERVICE PLAN" OR OUR PURCHASED "FORD EXTENDED SERVICE MILEAGE CONTRACT" COSTING US OVER $2,000 OF OUT-OF-POCKET AND "NON-COVERED" PLAN EXPENSES. BECAUSE OF THE RANDOM AND SEVERELY UNSAFE POWER AND BRAKING CONDITIONS OF THIS VEHICLE, IN ADDITION TO THE EXCESSIVE REPAIRS AND FINALLY THE NON-RESOLUTION ATTITUDE AND NON-PERFORMANCE OF THE FORD MOTOR COMPANY, WE SOLD THIS VEHICLE AS A DEALER TRADE-IN FOR THE PURCHASE OF A NEW SUV FROM A DIFFERENT MANUFACTURER AND DEALER. *TR

BRAKE LIGHT CAME ON, PEDAL WENT TO FLOOR, ACTED AS IF LOST POWER MODE. TURNED OFF CAR, BRAKE LIGHT WENT OFF, BRAKES WORKED FINE. TOOK IT IN TO DEALERSHIP AND THE COMPUTER DID NOT SHOW ANY ISSUES. PROBLEM OCCURED INTERMITTENTLY BUT I WOULD TURN OFF THE CAR AND IT WOULD BE OK SO I FIGURED IT WAS A COMPUTER ISSUE. TOOK IT BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID IT WAS A MODULE REPAIR WHICH COST 1800 DOLLARS TO REPAIR. NOW IT IS JUNE 19TH AND THE WRENCH LIGHT CAME ON AND I COULD PUT THE GAS PEDAL TO THE FLOOR AND I COULDN'T GET OVER 30 MPH. AGAIN I TURNED OFF THE CAR AND IT ACTED NORMAL. JUST CAME BACK FROM THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID IT SOUNDED LIKE A THROTTLE BOX ISSUE. I NOW HAVE TO TAKE IT BACK IN TO REPAIR THIS ISSUE FOR 450-750 DOLLARS. I WAS DRIVING THIS VEHICLE APPROXIMATELY 20 MILES TO WORK EVERYDAY AND STILL AM. *TR

2009 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID, 50,000 MILES. MY THROTTLE BODY IS DEFECTIVE AND CAUSES THE CAR TO HAVE SERIOUSLY REDUCED LOW SPEED ACCELERATION. I HAVE BEEN ADVISED BY FORD SERVICE, WAYNE FORD, WAYNE, NJ, THAT I NEED I NEED A NEW THROTTLE BODY. UNFORTUNATELY, THE THROTTLE BODY IS ON BACKORDER. THAT IN AND OF ITSELF SHOULD INDICATE THAT THE PROBLEM IS WIDESPREAD. MY CAR IS DANGEROUS TO DRIVE, AND THE PART THAT IS DEFECTIVE SHOULD LAST MORE THAN 50,000 MILES. FORD SHOULD ISSUE A RECALL FOR THIS DANGEROUS CONDITION AND ALSO REFUND CUSTOMERS FOR ANY REPAIRS DONE TO THIS DEFECTIVE PART. I AM ALSO EXPERIENCING A PROBLEM WHERE THE HYBRID BATTERY WILL NO LONGER ENGAGE. WHEN THE ENGINE IS FULLY WARM WITH AC AND OR DEFROSTER OFF, THE ENGINES IDLES CONTINUOUSLY. IT IS SUPPOSE TO SHUT OFF, AND ENGAGE THE BATTERY. IT DOES NOT. THE CAR IS NOW NO LONGER "A HYBRID" SINCE THE BATTERY IS NEVER ENGAGED, AND IT RUNS POORLY DUE TO THE THROTTLE BODY DEFECT. AT 50,000 MILES, THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE FOR A VEHICLE PURCHASED NEW. *TR