2009 Ford Escape Hybrid

9-27-2013, MY CAR WAS IDLING WEIRD AT A RED LIGHT. I LOOKED AT THE RPM GAUGE AND IT WAS BOUNCING ERRATICALLY. AT SOME POINT MY WRENCH DASH LIGHT CAME ON. I WAS DRIVING THRU A NEIGHBORHOOD AT THE TIME SO MY CAR SEEMED TO BE OK GOING BETWEEN 30-40 MPH, BUT AT EVERY RED LIGHT MY CAR SEEMED LIKE SOMETHING WAS WRONG. IT WASN'T GOING INTO ELECTRIC MODE LIKE IT NORMALLY WOULD. I DROVE ON THE INTERSTATE FOR A MILE AND MY CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE OVER 40-45 MPH SO I PUT ON MY HAZARDS AND DID MY BEST DRIVING IN TRAFFIC. THE ESCAPE WAS ACTING LIKE IT WAS DYING AT ONE POINT AND STARTED DECELERATING SO THEN I KEPT PRESSING THE GAS PEDAL TO THE FLOOR AND IT STILL WOULDN'T GO OVER 45 MPH . I STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT ABOUT A MILE FROM MY HOUSE AND TURNED THE ENTIRE CAR OFF AND SAT FOR A MINUTE OR SO. WHEN I STARTED IT BACK UP THE WRENCH LIGHT WAS OFF. I TOOK THE CAR TO MY NEAREST FORD DEALERSHIP THE NEXT MORNING AND WAS TOLD THAT NO DIAGNOSTIC CODES WERE COMING UP BUT THE TECH DID SOME SPECIAL TESTS AND DETERMINED THAT MY MASS AIR FLOW SENSOR NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. SO THAT'S WHAT THEY DID. I ASKED IF THEY COULD ALSO REPLACE THE THROTTLE BODY AND HE TOLD ME THAT THEY WOULD HAVE TO SEND THE PART TO FORD AND IF THERE WASN'T ANYTHING WRONG WITH IT THEY WOULD BE OUT THAT MONEY SO THEY COULD NOT REPLACE THE THROTTLE BODY. MY CAR IS AT ~78,000 MILES SO THIS SEEMS LIKE A PROBLEM I SHOULD NOT BE HAVING. MY WRENCH LIGHT CAME ON ONCE BACK ON 7-22-13, ON A ROAD TRIP BUT WE PULLED OVER ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, TURNED THE CAR OFF AND BACK ON AND IT NEVER CAME ON AGAIN UNTIL 9-27-13. MY CAR HAD BEEN IDLING WEIRD RIGHT BEFORE MY LAST OIL CHANGE ON AUG 30, 2013. I MENTIONED IT TO MY FORD TECH THEN AND NO DIAGNOSTIC CODES CAME UP SO THEY DID A FUEL INDUCTION CLEANING SERVICE COSTING ME $145.95. I'M NOT SURE THAT THIS EVEN NECESSARY. *TR

IN 2012 A CLUNKING NOISE AND SLIGHT LURCH BEGAN TO BE FELT OCCASIONALLY WHEN BREAKING MY 2009 ESCAPE HYBRID. OVER TIME THE CLUNK AND SURGE INCREASED IN INTENSITY BUT REMAINED INTERMITTENT. WHEN I TOOK MY VEHICLE IN FOR ITS 40,000 MILE MAINTENANCE, I REQUESTED THAT THE DEALERSHIP CHECK MY BREAKS. THEY REPORTED THE BREAKS LOOKED IN EXCELLENT CONDITION. OVER THE NEXT YEAR THE CLUNK AND SURGE GOT WORSE. SUSPECTING PERHAPS MY TRANSMISSION OR U-JOINT WAS THE PROBLEM, I TOOK THE VEHICLE IN TO THE DEALERSHIP TO DIAGNOSE AND FIX THE PROBLEM. I WAS ABLE TO LEAVE THE CAR AT THE DEALERSHIP FOR ABOUT 1 MONTH. I TOLD THEM I WAS NOT IN A HURRY, I JUST WANTED IT TO BE FIXED PROPERLY. SEVERAL MECHANICS DROVE THE CAR AND EXPLORED POSSIBILITIES BUT REPORTED BACK TO ME THAT IT WAS A NORMAL ASPECT OF THE HYBRID BREAKING SYSTEM ALTHOUGH SOMEWHAT EXTREME (MORE SEVERE THAN MOST HYBRIDS). ONE MECHANIC EXPLAINED IT TO ME IN THIS WAY. THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF BREAKING IN THE HYBRID. IN ELECTRIC MODE THE CAR USES "SIMULATED BREAKING." IN NORMAL ENGINE DRIVE MODE, THE CAR USES "NORMAL" BREAKING. WHEN I USE THE BREAK, THE COMPUTER DECIDES WHICH TYPE OF BREAKING IS REQUIRED AND WHEN TO SWITCH BETWEEN THE SYSTEMS. UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES, WHEN IN BETWEEN MODES, THE CLUNK AND SURGE OCCURS. THE ABS BREAKING SYSTEM COMPLICATES THE PROBLEM. THE MECHANIC SUGGESTED I TRY TO DRIVE SO THAT I CAN BREAK THE CAR MORE SLOWLY AND GENTLY. I BELIEVE THE DEGREE OF CLUNK AND SURGE IS DANGEROUS AND MAY CONTRIBUTE TO THE HASTENED DETERIORATION OF MY CAR. I AM ALSO WORRIED ABOUT THE BREAKS ACTUALLY FAILING. I AM WORRIED THAT MY 2009 ESCAPE HYBRID IS UNSAFE. THE MECHANICS AT THE DEALERSHIP INSISTED THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO TO FIX THE PROBLEM. *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

THE WRENCH LIGHT ILLUMINATED INDICATING A POWER TRAIN FAILURE. WE IMMEDIATELY TOOK THE VEHICLE TO OUR FORD DEALERSHIP THE NEXT MORNING. DIAGNOSIS REVEALED A FAULTY BLEND DOOR ACTUATOR MOTOR IN THE REAR WHICH CONTROLS AIR FLOW TO THE HV BATTERY. THE DEALER SAID IT WOULD NOT BE COVERED BY WARRANTY. THE VEHICLE IS ONLY 2 MONTHS OUT OF THE 3 YEAR WARRANTY PERIOD AND HAS ONLY 28,000 MILES ON IT. THE POWER TRAIN WARRANTY IS 5 YEARS/60,000 AND THE VEHICLE IS STILL WITHIN THAT WARRANTY PERIOD. THE DEALER SAYS THAT COMPONENT IS NOT COVERED BY THE POWER TRAIN WARRANTY EVEN THOUGH THE VEHICLE ITSELF AND ALL DOCUMENTATION SAYS IT IS PART OF THE POWER TRAIN SYSTEM. THIS IS A HIGHLY DANGEROUS PROBLEM AND IF NOT FIXED, COULD RESULT IN THE HV BATTERY OVERHEATING AND CAUSING A FIRE OR SERIOUS DAMAGE TO OTHER COMPONENTS. THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM ON 2006-2008 MODELS, INCLUDING THE MARINER HYBRID, AND A TSB WAS ISSUED FOR THOSE VEHICLES. THIS VEHICLE WAS ONE OF THE FIRST PRODUCED FOR 2009, SO THE PROBLEM WAS APPARENTLY NOT FIXED AND IS CARRIED OVER FROM THE PREVIOUS MODEL YEAR. *TR