2010 Ford Escape Hybrid

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 15 MPH AND ATTEMPTING TO MAKE A TURN, THE VEHICLE LOST STEERING ABILITY. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DETERMINED THAT THE ELECTRIC POWER STEERING ASSIST FAILED AND NEEDED REPLACEMENT. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO LATHAM FORD (637 COLUMBIA STREET EXT, LATHAM, NY 12110) AND WAS AWAITING DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 231,000.

THE CHECK BRAKE SYSTEM LIGHT COMES ON, RED BRAKE WARNING LIGHT, AUDIBLE ALARM AND BRAKE PEDAL TO THE FLOOR. THE HEV STOPS WORKING AND THE GAS MOTOR DOESN'T SHUTOFF. THIS HAS HAPPEN A NUMBER OF TIMES FORD DEALER "NO CODES FOUND, UNABLE TO DUPLICATE". HAVE HAD A COMPLETE BRAKE JOB DONE, WITH UPGRADED PARTS AS RECOMMENDED. PROBLEM STILL CONTINUES TO COME AND GO INTERMITTENTLY. TALK TO OTHER FORD ESCAPE HYBRID OWNERS AND ALL SEEM TO HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THE CHECK BRAKE SYSTEM AND THE PEDAL TO THE FLOOR WHEN BRAKES ARE APPLIED.

WHILE DRIVING OUR CAR, IN GOOD WEATHER, (110,000 MILES ON THE VEHICLE) FLASHED ERROR MESSAGE "CHECK BRAKE SYSTEM" IT LOST ALL ASSISTED BRAKES AND WE HAD TO MASH THE BRAKES TO THE FLOOR TO BRAKE ADEQUATELY. FORTUNATELY WE WEREN'T ON A HIGHWAY OR IN ANY TRAFFIC OTHERWISE THIS WOULD HAVE ABSOLUTELY CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. FORD IS SAYING IT'LL COST UPWARDS OF 5K TO HAVE THE BRAKES FIXED, IT'S AN ELECTRONIC MODULE THAT THEY BELIEVE IS DEFECTIVE, THEY AREN'T SURE IF THIS WILL FULLY FIX THE ISSUE. I HAVE FOUND MANY OTHER REPORTS OF THE SAME ISSUE WITH THE FORD ESCAPE HYBRIDS. THIS SHOULD BE RECALLED AND FIXED BY FORD AS OBVIOUSLY ANY LOSS OF BRAKE FUNCTION IS UNACCEPTABLE IN MY OPINION.

ON SUNDAY, APRIL 22, 2018, WHILE ASCENDING A GRADE ON THE PACIFIC COAST HIGHWAY IN NEWPORT BEACH, CA, THE 'YELLOW WRENCH' WARNING LIGHT ON MY 2010 FORD ESCAPE SUDDENLY ILLUMINATED AND THE VEHICLE RAPIDLY DEACCELERATED AND DID NOT RESPOND TO THE THROTTLE. AT THAT MOMENT I WAS IN THE LEFT LANE OF A 3-LANE HIGHWAY WITH OTHER VEHICLES APPROACHING FROM BEHIND AND PASSING AT 50 MPH. MY VEHICLE SLOWED TO ABOUT 5 MPH AS I ATTEMPTED TO MOVE TO THE RIGHT WHERE I HOPED IT HAD ENOUGH MOMENTUM THAT I COULD MAKE IT TO THE TOP OF THE GRADE AND EXIT THE HIGHWAY. THE RIGHT-HAND EXIT WAS DOWNHILL AND I WAS ABLE TO COAST AND CREEP INTO A MARKET PARKING LOT WHERE I TURNED OFF THE ENGINE AND TRIED TO CALM DOWN. FROM THE VEHICLE MANUAL I LEARNED THAT THE 'YELLOW WRENCH' INDICATED 'THROTTLE CONTROL OR DRIVE TRAIN PROBLEMS.' AS IT TURNED OUT IT WAS A SUNDAY MORNING AND I DID NOT HAVE A PHONE WITH ME SO I DECIDED TO TRY RESTARTING THE ENGINE. IT STARTED AND THE YELLOW WRENCH DID NOT ILLUMINATE. AFTER A SHORT TEST DRIVE IN THE PARKING LOT I DECIDED TO CANCEL MY ERRANDS AND TRY TO RETURN HOME, A DISTANCE OF A FEW MILES. I DROVE AT 25-30 MPH ON RESIDENTIAL SIDE STREETS AND MADE IT HOME WITH NO FURTHER PROBLEMS. THE NEXT DAY I TOOK THE CAR INTO THE LOCAL FORD DEALER AND DESCRIBED WHAT HAD HAPPENED. I WAS TOLD THEY WOULD LOOK INTO IT AND REPORT BACK. LATER I WAS INFORMED THAT THE PROBLEM WAS A DEFECTIVE THROTTLE BODY AND THEY HAD A REPLACEMENT PART. WHEN I CAME IN TO PICK UP THE CAR I WAS INFORMED THAT THERE WAS NO CHARGE BECAUSE THE REPAIR 'WAS UNDER WARRANTY!' THIS WAS A BIG SURPRISE, SINCE I HAD NEVER RECEIVED ANY NOTICE OF A POTENTIAL PROBLEM NOR OF A WARRANTY EXTENSION. SUDDEN DEACCELERATION WOULD BE DANGEROUS ON A FREEWAY IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC, NOT MITIGATED BY "LIMP HOME" CAPABILITY

I RECEIVED AN ERROR ABOUT MY STEERING ASSISTANT AND THEN MY STEERING JUST WENT OUT. IT WAS EXTREMELY HARD TO TURN THE WHEEL AND I WAS DRIVING MY MOTHER HOME. I AM LUCKY WE WEREN'T BOTH KILLED! OR KILLED SOMEONE ELSE!!! I WAS SURPRISED TO FIND OUT THAT MY VIN ISN'T COVERED AS PART OF THE RECALL THAT INVOLVES THIS SAME ISSUE. IT WILL BE $900 TO FIX AND I'M UNSURE HOW TO COMPLAIN. FORD IS AN UPSTANDING COMPANY THAT I THOUGH STOOD BY ITS PRODUCTS BUT I'M FINDING OUT THAT MAY NOT BE THE CASE. IT IS UNFORTUNATE TO MY FAMILY AS WELL, SINCE ITS ONLY A FEW WEEKS UNTIL CHRISTMAS BUT WILL NEED TO PAY THIS EXPENSE. THERE IS A STICKER ON THE WINDSHIELD THAT SAYS IT WAS MADE IN KANSAS. BASED ON THE RECALL IN PLACE THAT IS THE PLANT AFFECTED. I CAN SEND A PIC OF THAT STICKER IF YOU NEED IT.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. WHILE DRIVING AT LOW SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE LOST STEERING FUNCTIONALITY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE POWER STEERING REQUIRED EXCESSIVE EFFORT TO OPERATE. THE POWER STEERING AND TRACTION STABILITY CONTROL WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. LEIF JOHNSON FORD (501 E KAENIG LN, AUSTIN, TX) DIAGNOSED THAT THE STEERING COLUMN NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND REFERENCED NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V284000 (STEERING). THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE RECALL WAS SATISFIED AFTER THE SOFTWARE WAS UPDATED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE RECALL LETTER STATED THAT THERE WERE THREE STEPS THAT WERE TO BE PERFORMED REGARDING THE RECALL; HOWEVER, THE DEALER ONLY PERFORMED THE FIRST STEP. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 95,000. *BF *AS THE CONSUMER WANTED TO ADD 4 QUESTIONS TO EVOQ AND THEY ARE AS FOLLOWS: WHY OR HOW, WOULD REPROGRAMMING THE PSCM REMEDY THE FAULTY TORQUE SENSOR? WHY WOULD OR HOW COULD THIS SATISFY THE RECALL ENOUGH TO CLOSE IT OUT, ALL THE WHILE, THE FAULTY TORQUE SENSOR IS STILL IN MY VEHICLE? IF A SOFTWARE UPDATE WAS COMPLETED, CUSTOMERS SHOULD KEEP A FAULTY PART IN THEIR VEHICLE, EVEN THOUGH THAT FAULTY PART IS PRONE TO A FAILURE THAT COULD LEAD TO AN ACCIDENT? IF THIS IS NOT THE POSITION HELD, CAN YOU CONFIRM FOR ME THEN, IT SEEMS TO BE THE POSITION OF FORD, THAT IF THE REPLACEMENT PARTS HAVE A LOWER PROBABILITY OF FAILING, THIS STILL DOES NOT WARRANT AN EXTENSION TO THE COVERAGE FOR THOSE OLDER/ORIGINAL PARTS, IS THIS CORRECT? *TR

PROBLEM FIRST AROSE WHILE DRIVING ~60 MPH ON HIGHWAY, THERE WAS A SLIGHT JERK OF THE STEERING WHEEL, AS WELL AS A DINGING-ALARM HEARD. DID NOT NOTICE A WARNING ON THE DASH AT THE TIME, CAR DROVE FINE THE REST OF THE DAY BESIDES THIS QUICK INCIDENT. A FEW DAYS LATER, THE POWER STEERING WENT OUT UPON TURNING RIGHT AT A STOP LIGHT, STEERING WAS VERY HARD BUT MANAGEABLE. UPON STARTING THE CAR AGAIN LATER THE SAME DAY, I NOTICED A MESSAGE OF "POWER STEERING ASSIST FAULT" ON MY DASH ALONG WITH DINGING HEARD, AND NO POWER STEERING AT ALL. DROVE HOME WITHOUT POWER STEERING, FORCED AND DIFFICULT TURNING. FOUND THAT THERE WERE RECALLS FOR THIS PROBLEM OF MY CAR, JUST NOT FOR MY VIN SPECIFICALLY.