2022 Ford Escape Phev

When Accelerating from approximately 25mph - 40mph and accelerating hard, the vehicle is shifting to Neutral (HARD). It feels like you hit a wall. Does not occur from stop. Letting off throttle and the transmission will reengage and allow full acceleration as if nothing happened. No warning indicators on dash. Is duplicatable. Vehicle had Telematics control module update in December already. Vehicle had transmission replacement 25-JUNE-2024 according to History. Tried reporting on GCR but would not permit. Sounds identical to 24S33 but this vehicle is unaffected. Will report to dealer when recall for 24S79 is available, avoiding hard acceleration if possible. May have dash camera footage if requested.

I own a 2022 Ford Escape Plug-in Hybrid, which is affected by Recall 24S79 (NHTSA Recall 24V954). This recall involves a high-voltage battery defect that could result in a fire or sudden loss of vehicle control while driving. Ford has confirmed that there is no fix available until at least the second quarter of 2025, leaving affected owners without a solution for well over a year. However, Ford refuses to provide loaner vehicles, rental reimbursement, or any safe alternative for customers forced to continue driving these potentially dangerous vehicles. I have contacted multiple dealerships (Fort Collins Ford and Loveland Ford), and both confirmed that no loaner vehicles are available. Ford’s customer service continues to redirect me back to the dealership without resolution, despite the fact that my dealership has no assistance to offer. While I have not yet experienced a battery fire or loss of vehicle control, the recall documentation explicitly states that these are potential risks. It is only a matter of time before a fire or serious accident occurs due to Ford’s inaction. Ford is placing thousands of affected drivers at risk by failing to provide a fix, alternative transportation, or any safety plan for affected customers. I urge NHTSA to investigate Ford’s lack of action and failure to protect affected vehicle owners. Ford should be required to provide loaner vehicles or rental reimbursement until a remedy is available.

I think this is related to NHTSA Recall 24V954. I experience loss of driving power at various times. This started about three months ago. It is intermittent. It used to be once or twice a week. Lately it is happening almost every day. Sometimes it is a minor annoyance, but sometimes it can result in a serious safety issue. When in electric mode, the car will suddenly lose driving power. Other power, such as radio, lights, etc., are not affected. This is most common when the car is stopped, e.g. at a red light, or driving at low speeds, when the car is often in EV mode. For example, if I’m at a red light, when the light turns green I press the accelerator but they car doesn’t respond, no power. Or, if I’m driving at low speed in EV mode the car will suddenly lose power and glide to a stop. The only way to resolve this is to come to a full stop, turn off the car and then turn it on again. The reason I am writing is to reinforce that it can be a serious safety issue. I can give three examples. 1) January 15 I was driving in the right lane on an interstate highway, moving slowly due to congestion. I lost power and glided to a complete stop, in traffic. There was no shoulder. Cars were merging in and out of my lane to avoid me. I had to completely turn off the car and turn it on again. 2) January 22, while stopped at a red light, I pulled into the intersection when the light turned green, only to have the car die in the intersection. 3) January 22, same as example 2, but at a stop sign. The letter from Ford says there is no remedy yet, at least not until Q2 of 2025, but they have not issued instructions to stop driving the vehicle. I believe that this safety issue is serious enough that a stop should be issued. I personally will not drive this vehicle until the repair can be made.

When on the EV setting: Battery Charged by Engine, gas and electrical smells are evident in the cabin. This first began in August 2023 at highway speeds and was reported the to the dealer during a pre trip inspection in Sept 2023. has been consistently increasing each time that EV mode is selected. most recent occurrence was last week when driving in a residential area at a stoplight. Had to shut off vehicle when the smell became overwhelming. Reported to Ford and to dealer

When parked and shut off the car rolled backwards about 6 inches when the door was opened. This happens when returning to the parked car and the door is opened from the outside. It has happened twice. It also happened once when being unplugged from the level 1 charging unit. The dealer was unhelpful, based on the infrequent nature of the incident and inability to reproduce it.

Vehicle was parked in driveway and popped out of park and rolled down the driveway out into the street. I park in the same spot everyday and this has never happened before. Occurred about 3 minutes after I got out of the car. The only thing unusual was I was driving in low gear before I parked instead of drive because of the snow, so I went straight from low to park which I would not normally do. My security camera recorded it happening but I cannot upload a video here

The contact owns a 2022 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and drive to her destination. The contact restarted the vehicle, and the vehicle failed to remain started. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the dealer stated no failure was found. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 700. The contact stated that at the time of the failure, the vehicle had stopped in the middle of traffic and a battery icon flashed in red on the dash. This failure has happened twice now. After the second failure, the vehicle was towed to the dealership where is still sits. The consumer is requesting to be reimbursed for repairs relating to both the recalls for the air bag as well as ignition/starter parts.

The plastic coolant nipple mounted on the high voltage battery was damaged and the dealership has determined that coolant may have entered the high voltage battery. If coolant did (or could easily) enter the battery, this would be a significant fire hazard and could lead to significant injury or death. The damaged part has been confirmed by the dealership, no one can identify how the damage could have occurred and the least unlikely cause is that I contacted a small animal without knowledge. No noticeable signs of impact (including leftover fur or organic material has been found anywhere under the vehicle. No dents, dings or other damage has been found by myself, the insurance company or the dealership and the location of this damaged nipple is somewhat isolated such that there would need to be some other signs if a more rigid object was contacted. I have tried to reach out to Ford corporate for a more thorough review and discussion but have not yet been successful. No prior issues related to the battery issue existed prior to its failure. I have a unique background that I feel uniquely qualifies me to complete this review and would very much embrace an opportunity to further discuss my concerns to ensure a full evaluation is performed by the appropriate personnel. The automobile is still at the dealership and pending repair/replacement of the battery. Assuming the part was not damaged prior to my taking delivery (I purchased new) and if the damage was truly caused by a small animal, small enough to not crack, dent or leave a tuft of fur, then there is no doubt this design has a flaw with serious safety concerns. Under common conditions, this could lead to a battery fire and under realistic conditions this could lead to death. Metal shield to protect the hoses from deflection that could break nipple, redesign plastic nipple to more rigid material (metal). (Other considerations, there is a defect in the molded nipple and a recall is in order)