2005 Ford Escape

WHILE EXITING HIGHWAY, ALL LIGHTS ON DASH CAME ON, VEHICLE STARTED SPUTTERING. FORD DEALERSHIP HOOKED UP TO DIAGNOSTIC AND INDICATED THAT THE PCM HAD "BLOWN" AND TAKEN ALL SIX COILS WITH IT. THUS, RESULTING IN UPWARDS TO $2500 FOR REPAIRS FOR NOT ONLY A NEW PCM BUT ALSO ALL SIX COILS. OF WHICH, I HAD 2 REPLACED LESS THAN A YEAR AGO. DEALERSHIP ALSO INDICATED THAT FORD WAS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM BUT IT WAS NOT CLASSIFIED AS A RECALL. WHAT THE HECK AS I READ UP ON INTERNET AND THIS IS INDICATIVE TO A PROBLEM THEY ARE AWARE OF AND ALSO THAT OCCURRED IN PREVIOUS YEARS. *TR

WHILE DRIVING HOME FROM WORK, I WENT TO ACCELERATE. UPON REACHING 40. I HEARD A SUBSTANTIAL BACKFIRE NOISE, AND THE ENGINE SHUT OFF IN THE MIDDLE OF A BUSY ROAD CAUSING ME TO BLOCK TRAFFIC AS I COASTED ALMOST INTO A BUSY INTERSECTION. I WAS ABLE TO PUT IT IN NEUTRAL AND RESTART THE ENGINE AFTER COASTING FOR 100+ FEET. AFTER WHICH, THE ENGINE BEGAN RUNNING VERY ROUGH AND RUGGED NEVER BEING ABLE TO ACCELERATE ABOUT 30 MPH AND CAUSING MAJOR TRAFFIC PROBLEMS. I TOOK IT TO A DEALERSHIP (VARSITY FORD IN ANN ARBOR, MI) AND HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT MY 2005 FORD ESCAPE WAS IN TROUBLE. APPARENTLY, MY SPARK PLUG AFTER BEING CLOGGED, CAUSED A BACKFIRE WHICH BLEW MY IGNITION COILS AND SPARKPLUGS AND MY PCM. I AM BEING QUOTED $2,200. AT MY LAST OIL CHANGE (3 MONTHS AGO) VARSITY FORD TOLD ME I WAS GETTING CLOSE TO NEEDING A TUNE UP BUT IT WAS NOT NECESSARY THAT DAY AND THAT I COULD WAIT UNTIL MY NEXT OIL CHANGE. I WAS PLANNING ON GOING THIS WEEKEND BECAUSE I WAS HEADING OUT OF TOWN. HAD I BEEN TOLD THE RISK WAS A $400 TUNE UP VS. A $2,200 BLOWN ENGINE, MAYBE I WOULD HAVE CHANGED THE SPARK PLUGS. I'M VERY DISTRAUGHT AT THE FORD DEALERSHIP, AND NOW AM QUESTIONING WHETHER I WILL EVER BUY A FORD OR WORK WITH A FORD DEALERSHIP. *TR

OUR 2005 FORD ESCAPE WAS PURCHASED NEW IN MAY 2005. IT HAS BEEN SERVICED BY FORD TECHNICIANS AT FORD DEALERSHIPS EVERY 5,000 MILES, INCLUDING A RECOMMENDED TRANSMISSION FLUSH LAST YEAR. ON A CROSS COUNTRY TRIP, THE SUV'S TRANSMISSION EXHIBITED A PROBLEM FORD MOTOR COMPANY (FMC) KNOWS AS ENGINE STALLING ON ENGAGEMENT/STOPPING. ACCORDING TO A SERVICE BULLETIN DATED MARCH 19, 2007, SUVS WITH THIS FAULTY TRANSMISSION "EXHIBIT AN ENGINE STALL WHEN COMING TO A STOP OR WHEN ENGAGING THE ENGINE INTO DRIVE OR REVERSE. THE CONDITION MAY BE INTERMITTENT AND OFTEN OCCURS AFTER EXTENDED DRIVES. THERE MAY BE NO DIAGNOSTIC CODES STORED. THIS MAY BE CAUSE BY INTERNAL WEAR IN THE TORQUE CONVERTER WHICH PREVENTS IT FROM LOCKING." THIS EXACT FAILURE CAUSED US TO BE STRANDED IN DANGEROUS HEAT CONDITIONS FOR HOURS AS WE WAITED FOR HELP. HOWEVER, FMC HAS KNOWN ABOUT THIS PROBLEM TRANSMISSION SINCE 2007, YET AS AN OWNER OF A CAR LESS THAN TWO YEARS OLD, I WAS NEVER TOLD ABOUT IT. IF I HAD BEEN INFORMED, I WOULD HAVE TAKEN IT YEARS AGO FOR REPAIR PRIOR TO GOING ON AN EXTENDED TRIP AND PUTTING MY FAMILY IN DANGER. INSTEAD, FMC KNOWINGLY ALLOWED VEHICLE OWNERS TO DRIVE WITH THIS FAULTY TRANSMISSION. FORD-CERTIFIED TECH'S FAILED TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM EVEN THOUGH THEY WERE GIVEN THE EXACT SYMPTOMS AND THE POTENTIAL PROBLEM, THE TORQUE CONVERTER. AFTER TECHS TOLD ME THE TRANSMISSION WAS FINE, THE STALL OCCURRED REPEATEDLY UNTIL TOTAL FAILURE JUST OVER 1,200 MILES LATER, AGAIN, STRANDING MY FAMILY ON THE HIGHWAY. I BECAME AWARE OF THE FAULT ONLY AFTER A SEARCH OF OTHER DRIVERS WHO EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM. FMC BEHAVED NEGLIGENTLY IN FAILING TO INFORM CUSTOMERS LIKE ME, LIKELY TO SHIELD ITSELF FROM COSTLY REPAIRS. IN 2007, MY CAR ONLY HAD 24,500 MILES??WELL WITHIN WARRANTY LIMITS. A RECALL FOR VEHICLES OF THIS MODEL YEAR SHOULD BE ORDERED AND I SHOULD BE REFUNDED COST OF REPAIR. *TR

WE WERE ACCELERATING TO GET ON THE INTERSTATE WHEN THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY DIED WITHOUT WARNING. NO TELLING WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF WE WERE DRIVING AT FREEWAY SPEEDS. WE COASTED TO THE BREAKDOWN LANE AND HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE FORD DEALER WHO STATED THE COMPUTER (PCM), ALL THE COIL OVER PLUGS (COP) AND SPARK PLUGS WERE DAMAGED AND NEEDED REPLACEMENT. THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE AS IT IS DESCRIBED EXACTLY IN FORD SERVICE BULLETIN TSB 09-2-6. THE SPARK PLUGS IN THE 2005 AND 2006 CAUSE RADIO FREQUENCY INTERFERENCE WITH THE PCM WHICH DAMAGES THE PCM AND THE OTHER COMPONENTS. THE LEAST FORD COULD HAVE DONE WAS NOTIFY US THAT REPLACING THE SPARK PLUGS COULD HAVE PREVENTED THIS VERY EXPENSIVE REPAIR. THE PROBLEMS DON'T END THERE. A FEW DAYS AFTER THE REPAIR WE WERE AGAIN ACCELERATING TO GET ON THE INTERSTATE WHEN THE VEHICLE LOST POWER AND WOULD NOT GO OVER 50MPH. WE BROUGHT THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE FORD DEALER WHO STATED THE CATALYTIC CONVERTERS (THERE ARE 3 OF THEM) WERE CLOGGED DUE TO RAW FUEL COMING IN CONTACT WITH THE CONVERTERS PROBABLY DUE TO THE PREVIOUS ENGINE PROBLEMS. THE COST TO FIX THE CONVERTERS IS EVEN MORE THAN THE COST OF THE INITIAL REPAIR. WE'VE DECIDED TO NOT HAVE THE DEALER REPAIR THE VEHICLE AS THE TOTAL COST OF ALL THE REPAIRS WOULD EXCEED THE VALUE OF THE VEHICLE. WE CALLED FORD CUSTOMER SERVICE AND THEY WERE OF NO HELP IN THIS SITUATION. I THINK FORD SHOULD COVER THE COSTS OF THESE REPAIRS FOR AN ISSUE KNEW EXISTED. I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY THERE HASN'T BEEN A RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM AS I SEE THAT IT HAS HAPPENED TO A LOT OF OTHER 2005 ESCAPES LISTED IN YOUR DATABASE. I IMAGINE WE WILL MORE OF THESE FAILURES AS THESE VEHICLES AGE. *TR

MY WIFE WENT TO ON A TRIP AND THE VEHICLE STARTED TO MISFIRE, WENT TO A FORD DEALER, MECHANIC IDENTIFIED THE PROBLEM; IGNITION COIL #4 FAILED. SHE ASKED WHAT NEEDED DONE TO FIX PROPERLY SO SHE WOULD BE SAFE AND HAVE NO MORE TROUBLE. HE SAID TO REPLACE COIL, PLUGS, AND WIRES. THAT WAS DONE. ON THE WAY HOME IT HAPPENED AGAIN, CAR SHUT OFF W/O WARNING ON I95 @65 MPH. PROBLEM PERSISTED AND FINALLY WOULD NOT START AND HAD TO BE TOWED. MY MECHANIC DISCOVERED FORD SRB 09-2-6. A PROBLEM IDENTIFIED BY FORD BUT NOT MADE PUBLIC. I CONTACTED DEALER; HE WAS AWARE OF SRB BUT DID NOT ACT ON IT OR INFORM US ABOUT IT. WE ARE NOW FACED WITH A BILL 2X LARGER THAN IT WOULD HAVE BEEN IF DEALER WOULD HAVE FOLLOWED SRB. HE PUT MY WIFE AT RISK (NEARLY HAD A FEW ACCIDENTS) AND FORD AND THE NHTSA ARE PUTTING PEOPLE AT UNDUE RISK BY NOT MAKING THIS INFO. PUBLIC AND SPECIFIC TO OWNERS OF THESE VEHICLES. A FAILURE OF THIS MAGNITUDE, IDENTIFIED AS A PROBLEM FROM THE FACTORY SHOULD BE RECALLED AND FORD SHOULD COMPLETE REPAIRS AT NO COST TO THE OWNER. *TR

WAS DIVING ON INTERSTATE MOTOR FAILED . WAS IN PASSING LANE HAD TO PULL IN THE GRASSY MEDIA. VERY SCARY. TOOK TO SHOP WAS TOLD PCM WAS BAD. HAD IT REPLACED . 29000K LATER IT IS OUT AGAIN. WAS PURCHASED USED AT A FORD DEALER SHIP IN 2007 4X4 HAS NOT WORKED. TOOK IT BACK WAS TOLD THAT THE COMPUTER SAID IT WAS OK AND THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG. THE REAR WHEELS DO NOT PULL WHEN FRONT SPINS CAR IS DEAD IN DRIVE WAY AT PRESENT STILL OWE 7000 ON IT. FORD SHOULD BE MADE TO REPAIR AT THEIR ON COST. THIS CAR IS JUNK AND WILL NEVER OWE ONE AGAIN. *TR

RUBBING SOUND COMING FROM LEFT FRONT (DRIVER'S SIDE) WHEEL WELL. DIAGNOSED BY FORD AS A "LOOSE" WHEEL BEARING. SOUNDS MORE LIKE A FAILURE. FORD CHARGED $47 TO "DIAGNOSE" THE PROBLEM. SEEMS LIKE MAYBE THEY ALREADY KNEW WHAT IT MIGHT BE AND LET 3 TECHS SOAK UP SOME CLOCK TIME ON THIS ONE. THE ORIGINAL CHARGE WAS QUOTED AT $95 SO I GUESS WE GOT OFF BETTER THAN SOME. *TT

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 FORD ESCAPE. WHILE STOPPED AT A TRAFFIC STOP, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE RECURRED SPORADICALLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTICS WHERE THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE TORQUE CONVERTER WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 67,064. UPDATED 02/15/12*BF UPDATED 03/16/12