2006 Ford Escape

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 FORD ESCAPE. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH, THE COOLANT TEMPERATURE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED INTERMITTENTLY. THE FAILURE RECURRED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE VEHICLE COULD NOT BE REPAIRED BECAUSE THE PART WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V526000 (HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM) HOWEVER, THE PART NEEDED TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80,000.

AS I WAS TRAVELING ACROSS INTERSTATE 86 IN NEW YORK STATE, AT 65 MILES PER HOUR, MY FORD ESCAPE COMPLETELY LOST POWER. FORTUNATELY FOR ME I WAS RIGHT NEXT TO AN OFF RAMP AND A CONVENIENT MARKET. WHEN I CHECKED THE ENGINE FOR SIGNS OF WHAT COULD HAVE GONE WRONG I FOUND THAT MY ENGINE WAS COMPLETELY OUT OF OIL. I MAINTAIN MY OWN VEHICLES DUE TO THE COSTS OF THE REPAIR SHOPS AND CHECK MY VEHICLES FLUIDS REGULARLY. THERE WERE NO SIGNS OF OIL LOSS WHERE I HAD BEEN PARKING MY VEHICLE AS WELL. WHEN I HAD THE VEHICLE CHECKED AT MY LOCAL REPAIR SHOP THEY TOLD ME IT WAS OUT OF TIME. HOW DOES A CHAIN DRIVEN VEHICLE BECOME OUT OF TIME? AS I RESEARCHED THE PROBLEM ON CAR FORUMS ON THE INTERNET I REALIZED THAT I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE FACING THIS ISSUE. MANY INDIVIDUALS HAVE REPLACED ENGINES IN THIS MODEL YEAR AT VERY UNREASONABLE PRICES SOME ONLY TO HAVE THE SAME ISSUE REOCCUR. I WAS FORTUNATE THAT I WAS NOT IN HEAVY TRAFFIC WHERE THIS SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER COULD HAVE CREATED AN ACCIDENT. I HOPE MORE INDIVIDUALS TAKE THE TIME TO COMPLAIN SO SOMETHING MAY BE DONE ABOUT THIS ISSUE. THIS IS NOT AN ISOLATED ISSUE AND THE VEHICLE HAS A REPUTATION FOR FAILURE WHICH UNFORTUNATELY I DID NOT KNOW ABOUT BEFORE I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE. I WORK PART TIME AND CAN NOT AFFORD TO REPAIR THE ONLY VEHICLE I OWN. I AM WITHOUT A VEHICLE DUE TO A MAJOR COMPANY UNWILLING TO TAKE ACCOUNTABILITY OF THEIR INFERIOR PRODUCT. I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE DUE TO THE FACT IT WAS AMERICAN MADE AND ASSEMBLED IN THE U.S. NEXT TIME I GUESS I BUY A FOREIGN PRODUCT THAT AT LEAST I WILL RECEIVE A PRODUCT THAT IS WORTH MY INVESTMENT. *TR

WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE THE ABS LIGHT CAME ON, FOLLOWED BY THE "SERVICE BRAKE SYSTEM" REQUEST LIGHT AND THE RED BRAKES LIGHT. I HAD "SOFT BRAKES" BUT I COULD STILL USE THE BRAKES SO I DROVE THE VEHICLE TO THE LOCAL FORD FERRARIO DEALERSHIP. IT IS NOW A WEEK LATER AND I WAS TOLD THAT THE ABS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF $4800.00. I THEN REPLIED TO NOT REPLACE THE ABS AS I HAVE BEEN A CAUTIOUS DRIVER FOR OVER 45 YEARS AND DRIVE DEFENSIVELY. THE SHOP TRIED UNSUCCESSFULLY TO BLEED ALL THE TIRE'S BRAKES AS I REQUESTED THAT I "AT LEAST" HAVE HYDRAULIC BRAKES AND IT BE ABLE TO MAINTAIN THE FLUID LEVEL. ALL WORKED PROPERLY EXCEPTING THE LEFT FRONT TIRE. THIS EVENING I WENT AND RETRIEVED THE VEHICLE FROM THE SHOP AFTER THEY HAD REPLACED THE LEAKING HOSE ON THE LEFT FRONT TIRE (ALSO HAD THEM REPLACE THE HOSE ON THE RIGHT FRONT TIRE). ACCORDING TO THE CONVERSATION WITH THE LEAD TECHNICIAN MY FRONT BRAKES WERE HARDLY USED (OVER 60% OF THE CARS BRAKING) AND LOOKED LIKE THEY WERE RUSTING OR CORRODED OVER WHILE THE ROTORS AND ALL THE PARTS REPLACED EXACTLY ONE YEAR PRIOR STILL LOOKED NEW. BEING CONFUSED ABOUT THIS, ASKED WHY NO ONE HAD CAUGHT THIS EARLIER. WHILE ON THE WAY HOME FROM THE SHOP (WITHOUT PROPER BRAKES AND ONLY THE EMERGENCY HAND BRAKE AND THE HYBRID LOW GEAR TO SLOW DOWN RAPIDLY WITH) I RESET ALL THE FUNCTIONS LIKE I NORMALLY DO AFTER A SERVICE SHOP VISIT. LOW AND BEHOLD THE ABS LIGHT WENT OUT, BUT THERE WERE STILL NO BRAKES WITH SMALL EXCEPTION. I AM NOW WONDERING BOTH HOW AND WHO IS GOING TO BE ABLE TO REPAIR THIS VEHICLE WITHOUT FURTHER EXCESSIVE COST (PAID OVER $480.00) THAT I'VE ALREADY INCURRED WITHOUT HAVING THE BRAKES AVAILABLE TO ME. BECAUSE I WORK CONTRACT JOBS AND TYPICALLY DRIVE TO JOBS OR JOB SITES I AM NOW WITHOUT A VEHICLE. THE LARGER CONCERN FOR ME IS THAT THIS TYPE OF FORD SUV HYBRID VEHICLE HAS A RASH OF BRAKE PROBLEMS. *TR

I BOUGHT A USED 2006 FORD ESCAPE FROM PASADENA AUTO PLANET IN SOUTH HOUSTON TX. ON 1/31/15. ABOUT A WEEK LATER I THOUGHT I SAW SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER MY HOOD BUT I DISMISSED IT BECAUSE THERE WAS A CAR IN FRONT OF ME WITH SMOKE COMING FROM THE MUFFLER. ON ANOTHER DAY THE SAME THING. I WASN'T BEHIND ANY CAR AND I SAW SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER MY HOOD SO I PULLED OVER. I COULD SMELL COOLANT. MY CAR DID NOT INDICATE OVERHEATING BECAUSE IT IS COLD OUTSIDE. WHEN I LIFTED MY HOOD SMOKE GALORE CAME OUT FROM THE RADIATOR. IT WAS DARK SO I COULDN'T SEE ANYTHING. THE NEXT MORNING I TOOK IT TO A MECHANIC AND WE DISCOVERED THE RADIATOR WAS CRUSHED FROM AN APPARENT PRIOR ACCIDENT AND THE FANS WEREN'T WORKING EITHER. I CALLED THE CAR LOT THE NEXT MORNING AND SPOKE WITH A MAN NAMED [XXX]. I TOLD HIM THE SITUATION. HE TOLD ME WHEN HE GOT TO THE CAR LOT HE WOULD PULL MY FILE AND CALL ME BACK. 3 HOURS WENT BY AND NOTHING. SO I WENT TO THE CAR LOT AND THERE HE WAS. HE DID NOT LOOK HAPPY TO SEE ME. I WENT INSIDE AND TOLD HIM AGAIN ABOUT THE DAMAGED RADIATOR. WE WALKED OUTSIDE AND HE LIFTED THE TOP OFF THE COOLANT SYSTEM AND SAID TO ME, "WELL, YOU DON'T HAVE ANY FLUID IN HERE." LIKE HE WAS TRYING TO DANCE ALL AROUND IT. I FINALLY MADE HIM GET ON HIS KNEES AND LOOK AT THE DAMAGE AND HE SAID, "OH, THAT'S JUST THE CONDENSER." SO I ASKED HIM WHAT WAS HE GOING TO DO ABOUT IT. HE SAID HE WOULD "TRY" TO GET APPROVAL TO FIX IT AT NO COST TO ME. I DECIDED I DON'T WANT THEM FIXING IT BECAUSE AT THIS POINT I DO NOT TRUST THEM. I WANT MY MONEY BACK. AFTER RESEARCHING, I FOUND OUT THAT FIRE CAN RESULT FROM A CAR OVERHEATING SO HE SOLD ME A SAFETY HAZARD. MY 1ST CAR PAYMENT IS DUE THIS SATURDAY, 2/28/15. I'M NOT PAYING IT FOR I JUST WANT MY MONEY BACK. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

WE HEARD A LOUD BANK NOISE COMING FROM THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE. UPON INSPECTION BY AN INDEPENDENT DEALER THE REAR SHOCK ABSORBER HAD BECOME DETACHED FROM THE BODY DUE TO BODY RUST. THIS IS A RECURRING ISSUE WITH FORD ESCAPES AND A RECALL WAS ISSUED ON THE 2000 TO 2004 MODELS. THERE WERE SEVERAL SIMILAR COMPLAINTS NOTED ON THE NHTSA WEBSITE FOR 2005. OUR VEHICLE IS A 2006 MODEL BUT HAS THE SAME ISSUE. WHEN WILL FORD ACT WITH INTEGRITY, STEP UP AND FIX THIS ISSUE. *TR

THERE SEEMS TO BE A PROBLEM WITH BEING ABLE TO OPEN MY TRUNK DOOR. A WHILE AGO, SOMETHING LIKE AUGUST 2014, I WENT TO OPEN THE TRUNK TO PUT GROCERIES IN AND IT WOULDN'T OPEN. TRIED LOCKING AND UNLOCKING AGAIN. NOTHING WORKED. SO I WENT A FEW WEEK WITHOUT BEING ABLE TO OPEN THE TRUNK. ONE DAY I DECIDED TO TRY IT AGAIN AND IT WORKED. BUT NOW, JANUARY 2015, I TRIED OPENING MY TRUNK THE OTHER DAY TO TAKE THE GROCERIES OUT OF THERE AND IT WOULDN'T OPEN AGAIN. I STILL CANT OPEN IT SO I THINK IM GONNA HAVE TO TAKE IT TO A MECHANIC. ALSO THE HANDLE ON THE REAR RIGHT DOOR SEEMS TO BE LOOSE. *TR