2017 Ford Escape

MY ESCAPE HAS THE LIFT GATE THAT OPENS AUTOMATICALLY WITH THE WAVE OF A FOOT. A FEW MONTHS AGO (DEC. 2018 I THINK) I WAS LOADING MY GROCERIES INTO THE BACK OF THE VEHICLE WHEN UNEXPECTEDLY, THE LIFT GATE CRASHED DOWN ON MY HEAD AND THEN CONTINUED TO CLOSE. I HAD TO DROP TO THE GROUND TO KEEP IT FROM CLOSING ON ME BECAUSE IT WOULDN'T STOP. IT HURT TERRIBLY BUT I DIDN'T FEEL IT NECESSARY TO GO THE ER. I CALLED FORD AND A REPORT WAS TAKEN AND I WAS TOLD TO TAKE IT TO A DEALER SERVICE DEPARTMENT BUT I WASN'T ABLE TO TAKE IT IN AT THE TIME. LAST WEEK, I WAS AGAIN AT THE GROCERY STORE AND A YOUNG MAN WAS LOADING MY GROCERIES WHILE I STOOD AND WATCHED. FORTUNATELY, I SAW IT COMING THIS TIME BEFORE THE LIFT GATE CRASHED DOWN ON HIS HEAD AND I WAS ABLE TO PUSH THE BUTTON ON THE LIFT GATE TO STOP IT. I KNEW I HAD TO DEAL WITH IT THEN. I HAVE A TWO YEAR OLD GRANDSON WHO COULD BE DECAPITATED IF IT CLOSED ON HIM. YESTERDAY, I TOOK MY CAR TO THE DEALER I BOUGHT IT FROM AND JUST HEARD FROM THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT. TURNS OUT WHEN A FOOT IS DETECTED BY THE SENSOR; IF THE LIFT GATE IS OPEN, IT CAUSES IT TO CLOSE. THERE IS NO SENSOR TO MAKE IT STOP IF THERE'S A BODY IN THE WAY. PER MY SERVICE MAN, THERE'S NO WAY TO DISABLE THE FEATURE. IT IS UNACCEPTABLE TO HAVE A LIFT GATE THAT CAN COME DOWN UNEXPECTEDLY AND CRUSH OR DECAPITATE ANYONE WHO HAPPENS TO BE STANDING UNDER IT. THIS IS A MAJOR DESIGN FLAW THAT HAS ALREADY HURT ME AND HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BE DEADLY TO MY GRANDCHILD. I HAD REALLY LIKED THIS CAR TIL I REALIZED WHAT A HAZARD THE LIFT GATE IS. I HOPE YOU CAN REMEDY THIS PROBLEM FOR US ALL BEFORE SERIOUS INJURY OCCURS.

WHEN PULLING OUT ONTO A BUSY HIGHWAY, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND SAFETY INFORMATION NOTIFICATION POPPED UP STATING THE ENGINE WAS AT AN UNSAFE TEMPERATURE AND TO SAFELY PARK RIGHT AWAY. THE ENGINE THEN BEGAN TO STUTTER AND SHUT DOWN WITHIN SECONDS. THE CAR HAD JUST BEEN STARTED ONLY MINUTES BEFORE AND THE ENGINE TEMPERATURE WAS NOT HOT. WE ADDED COOLANT TO THE "MAX" AND THE CAR CRANKED UP AND RAN OKAY. THE NEXT MORNING, UPON STARTING THE CAR THE SAFETY NOTIFICATION POPPED UP IN THE DASHBOARD IMMEDIATELY AND THE ENGINE DID THE SAME THING. AFTER RESEARCH AND SPEAKING WITH OUR MECHANIC, WE BELIEVE THE COOLANT TEMPERATURE SENSOR IS BAD.

WHEN STOPPED AT STOP SIGN THE VEHICLE WILL COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN AND YOU HAVE TO SHIFT VEHICLE INTO PARK AND RESTART. THIS HAPPENS WHEN YOU TAKE YOU FOOT OFF THE BRAKE AND THE ENGINE IS SUPPOSED TO RESTART BUT DOESN'T. TYPICALLY IT IS VERY CONFUSING FOR DRIVER AND OTHER CARS ARE EXPECTING YOU TO CONTINUE THROUGH INTERSECTION BUT YOU CAN'T BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO RESTART. CAN LEAD TO POTENTIALLY PUTTING IN REVERSE INSTEAD OF NORMAL DRIVING CAUSING ACCIDENT.

8000 MILES. THE AUTO START STOP SYSTEM WILL NOT RESTART AFTER STOPPING. IT HAS NOT RESTARTED AFTER STOPPING IN INTERSECTION TO MAKE LEFT TURN. ALSO AFTER STOPPING AT STOP SIGNS AND STOP LIGHTS. AND WHEN STOPPED ON A HILL AT A STOP SIGN, THE VEHICLE WILL NOT RESTART, AND ROLLS OUT INTO THE STREET WITH NO POWER BRAKES OR POWER STEERING. A TRULY UNSAFE CAR. DEALER FINDS NO CODES AND CANNOT DUPLICATE, SO WILL NOT SERVICE.

FAULT LIGHTS COME ON AND DO NOT CLEAR OUT CONSISTENTLY AFTER AN IGNITION CYCLE. CRUISE CONTROL, BLIND SPOT WARNING, SPEEDOMETER BECOME NON OPERATIONAL. DEALER HAS REPLACE ABS MODULE, BATTERY AND NEGATIVE BATTERY CABLE WITH NO IMPROVEMENT. AT TIMES DURING INITIAL STARTUP, POWER STEERING IS LOST. ALSO VEHICLE WOULD NOT START ON 3 OCCASIONS. ISSUE OCCURS WHILE CAR IS IN MOTION BOTH DURING CITY AND HIGHWAY DRIVING.

CAR IS RANDOMLY JUMPING TO OVERHEAT AFTER BEING IN MOTION. APPROX 5 MINS OF BEING ON. THEN VIOLENTLY SHAKING AND CUTTING ITSELF OFF. DRIVING OUT OF AN APARTMENT DRIVEWAY. WAS TOLD IT WAS THE COOLANT LEAKING, HOWEVER IT "SOLVED ITSELF" AND I WAS SENT ON MY WAY. THIS IS NOW THE SECOND TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED. UPON RESEARCH, IT SEEMS AS THIS IS A COMMON ISSUE WITH FORDS.

THE STOP/START SYSTEM FAILS TO RESTART THE ENGINE FROM A STOP LONG ENOUGH TO ENGAGE THE FEATURE. (CAR STATIONARY). FAILURE TO START UNPREDICTABLE. TAKE YOUR FOOT OFF THE BRAKE AND AN INFO SCREEN WARNING APPEARS AND SAY TO PUT CAR IN PARK AND RESTART ENGINE. COULD BE HAZARDOUS AS IT TAKES TIME TO ALLOW THE PROCEDURE AFTER A LIGHT HAS GONE GREEN.

AUTO START STOP SPORADICALLY CEASES TO WORK. IT WILL NOT RESTART AND VEHICLE DIRECTS ME TO PUT THE AUTOMATIC SHIFT LEVER INTO PARK AND RESTART THE CAR. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AS I MIGHT BE REAR-ENDED BY THE VEHICLE BEHIND ME WHO EXPECTS ME TO LEAVE A STOP SIGN RED LIGHT, ET AL. QUICKLY. MY WIFE PUTS THE TEMPORARILY DISABLES THE FEATURE EVERY TIME SHE DRIVES THE VEHICLE. I FORGET WHEN I DRIVE IT AND THEN I STOP AT A STOP SIGN OR RED LIGHT AND (SEE ABOVE). THIS STARTED HAPPENING IN THE 3RD YEAR OF OUR LEASE (SEPTEMBER 2018)