2006 Ford Escape Hybrid

CAR HAD BEEN PARKED AT AIRPORT PARKING LOT FOR A MONTH. WHEN RETRIEVING IT UPON RETURN BRAKES FAILED, ABS AND BRAKE SERVICE WARNING LIGHT CAME ON, AND PEDDLE WENT TO THE FLOOR. WE PARKED THE CAR IN THE LOT, RENTED A CAR TO GET HOME. NEXT MORNING WE ARRANGED AAA TO TOW VEHICLE. WHEN TOW OPERATOR CAME THE VEHICLE BRAKING SYSTEMS WAS PERFECTLY FINE. WE CHOSE TO PAY HIM AND DRIVE THE CAR HOME. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER AND EXPLAINED THE ISSUE. THEY NEVER ACKNOWLEDGED ANY UNDERSTANDING OF THIS PROBLEM. THEY REPLACED REAR BRAKE PADS AND ROTORS BECAUSE THERE WAS ALSO LOUD BRAKE NOISE. NOW ONE YEAR LATER, JULY 27 2015, [97000+ MILES] SLOWING FOR A RIGHT TURN ON A RURAL HIGHWAY AND THE BRAKE SYSTEM FAILED AGAIN. WITH NO WARNING THE PEDDLE WENT TO THE FLOOR. WITH A CONCERTED EFFORT I WAS ABLE TO SLOW THE VEHICLE AND MAKE THE TURN WITHOUT INCIDENT. THE ABS LIGHT AND SERVICE BRAKE WARNING LIGHTS WERE LIT. CONDITION PERSISTED AS WE CONTINUED A FEW MILES TO THE SHOPPING PLAZA. AFTER SHOPPING WE DECIDED TO RETURN DIRECTLY HOME, BUT WHEN CAR WAS STARTED THE FAULT HAD CLEARED AND THE BRAKES FUNCTIONED NORMALLY. WE HAVE JUST SPENT THE MORNING SEARCHING INTERNET AND FIND THIS IS AN ISSUE FORD KNOWS ABOUT AND IS DENYING TO ACKNOWLEDGE. AND APPARENTLY IT IS VERY EXPENSIVE TO RESOLVE WITH THE NEED TO REPLACE THE HCU. WE NOW UNDERSTAND WHAT THE PROBLEM IS BUT ARE AMONG THE MANY WHO FEEL THIS IS CERTAINLY A SERIOUS ENOUGH SAFETY ISSUE FORD SHOULD PARTICIPATE IN ITS RESOLVE FOR OWNERS WITH DEFECTIVE BRAKE SYSTEMS. OUR EXPERIENCE SO FAR IS, THAT THOUGH THERE IS SOME ABILITY TO BRAKE IT IS NOT ANYWHERE EQUAL TO THE 'NORMAL' BRAKING CAPACITY AND THAT IS DANGEROUS. AND THE INTERMITTENT AND RANDOM OCCURRENCE IS TROUBLING TO SAY THE LEAST. WE WILL CONTACT THE DEALER TODAY TO GET THE REACTION TO OUR CONCERN.

DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, SUDDENLY RECEIVED WARNING MESSAGE ABOUT THE BRAKES AND HEARD WARNING BEEPS. IMMEDIATELY I LOST ALL BRAKING ABILITY (BRAKE PEDAL FELT SOFT AND GIVE VERY LITTLE RESISTANCE) BUT STILL HAD ACCELERATION AND STEERING CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. I NAVIGATED THE CAR TO A SIDE STREET AND WAS ABLE TO SLOW THE CAR DOWN TO AN EVENTUAL STOP ON THE SHOULDER USING THE EMERGENCY/PARKING BRAKE. I TURNED THE CAR OFF FOR APPROXIMATELY 5 MINUTES. TESTED THE PRESSURE ON THE BRAKE PEDAL AND IT SEEMED NORMAL. I THEN STARTED THE CAR UP AND MOVED A LITTLE BIT FORWARD AND DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL AND EVERYTHING WORKED FINE. NO WARNING MESSAGES OR SOUNDS. THE CAR OPERATED NORMALLY AS I DROVE IT BACK TO A SAFE SPOT. *TR

BASICALLY, THIS IS HAPPENING AT LEAST 1 X / DAY. I AM TAKING BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP TOMORROW, BUT FORD REALLY NEEDS TO RECALL THIS VEHICLE AND GET THIS FIXED. I WAS DRIVING ON A REGULAR ROAD AND MY ABS BRAKE LIGHT AND SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON WITH THE WARNING BELL. MY HYDRAULIC BRAKES FAILED AGAIN! I PUT MY FLASHERS ON, PULLED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, I DEPRESSED THE BRAKE ALL THE WAY THE FLOOR AND ROLLED TO A STOP WITH THROBBING EMERGENCY BRAKES STILL WORKING. THEN I TURN OFF MY VEHICLE AFTER PUTTING IT INTO PARK, TAKE OUT THE KEY, WAIT A FEW SECONDS, THEN START THE CAR AGAIN. IT WORKS AGAIN TEMPORARILY. NOW, I KNOW HOW TO DEAL WITH IT AND I PLAN FOR IT SINCE IT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME, BUT IF I AM EVER IN A SITUATION WHERE I CANNOT CONTROL MY ENVIRONMENT, I CANNOT GUARANTEE SOMEONE WILL NOT BE HARMED OR KILLED AS A RESULT OF THIS FAILURE IN MY VEHICLE. PLEASE! HELP US DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS. THIS NEEDS TO BE FIXED!!!

DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD I HAD A COMPLETE LOSS OF NORMAL AND EFFECTIVE BRAKING. THE ABS AND BRAKE SERVICE LIGHTS BOTH CAME ON IN THE DASH AND IN ORDER TO BRING THE VEHICLE TO A STOP IT, IT BECAME NECESSARY TO DEPRESS THE BRAKE PEDAL AS HARD AS POSSIBLE ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR. WHENEVER ATTEMPTING TO BRAKE THE VEHICLE WOULD LUNGE TO THE RIGHT, CLEARLY INDICATING THAT (AT LEAST) THE FRONT BRAKE ON THE PASSENGER SIDE WAS COMPLETELY USELESS/INEFFECTIVE. NEEDLESS TO SAY, THIS WAS A VERY TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCE AS IT TOOK ALL OF MY SKILL AS A MOTORIST TO AVOID A COLLISION WITH THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME AND TO PROTECT MY WIFE AND TWO CHILDREN WHO WERE ALSO WITH ME. AFTER GETTING ONLINE AND READING COUNTLESS FORUMS AND ARTICLES, I DISCOVERED THAT IT IS A DISTURBINGLY COMMON PROBLEM WITH FORD ESCAPE HYBRIDS TO LOSE EFFECTIVE BRAKING BY WAY OF A FAULTY HYDRAULIC CONTROL UNIT: A PART TO WHICH I LATER FOUND OUT COSTS AN APPROXIMATE $4,200 TO ACQUIRE. AFTER BRINGING THE VEHICLE TO A LOCAL FORD DEALER, I DISCOVERED THAT THIS WAS, IN FACT, THE EXACT PROBLEM WITH MY ESCAPE. THIS VEHICLE, APART FROM THE FAULTY HCU, IS IN INCREDIBLY GOOD SHAPE AND HAS NO OTHER MECHANICAL ISSUES. IT IS AN ABSOLUTE ATROCITY THAT FORD HAS NOT ISSUED A RECALL FOR THIS PART. IT HAS BEEN MADE VERY CLEAR THAT THEY HAVE NO INTENTION OF RECALLING THIS DANGEROUS UNIT UNTIL, INEVITABLY, FATALITIES OCCUR.

WAS DRIVING TO WORK IN THE MORNING. HAD BEEN IN THE CAR APPROXIMATELY 10 MINUTES WHEN THE ABS, BRAKE, AND SERVICE BRAKES, INDICATORS CAME ON ALL AT ONCE. DEPRESSED BRAKE PEDAL ONLY TO DISCOVER THAT I DID IN FACT NOT HAVE ANY BRAKES. TURNED ON EMERGENCY FLASHERS AND BEGAN TO MERGE OVER INTO RIGHT HAND SHOULDER, REPEATEDLY STOMPING ON BRAKE PEDAL. WAS ABLE TO COME TO A STOP. THIS INCIDENT HAPPENED WHILE I WAS APPROACHING A VERY BUSY 3-WAY INTERSECTION, OFF OF A MAJOR HIGHWAY. TURNED CAR OFF AND BACK ON TO SEE IF THIS WAS A MALFUNCTION, BUT ALL THREE INDICATORS CAME ON AGAIN. HAD VEHICLE TOWED TO FORD DEALERSHIP. PAID $5280.03 IN PARTS AND LABOR TO HAVE FAULTY HYDRAULIC UNIT REPAIRED, AND HCU AND HYBRID SYSTEM BLEED. HAD NOT HAD ANY PROBLEMS WITH THIS VEHICLE IN THE PAST. VERY THANKFUL THAT THIS INCIDENT DID NOT CAUSE AN ACCIDENT OR INJURIES TO MYSELF OR OTHERS. ...UPDATED 04/11/17 *BF UPDATED 10/16/2017*CN

ON FEB 25, 2016, MY CAR WAS HIT BY A CAR AT MY REAR PART, AND THEN I HIT A CAR AT MY FRONT. MY FRONT AIRBAG CAME OUT FROM STEERING WHEEL AND AT THE SAME TIME MY RIGHT HAND WAS BURNED BY THE HOT GAS LEAKING FROM THE AIR BAG. MY INJURY IS IN A 2IN X 2IN SIZE. MY HAND GET RECOVERED AFTER ONE MONTH LEAVING A DARK SCAR. I BOUGHT THIS CAR FROM A DEALER. I WAS TOLD THAT THIS CAR HAD A ACCIDENT IN 2006/2007, THE REAR PART WAS HIT AND REPAIRED, THE DEALER SHOWED ME THE CARFAX, BUT I DIDN'T KEEP A COPY. THE FRONT AIRBAG SHOULD BE THE ORIGINAL INSTALLATION. I DID EMAIL THE DETAILS TO FORD, BUT THE ANSWER FROM FORD WAS THAT THIS IS NOT THE MANUFACTURER'S PROBLEM, AND NO EXPLANATION AT ALL. AFTER GOOGLE SEARCHING THE POSSIBILITY OF AIR BAG LEAKING OF HOT GAS, AN EXACTLY SAME INJURY WAS REPORTED ON CHRYSLER: HTTP://ARTICLES.CHICAGOTRIBUNE.COM/1999-02-25/BUSINESS/9902250383_1_AIR-BAG-HAND-BURNS-CHRYSLER-VEHICLES. *TR

2006 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO ENGINE MALFUNCTION WHILE DRIVING. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED THE ENGINE LOST POWER AND EVENTUALLY WENT DEAD. AFTER WAITING A FEW MINUTES, HE WAS ABLE TO RE-START THE VEHICLE, BUT ONLY TRAVELED A FEW MINUTES, BEFORE IT WENT DEAD AGAIN. THE SERVICE CONSULTANT AT THE DEALER INFORMED THE CONSUMER THE FAN ON THE HYBRID BATTERY HAD MALFUNCTIONED. LESS THAN THREE MONTHS LATER, THE CONSUMER EXPERIENCED THE SAME ISSUE, WHERE THE ENGINE STOPPED AT HIGHWAY SPEED AND THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM SHUT DOWN. THE CONSUMER RETURNED TO THE DEALER AND WAS INFORMED ANOTHER PORTION OF THE HYBRID DRIVE SYSTEM HAD OVERHEATED. SEVEN MONTHS LATER, THE CONSUMER RECEIVED A RECALL LETTER DESCRIBING THE EXACT SYMPTOMS HE EXPERIENCED. WHEN HE RETURNED TO THE DEALER WITH THE RECALL NOTICE, THEY STATED ONE OF THE TWO REPAIRS WERE COVERED. HOWEVER, HE WOULD NEED TO FILE THE NECESSARY PAPERWORK TO RECEIVE A REFUND. THE CONSUMER REFERENCED RECALL # 14V526000. *JB

WE WERE DRIVING THE CAR ON THE FREEWAY AND SUDDENLY THE ABS LIGHT COMES ON AND THE BRAKES DID NOT WORK. THEY WERE VERY HARD TO DEPRESS AND SLOWED THE CAR VERY SLOWLY. HAD THIS HAPPENED WHEN WE NEEDED TO STOP, THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN AN ACCIDENT, WITHOUT A DOUBT. THIS HAPPENED ABOUT 3 WEEKS AGO AND MY MECHANIC RESET THE COMPUTER AND ALL WAS GOOD FOR ABOUT 2 WEEKS. THEN THE EXACT SAME THING HAPPENED AGAIN. MY MECHANIC, WHO I TRUST IMPECCABLY WAS BAFFLED BY THE WHOLE THING AND ASKED THAT WE SEND THE CAR TO A DEALERSHIP. I'VE NEVER SEEN THAT BEFORE. THE DEALER (FIRST DEALER) IS TELLING US WE NEED TO REPLACE THE MASTER CYLINDER, THEN MAYBE THE HYDRAULIC CONTROL UNIT, WHICH THANKFULLY, IS STILL UNDER WARRANTY IN CA BECAUSE IT'S A HYBRID PART. HOWEVER, IF IT IS THE HCU, WE STILL HAVE TO PAY FOR THE MASTER CYLINDER, EVEN THOUGH I SUSPECT IT'S THE HCU FROM WHAT I'VE READ ONLINE. I THEN CALLED THE DEALER WHO INSPECTED THE CAR WHEN WE INITIALLY BOUGHT IT (SECOND DEALER FROM HERE ON OUT). THE FIRST DEALER IS QUOTING US $2800 TO FIX THE MASTER, WHILE THE OTHER IS QUOTING AROUND $2000. THE SECOND ONE IS ALSO SAYING HE MIGHT BE ABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE HCU AND JUST CHANGE IT OUT WHERE DEALER 1 IS SAYING FORD SAYS IN ORDER TO CHANGE OUT THE HCU, THE MASTER HAS TO BE CHANGED FIRST. THE SECOND DEALER IS SAYING THIS SIMPLY ISN'T TRUE. WE JUST BOUGHT THE CAR FROM A PRIVATE SELLER AND FRANKLY, I'M SCARED TO DRIVE IT. I'M READING A LOT OF PROBLEMS WITH THIS PART OF THE CAR AND IT LOOKS TO ME LIKE FORD IS HAVING SOME SERIOUS, LIFE THREATENING ISSUES WITH THIS COMPONENT...AS WELL AS GIVING PEOPLE MASSIVE BILLS TO FIX THEIR CAR. THE ONLY THING THAT SHOULD COST $4000 ON A CAR SHOULD BE THE ENGINE. NOT THE BRAKE SYSTEM. THIS IS INSANITY. *TR