2007 Ford Escape Hybrid

STARTED WITH OCCASIONAL CLUNKING WHEN IN REVERSE. SLOWLY DEVELOPED A SORT OF THUMPING LIKE WHEN DRIVING. LIKE FROM A BAD TIRE OR WHEEL BEARING. AS MY WIFE HAD A MEDICAL PROBLEM, I DROVE IT FOR ABOUT A WEEK BEFORE CHECKING OUT. I ROTATED AND INSPECTED THE TIRES AND BREAKS. I MANUALLY ROTATED EACH WHEEL BY HAND TO CHECK FOR SIGNS OF A WHEEL BEARING PROBLEM. NOTHING FOUND. THE NEXT COUPLE DAYS THE NOISE BECAME WORSE. I TOOK IT TO A REPUTABLE TRANSMISSION SHOP. WHEN THEY TEST DROVE IT, THEY WOULD NOT EVEN TAKE IT OFF THEIR LOT. THEIR COMMENT TO ME IS THAT THEY HOPE I HAD NOT BEEN DRIVING IT LONG LIKE THIS. THEY WERE SURE THAT SOMETHING IN THE TRANS AXLE WAS ABOUT TO LOCK UP. I AM SURE THEY WERE RIGHT. BY THIS TIME IT WAS QUITE BAD. THEY FOUND THAT MY TRANSFER CASE HAD FAILED AT 40,245 MILES. A LITTLE RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET SHOWS THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH AWD ESCAPES. I NOTICE THAT 2 WERE REPORTED TO THE NHTSA, ONE RESULTING IN INJURY. IF THIS UNIT LOCKS UP WHILE DRIVING, LOSS OF LIFE IS POSSIBLE. ONLY A SMALL PERCENTAGE OF ESCAPES ARE AWD AND HAVE TRANSFER CASES. IT APPEARS THAT A HIGH PERCENTAGE OF EARLY AWD ESCAPES ARE SUFFERING FROM THIS PROBLEM. ANY DRIVE TRAIN ISSUE IN ANY VEHICLE WHICH COULD RESULT IN THE VEHICLE LOCKING UP WHILE UNDER WAY SHOULD NOT HAPPEN. FORD HAS A RESPONSIBILITY TO FIX THIS ISSUE. I HAVE TO ADMIT THAT WHEN I DROVE THE CAR TO THE SHOP THAT MORNING IT SOUNDED SO BAD THAT I WAS A LITTLE SCARED TO DRIVE IT FASTER THAN AROUND 30 MPH. IT WOULD HAVE COMPLETELY FAILED WITHIN DAYS. I FEEL I WAS LUCKY TO GET IT REPAIRED WHEN I DID. IT COST ME $4,353.00 TO REPLACE THE TRANSFER CASE. NOW I AM NOT SURE I WANT TO KEEP THE VEHICLE. NOT SURE I SHOULD TRUST THEIR CVT EITHER.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE THE DRIVER WAS DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS JAMMED TO THE FLOORBOARD. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE THEY DIAGNOSED THAT THE BRAKES NEEDED TO BE BLED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED, HOWEVER THE FAILURE RECURRED AND THE ABS WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE BRAKES NEEDED TO BE BLED PROPERLY AND TUBING NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED HOWEVER THE FAILURE RECURRED AGAIN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT VEHICLE WAS RETURNED TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED AS THE HYDRAULIC CONTROL UNIT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUAFACTUER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 78,000. THE VIN WAS NOT PROVIDED.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V526000 (HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM). THE CONTACT HAD THE VEHICLE REPAIRED UNDER THE RECALL CAMPAIGN AND THE FAILURE RECURRED. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 68 MPH, THE STOP SAFELY NOW WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED AND THE ENTIRE VEHICLE SEIZED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 95,000.

POWER STEERING QUIT WHILE PULLING INTO A PARKING LOT. DISPLAY SHOWED A YELLOW WRENCH AND "SERVICE PWR STEERING" MESSAGE APPEARED. DROVE THE VEHICLE HOME THEN TO THE DEALERSHIP ON MANUAL STEERING. VERY DIFFICULT TO TURN VEHICLE ON MANUAL STEERING. DEALERSHIP DETECTED A BAD STEERING MODULE AND REPLACED IT WITH A NEW ONE. THE PROBLEM APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN RESOLVED.

WHILE DRIVING AT APPROX. 30 MPH THE AMBER ABS AND RED BRAKE WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON. POWER ASSIST FOR BRAKING FAILED. UNLIKE VACUUM ASSIST IN A NON-HYBRID VEHICLE (WHEN IN THE CASE OF FAILURE YOU CAN STILL STILL STOP FAIRLY QUICKLY WITH EXTREME FOOT PRESSURE ON THE BRAKE PEDAL) WITH THE ESCAPE HYBRID, NO MATTER HOW HARD YOU PRESS THE BRAKE PEDAL, YOU ARE LIMITED TO ABOUT 10% OF NORMAL BRAKING FORCE. DIAGNOSTIC ERROR CODE WAS C1477. FORD DOCUMENTED FIX IS TO TRY BLEEDING THE BRAKE SYSTEM AND SEE IF THAT WORKS. IF NOT REPLACE ABS MODULE AND HCU. DEALER SAID BLEEDING SYSTEM WOULD BE $900. IF THAT DID NOT WORK REPLACE ABS MODULE/HCU FOR AN ADDITIONAL $4500. SO, TRY BLEEDING THE BRAKES, RIDE AROUND FOR A MONTH OR TWO TO SEE IF PROBLEM RETURNS. IF PROBLEM RETURNS REPLACE ABS MODULE/HCU AND HOPE THAT FIXES IT. THERE MAY BE 2 OR 3 OR 4 VISITS TO THE SHOP TO HAVE THE PROBLEM FIXED. THATS AN EXTRA 1-3 TIMES FOR A FATAL ACCIDENT TO OCCUR. A NOTE TO NHTSA INVESTIGATORS....JUST BECAUSE THERE ARE NO DOCUMENTED DEATHS FROM THESE FAILURES (AS FAR AS I CAN TELL) IT DOES NOT MEAN THERE IS NO REASON FOR A RECALL. A SUDDEN FAILURE OF BRAKES WITH NO WARNING ON DOZENS (IF NOT HUNDREDS) OF THESE ESCAPE HYBRID VEHICLES IS CAUSE FOR ALARM.

PURCHASED VEHICLE WITH ABS LIGHT ON, BRAKE LIGHT ON, SERVICE BRAKES SOON MESSAGE, REGEN DISABLED MESSAGE. BRAKE PEDAL GOES NEARLY TO THE FLOOR AND NO BRAKING ASSISTANCE IS GIVEN. EXTREME PRESSURE IS REQUIRED TO STOP. ALL BRAKING COMPONENTS APPEAR TO BE SOUND BY VISUAL INSPECTION. ABS FAILURE SHOULD NOT CAUSE ALL BRAKING ASSISTANCE TO SHUT DOWN. FAILSAFE MODE IS NOT SAFE. INTERNET SEARCH REVEALS THAT THIS PROBLEM IS RAMPANT ON THESE VEHICLES.

ABS LIGHT, SERVICE BRAKE AND EMERGENCY BRAKE LIGHTS COME ON INTERMITTENTLY AND THE CAR REQUIRES ME TO STOP. IT WILL NOT RESTART AND BRAKES ARE NOT WORKING. THIS HAS HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES WITH VARIOUS FIXES FROM THE DEALERSHIPS (REPLACE FUSES, REPLACE BROKEN TONE RINGS, RECALIBRATE ABS, ETC). THIS HAS HAPPENED NOW FOR THE 5TH TIME (I AM AT 78,239 MILES ON THE CAR). THIS TIME MY BRAKES WENT OUT ENTIRELY WITH NO WARNING. THANKFULLY I WAS GOING VERY SLOW IN A NEIGHBORHOOD. THE DEALER HAS INSTRUCTED ME THAT THE CAR REQUIRES A NEW MASTER CYLINDER AND A NEW HCU. THE COST OF THIS WAS QUOTED AT $6800. WITHOUT THIS FIX MY CAR IS UNSAFE AND NOT DRIVABLE.

I WAS DRIVING HOME IN ROUTE 94 VERNON NJ THE BRAKE LIGHT AND THE ABS LIGHT WENT ON, AND THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS HIGH BUT NO BRAKES, THE REGENERATIVE BRAKES WERE DISABLED, THE ENGINE TURN OFF AND I FOUND MYSELF DRIVING ONLY WITH THE ELECTRICAL MOTOR AND NO BRAKES AFTER I PULL OVER TURN OFF THE CAR. SINCE THIS MOMENT MY CAR IS RUNNING ONLY FOR PERIODS OFF 10 TO 15 MINUTES BEFORE IT TURN OFF, STILL NO BRAKES AT ALL.