2008 Ford Escape Hybrid

I AM THE OWNER OF A 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID WITH APPROX. 50K MILES. AS WITH MANY COMPLAINTS RELATED TO ESCAPE HYBRID, I WAS DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE IN PERFECT WEATHER CONDITIONS AT APPROX. 70MPH WHEN WITHOUT ANY WARNING, THE ENGINE SHUT DOWN AND THE MASTER VEHICLE ELECTRICAL HAZARD WARNING LAMP LIT UP. STEERING AND BRAKING WERE NORMAL BUT I HAD TO COAST TO THE SHOULDER ACROSS SEVERAL LANES OF BUSY HIGHWAY TRAFFIC TO STOP. IT WAS TERRIFYING. I GATHERED MYSELF AND MY THREE TERRIFIED CHILDREN AND STARTED THE CAR AGAIN WITH NO PROBLEM. THE SAME INCIDENT OCCURRED THREE MORE TIMES BEFORE I WAS ABLE TO MAKE IT TO MY DESTINATION, BUT I WAS ANTICIPATING THE ISSUE AND STAYED IN THE RIGHT HAND LANE. THIS ISSUE IS BEING REPORTED TIME AND AGAIN YET NO ACTION IS BEING TAKEN TO ADDRESS THIS OBVIOUS DEFECT. WHAT IS FORD AND NHTSA WAITING FOR? THIS IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS ISSUE! PLEASE, BEFORE SOMEONE IS INJURED OR DIES. *TR

MY WIFE LEFT WORK YESTERDAY AND WHEN SHE STARTED OUR 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID FWD THE ABS LIGHT AND CHECK BRAKE LIGHTS WERE ON. DURING HER SHORT DRIVE HOME THE REGENERATIVE BRAKING SYSTEM DISABLED WARNING CAME ACROSS THE INFO DISPLAY. BRAKING FELT FUNNY SO WE TOOK IT TO BE SERVICED AND WERE SLAPPED WITH AN ESTIMATE OF $4700 TO REPLACE THEY HYDRAULIC CONTROL UNIT. THE VEHICLE ONLY HAS 69,000 MILES ON IT AND WE FIND IT ABSURD THAT WE SHOULD BE MAKING A $4700 REPAIR IN THAT TIME FRAME WITH THAT MANY MILES. AFTER DOING A QUICK GOOGLE SEARCH IT SEEMS THAT THIS HAS OCCURRED IN MULTIPLE FORD ESCAPE HYBRIDS SINCE 2005 AND IN MOST 2008 MODELS WITH THE SAME AMOUNT OF MILES. WE ARE GOING TO MAKE THE REPAIR, BUT WE WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER FORD IN OUR LIVES. THIS SEEMS LIKE A PROBLEM THAT IS APPARENT FOR 2005 AND NEWER FORD ESCAPE HYBRIDS. DO SOMETHING FORD. AND IF YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT BUYING THIS VEHICLE, DON'T. *TR

DRIVING AT 55 MPH, ENGINE STOPPED, KICKED OUT OF GEAR, LOUD BEEP SOUNDED, AND DASHBOARD WARNING LIGHT CAME ON. TRIANGLE WITH BOLT INSIDE. MESSAGE SAID "SLOW DOWN AND PULL OVER." THIS HAD HAPPENED 3 TIMES BEFORE WHILE IN CRUISE CONTROL, BUT I WAS NOT IN CRUISE CONTROL THIS TIME. FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED, I CONSULTED THE MANUAL. IT SAID TO TURN OFF THE ENGINE AND RESTART. I DID, AND WARNING LIGHT WENT OFF. SAME NEXT 2 INSTANCES. I ATTEMPTED THIS FIX FOUR TIMES ON THIS LAST OCCASION. CAR WOULD RESTART, THEN ENGINE WOULD SHUT DOWN IN A FEW HUNDRED FEET. FINALLY CALLED TOW TRUCK. FORD DEALER FOUND BAD AUXILIARY WATER PUMP CONNECTED TO HYBRID SYSTEM. IN RESEARCHING THIS, I FOUND THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH FORD ESCAPE HYBRIDS. CALLED FORD CUSTOMER SERVICE, BUT THEY REFUSED TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT THE REPAIR, WHICH COST $700. FELT VERY UNSAFE WITH THE WAY THE ENGINE JUST SHUT DOWN. LUCKILY, I WAS ON A ROAD WITH A SHOULDER. IF I HAD BEEN ON A BRIDGE, TUNNEL, OR IN TRAFFIC, I COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED, THE ENGINE SHUT DOWN SO QUICKLY. FORD NEEDS TO ISSUE A RECALL ON THESE WATER PUMPS, AS THEIR FAILURE CAUSES A DANGEROUS ENGINE FAILURE. *TR

I HAVE RECEIVED A "STOP SAFELY NOW" MESSAGE FROM MY HEV ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS. BOTH TIMES WHILE TRAVELING ON THE INTERSTATE AT SPEEDS OF 65 - 75 MPH. ON BOTH OCCASIONS, THE MESSAGE OCCURRED AFTER A COUPLE OF HOURS OF TRAVEL. LUCKILY, THE FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED WE WERE ON A ONE LANE HIGHWAY, BUT THE SECOND TIME WE WERE TRAVELING IN THE HIGH SPEED LANE AND HAD TO TRY TO CROSS THREE LANES OF TRAFFIC TO PULL OVER. WHEN THE MESSAGE OCCURS THE SUV LOSES ACCELERATION. IT IMMEDIATELY DROPS YOUR SPEED TO 60 MPH AND CONTINUES TO DECELERATE AND YOU CAN'T SPEED UP IF YOU TRY. TRY CROSSING A FOUR LANE HIGHWAY WITH A SPEED LIMIT OF 70 MPH WHEN YOU CAN'T EVEN DO 60 MPH. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE AND FORD SHOULD RECALL THE VEHICLES IMMEDIATELY AND REPLACE WHATEVER SUSPECTED PART IS CAUING THE PROBLEM. THE MESSAGE BOARDS ARE FULL OF THE SAME STORIES. IT'S ONLY A MATTER OF TIME AND SOMEONE WILL GET REAR ENDED TRYING TO CROSS THE HIGHWAY TO STOP SAFELY NOW AND WHEN THEY SAY NOW, THEY MEAN IT. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE STOP SAFELY NOW WARNING MESSAGE ILLUMINATED ON THE DASHBOARD. THE VEHICLE THEN BEGAN TO DECELERATE INDEPENDENTLY AND STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THEY REPLACED THE THROTTLE BODY. THE CONTACT FAILURE RECURRED EIGHT MONTHS AFTER THE THROTTLE BODY REPLACEMENT. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 96,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 107,800.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 35 MPH AND ATTEMPTED TO BRAKE WHEN VEHICLE FAILED TO RESPOND. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO DEALER HOWEVER THE EXACT FAILURE WAS UNKNOWN. THERE WERE SEVERAL REPAIRS MADE TO VEHICLE BUT THE SPECIFIC DETAILS WERE UNAVAILABLE. THE REPAIRS DID NOT REMEDY THE FAILURE PERMANENTLY. THE DEALER ADVISED THE CONTACT TO DECLARE THE VEHICLE AS A LEMON THE FIFTH TIME THAT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE FAILURE CEASED FOR TWO YEARS BEFORE RECURRING. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE RECURRING FAILURE HOWEVER NO FURTHER ASSISTANCE WAS PROVIDED. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 64,000. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.

WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY DURING A LONG TRIP (9 HOURS) A TRIANGULAR WARNING LIGHT FLASHED ON: STOP SAFELY NOW, AND THE CAR DECELERATED QUICKLY AS THOUGH THE ENGINE HAD ABRUPTLY STOPPED, BARELY ALLOWING TIME TO PULL OFF ROAD. FORTUNATELY, THERE WAS A SHOULDER AT THAT SPOT ON THE HIGHWAY. THERE IS NO WAY TO SAFELY STOP A CAR THIS SUDDENLY THAT IS TRAVELING ON A HIGHWAY! AFTER READING THE MANUAL WHICH DIRECTED DRIVER TO WAIT A BIT AND THEN RESTART CAR, THE DRIVER DID SO AND EVERYTHING SEEMED FINE UNTIL IT HAPPENED AGAIN, TWICE, ON THE HIGHWAY AGAIN AFTER DRIVING FOR ONLY 2 HOURS. PLEASE; JUST BECAUSE THERE WASN'T A CRASH, INJURY, FIRE, OR DEATH DOES NOT MEAN THIS IS "SAFE ENOUGH." *TR

I WAS ON A ROAD TRIP WITH A PASSENGER IN MY VEHICLE. WE STOPPED IN BARSTOW, CA FOR LUNCH. WHILE PULLING INTO A PARKING SPACE, MY VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED JUMPING THE PARKING BLOCK AND THE CURB. I WAS ABLE TO STOP THE VEHICLE FROM GOING INTO THE BUILDING BUT NOT BEFORE HITTING SOME NEWSPAPER VENDING MACHINES. THE FRONT BUMPER SUSTAINED MINOR DAMAGE. I HAVE BEEN DRIVING FOR MANY YEARS AND HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED ANYTHING LIKE THIS. BOTH MY PASSENGER AND MYSELF WERE PRETTY SHOOK UP AFTERWARDS. THE PERSON SITTING IN THE CAR NEXT TO US WHO WITNESSED THIS EVENT SAID THAT THERE WAS AN OLDER MAN STANDING RIGHT WHERE WE JUMPED THE CURB A FEW MOMENTS EARLIER. FORTUNATELY, HE HAD LEFT OR THIS INCIDENT WOULD HAVE BEEN MUCH WORSE. *TR

THIS IS THE SECOND OF TWO INCIDENTS WHERE POWER WAS LOST AND THE CAR BECAME UNRESPONSIVE. FIRST, WAS ONE WEEK PRIOR DRIVING FROM LA TO SAN DIEGO AT 5PM. WE GOT A FLAT ON THE HIGHWAY IN IRVINE CA. WE PULLED OVER AND CHANGED THE TIRE BUT WHEN WE STARTED THE ENGINE IT WOULD NOT START. THE LIGHTS CAME ON BUT WITH A WARNING LIGHT TO "STOP SAFELY NOW". I THOUGHT THIS WAS FROM THE TIRE AND PRESSED THE RESET BUTTON BUT THE WARNING WOULD NOT CLEAR. WE JUMPED THE CAR ONCE AND WERE UNSUCCESSFUL, WE JUMPED IT AGAIN AND AGAIN NOTHING, WE TOWED THE VEHICLE TO A MECHANIC AND THE TOW TRUCK TRIED TO JUMP IT AGAIN AND THIS TIME THE LIGHTS WOULD NOT COME ON. WE JUMPED WHILE HOLDING THE BUTTON FOR THE HIGH VOLTAGE BATTERY WHICH WE FOUND OUT ABOUT IN THE MANUAL BUT THE CAR WOULD NOT START. WE PAID THE TOW AND CALLED FOR A RIDE HOME. I MISSED WORK AND MY MOTHER TOOK ME BACK TO LA TO WAIT FOR THE CAR. THE MECHANIC REPLACED THE BATTERY. I WAITED 8 HOURS FOR THE MECHANIC TO SAY THAT THE CAR NEEDED TO BE TAKEN OUT OF A SAFETY MODE AND THAT THIS CAN'T BE DONE MANUALLY IN THE EVENT IT HAPPENED AGAIN. THE NEXT WEEK, AFTER PULLING OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY TO GO HOME SUNDAY NIGHT THE RED TRIANGLE LIGHT CAME ON AND WARNED ME TO "STOP SAFELY NOW" AND THEN I COULD NOT ACCELERATE PAST 20MPH AND THEN 10MPH AS I SLOWED TO PULL OVER. I KILLED THE ENGINE, WAITED TEN MIN. AND RESTARTED BUT THE CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE AND THE LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN. I WAITED UNTIL MIDNIGHT TO BE TOWED TO THE DEALER, GOT A RIDE, AND I AM NOW ON THE BUS UNTIL SOMETHING CAN BE DONE. AFTER RESEARCHING OTHER COMPLAINTS I AM SAD TO FIND THAT THIS PROBLEM IS COMMON, IT IS UNRESOLVED, IT IS DANGEROUS FOR A SAFETY MECHANISM TO CAUSE THE DRIVER TO SUDDENLY LOSE POWER, AND IT IS INCONVENIENT TO BE STRANDED AND UNABLE TO TROUBLESHOOT THE CAR IF THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE ENGINE AND IT IS A COMPUTER MALFUNCTION. *TR

THIS IS MY SECOND SUBMISSION. THIS MORNING WHILE DRIVING TO WORK THE ABS LIGHT CAME ON ALONG WITH A "CHECK BRAKE SYSTEM" MESSAGE AND "REGEN BRAKES DISABLED". IN THE PAST WHEN THIS HAPPENED I STILL HAD BRAKES BUT HAD TO MASH THEM DOWN TO GET THE VEHICLE TO STOP. THIS MORNING I WAS UNABLE TO STOP THE VEHICLE. MY VEHICLE THEN WENT OFF THE ROAD AND INTO A DRAINAGE DITCH. THE VEHICLE NEEDED TO BY LYNCHED OUT AND TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. I AM THANKFUL THAT I WAS ONLY GOING ABOUT 30MPH AND ENDED UP IN A DITCH RATHER THAN A BUSY INTERSECTION. THIS IS A SERIOUS ISSUE AND I DON'T EVER WANT TO DRIVE THAT VEHICLE AGAIN. I HAVE 2 SMALL CHILDREN WHO I AM THANKFUL WERE NOT WITH ME. *TR