2009 Ford Escape Hybrid

A RECURRING ISSUE WITH THE ELECTRICAL/BRAKE SYSTEM OF THIS VEHICLE WAS A RANDOM-OCCURRING "SHORT" OR ELECTRICAL SYSTEM GLITCH THAT WOULD PARTIALLY DISABLE THE ELECTRIC POWER BRAKING SYSTEM AND CAUSING A SUBSTANTIAL LOSS OF ENGINE POWER, WHICH CAUSED THE BRAKING CAPABILITY OF THE VEHICLE TO BE REDUCED TO A BARELY FUNCTIONING OPERATIONAL LEVEL AS WELL AS THE LOSS OF POWER STEERING. THIS OCCURRED AT LEAST 20-TIMES DURING OUR FIRST 22-MONTHS OF OWNERSHIP. THIS SUDDEN AND SEVERE LACK OF BRAKING REQUIRED THE VEHICLE TO HAVE THE TRANSMISSION DOWNSHIFTED TO A LOWER FORWARD GEAR AND A HARD MECHANICAL EFFORT APPLIED TO THE BRAKE PEDAL AND STEERING WHEEL TO BRING THE VEHICLE TO A STOP. WITH THE VEHICLE STOPPED, THE IGNITION COULD BE TURNED-OFF AND THE KEY REMOVED. WHEN THE KEY WAS RE-INSERTED AND TURNED TO "START", THE VEHICLE WOULD ALWAYS START AS IF THE ENTIRE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM HAD "RESET". THIS REQUIRED A TOTAL OF FIVE (5) DIFFERENT MULTIPLE-DAY REPAIRS AT THE LOCAL FORD DEALER IN ATTENTION TO THE NORMAL MAINTENANCE INTERVALS SERVICE. EACH OF THE 5-"POWER PROBLEM" REPAIRS WERE FOUND TO BE FROM DIFFERENT CAUSES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO: FAULTY STARTING-BATTERY LOCATION AND WIRING HARNESS DAMAGE, FAULTY WIRING ASSEMBLY (DIFFERENT LOCATION), ABS BRAKE SENSOR MODULE. THE FORD DEALER WE PURCHASED THE VEHICLE FROM, AND FORD CORPORATE ULTIMATELY DID NOT STAND BEHIND OUR PURCHASED "FORD PREMIUM SERVICE PLAN" OR OUR PURCHASED "FORD EXTENDED SERVICE MILEAGE CONTRACT" COSTING US OVER $2,000 OF OUT-OF-POCKET AND "NON-COVERED" PLAN EXPENSES. BECAUSE OF THE RANDOM AND SEVERELY UNSAFE POWER AND BRAKING CONDITIONS OF THIS VEHICLE, IN ADDITION TO THE EXCESSIVE REPAIRS AND FINALLY THE NON-RESOLUTION ATTITUDE AND NON-PERFORMANCE OF THE FORD MOTOR COMPANY, WE SOLD THIS VEHICLE AS A DEALER TRADE-IN FOR THE PURCHASE OF A NEW SUV FROM A DIFFERENT MANUFACTURER AND DEALER. *TR

TWO TIMES ON 2/1 THE POWER STEERING QUITE WORKING FOR A FEW SECONDS WHILE DRIVING ON A MOUNTAIN FREEWAY. THE SAFE ISSUE OCCURRED TWO OTHER TIMES IN THE PAST FEW WEEKS. THE POWER STEERING IS WORKING FIND AND ALL OF A SUDDEN IT STOPS AND IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO GET THE VEHICLE TO TURN. VERY SCARY FOR MY WIFE IS THE ONE THAT DRIVE THIS CAR. LAST NIGHT WHEN IT HAPPENED SHE HAD TWO CHILDREN IN THE CAR WITH HER. *TR

2009 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO POWER STEERING FAILURE. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED WHEN HIS DAUGHTER STARTED THE VEHICLE, THERE WAS NO POWER STEERING. AFTER SEVERAL STARTS, THE POWER STEERING WOULD ACTIVATE. THE PROBLEM WORSENED OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS, WHERE IT WOULD TAKE DOZENS OF ATTEMPTS FOR THE POWER STEERING TO ACTIVATE, AFTER THE ENGINE WAS STARTED. THE DEALER REPLACED THE STEERING COLUMN AT A COST OF $ 1700.00. *JB

DRIVING DOWN A MAJOR BLVD. 4 LIGHTS TURNED ON SIMULTANEOUSLY, BRAKE, ABS, TRACTION CONTROL AND THE "WRENCH" ICON INDICATING A MAJOR FAILURE. BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR AND I EXPERIENCED AN 80% LOSS OF BRAKING POWER NARROWLY AVOIDING A COLLISION WITH CARS STOPPED IN FRONT OF ME. LIGHTS REMAINED ON AND BRAKES WERE SEVERELY COMPROMISED AS I LIMPED TO THE NEAREST REPAIR SHOP WITH VERY LITTLE BRAKING ABILITY. TURNED THE CAR OFF. WHEN I RESTARTED THE CAR ALL SYSTEMS WERE OPERATIONAL AND ALL LIGHTS WERE OFF. DROVE THE CAR TO A FORD DEALER THE FOLLOWING DAY FOR EVALUATION. DEALER DIAGNOSED A COMPROMISED BATTERY AS THE SOURCE OF FAILURE AND REPLACED THE BATTERY. DEALER SERVICE REP DENIED THIS PROBLEM HAD ANYTHING TO DO WITH HYDRAULIC CONTROL UNIT AS OTHER REPORTS MENTION WITH THE EXACT SAME SYMPTOMS ON YOUR SITE, AS WELL DENIED PROBLEMS WITH THE MASTER CYLINDER OR REGENERATIVE BRAKING SYSTEM. THE BATTERY DIDN'T EXPLAIN THE PROBLEM TO ME, WHY THEN DID THE CAR CONTINUE TO DRIVE NORMALLY FOR A WHILE FOLLOWING THE FAILURE BEFORE THE BATTERY WAS REPLACED? EVEN IF THIS IS THE PROBLEM, NO BATTERY LIGHT INDICATED A PROBLEM PRIOR TO FAILURE. AM I TO EXPECT BRAKE FAILURE TO BE WHAT ANNOUNCES MY BATTERY MIGHT BE IN NEED OF REPLACEMENT? NO FAIL SAFE MECHANISM APPEARS TO BE IN PLACE ON THIS VEHICLE. TREACHEROUS. I'LL LIKELY SELL THE CAR AS I DON'T WANT MY LESS EXPERIENCED 16 YR OLD TO BE CONFRONTED WITH THIS ISSUE. I WAS LUCKY TO HAVE LEFT PLENTY OF FOLLOWING DISTANCE, WITHOUT WHICH I MOST CERTAINLY WOULD HAVE BECOME THE VICTIM OF AN ACCIDENT. *TR

WHILE TRAVELING DOWN A WINDING ROAD, THE STEERING LOCKED AND I DID NOT HAVE CONTROL FOR A FEW SECONDS, THEN IT CAME BACK. THIS HAS OCCASIONALLY HAPPENED IN THE PAST, BUT THOUGHT IS WAS SOMETHING RELATED TO THE BATTERY. THE BATTERY WAS REPLACED A FEW MONTHS AGO, AND OBVIOUSLY NOT THE ISSUE. BROUGHT TO FORD DEALER. THEY SAID I THE STEERING COLUMN REPLACED TO THE TUNE OF $1300.00 PLUS. THEY SAID IT WAS A FAULTY SENSOR TO THE POWER STEERING. THEY CONFIRMED THAT THERE IS NO WARNING WITH THIS AND RECOMMENDED THAT I NOT DRIVE THE CAR, EVEN THOUGH THEY DID NOT HAVE THE PART, NOR DID THEY OFFER ME ALTERNATIVE TRANSPORTATION. IF THEY VIEW IT AS THIS DANGEROUS, AND THE PART IS BACKORDERED BECAUSE IT IS SO COMMON, HOW ON EARTH IS THIS NOT A RECALL COVERED BYFORD? ARE THEY WAITING FOR ME TO HAVE AN ACCIDENT? I HAVE TO DRIVE THE CAR TO GET TO WORK IN ORDER TO REPLACE THE PART. THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS. PERHAPS THERE IS LEGAL ACTION TO TAKE. ADDITIONALLY, THE DEALER WANTS ME TO "PREPAY" FOR THE PART. I HAVE NEVER, IN MY ENTIRE LIFE, PREPAID FOR A PART FROM THE DEALER. MY MECHANIC CANNOT FIX IT BECAUSE FORD HAS MADE IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR A THIRD PARTY TO DO THIS. THIS IS MY FIRST FORD AND WILL BE MY LAST. *TR

CAR LOSES POWER WHILE DRIVING, DOES NOT COMPLETELY STALL OUT, BUT LOSES POWER STEERING AND ACCELERATION. WRENCH LIGHT SOMETIMES TURNS ON. ONCE I PULL OVER, STOP AND RESTART CAR, IT SEEMS TO RETURN TO NORMAL FUNCTIONING. THIS HAS HAPPENED FOUR TIMES OVER A PERIOD OF SIX MONTHS. DEALER DIAGNOSED THROTTLE BODY FAILURE AND REPLACED THROTTLE BODY. *TR

DRIVING DOWN HILL ON DRY PAVEMENT AT 35MPH. GENTLE BRAKING FOR RED TRAFFIC LIGHT. EVERYTHING NORMAL UNTIL SLOWED NEARLY TO A STOP. THEN A SUDDEN LOSS OF BRAKING EFFECT REQUIRING EXTREME PRESSURE ON BRAKE. SIMULTANEOUS WITH THE LOSS OF BRAKING A CLUNKING SOUND WAS HEARD AND SEVERAL WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON INCLUDING BRAKE, ABS, & TRACTION LIGHTS. DROVE TO A SAFE LOCATION WITH THE WARNING LIGHTS STILL ON AND THE BRAKES REQUIRING MARKEDLY MORE FORCE TO APPLY. ENGINE NEVER STALLED. ONCE PARKED I TURNED OFF THE CAR AND REMOVED THE KEY. WHEN I RESTARTED THE CAR ALL THE LIGHTS WENT OUT AND THE BRAKES BEHAVED NORMALLY. DROVE THE CAR TO NEAREST DEALER. THEY FOUND NO CODES AND COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG. CALLED NATIONAL SERVICE NUMBER AND WAS ASSIGNED CASE # [XXX]. ALMOST HIT CAR AHEAD OF ME. NOW I AM AFRAID TO OPERATE VEHICLE. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 45 MPH, THE CHECK BRAKES, ABS AND TRACTION CONTROL WARNING LAMPS ILLUMINATED. THE FAILURE RECURRED SEVERAL TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 25,000. UPDATED 11/15/13*CN THE CONSUMER STATED ON THREE OCCASIONS, THE BRAKE BECAME VERY SOFT AND ALL THE WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. UPDATED 12/3/13 THE CONSUMER EXPERIENCED A FOURTH BRAKE FAILURE. THE DEALER STATED IT WOULD COST $3,600 TO REPLACE THE HYDRAULIC BRAKE SYSTEM. UPDATED 09/17/14 AFTER INSPECTING THE VEHICLE, THE DEALER DETERMINED THE PROBLEM WAS THE BRAKE PRESSURE SWITCH. IT WAS REPLACED AT A COST OF $670. UPDATED 10/28/14