2017 Ford Escape

TORQUE CONVERTER FAILED RESULTING IN A REPLACEMENT AT 87,000 MILES. THIS WAS INITIALLY MISDIAGNOSED WITH A COMPUTER UPGRADE, HOWEVER A SECOND DIAGNOSTIC TEST PROVED THAT THE TORQUE CONVERTER HAD FAILED AND WAS MISFIRING AT A HIGHER RATE THAN REQUESTED. THE TECHNICIAN RODE WITH ME WHILE I DROVE AND THE VEHICLE'S ENGINE WOULD FLUTTER AT AROUND 1500 RPMS WHILE MAINTAINING CONSTANT SPEED. IT WOULD ALSO SHIMMY THE VEHICLE. IT SHOWED ON THE COMPUTER WHILE I WAS DRIVING THAT THERE WAS A MISFIRE, THE COMPUTER WOULD REQUEST A 4 AND WAS GETTING A 40 ON THE SPECS. THERE WAS NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AT THE TIME OF THE DIAGNOSIS.

MY CAR IS EQUIPPED WITH AUTO/START STOP SYSTEM. IT HAS BEEN MALFUNCTIONING DURING AUTO STOP AT RED LIGHTS & IN TRAFFIC WHILE DRIVING. WHEN IT SHUTS DOWN AT A TRAFFIC RED LIGHT OR IN STOPPED TRAFFIC, A MESSAGE DISPLAYS TO DRIVER WHEN STOPPED TO SHIFT TO PARK AND RESTART ENGINE. THIS REQUIRES TAKING YOUR FOOT OFF THE BRAKE AND THEN STEPPING BACK ON THE BRAKE TO START THE CAR RUNNING AGAIN TO BE ABLE TO GO. OTHER DRIVERS WILL HONK AT YOU TO GO WHEN YOU CANNOT CONTINUE TO DRIVE UNTIL YOU GET THE VEHICLE BACK RUNNING AFTER DOING WHAT THE MESSAGE STATES.

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, AND CODES INDICATE MISFIRE. I HAVE HAD THE CAR BACK AT THE DEALERSHIP 3 TIMES NOW, AND AS OF 9/10/19, IT IS WAITING FOR A NEW LONG BLOCK. THEY SAID TO EXPECT AS LEAST 3 MORE AFTER THEY HAD IT FOR A FULL WEEK. AFTER READING ABOUT THIS ISSUE, AND HAVING NEW COILS INSTALLED, AND SPARK PLUGS, IT IS MY THOUGHT THE COOLANT LEAKING INTO THE CYLINDER IS THE ISSUE. I WILL CALL ON MONDAY TO SEE ABOUT GETTING A NEW CAR, THIS HAS BEEN A COMPLETE HEADACHE SINCE THE LIGHT CAME ON 2 WEEKS AFTER TAKING OWNERSHIP IN JULY. EACH TIME LIGHT GOES ON, IT IS USUALLY RIGHT AFTER STARTING CAR, IT DRIVES FINE BUT MAY IDLE RUGGEDLY FOR A BIT. ONE TIME, THE LIGHT CAME ON BUT TURNED OFF BEFORE I CALLED DEALERSHIP, THEN IT CAME BACK ON AGAIN, AND I BROUGHT IT RIGHT BACK TO THE SHOP. I AM WONDERING AT ONE POINT THIS CAR WOULD BE CONSIDERED A LOSS SINCE THE DEALERSHIP GIVES ME A RENTAL EVERY TIME IT IS IN THE SHOP.

I WAS THE OWNER OF A 2017 FORD ESCAPE WITH UNDER 27000 MILES. ON 7/16/19, IT HAD BEEN PARKED FOR 6 HOURS AT MY PLACE AND I WAS AWOKEN AT 12:30 AM BY FIRE/POLICE THAT MY CAR WAS ON FIRE. THE FIRE STARTED UNDER THE PASSENGER HOOD AREA. THE CAR IS A TOTAL LOSS AND FIRE DEPT DETERMINED IT WAS AN ELECTRICAL FIRE. STILL WAITING ON THE ACTUAL CAUSE OF THE ELECTRICAL FIRE. I'M JUST GLAD THAT I WAS NOT IN THE VEHICLE OR HAD ANYONE WITH ME WHEN THE FIRE STARTED. THIS IS THE SECONDARY CAR I HAVE GOTTEN FROM SAM PACK'S 5 STAR FORD IN CARROLLTON. THE FIRST CAR I PURCHASED FROM THAT DEALERSHIP WAS A 2015 FORD ESCAPE PRE-CERTIFIED USED BUT AFTER A FEW MONTHS WITH ISSUES, IT TURNED OUT TO BE PART OF AN INSURANCE FLOOD SCAM AND WAS NOT LOOKED OVER FOR IT BE CERTIFIED USED. THEY PUT ME IN A NEW 2017 FORD ESCAPE WHICH HAS NOW BURNED UP. I HAVE NOTHING FROM THIS WHOLE SITUATION. I HAVE ALSO CALLED FORD CUSTOMER RELATIONS AND GOT A CASE NUMBER AND WAS TOLD SOMEONE WOULD BE CONTACTING ME. STILL HAVE NOT HEAR BACK FROM FORD AND THAT WAS OVER 2 WEEKS AGO. THIS SEEMS TO BE BAD BUSINESS AND THERE COULD BE A POTENTIAL SERIOUS DEFECT WITH THE CAR THAT COULD AFFECT OTHER CONSUMERS. AT THIS POINT NO ONE SEEMS TO KNOW WHY/HOW THE PARKED CAR CAUGHT FIRE. I HAVE ATTACHED PICTURES OF THE CAR

AS AN UPDATE TO MY PREVIOUS COMPLAINT, THE CAR HAS NOW BEEN IN THE SHOP AT FORD TWICE. THE FIRST TIME, THE "FIXED" THE ISSUE ON THE SAME DAY- THEY REPLACED A SENSOR THAT THEY SAID WAS BAD AND THAT WE SHOULD HAVE NO MORE PROBLEMS. THE NEXT MORNING, THE SAME OVERHEATING MESSAGE APPEARED AND THEN AGAIN LATER THAT DAY. GOT CAR IMMEDIATELY TO THE SAME FORD DEALERSHIP. IT HAS BEEN ONE WEEK SINCE DROPPING IT OFF. THE FIRST DAY, THE SERVICE ADVISOR CALLED AND SAID THEY HAD TO REACH OUT TO FORD TECHNICIANS BECAUSE THEY HAD NO IDEA WHAT ELSE IT COULD BE BESIDES THE SENSOR. TODAY, WE RECEIVED A CALL FROM FORD AND WAS TOLD THEY HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. SUPPOSEDLY ONE OF THE TECHNICIANS HAS DRIVEN THE CAR 30 MILES AND HAS HAD NO ISSUES. WE HAVE MULTIPLE VIDEOS AND SHARED THEM VIA TEXT WITH THE SERVICE ADVISOR THAT SHOWED THE MESSAGE WE WERE RECEIVING. THIS HAS HAPPENED 3 TIMES NOW, IN TRAFFIC WHILE TRYING TO ACCELERATE, THE "HIGH ENGINE TEMPERATURE STOP SAFELY" SUDDENLY APPEARS AND THE ENGINE BASICALLY SHUTS DOWN, LEAVING YOU UNABLE TO STOP SAFELY AT ALL.

THE REAR LIFTGATE IS POWERED AND CAN BE ACTIVATED BY PASSING A FOOT UNDER THE BUMPER, TRIGGERING A SENSOR TO OPEN OR CLOSE IT. ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS, WHEN LOADING GROCERIES INTO THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE, MY FOOT INADVERTENTLY PASSED UNDER THE BUMPER, TRIGGERING THE LIFTGATE TO CLOSE AND FORCEFULLY HITTING ME IN THE HEAD AND NECK, INJURING ME. ON BOTH OCCASIONS, ONCE MAKING CONTACT WITH ME, THE LIFTGATE CONTINUED PUSHING DOWN WHILE I SCRAMBLED TO HOLD IT FROM CLOSING AND MOVE MYSELF OUT OF THE WAY. IT DID NOT AUTOMATICALLY LIFT OFF OF ME WHEN IT CAME INTO CONTACT WITH MY BODY. I AM A GROWN MAN. IF THIS HAPPENED TO A TEEN, CHILD, OR PERSON OF SMALL STATURE, SIGNIFICANT INJURY COULD OCCUR AS THE LIFTGATE CONTINUES TO FORCEFULLY CLOSE. IF THIS IS THE CORRECT ACTION OF THE FUNCTION, IT IS FLAWED DESIGN. IF IT SHOULD LIFT OFF AFTER MAKING CONTACT WITH SOMETHING, IT IS MALFUNCTIONING.

I GET A THUMPING/BANGING ON THE FLOOR ON THE CAR WHILE DRIVING OVER 40MPH. IT STARTED AFTER MY FIRST OIL CHANGE. I TOOK IT IN AND THEY KEPT IT OVERNIGHT. SAID THAT THE 'SCREWS' USED ARE JUNK AND THEY GET LOOSE OR BREAK. I HAVE HAD MY CAR IN A FEW TIMES TO HAVE THE UNDERPINNING REATTACHED, TIGHTENED DOWN, WHICH HELPS FOR A LITTLE BIT. THIS WEEK WHEN I TOOK IT IN THEY SAID THERE WAS NOTHING LOOSE BUT THE MECHANIC SAID THAT WHEN IT HEATS UP THE UNDERPINNING WILL SAG AND CATCH AIR WHILE DRIVING. IT WAS 10 AM, 86 DEGREE AND I WAS GOING 40MPH. EXPERIENCING THE ISSUE. SERVICE ADVISOR SAID THERE WAS NOTHING THAT COULD BE DONE. AT HIGHER RATES OF SPEED (ON THE HIGHWAY) IT IS A VERY NOTICEABLE ISSUE. FOR PEOPLE NOT EXPECTING THE KNOCKING/BANKING ON YOUR FEET IT IS QUITE UNSETTLING.

FORD ESCAPE HAS POWER ASSIST TAILGATE FEATURE WHICH OPENS AND CLOSES TAILGATE. ADDITIONAL FEATURE INCLUDES SENSOR UNDER REAR BUMPER WHICH DETECTS FOOT MOVEMENT, THEN OPENS, OR CLOSES THE TAILGATE, AFFORDING OPERATOR THE ABILITY TO OPEN, OR CLOSE TAILGATE BY MOVING FOOT ACROSS VISUAL PATH OF SENSOR. TAILGATE HAS PROPENSITY TO CLOSE FROM OPEN POSITION WHILE LOADING OR UNLOADING REAR CARGO AREA. ALTHOUGH TAILGATE WILL STOP WHEN IT ENCOUNTERS RESISTANCE, AS IN A PERSON STANDING BEHIND VEHICLE, A PERSON WITH HANDS FULL AND TURNING AWAY FROM VEHICLE AT SAME TIME, CAN HIT THEIR HEAD ON CLOSING TAILGATE. THIS HAS HAPPENED TO ME SEVERAL TIMES, INCLUDING ON APRIL 11, 2017, RESULTING IN A SERIOUS GASH ACROSS MY FOREHEAD. OLDER INDIVIDUALS SHOULD BE WARNED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF TAILGATE SENSOR DETECTING FOOT MOVEMENT AND ACTIVATING TAILGATE CLOSURE WHILE PERSON IS LOADING OR UNLOADING CARGO AREA. TURNING UNEXPECTEDLY AND STRIKING HEAD ON EDGE OF TAILGATE GENERATES FORCE STRONG ENOUGH TO KNOCK AN OLDER PERSON DOWN, RESULTING IN FURTHER INJURY. VEHICLE IS STATIONARY WHEN ENCOUNTERING THIS ISSUE.