2018 Ford Escape

ONE DAY AFTER WORK, THE AC SUDDENLY STOPPED WORKING. UPON RETURNING HOME, WE NOTICED A BURNING RUBBER SMELL. WE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP, FROM WHICH WE HAD PURCHASED THE VEHICLE FROM 4 MONTHS PRIOR. THEY LOOKED AT THE VEHICLE, AND DIAGNOSED THAT THE AC COMPRESSOR HAD LOCKED UP, AND THE BURNING RUBBER SMELL WAS FROM THE BELT. THEY THEN QUOTED US ROUGHLY $3500-$3600 TO FIX THE ISSUE, IN THAT IT WOULD INCLUDE THE ENTIRE AC COMPRESSOR KIT, CONDENSOR, AND AN AC FLUSH. IT IS A 2018, BUT WE WERE PAST THE FORD 36K WARRANTY PERIOD, SO WE DECIDED TO CALL AROUND TO OTHER SHOPS/MECHANICS. WE FINALLY DECIDED TO TAKE IT TO A MECHANIC WHOM HAD PREVIOUSLY DONE WORK FOR US, AND WE TRUSTED. PRIOR TO EVEN TAKING THE VEHICLE TO HIM, THE OTHER INDIVIDUALS WE CALLED WERE SHOCKED TO HEAR WE HAD AN AC COMPRESSOR ISSUE, ON SUCH A RECENT MODEL. HE WAS SURPRISED, AND COMES TO FIND OUT THAT THE SYSTEM IS ESSENTIALLY PROPRIETARY, SO THAT IT'S DIFFICULT TO EVEN ACQUIRE THE PARTS/FLUID REQUIRED TO WORK ON IT OUTSIDE OF A FORD DEALERSHIP. WHICH MORE SO, WE BELIEVE, POINTS TO THE FACT THAT THIS SHOULD HAVE NOT HAPPENED ON A 2018 VEHICLE. THE MECHANIC CONCLUDED THAT THE ISSUE IS THAT THE AC COMPRESSOR LOCKED UP, AND SAID IT SHOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED ON A VEHICLE WITH ONLY 48K MILES AND A RECENT MODEL.

MOST OF THE TIME THAT I START THE VEHICLE IT MAKES A SQUEALING SOUND, IT ONLY LASTS AS LONG AS I AM IN PARK OR IF I AM IN REVERSE. ONCE I PUT THE VEHICLE INTO DRIVE THE SOUND STOPS. I HAVE TAKEN THE VEHICLE INTO THE DEALERSHIP ON MORE THAN ONE OCCASION AND I HAVE EVEN RECORDED THE SOUND BUT I HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT THERE IS NO NOISE. ANOTHER ISSUE THAT I HAVE HAD IS A FOUL ODOR COMING FROM THE VENTS. IT ORIGINALLY STARTED DURING THE WINTER MONTHS, THEN CONTINUED THROUGH THE SUMMER. THIS HAPPENS EVERY TIME THAT I TURN ON THE HEATER AND SOMETIMES WHEN I TURN ON THE AC. I HAVE TAKEN IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND ONE MECHANIC DID SMELL IT BUT THEY COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH IT SO THEY PUT A CHERRY SCENT IN IT AND GAVE IT BACK TO ME. IF I NEED THE HEATER ON I HAVE TO DRIVE AROUND WITH A WINDOW OPEN TO KEEP FROM SMELLING THE BAD ODOR OF BURNT HAIR/HARSH CHEMICAL. BOTH OF THESE HAPPEN WHILE THE VEHICLE IS STATIONARY AND IN MOTION. I DROPPED MY CAR OFF ON 2/20/20

2018 FORD ESCAPE SE ACQUIRED ON 09/2018. AT 17000 MILES, IN 08/2019, AND DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, VEHICLE STARTED TO DISPLAY THE FOLLOWING MESSAGES: "HILL START ASSIST WARNING" "POWERTRAIN MALFUNCTION/REDUCED POWER" "MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP - REGULATORY" "ANTILOCK BRAKE FAULT" "RESTRAINTS INDICATOR LAMP WARNING" "ENGINE FAULT - SERVICE NOW". PULLED OVER, SHUT DOWN VEHICLE, RESTARTED VEHICLE AND CONTINUED DRIVING. ABOUT 10 MILES LATER, ALL DASHBOARD INDICATOR LIGHTS TURNED ON AND COMPLETE LOSS OF ALL INSTRUMENTS (TACHOMETER, SPEEDOMETER, TEMPERATURE, MILEAGE, ETC.) AND A/C. BROUGHT IT INTO DEALERSHIP TWO DAYS LATER (EARLIEST AVAILABLE TIME) AND THEY CLAIMED IT WAS THE RESULT OF A BAD BODY CONTROL MODULE (BCM) AND REPLACED IT UNDER WARRANTY. TWO AND HALF WEEKS LATER, VEHICLE DID THE SAME THING WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY. BROUGHT IT INTO SAME DEALERSHIP AND IT WAS DETERMINED THAT IT WAS A BAD ABS MODULE AND THAT WAS REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY. IN 06/2020, WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY THE VEHICLE EXHIBIT THE SAME BEHAVIOR AS THE PREVIOUS TWO TIMES. SHUT DOWN VEHICLE ON THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY AND IT WOULD NOT RESTART. AFTER 45 MINUTES VEHICLE RESTARTED AND TOOK IT TO NEAREST DEALERSHIP. THEY ACKNOWLEDGED THERE WERE ERROR/FAULT CODES, CLEARED THEM AND TEST DROVE FROM IT FOR 20 MILES AND COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING. CURRENTLY WAITING ON FORD CORPORATE TO GET VEHICLE TO A DEALERSHIP THAT CAN RESOLVE THE PROBLEM.

ON DECEMBER 26, 2019, ANOTHER OTHER VEHICLE HIT THIS 2018 FORD ESCAPE, SPINNING IT INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE. THIS ESCAPE CAUGHT ON FIRE AND WAS TOTALLY DESTROYED. ALL INVOLVED VEHICLES (ALL FORDS) WERE IN MOTION TRAVELING ABOUT 50 MPH. THIS ESCAPE WAS TRAVELING NORTH ON ROUTE 122 NEAR BURNT CHIMNEY, VA. THE OTHER TWO FORDS WERE TRAVELING SOUTH ON THIS TWO LANE ROAD.

I LEASED MY FIRST NEW CAR ON JANUARY 29, 2018. STARTING IN APRIL OF 2019 MY VEHICLE HAS FAILED TO START ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE I BOUGHT IAT AND THEY CANNOT REPLICATE THE ISSUE. IT WON'T START WHEN THE VEHICLE IS STATIONARY. YESTERDAY IT HAPPENED WHEN I PUT THE TRANSMISSION IN REVERSE (SOMETHING NEW). AFTER PUTTING THE CAR IN REVERSE, IT STOPPED AND THE DISPLAY SAID "TRANSMISSION NOT IN PARK". THIS HAPPENED AGAIN TODAY. IT HAS STALLED AND REFUSED TO START IN MY GARAGE, ON A CITY STREET AND IN A PARKING LOT. IT IS VERY SCARY - ESPECIALLY WHEN I HAD MY TWO GRANDCHILDREN WITH ME.

ON LATE EVENING OF MAY13, 2019 I WAS DRIVING MY FORD ESCAPE (ODOMETER IS AT 1368 MILES) ON EXCELLENT ROAD CONDITIONS ALONG SIDE ONE VEHICLE WITH NO OTHER TRAFFIC. WE JUST PASSED UNDER TRAFFIC SIGNAL WITH ESTIMATED SPEED AT 10-15MPH. WITHOUT WARNING THE LEFT FRONT WHEEL BUCKLED UNDER THE FRAME. THE SOUND WAS FRIGHTENING AND SO LOUD THAT THE DRIVER NEXT TO ME HEARD THE INCIDENT AND TURNED AROUND AT THE NEXT LIGHT TO COME BACK AND CHECK ON ME. I SKIDDED IN MY TRAVEL LANE FOR APPROXIMATELY 15FEET.THERE WAS NO COLLISION, NOR IMPACT WITH ROAD MEDIAN NOR DID I COME IN CONTACT WITH ANY DEBRIS / POTHOLES ON ROAD. IMMEDIATELY THE ENGINE SHUT OFF WHICH IS ONE OF THE WONDERFUL SAFETY FEATURES WHICH HELPED BASE MY DECISION ON PURCHASING OF MY ESCAPE. THE DAMAGE CAUSED DIFFICULTY TO OPEN DRIVERS SIDE DOOR,THE TIRE SEPARATED FROM RIM IN ADDITION TO THE UNDER CARRIAGE DAMAGE. I FOUND SIMILAR INCIDENTS ON THE FORD RECALL SITE. THERE WAS NO POLICE REPORT FILED , YET I HAVE A CLAIM IN WITH MY INSURANCE COMPANY.$500 DEDUCTIBLE UNPLANNED EXPENSE.

BRAKE AND ACCELERATOR DID NOT WORK AFTER A SUDDEN STOP ON THE SIGNAL LIGHT (ON A SLOP, ENTRANCE OF A HIGHWAY). AFTER THE STOP , MY CAR STARTED ROLLLING BACKWARD, NEITHER BRAKE OR ACCELERATOR COULD STOP THE BACKWARD ROLLING. I HAVE TO USE THE EMERGENCY BRAKE TO STOP THE CAR TO AVOID CRASH WITH THE CAR BEHIND ME. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME. LAST TIME I WAS ON THE ENTRANCE OF A HIGHWAY, ABOUT TO ACCELERATE, BUT SUDDENLY THE CAR LOST ITS POWER, THE ACCELERATOR DIDN'T WORK. BUT THAT TIME BRAKE WAS WORKING.

THE WARNING LIGHTS INTERMITTENTLY COME ON IN APRIL 2018. MOSTLY CHECK ENGINE FOR SEVERAL MONTHS. TOOK TO AUTO ZONE GOT A READ OUT FOR SENSOR. BUT AAA REPAIR SHOP WOULDN'T USE THEIR REPORT AND WHEN I TOOK IT TO THEM, LIGHT WASN'T ON. SO THEY DIDN'T LOOK AT IT. WAS GONE OUT OF TOWN 6 MONTHS. LIGHT OFF AND ON. RANDOMLY. OCT 2018, HEADING CROSS COUNTRY BACK HOME TO AZ. LIGHTS STARTED COMING ON MORE OFTEN. MORE LIGHTS, ABS, SKID, SEAT BELT, WITHIN THE WEEK, VERY RANDOM OFF AND ON. THEN MORE LIGHTS WOULD COME ON. AUTO ZONE AGAIN GAVE ME A SENSOR REPORT, O2 AND FUEL. WHILE WAITING IN BANK LINE,, WHOLE PANEL OF LIGHTS CAME ON. ACTED STALED, BUT WAS RUNNING, COULD PUSH GAS AND RUN, BUT COULDN'T STEER, BABIED TO A PARKING SPOT, EVEN THE MILEAGE ODOMETER WENT TO SLASH MARKS AND NO NUMBERS. I TOOK A PHOTO. TURNED CAR OFF AND WAITED TO TRY TO CALL FOR ASSISTANCE. BUT AFTER FEW MINUTES, WORKED FINE. THAT NEXT WEEK, I WAS DRIVING ON FREEWAY AND IT DID THE EXACT SAME THING, WHOLE PANEL CAME ON, DASHES FOR NUMBERS AND NO STEERING> SCARED TO DEATH. STILL COULD PUSH GAS AND BRAKED, FEW SECONDS FELT LIKE MINUTES. LIGHTS WENT OUT AND CAR DROVE FINE. LEFT AT A MECHANIC AND HE CHANGED OXYGEN SENSOR, DIAGNOSED THE STALLING, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT BACK ON AND OTHER CODES. R/R OXYGEN SENSOR, AIR/FUEL SYSTEM SERVICE FLUSH, AND COMPUTER / PROGRAMMING UPDATE. RAN ME $568.70. LIGHTS STILL RANDOMLY COME ON, BRAKE ABS, SKID, AND THE PARKING BRAKE LIGHT COMES ON. I PARKED THE CAR AND BOUGHT A NEW ONE. WHERE CAN I TAKE IT. I NEED TO SELL IT TO HELP PAY FOR OTHER CAR, BUT DON'T WANT SOMEONE TO GET HURT WHILE DRIVING THIS ONE. I LOOKED UP KBB AND SAW 3 RECALLS ON ONE WAS PCSM SENSOR AND WHEN I CALLED FORD DEALER, HE SAID NO RECALLS FOR IT. PLEASE HELP. I'M DESPERATE.