2004 FORD Escape

Upon hearing noise at back end in which thought it was muffler or back passenger tire found that the frame has deteriorated on wheel well which makes vehicle inoperable to drive. Defect was not noticed when purchasing vehicle 4-11-14 because it was within wheel well. Was told my mechanic that it would cost around 1200 to fix if possible. I have pictures to provide so you can see damage. There is no damage on driver rear side. Was told this was a defect in design of vehicle and it is on all Escapes. I purchased a warranty when purchasing vehicle from NADN but they don’t seem to cover problems that I have been having and will not give me a refund of the $1000 that I paid. I have tried numerous times but get the runaround. So now I am making payments for vehicle and full coverage insurance and I cannot drive it. I was told by mechanic if I drive it the vehicle could flip over.

Ford local and the corporation keep telling me that there has never been a recall on the 2004 Ford Escape related to the accelerator/throttle. I have found 2 websites (NHSTA & safecar.gov) and media sources which specifically state that those model years were recalled due to cable/throttle/accelerator issues. Ford denies, denies, denies. How can they flagrantly lie when I have seen the information on reputable websites? It appalls me that they are putting hundreds of thousands of lives in danger.

Please help provide me with additional information!

Cold weather. Accelerator pedal sticks when initially depressing the pedal.

The rear passenger side wheel well is rusted completely through and the strut is loose due to the rust damage. I went to Lorens auto body shop on 5/22/2012 at 11:33 am and they were stunned to see the inside of the wheel well on the passenger side. The appraiser came out and took pictures and looked at it. After looking it over he turned to me and asked me how old the vehicle is, I said it is a 2004. He said, “I have never seen this happen before.” He came to the conclusion that it must be a factory defect. He said when Ford was putting the coating on the inside of the wheel well, they must not have coated it enough and moisture got inside. He went back inside and one of the guys from the shop happened to be inside, so he came and looked at it and said he has never seen that happen before either and he has been doing body work for 25 years! The appraiser looked up the parts and time estimate for the job in the computer. The work figured out to take 25 hours and with parts would cost approximately $1,000-1,200. He also said it is possibly becoming a safety issue, because the strut is coming loose, due to the rusting out from around the strut. This movement of the strut could potentially cause problems with handling, especially when turning around corners. He grabbed the strut and it shook easily by hand. The clear coat on the hood of my car came off approximately a year after I bought the car, that was in 2006 when that happened.

From April 2012 :I would like to reach out to you regarding my 2004 Escape. The vehicle has been sitting at Gillingham Ford for approximately 25 days, deemed undrivable due to a rusted out wheel well. The suspension of the car depends on it. Estimate to repair one side is $4500.00. The NTSB has escalated this issue as recent as April 27, 2012 to their engineering anyalisis due to Premature rusting on several Ford models. In addition to that they are estimating the floor board, connected to the issue rusted will need replacing, without labor the part alone is $3800.00. My driver side is doing the same thing.

I am lucky I heard noise in the back end of my vehicle and did not get into a serious accident.

I have much more information if you feel this is a case you would be interested in pursuing. I hope you do, peoples lives are at risk with this issue. A vehicle should not be falling apart from underneath in 8 years. I have had all my repairs done at the dealership and most recently had brake work done there within the past month. Nothing was said to me that the car was falling apart beneath me.

Ford in Detroit and the dealership both acknowledge with is a problem, they have seen this before, not to the extent of mine and fail to work with me to resolve this.

I have several photos that can be submitted as well.

I would like to add my complaint to the acceleration problems of the 2001-2004 Ford Escapes which my 2004 has also experienced. There have been a few situtations over the last 2-3 years where my cars engine would suddenly start racing while parked at idle. When the issue first began I was able to tap the gas pedal with my foot and the car would return to a standard idle. The more recent instances now require turning the vehicle off and it would idle normal again after being restarted. I believe this problem is connected with the recent investigation letter dated 7-10-2012 that was sent to Ford and may also be connected to the previous recall 04V-574.
Please keep me advised of your efforts or anything I can do to help. Thank you

The spark plugs blew out of cylinder head on my 2004 Ford Escape when I started the car. These were the original factory installed spark plugs, not replacement parts. All 6 spark plugs and all coil boots were replaced.  One year later, at 114,500 miles, the #5 spark plug blew out & broke coil,  This happened while driving at 30 mph.  It cost me another $725.01 to fix.

I purchased a 2004 Escape on May 13, 2004 with the standard 3-year / 36,000 miles coverage. On the June 11, 2006 the Cd player started grinding. It gave me a non-descript error message and when I tried to eject the CD it would not comply. I would estimate my mileage at about 42,000 miles. My local Ford dealer stated that since my mileage was over 36,000 my car was no longer under warranty and that they could not assist me, unless I chose to purchase a new CD player.

I just bought this Ford Escape last month from Car Max last month with 11,000 miles on it, still under warantee. This weekend I discovered the paint is flaking off of the front bumper, right around the chrome of the grill. I will be contacting my nearby Ford service center this morning, armed with the information I have received from your site.

April 14, 2010 at approximately 5:10pm my son and I were almost killed or injured when the accelerator pedal became stuck in the full throttle position on my 2004 Ford Escape. The car accelerated to about 70-75 MPH before I slammed both of my feet on the brake pedal and swerved to avoid colliding with the cars stopped in front of me. I could only slow the car to about 50-55 MPH with both feet on the brake pedal. I narrowly missed hitting cars around me until I was able to put the car into neutral and slow down. I then had to turn the car off to stop, as the accelerator pedal was still fully engaged. Obviously, this was an extremely dangerous situation as I was entering a left turn lane in rush hour traffic. The Escape was towed to Barbee’s Freeway Ford, where we have had the car serviced in the past. This morning we found out that the cruise cable snapped and became lodged in the throttle/accelerator cable keeping it stuck in the full acceleration position. The service representative was flippant, edging into annoyed about our concern over the incident. When I called Ford Customer Care, they also did not seem to be interested or concerned about the event. Now that I have read some articles, I know why. Neither Ford nor the NHTSA cares that we are driving cars that can turn into death traps. Despite hundreds of complaints and more deaths from "unintended acceleration" than any other car maker, Ford is not being investigated in any way.

* Problem Description: Airbag lights cosistently blink. Service advised it means that my seatbelts and/or airbags will not work if in an accident.

1. i am complaining about my back up alarm sensors. i have had about 5 incidents in which i have received false positives when nothing is behind me. at work while backing out, the system will sound and go crazy. 2. i have not had any accidents with this malfunction to date. i just do not trust the product that was purchased with my car 3. i took my car to mossy ford in san diego on october 18, 2005. made the complaint and they said that everything checked out good. i have noticed one thing in common with all five of my incidents, i have been around nextel cellular phone towers. in my work parking lot we have a nextel cell tower and this is where the system seem to be unreliable. also at a place of business that i frequent there is a cell site down the street. i did see a technical service bulletins on your web site with this type of complaint. it is service bulletin num : 04262 date of bulletin: mar 07, 2005 nhtsa item number: 10014671.*jb

2004 ford escape with gear selector and airbag warning light issues. consumer states that mechanic determined that there was a faulty wiring harness for the front seat belts. he gave the ok to replace the wiring harness. *kb the gear selection at the base of the steering column did not light up at night. *jb

Consumer 2004 ford escape stalled at slow speeds, especially when turning the steering wheel. *ts the consumer was awarded a repurchase of her 2004 ford escape after arbitration due to the stalling problem. *nm

While being operated on an expressway, the accelerator pedal could no longer be controlled and remained in an open and high speed position. *ph (nar) *cb

Airbag light on the 2004 ford escape flashes or stays on. my suv has 71,000 miles. *ak

The whole underbody is rusting away especially the frame, couldn't even get regular maintence done since the rust so bad. we always washed the underbody after it snowed and that didn't stop the rust from eating away the suv. i see there is a recall for my year but when i do a vin check it says no recall open for my vehicle. i had to get a window put in had 4 different companies come out till i could get some one willing to put it in since they where scared of the pinch wheel from being so rusty. the frame is so bad you can see through it, i scared it going to break and leave me stranded or worse in a car accident!

Abs light and engine light came on while driving and vehicle shut down completely. towed to shop to have replaced the alternator and battery bad. since then 3- alternators, 2- batteries, 3- o2 sensors, and an airbag light that blinks on and off and illuminates when you honk the horn on the steering wheel. also when turning on headlights, all dash lights and stereo console lights dim to almost invisible. took to 4 different ford dealerships and no one can figure out the problem!!!! this company should realize this car is a lemon, and back their workmanship. and blow this car up !!! *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated that the front subframe was rusted and affected the control arm. there was a recall for the front subframe rust; however, the vin was not included in the recall. the contact requested that the vin be included in the recall. the nhtsa campaign number was unknown. the failure mileage was 111,255.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. after driving the vehicle and shifting into park, the gear shift indicated that it was in the park position. however, the vehicle was still in the drive position and would not shift out of the drive position. the vin was not included in nhtsa campaign number: 15v606000 (power train). the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 150,000.

Strut mount passenger side rear rusted right out

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. while driving various speeds, the contact heard a rattling noise from the rear of the vehicle. the contact noticed that the rear passenger side strut detached from the vehicle. the contact called howell motors (located on 6488 ridge road lockport 14094) and was informed that the vin was not included in nhtsa campaign number: 15e045000 (suspension). the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and did not offer any assistance. the manufacturer stated that nhtsa issued recalls. the vin and failure mileage were not available.

We had noticed we was getting water inside our escape bad it was standing water in floor board so we looked at the inner and outer wheel housing and it was rusted very bad the mechanic said it was not safe for us to drive. the passenger side was the worst. they had to weld in pieces to truck and floor boards now mind you we have an 11 year old that rides right where this was rusted the worst :( when we noticed this we was in kansas city missouri and had to drive home to carrollton. missouri .i will have a repair invoice this week cause it is in the shop now getting fixed and they told us at the shop they have had to redo a lot of these but has never been this bad please help someone is gonna get hurt bad.also this is a very expensive repair so please help with this.if you send me somewhere to send pics i will get them from the shop because they took some.thank you for taking time to read this

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. when the gear was shifted into drive, the vehicle independently accelerated in excess of 30 mph. as a result, the contact's vehicle crashed into another vehicle. the contact was able to stop the vehicle by shifting into neutral and shutting off the engine. a police report was filed. there were no injuries. the vehicle was towed to the independent mechanic (ct conveyor llc located at 320 terryville rd, bristol, ct 06010; (860) 637-2926) where it was diagnosed that the cruise control cable needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign numbers: 12v353000 and 14v165000 (engine and engine cooling, vehicle speed control and structure). the parts to do the repairs were unavailable. the contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. the manufacturer was not contacted. the failure mileage was 199,400. ..updated 08/31/17 *bf *cn

I believe i have been a victim of odometer fraud. i purchased my 2004 ford escape xlt from first choice rental cars & sales 3517 old petersburg rd martinez ga 30907. i purchased the vehicle for $4700 in cash. i recently found out through carfax that i am the 4th owner and the odometer was previously at 186,475. my car odometer is currently reading at 147,355 and counting because i drive this car daily. when i purchased the vehicle the bill of sale did not have the mileage on it, the bill stated exempt. i would like to know can i get my money back for the vehicle, because i would have never bought this vehicle if i would have know the odometer had been rolled back.

My 04 ford escape has a 4 cylinder and is a manual. it has begun to accelerate by itself. it will accelerate whether it is in gear or in neutral. i assumed there would recall for this problem, as i know other vehicles have been in serious accidents with similar problems. i can take my foot off of the pedal and it will stay at a steady speed, or accelerate, on its own. often when i'm switching gears, put it in neutral, it will self-rev itself up to 4000+ rpms! i will have to wait and coast for about 10 to 30 seconds for it to bring itself back down to a reasonable rpm to get it into the next gear. so, it is intermittent, but happens about 50% of the time you are driving it, and at times can be very dangerous. i assumed ford might pay for the repair as this is a dangerous situation, however my dealer says "no" because there is no recall.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. while driving 35 mph, the vehicle began to shake violently without warning. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the subframe was cracked and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the frame fractured and needed to be replaced. the vin was included in nhtsa campaign number: 14v165000 (structure). the contact was informed that the damage was too extensive to be remedied per the recall. the manufacturer stated that due to the age and mileage of the vehicle, assistance would be denied. the failure mileage was unknown.

Vehicle at idle, misfired. pulled off and went to drive onto the highway. vehicle lost all power and it got worse. a smell came from the front and smoke came out of the dash. had the driver, two toddlers, and i (passenger) in the vehicle. driver and i were coughing from the smell and the smoke. had to roll down the windows in the front and partly roll them down in the rear during the rain. made it 2-3 miles before we turned around and went back home.

Structure: frame and members. my lower control arm rear right rusted out separating entirely from the body of my escape. i live in michigan and noticed a ford recall 14v165000 but when i called the ford dealership they informed me that my vehicle is not affected by it. i quit driving my ford for risk of crashing. please inform me why my vehicle is not affected but it is exactly what happened to my ford. [xxx] [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).”*jb

When pressig on the gas pedal to pass another vehicle , my vehicle began to incress in speed and would not stop.the pedal stuck and i had no control of the speed of this vehicle. speed reduced when gear shift placed in netural and then when slow enough into reverse. whew!!!! wife and i thought we were a gonner. this happen on the highway. seed reached colse to 90 mile an hour befor brought under control.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. while driving 35 mph, the vehicle violently bounced up and down without warning. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the rear subframe was rusted and corroded and the rear lower control arm separated from the vehicle. the technician stated that the rear lower control arms needed to be replaced. the vehicle was serviced per nhtsa campaign number: 14v165000 (structure), but the failure recurred. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 118,000.

My 2004 ford escape has major rust issues that has affected the structural integrity of the vehicle. the vehicle is not driveable unless the rust is repaired. i just filed a complaint with ford (case #cas12002459). currently there are no recalls on the vehicle and as a consumer i am turning to the nhtsa for support in having ford make the ncessary repairs yo my vehicle.

Driving down the road about fourty five miles per hour i pushed the gas to go up a hill and lost all power to the engine. i removed my foot from the engine and it picked up enough speed to get to the side of the road. after being towed home it would crank but if you moved shifter knob or pressed gas it woukd die out.

Driver's side rear lower control arm broke causing left rear wheel to collapse. this occurred while backing out of garage. just an hour before we had been on the freeway. fortunately due to the low speed no major damage occurred and lower control arm was replace at a local firestone store.

My vehicle was serviced for recall that was issued. the recall was for the subframe rusting through where it meets the control arm resulting in steering failure. my vehicle had this problem under way and was rusted through to the point of separation. the dealership performed the recall and installed a "brace" on the subframe but advised that the vehicle was not safe to drive because of the separation, which is exactly what the recall is designed to prevent. the dealer stated that since the failure/separation had already begun they could not repair it and gave me the vehicle back in a condition which is "unsafe to drive", according to the word of the dealership. my concern is that my vehicle is experiencing the safety issue for which the recall was issued and the vehicle manufacturer will not resolve the recall issue.

Passenger rear wheel well has completely rusted out and shock and mount have rusted and broken off of frame. while driving the vehicle on a village street, hit a rough patch of road by a manhole and heard a terrifying noise, then it sounded like the back of the car was going to fall off. upon parking and inspecting the vehicle, the broken piece was pressed against the rear tire, and had rubbed some of the rubber off in the short time it was driven afterward. research shows that frame corrosion seems to be a common problem with the vehicle, and there was a recall for corrosion on the front end. it seems that it should be for the entire frame, and rectified before accidents and injuries occur. my vehicle falls under those date and state parameters, yet the vin # is not included for some unknown reason. front recall: ford motor company (ford) is recalling certain model year 2001-2004 escape vehicles manufactured october 22, 1999, through january 23, 2004, originally sold, or currently registered in, connecticut, delaware, illinois, indiana, iowa, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, west virginia, wisconsin and the district of columbia. these vehicles may experience excessive corrosion at the forward attachment of the lower control arm. consequence: a separation of the lower control arm can result in a significant loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash. remedy: ford will notify owners, and dealers will install a newly designed reinforcement cross-brace, free of charge. the recall began on may 30, 2014. owners may contact ford at 1-800-392-3673. ford’s number for this recall is 14s02.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated that while driving at 70 mph, the front passenger side tire and frame fractured and caused sparks to emit from the vehicle. the vehicle was coasted to the side of the road. the vehicle was towed to the dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. the contact had received notification for nhtsa campaign number: 14v165000 (structure). the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was not available.

End of march 2015 owner of service station declared my vehicle unsafe to drive. underneath bar that goes between the front tires was rusted and snapped. fortunately the vehicle was in the drive way when the bar snapped. the vehicle was in forward motion in the driveway when bar snapped. driving the vehicle you felt unsafe.

Structural excessive rust and corrosion rear wheels

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. while driving approximately 50 mph, the shock absorber entered the rear passenger side of the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the shock mount needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vin was unknown. the approximate failure mileage was 103,000.

Dangerous failure of my car frame, while i was driving on a public road. this failure happened after the frame problem was identified and remedied a few years earlier. it was a separation of the lower control arm where it meets the frame. very scary.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated that the transmission slipped while driving various speeds. the vehicle became unable to be driven. the failure occurred without warning. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the transmission was defective. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 135,000.

I was driving to work on a smooth roadway and all of a sudden my rear end started to clunk and bang. i was so startled that i had to pull over in heavy morning traffic and had to miss work and take it to a mechanic where i was told the rear shock assemblies had snapped from the vehicle. after due diligence i found there was a recall issued for the front end for the same make and model because of mounts separating from the auto due to salt and corrosion. when i contacted ford i was told there was no recall for that situation, but i did find a large amount of complaints from individuals with the same issue in their same year and model escapes. the mechanic told me at the least it will be 1800 to fix, but since there is no metal to weld to it will require a full rebuild of the body, mounts, and frame in that area. the following site is a representation of the issuehttp://www.fordforums.com/f59/2005-escape-shock-mount-rusted-out-177762/index4.html. *tr

Unable to accelerate car while driving forward on a city street. after getting the vehicle to a safe location we noticed the cable connecting the accelerator pedal had sheared and completely detached from the pedal. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. while driving approximately 45 mph, the vehicle swerved independently into a ditch. there were no injuries and a police report was not filed. the contact noticed that the subframe was rusted and detached. the vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 130,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. while driving over a bump in the road at any speed, a thumping noise emitted from the vehicle. the contact pulled the vehicle over to the side of the road and noticed that the rear passenger side wheel well was rusted and the shock absorber had loosened. the contact notified the manufacturer. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 116,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact took the vehicle to a local dealer where it was diagnosed that the subframe needed to be replaced. the manufacturer did not want to replace the subframe for free. the contact stated that the vehicle could not be driven long distances. there were no recalls for the vehicle. the failure mileage was 100,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated that the subframe was rusted. there were no warning lights illuminated. the vehicle was taken to asheville ford located at (611 brevard rd asheville nc 28806 828 253 2731) but was not diagnosed nor repaired. the contact referenced the failure to nhtsa campaign number 14v165000 (structure) however, the vin was not included. the manufacturer was contacted but did not assist. the failure mileage was 180,000.

College age daughter received a car from grandparents, 2004 for escape garaged its entire life. received at 88,000 miles. over the past few days, noticed a banging in trunk area. rear passenger wheel well and shock tower mounting area has rusted out and the shock is "floating" in place. car currently only has 109,000 miles on it! if this is such a problem as we have seen, this is clearly a manufacturing defect, and something this detrimental should be issued a recall!!! currently trying to weigh options as the rest of the vehicle runs great, engine is strong, but the cost to repair (if we can find someone who will) almost equals the current value of the car! now i have a commuting college student with only a part time job who will need a car! shame on you ford for not stepping up to acknowledge this defect! we are also looking at potential lawsuits because as mentioned this car was previously enclosed and stored in a garage all its life and was only driven by her grandmother to run out to local stores, etc. shame!

Just bought my 2004 ford escape k frame front passenger lower control arm mount rusted out exactly the way it is described in recall code 14s02 and my car vin is not on the recall list for lower control arm

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. while driving approximately 25 mph, the vehicle started to veer to the right and the front passenger wheel started to make a loud noise. the contact pulled the vehicle over to the side of the road and discovered that the passenger side lower control arm housing was severely corroded and the front driver's side lower control arm was beginning to fail. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 85,500.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. an independent mechanic stated that the lower control arm was rusted through on the front passenger side wheel. the mechanic also stated that a used subframe would be needed to repair the vehicle. the contact called jack madden ford (825 boston-providence turnpike, norwood, ma 02062, (781) 762-4200) and was informed to call the manufacturer. the manufacturer stated that the vehicle was not included in a recall and advised her to call nhtsa. the failure mileage was 133,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. while starting the vehicle, the steering wheel was difficult to turn. there were no warning indicators illuminated. the contact called bommarito ford (675 dunn rd, hazelwood, mo 63042, (314) 895-0600) and was informed that there were no recalls associated with the vehicle. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not contacted. the failure mileage was unknown.

Vehicle was u able to control,constant issues with transmission and idle kept getting stuck,speed up on its own and was unable stop without throwing car in park while driving

Recently purchased car, check engine light came on. diagnostics scan shows 2nd cylinder misfire, ignition coil faulty. went online to check common issues with this model..it is a common issue with most 04 escapes. lots of complaints for wheel well rust..upon inspection, mine too is corroded and the shock is coming through the floor board in the hatch. i heard noises while driving but hadn't inspected it until now, as i just bought this vehicle. the corroded spots were concealed under the carpet. unsafe to drive. my photos are too large to upload.

On thursday 15 november 2018, i parked my 2004 ford escape ltd in a parking-lot and went into my office. within one hour, a fire began in the engine compartment that quickly spread to the rest of the vehicle. the cause of the fire is unknown. the vehicle was determined a total loss by my insurance company.

When hitting a bump in the road, car pulls sidewavs. got checked out. they found excessive corrosion on engine cradle and steering components were loose and affected by excessive corrosion on engine cradle. stabilizer rod is almost ready to fall off. they advised us not to drive the car until all components are repaired. steering is erratic and tires squeal when turned left or right.there is a recall for 386,000 of these vehicles in road salt states. we live in one of them, michigan. when ford put the car on the rack, they said something is seriously wrong: that the wheels were bowed out.bought car from ford after a 3-year lease was over. no problems til now. the car is now 14 years old, mileage is apprx. 128,000.

The vehicle was a 2004 ford escape. it was parked on the street, everything was turned off and the vehicle was not running. i was in work when i was informed that my vehicle was on fire. nothing was on to start this fire, it happened spontaneously. the fire seems to have started in the vicinity of the drivers side engine bay. previous to this incident, there were no mechanical or electrical issues with the vehicle.

I was driving down the highway and i lost control of my vehicle i had no steering truck was shimmying all over the road. was able to get it slowed down and under control over to the shoulder of the road and was able to drive it slowly off of the highway was about 1 mile from my house. it has no steering was looking underneath of truck and the frame is rotted all around where the recall part was put in.

I am a mother of three children whom i use my ford to drive to school, i also depend on it to get me to work three weeks ago i was on my way to work my children present in car when we heard a loud bang from the back of my suv i pulled off to the side of the road immediately to check out the vehicle nothing seemed to be wrong so i resumed driving from that day when i drove the car there was a clanking sound in the cabin it sounded like one of my doors wasn’t shut all the way when they were all shut. i had my father inspect my ford and he discovered the problem. the suvs right rear shock had popped threw the plastic casing in the rear of my suv due to the entire mount and wheel well has completely rusted away. i can’t aford to get it fixed and it is not safe to drive. i need help. thank you.

Driving don highway made a grinding noise and stopped accelerating. mechanic told me the transmission spit out my axles and would not hold them in.

As with all other postings the rear passenger wheel well has completely rusted out.and the car started making very loud clunking noises. i do not know the exact moment the wheel well completely degraded. the repair shop said it is not repairable. so we are just now out a car. i just spent way too long chatting with someone from ford who gave me a postal address to send a complaint to. i think everyone who has had the issue should send a complaint. mail: ford motor company customer relationship center, p.o. box 6248, dearborn, mi 48126, i am also considering hiring a lawyer. i think this is just wrong. my son is a college student and left without a car when this is obviously an inferior product and i can not believe this is the service that ford wants to provide. if you would like to be a part of the lawsuit please contact me at [xxx]. this is insane that they have admitted the issue, recalled the front end, came up with an inferior solution and now are going to just say there is no recall. this is a dangerous issue. they at the very least should buy peoples escapes for the value they would be worth. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tt

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. while driving 65 mph on the highway, the rear drive axle fractured causing the rear drivers side wheel to detach. as a result, the vehicle spun out of control and became difficult to maneuver. the vehicle was unable to be driven. a police officer assisted with moving the vehicle off the road and towing the vehicle to a facility. an appointment was made with quick lane at apple ford lincoln (8800 stanford blvd, columbia, md 21045, (410) 290-1100) for diagnostic testing. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 120,000.

It seems one day i noticed my airbag light on. it is usually on constantly or blinking. i am not sure why it stays on. i see a lot of complaints about these airbags on this site. i wish i knew this problem prior to purchasing this car. i also just recently had the hood release cable break on me. call the dealership and they don't make them anymore. great! wonderful! when i went to the parts store the counter person said that this was the 5th ford hood release that they had people looking for in less than a month. is there some kind of recall for the hood release cable? should there be??

Cpsc:about a month ago i noticed a loud noise coming from the rear passenger side of my vehicle when going over bumps in the road. upon inspection, i found the shock casing on the rear passenger side is completely rusted out and my shock mount is no longer attatched to my vehicle. *dt *js

I was driving on a city street,began having trouble steering and heard a loud noise from the front passenger side. almost like a flat tire. took the car to the dealer and was told the right front sub frame was rusted through. was told that the recall had already been closed and there was nothing they could do. mileage is at 95000. wrote to customer care for further assistance and was told again that there was nothing they will do. nhtsa safety recall 14v-165.

Passenger side rear wheel well rusting away. shock tower mount is in tremendous jeopardy. i have looked at dozens of similar model year escapes this weekend, including one i own, and they are all fine. a review of the internet shows i am not alone though. thousands of reports of the same issue. what to do?

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. while driving approximately 10 mph, the steering wheel failed due to severe rust and corrosion of the subframe. the contact attempted to replace the control arms and noticed that a huge chunk on the subframe was rotted and corroded with a large hole near the front passenger side of the subframe. the contact stated that the steering wheel was approximately 40 degrees off balance. in addition, the steering wheel was adjusted while turning left or right to prevent independently intrusive steering due to the steering imbalance. the contact was unable to make repairs to the vehicle due to the damage associated with the mount of the subframe that had partially detached from the vehicle. the contact concluded that any replacement measures in relation to the failure would be faulty. champion ford volvo (2502 west 26th street, erie, pennsylvania 16506, (814) 878-2500) was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that the vehicle was inspected in 2014 per nhtsa campaign number: 14v165000 (structure), in which the crossbrace was applied to the vehicle for preventative subfame damage in july of 2014. the failure mileage was approximately 128,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford freestar. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 12v006000 (power train); however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. the contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. auto ford (a, 3301 east central texas expressway, killene, texas 76543 (254) 699-2629) was made aware of the recall in 2015 and stated that the part was unavailable. the contact stated that thereafter there was no response from the dealer after continued attempts to communicate via telephone/voicemail. the manufacturer was made aware of the issue. the contact had not experienced a failure. parts distribution disconnect.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. while driving at an unknown speed, the contact lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a ditch. the steering wheel air bag deployed. a police report was not filed. the driver sustained bruising to the legs and was unconscious. medical treatment was received. the contact was uncertain if the front passenger and curtain air bags deployed. the vehicle was towed to a police impound lot. the vehicle was not diagnosed by an independent mechanic or a dealer. the manufacturer issued nhtsa campaign number: 12v353000 (engine and engine cooling, vehicle speed control); however, the vehicle was not included. the manufacturer was notified of the failure and inquired about access to the vehicle to investigate the cause of the failures. the approximate failure mileage was 177,000.

On december 2, 2016 i bought a 2004 ford escape from car hop in tacoma, wa. with a $ 800 dollar down payment.after about 3 months the car started overheating. had it flushed. seemed to fix the problem. started again in feb of 2017. took it into a shop of car hops and they said it was water pump. went back to have replaced and was told they no longer worked with car hop. i need my car for work i am a caregiver so my car is needed. well i had my car towed to a shop towards the end of may of this year, the shop was a and m automotive. i paided 533.69 to get water pump put in. problem was not solved. still over heating they said it was a head gasket and needed a new engine car towed back home set there for about a week and half. on june 7th had the car towed to meineke, because car hop works with them. in the mist of all this from the start i called car hop and told them to come get the car i was not paying for something that does not run. this it took 3 or 4 times to get to them because they can not communicate. i was 130 late from my may 15th payment. thy kept asking for that not even talking about repairs. finally, after a week they had mt tow the car to meineke on june 7th. was told it would take up to 48 hours to get an estimate. well after 4 days i called them and they said they still have not received the estimate but continued asking for the 130 and still have not applied the 533 to my account. called again after 2 days same thing. on june 18th i called meineke and got estimate within 15 mins. i emailed it to car hop, now they are saying they not applying the 533 and did not decide what to do. plus, they are saying they won’t help because it is not covered by warranty. they knew this from the day i told them to come get it. they told me they would help get fixed. i have received nothing but lie after lie, poor poor customer service. please help me

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. while driving 65 mph, the vehicle spontaneously caught fire under the hood and the check engine indicator illuminated. the air bags did not deploy. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. there were no injuries. the fire department was called to the scene. a police report was filed. the local dealer was not contacted. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was notified and did not assist. the vin was unknown. the failure mileage was approximately 65,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. while driving unknown speeds, smoke emerged from the hood and the vehicle spontaneously caught fire without warning. the air bags did not deploy. there were no injuries and a police report was filed. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. the contact called a local dealer (don's ford, 5712 horatio st, utica, ny 13502) and was informed to contact the manufacturer. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the contact called the manufacturer at 1-800-392-3673 and got the automated system before the call disconnected. the failure mileage was approximately 82,000.

The back latch to the widows fell off. not safe! was not moving, parked.

On 916/17, we were just getting off the entrance onto route 276, east bound, north of philly. i was starting to accelerate and merge with traffic when the accelerator pedal suddenly went to the floor on its own. i then turned off the engine with the key and was able to pull off the right hand side of the road. after we were towed a mechanic was able to lift the pedal after detangling it from the cruise control cable. there was a recall for faulty cruise control (sticking accelerator pedal) in 2015. i took my vehicle in for the recall and it was repaired by a ford dealer on 6/1/15. the recall notice # is 12s37/nhtsa recall 12v-353 i do not have the ability to scan a repair bill, which amounted to a mechanic tying the cable up out of the way of the pedal

Rear passenger inner fender well rusted out, causing the shock mount and shock to come disconnected. the shock now has nothing to connect to.

The two hinges holding the rear window to the tailgate are badly corroded to the point that the metal bolts have failed and the rear window is now a safety hazard and could fall off during normal driving.

My 2004 ford escape just reached 120,000 miles and my airbag light came on while i was driving home from work on night. the next day i took it to dealer to see what was wrong, they said it was seat belt problem and it would cost $400-$500 to fix it. so i decided to get a second opinion & i took it to a mechanic that does all my repairs to see what he would say. he put it on computer to see what showed up and it says side airbag open circuit. i called dealer to see why they said it was seat belt issue and dealer said they get a lot of older escapes in with airbag lights and its usually just seat belt issue. i personally don't trust the dealer near me but don't want to drive 1 hr away to another dealer. my mechanic is doing research for me. i trust him before the dealer. obviously there is issues the airbags in the 2004 ford escape and there needs to be an investigation so a recall can take affect. hopefully no one gets in an accident and gets hurt or killed bc of this issue.

The rear passenger side suspension has completely broken off and hangs freely. had it inspected at a local garage and was informed this was an extremely common problem for this type of vehicle, and that a safety recall should've been put in place due to the routine failures of this part. i'm now forced to drive a dangerous vehicle to get to work and respond to emergencies.

Catastrophic failure of the front sub-frame engine cradle assembly. it completely rusted apart on the passenger side causing the lower control arm to come loose. my daughter was driving when it came loose causing the escape to run off the road. thankfully there was plenty of shoulder on the rural road and no one was hurt. had this been in traffic, an accident would have been inevitable. called ford customer service - no help, there is nothing they can do. the car has been garage kept, well maintained with on 70k miles. nothing else is rusted. this is clearly a defective part. more disturbing is that there was a recall 14s04 back in 2014. all that was done was to add reinforcement cross brace if rust was present. this did not address the defective part, nor, did the ford dealer notify us of the rusting part which was destine to fail. based on this type of product support and concern for customer safety, we will be looking elsewhere for vehicles in the future.

Nhtsa campaign number 14v16500. lower control arm on the front passenger side lose, resulting in loss of steering control and increased risk of accident when driving. it may be due to rust and corrosion for the lose bolt that holds the underneath bracket.

The rear suspension mount is completely rusted out and the vehicle is undriveable and not safe to put 2 children in and drive around as the suspension mount is just dangling around underneath and i can see the back speaker! why has ford not included all escape vehicles from 2004 in their recall? this is a clear safety issue !

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. while driving approximately 35 mph and depressing the brake pedal, the brakes malfunctioned and the vehicle would not stop. the contact also indicated that the check engine light illuminated during the incident. the cause of the failure was not diagnosed. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 160,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. while servicing the vehicle, it was observed that the engine cradle was severely corroded. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 169,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. while driving various speeds, the power steering failed and the manual steering would activate without warning. the contact stated that the vehicle would have to be turned off and restarted in order to activate the power steering. the failure recurred. the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not included in a recall and no longer covered under warranty. the failure mileage was unknown.

Had a recall from ford shortly after buyiny car in 2014 about subframe rust.ford said they fixed problem.about a year later the subframe broke complexly making frone wheel wobble and pull to right i went off the road into some brush before i got control of car!!i made it home and saw the (fix)a piece of flat steel holding left frame to right not a repair at need to replace complete sub frame.ford blamed it on dealer.dealer will not speak to me about it.i also had promlem with right rear shock coming up through floor no recall on that.lucky no injury or death.

In april 2016, i purchased a used 2004 ford escape with approximately 130,000 miles on it. the vehicle had a recent state inspection sticker verifying that it passed all state safety standards, to include having working airbags. however, after driving the escape for only a few days, the airbag light started flashing and later stayed on. now the airbag stays on all the time. during this same time, the vehicle also started experience an intermittent stalling problem. not sure if these problems are connected to a larger issue...especially since both problems started occurring at the same time. after reading various articles online, i realized that the airbag light issue is a common problem among ford escapes and expensive to fix and sometimes a reoccurring problem. i have driven many other vehicles (non-ford) with over 200,000 miles on them, and none of these vehicles have ever had any non-operable airbag issues. due to this being a serious safety issue, with airbag(s) in the ford escapes becoming prematurely inoperable, ford should make a safety recall to fix this problem...before someone accidentally gets hurt or killed, from having an inoperable airbag or airbags in their vehicle.

In april 2016, i purchased a used 2004 ford escape with approximately 130,000 miles on it. the vehicle had a recent state inspection sticker verifying that it passed all state safety standards. however, after driving the escape for only a few days, the check engine light would come on intermittently and the vehicle would quit running properly and stall. this would occur intermittingly while the vehicle was in park and other times while driving in traffic. i brought the vehicle into two different mechanics and they could not properly diagnose the problem due to the complexity of the stalling issue. the check engine light no longer comes on, but the stalling problem keeps getting worse. my spouse no longer drives the vehicle because of the safety issues of stalling on the highways and it store parking lots. on july 21, 2016, i drove the escape for a 200 mile round-trip. during the first 100 miles, going to the destination, the vehicle ran great without a single problem. unfortunately, during the return trip home, i became scared as the vehicle began intermittently stalling in 4 lanes of interstate traffic that was traveling at 55+ miles per hour…and i had to try restarting my vehicle several times, while traveling in neutral in the middle of 4 lanes of interstate traffic. i plan to bring our vehicle back to another mechanic, so they can try to properly address this safety issue…hopefully before someone gets hurt accidentally with the vehicle intermittently stalling in heavy traffic or in a dangerous situation. unfortunately, diagnosing the problem seems to be an issue. i have read several articles online about this intermittent stalling problem with escapes and realize that the stalling problem is quite prevalent. personally, i believe this is a serious safety issue that needs to be addressed by ford, with a safety recall done to fix the problem.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. while driving 30 mph, the contact lost control of the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the subframe for the steering was deteriorating. the contact stated that the vehicle was repaired per nhtsa campaign number: 14v165000 (structure); however, the failure recurred. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 101,000.

The srs airbag light was blinking-the code said that the seatbelt connector had failed-they had to remove and replace the seatbelt connectors costing us 493.13, and this is a safety issue that ford should cover under a warranty or safety recall. i am out 493.13 plus the 100.00 diagnostic fee and need to be compensated for this. i have attached the services performed by the repair shop. ford said it was not covered by warranty or any recall. that is ridiculous. please advise. thanks

The right rear suspension system disintegrated requiring $1,300 for body shop repair. this apparently occurs regularly on this type of vehicle.

Airbag light blinks or continuously stays on...also rear passenger shock has broken away from wheel well causing unsafe driving conditions. i just had this vehicle financed back in february 2016.

Drove my 2004 ford escape 20 minutes to get pizza and come back home parked it at 8pm by 12:30am neighbors banging on door your cars on fire!!!! i'm in believe the abs module caught fire recall is out ford says my vehicle doesn't apply

Takata recall

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled without warning. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnosis; however, the failure could not be duplicated. the vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the power train control module would need to be reprogrammed. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 133,000.

I heard rattling from the back of my car like a tin thermos rolling around. i looked at the back and was inspecting my vehichle. once i took out the spare tire cover i discovered a huge hole in the right rear wheel well. i called my dealer about the issue and brought the car in as soon as possible to be serviced. i have looked this up online to see if there is a recall for an issue like this and i am finding that many ford escape owners from 2005-2006 are having the same issue. this issue is a safety hazard. i am currently unable to drive my car as my dealer is not comfortable letting use drive it, and their body shop was unable to repair it saying that it was to compromised and would be liability

Vehicle steering has become unstable and wobbly. took it to the shop to check on the alignment, and was told the entire subframe has corroded. i found a recall for this issue, but apparently my vin was not included in the recall, even though it has the same issue.

2004 ford escape. consumer writes in regards to vehicle front sub-frame crossbrace corrosion separation of lower control arm recall notice repairs. *m updated 07/20/2017*js

Passenger side rear inner wheel well and strut mount rusted out. hole the size of a grapefruit. apparently this is a known issue with this make, model, and year of vehicle. complaints regarding this exact issue all over the internet yet no safety recall regarding the problem. my strut has not yet protruded and broken through the mount but will shortly if not addressed.

Passenger side rear wheel well rusted. shock mount is now completely disconnected.

Right rear wheel well is totally rusted through, left side slightly started rusting, causing shocks to break free from frame

The wheel well on the right rear side of car completely rusted out causing my shock to be free in my car. ford will not fix it and it is a serious issue. a quick search will reveal at least 96 other complaints of the exact same issue in the exact same area of the vehicle

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. when the vehicle was moved from a parking spot, there was evidence of fragments of corroded metal underneath the vehicle. the contact stated that the passenger and driver side rear wheel wells were corroded. the vehicle was taken to the dealer to be inspected. the contact was informed that there was extreme corrosion to the fuel tank, the fuel tank straps, and the entire rear subframe of the vehicle. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 111,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. while driving approximately 25 mph, the steering wheel seized without warning. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the subframe needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 84,000.

Takata recall

My rear shock mount tower is rusted out and baning it is ready to come up through the interior.

Engine cradle, part of the frame is under recall,is broke. dealer applied "band-aid" manufacturer declines to replace broken cross-member, even though it is under recall. recall #14v165000

The frame around the rear suspension is rusted out (through) the rear shock is not connected to anything. is there a recall on this ? i know the vehicle is old but i have never heard of this on even older vehicles.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. while driving at various speeds, the vehicle failed to accelerate when the accelerator pedal was depressed. the failure occurred constantly. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the contact mentioned that the vehicle remained idle when the gear was placed in the drive position. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 81,200.

I just purchased a used 2004 ford escape xlt with only 45,000 miles on it (12 years old, 45,000…what i thought was a diamond in the rough). it had undercoating to protect from rust when it was new. very well taken care of, like new inside! so imagine my surprise after driving it 2 months when the passenger side rear wheel well started falling apart (wasn't like that when i bought it). within a 3 week span it was almost completely destroyed. again it was protected with undercoating and still rusted out all those years in a garage being barely driven!!! i asked about getting both sides done while it's in the shop and mechanic said the driver side rear well was fine and in good shape, almost no rust at all. ford stocks only the passenger wheel well, not the driver side. this is obviously a known manufacturing failure/substandard part that ford doesn't want to own beyond selling you the replacement part. i'm losing appreciation for "american made" values. this one is especially upsetting because it's a brand i previously held in high regard. this easily could have been dangerous at high speeds on my trips.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated that the vehicle revved and unintended accelerated, while driving at low speeds. the contact was able to engage the brake pedal, shifted the gear into neutral, engaged the emergency brake, and coasted the vehicle out of traffic. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer informed that the vehicle was not included in nhtsa campaign number: 12v353000 (engine and engine cooling, vehicle speed control). the approximate failure mileage was 113,000. updated 01/05/2017*ct the consumer stated on january 18, 2016, the dealer replaced the pcv hose connector. on february 14, 2016 it froze up again and on february 17th they cleaned it again and replaced the vacuum coupling. on decemebr 15, 2016 while driving down the highway, the throttle stuck wide open again. the pvc area was completely frozen again. the consumer cleaned it, only to freeze again. updated 02/14/17.*jb

Right rear fender well rusted away showing inside of trunk liner and making loud banging noises

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated that accelerator pedal was depressed but the accelerator pedal went to the floorboard, and the vehicle failed to accelerate. an independent mechanic diagnosed that the accelerator cable fractured. the vehicle was not repaired. the contact was made aware of nhtsa campaign number: 04v574000 (vehicle speed control), but the vin was not included. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 117,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. while starting the vehicle, the air bag warning light illuminated continuously. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 72,400.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the air bag warning indicator illuminated. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the seatbelt alarm pre-tensioner needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 130,000.

Shock frame support on right rear side completely rusted out making vehicle unsafe to drive along with entire area rusting out prematurely. i can see the outside thru my speaker grill. how could this not be a safety recall when it is clearly a ford defect? repair quotes in the $2000- $2500 range.

Our 2004 ford escape is making metallic creaking, squeaking and groaning sounds from the passenger side rear. the sound is triggered by just sitting in the stationary car and rocking back and forth. it becomes constant as soon as the vehicle starts moving. there are also occasional heavy metallic thumps or knocks on the passenger side or underside of the car, and the ride is rough. the passenger side rear inner metal wheelhouse is extremely rusty. a few holes are several inches square & go all the way through into the interior of the car. part of the rust is very near where the top of the shock absorber bolts into the wheelhouse. the wheelhouse metal is so rusty that i can flex it with my hand and cause the creaking sounds. i believe the heavy metallic thumps are caused when the conical bumper inside the top of the spring bottoms out and hits the suspension mounted to the bottom of the spring. this likely happens because the shock absorber cannot stop it, since the rusty wheelhouse bends so much. this serious safety problem is heavily documented on the internet by a very large number of people. the top of the shock absorber could crash through the wheelhouse and protrude into the car interior, injuring occupants of the car. this would make loss of control more likely. it would be extremely dangerous if the shock absorber breaks free and becomes tangled up with the rear wheel or punctures the tire. this car is a unibody construction, so this wheelhouse is supposed to provide structural strength for that part of the car. in the event of a crash this rusty wheelhouse will disintegrate and not properly absorb the crash energy like it is supposed to. this makes it more likely that the occupants will get injured. please force a vehicle recall asap which makes ford motor co. replace this dangerous wheelhouse with one that has a safer, non-rusting design.

We own a 2004 escape. that two weeks ago caught fire due to the abs control module. we also have had brake lines go bad due to part failure twice. and the total of three alternators. now we have spoken to ford regarding the 01-03 fire issue. but they will not do anyrhing to consider the 04 even though in researching the actual recall it was the same issue. i woulf like to see this happen. we are selling our vehicle to the sealer sue to lack of reliability. but wanted to vet the word out on this issue. our engine also idle and tries to pull the vehicle forward even with the brakes applied. this is due to a faulty idle air controll valve.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. while driving 45 mph, a loud banging noise was heard. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the rear passenger wheel well, and the shock absorber tower were severely corroded. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the vin was invalid. the approximate failure mileage was 144,000.

Right, rear back window hinge bolt rusted off and broke

2004 ford escape. rear right wheel hub rust/corrosion around strut assembly. safety issue with rear shock. known problem with 2004 to 2006 ford escape despite rust proofing. rusts around area for strut leading to structural compromise of this assembly. unsafe to drive.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. while driving at an unknown speed over a bump in the road, the vehicle emitted a clucking noise. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing, which indicated that the front suspension bar was fractured. the front suspension bar was replaced. the contact also stated that the brake lines also failed due to corrosion. the brake lines were replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was notified. the approximate failure mileage was 125,715. ..updated 02/01/16 *bf *js

Tl* the contact owned a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated that while driving at approximately 20 mph, the speed accelerated independently, the brake pedal was depressed but failed to respond causing the vehicle to crash into a guard rail. the air bags did not deploy. a police report was filed. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. the vehicle was destroyed. the vin was not included in nhtsa campaign number: 12v353000 (engine and engine cooling, vehicle speed control). the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was unknown.

At intermittent times vehicle will stall and die. after driving at 45mph and stop car will die in the intersection. driving at 70mph on the highway vehicle will stall woth cruise control on. when it stalls at highwau speed it jerks so violently that kids in the back seat get bounced around. it doesnt stall when idling. only in drive when start to take off from a stop or if your maintaning a steady speed. then try to speed up or speed down.

Right rear wheel well rusted through and the shock and spring punched through the body of the car. highly dangerous, as our children and my wife drive the car, but the only indication that this occurred was an occasional loud noise (mimicking a shock absorber bottoming out). until i inspected the vehicle, nothing else, such as handling or other factors warned of the dire situation. for instance, my wife travels back and fourth to her parents via a busy highway covering about 50-60 miles multiple times a week and this could have caused a fatal crash. my guess if we have been driving on this based on the occasional noise for 2 months.

Right side rear shock absorber tower rusted out

Ford's 14s02 recall was to deal with excessive rust on a subframe unit. if the recall inspection of the subframe did not result in characteristics warranting replacement, ford instructed dealers to install a cross brace. approximately 13 months after our 2004 ford escape had the cross brace installed the subframe unit failed while we were driving. the car violently jerked to the side and if there had been another car or any obstacle on that side of our vehicle we would have hit it. i contacted ford several times and on each occasion was told ford would not cover the cost of the repairs because they had already installed the cross brace - which was not the part that failed and was not the part for which the recall was initiated. the repair cost over $800. at the time of the incident the escape had fewer than 60,000 miles. during each on my calls to ford, and after being told ford would not cover the repair costs, i asked to speak with a supervisor. each time i was told they could have a supervisor call me 1 business day later, but they would not give me a time when i could expect the call so i had to be available at any time throughout the day. to summarize, the band-aid ford put on to deal with the subframe problem (the cross brace) did not fail. the part for which the recall was initiated did fail even with the cross brace. ford is denying coverage for the repair costs.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. while driving at approximately 40 mph, the vehicle violently veered to the right without warning. the failure recurred three times. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the subframe failed and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the vehicle was previously repaired under nhtsa campaign number: 14v165000 (structure) but the remedy failed to prevent the failure. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 59,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact noticed that the front passenger side subframe was separated from the lower control arm. the contact stated that the vehicle experienced the failure listed in nhtsa campaign number: 14v165000 (structure); however, the vin was not included. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 150,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. while driving at approximately 65 mph, the air bag warning light illuminated. the failure recurred intermittently. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 61,000.

Right rear inner fender well rusted out. causing shock not to be attached. unsafe to drive as is. ford should do something about this.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. while driving at 35 mph, the air bag warning light illuminated. the vehicle was taken to the dealer. the technician replaced two front seat belt buckles and terminals. also, the air bag warning fault code was cleared. the contact stated that the failure recurred intermittently. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 74,508.

I have a 2004 ford escape, in 2012 i paid 336.90 to have the air bag fixed. in 2014 the air bag light returned, i paid 356.83 for it to be fixed again. now i recently paid 99.95 for a diagnostic fee to be told i need to pay an additional 600 plus to have it fixed. i called ford who said they can do nothing. i called the dealer where the car was allegedly repaired and they were of no help. this is a major safety problem and i do not have the funds to fix it again and truly believe ford should fix it and or reimburse me for the costs i have incurred so far. can you help?

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated that the vehicle was taken to a dealer for nhtsa campaign number: 14v165000 (structure). while having the repairs performed, the failure listed in the noticed occurred. due to corrosion, the cross brace that was installed failed to support the weight and fractured, rendering the part unusable. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the contact was informed that the manufacturer would only provide recall repairs once. the failure mileage was approximately 145,000.

Wheel well rusted through to interior of car, shock dislocated from wheel well. we just moved to raleigh from michigan. see related news articles: http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2014/04/07/ford-recall-fusion-escape/7427299/ http://truckyeah.jalopnik.com/almost-400-000-old-ford-escape-suvs-recalled-1560352974 http://www.ripoffreport.com/r/ford-motor-company/dearborn-michigan-/ford-motor-company-factory-defect-to-escape-vechicles-dearborn-michigan-904056 http://www.arfc.org/complaints/2004/ford/escape/suspension/problem.aspx

I was driving down the road and the shock and wheel detached due to the corrosion of the back of the frame.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated that the rear passenger side shock tower completely rusted. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 111,200.

While driving home, i heard a loud bang coming from the passenger-side rear wheel. when i got home and looked at it, i noticed the strut had completely rusted away from the frame. i researched this issued on the internet and have found it to be very common to the year and make of this vehicle.

I have 2004 ford escape the rear shock towers rusted out i think ford shoud recall for fix at there cost others have that issue to i think it a safety issue and it needs to be fixed.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated that the rear passenger side inner fender well was rusted due to excessive corrosion. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 109,000.

Right rear shock breaking free due to rusted out inner fender well. called ford. they wont back the problem even though thousands of owners have complained and there are currently no replacement parts for repair. this is an unsafe situation and causes a swerve in stability. it is also causing repairs to be made unsafely with cob job fixes. it needs to be addressed with ford to do something about it...updated 08/27/15 *bf updated 12/3/15 *js

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated that the recall notice for nhtsa campaign number: 14v165000 (structure) was received in may of 2014. in june of 2014, the vehicle was taken to the dealer who inspected the subframe and the lower control arm. the remedy included installation of a newly designed reinforcement cross-brace. the recall remedy was not performed on the vehicle. in july of 2015, while driving at various speeds an abnormal pumping sound was heard coming from the front of the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the lower control arm failed. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 100,450.

The car began making a loud creaking that i suspected was the back window or something inside. it got worse after a couple of days. i pulled over and checked those and then the wheel wells, and the back right wheel well was rusted so badly that the shock mount was nearly completely detached. it detached the rest of the way over the course of the 2 mile drive to my home. this is apparently a common problem with this make and model, especially in the 201-2004 range, and can affect handling. it has been referred to as a factory defect and a recall was issued for this in some vehicles, but not mine. the local ford dealership will not look at it because any repair would require alteration to the body, so they've referred me to a body shop.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. while driving approximately 20 mph over a speed bump, an abnormal noise came from the rear of the vehicle without warning. the failure recurred on several occasions while driving at various speeds. the vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the rear passenger shock tower had excessive rust and fractures, and had begun to detach from the vehicle. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 97,911.

My escape has completely rusted out on the rear passenger wheel well. the strut is just hanging there. i can not believe this is not a safety issue. does someone have to die to get a recall. come on ford stand up and do something.

My wife was going to the store and hit a small bump in the road at approx. 35mph. when she returned home she said there was a rattle in the rear of her car/truck. i took a look and the top of the shock and the shock housing was completely broken away from the suspension of the car/truck. the entire wheel well broke away from the car/truck. can not drive our car/truck in this condition. glad she was not hurt. could have got caught in rear wheel. i see a lot of these cars/trucks with same problem. ford needs to repair my ride!!!!

The right rear (passenger rear) wheel well has corroded so bad that the strut mounts are beginning to fail. all other wheel wells have not corroded at all.

Driving down the road when i heard a loud bang. maybe hit a small pothole. upon investigation, the entire sheet metal section where the rear strut mounts to the body was rusted through. all other wheel wells do not have this problem. clearly a production problem with the underbody coating. many other formal safety complaints talk about this particular wheel well. this vehicle was manufactured in kansas city assembly in 10/03. this should be investigated as a safety recall item as it can impact stability in cornering.

Changed the rear shocks after a week with the new shocks in i noticed a noise when going over bumps the shock mount is rusted out and the car is now unable to be driven until it is fixed and from what i have been reading most shops will not touch it because of a liability issue, not to mention if i find a garage that will fix it the cost is going to be more than the value of the vehicle! why has this not been recalled yet? very very dangerous!

I am shocked at how many people have experienced the same issue that i am having with my escape in regards to the right rear wheel well rusting out around the shock mount. i initially noticed the issue when i heard a loud clunking noise in the right rear of the car. i thought there was something wrong with the rear shocks so i took it to a neighborhood mechanic. the mechanic told me that it was a frame issue and i needed to take it to a body shop. he also stated that it would probably cost hundreds of dollars to fix and some body shops would not be willing to fix it. he also stated that i should drive slow because the shock mount is completely rusted out. at this point, i am furious! i went to a body shop today on my lunch break and they told me it would cost upwards of $2,000 to repair. the guy at the body shop also told me that he has seen this issue on several 2004-2006 ford escapes and was well aware that this is an ongoing problem. i am so frustrated and agitated because i have taken very good i am so fed up with how irresponsible these huge million/billion dollar companies are. from what i have seen just in my little research that i have done today, ford is aware of the problem, yet they refuse to establish a recall.

Driving 25 to 30 miles per hour throttle sticks at 3 rpms . i had to ride brake to pull over safely. i shut car off and restarted, idle went up to 3 rpms and slowly went to 1 rpm i drove car home with no problem. i started car today with idle sticking on 2 to 3 rpm before going back to 1.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. while driving at 15 mph, the vehicle independently veered to the right. upon further inspection, the contact noticed that the front passenger tire leaned outwards. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the subframe fractured and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the vin was included in nhtsa campaign number: 14v165000 (structure). the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 101,000.

Going 20 mph down side road and hit pot hole. the part that you mount the rear shock to came apart do to rust and knocked a hole in rear wheel housing. car is unrivalled and insurance will not cover do to it being a time related thing. there was no rust in wheel well or holes before. very very disappointed. i insurance said it's a flaw in the design of ford. they have no recalls in past or present.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 14v165000 (structure). the contact brought the vehicle to dealer for the recall remedy. the mechanic stated that the vehicle was unsafe to operate because the subframe was extremely corroded. the vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was made aware of the issue. the failure mileage was 143,000.

Rear passenger wheel well rusted shock came off. ford won't fix it. driving with one rear shock.

I was leaving my parking spot where the vehicle had been parked for approximately 45 minutes when the brake pedal went to the floor and my brakes were not working properly. i discovered that brake fluid was leaking out of the brake line in the front drivers side wheel well. the rubber hose had deteriorated and had to be replaced. yesterday i was driving when my brake pedal went to the floor again. when i parked the car i found that brake fluid is leaking from the brake line in the front passengers side wheel well. the vehicle now had approximately 137000 miles. it appears that the rubber brake line hose had deteriorated on that side as well. this is a major safety issue as both times i was driving my kids and had to worry about injuring them and potentially anyone else on the road at the times this occurred.

Front tires now experiencing excessive wear after the lower control arm rusted through. re-enforced brace in may 2014 recall does not help prevent an accident. steering pulls to the right when turning. the control arms need replaced.

Vehicle airbag light goes on and off intermittently. this happens whether parked or driving, whether there is a passenger or not. vehicle will "rev" in park, if the steering wheel is turned slightly, bumped or move. twice vehicle has "jumped" while in parked when this has happened. major issue: door locks will not open. there is no manual lock on the doors, only electronic. no place for a key. passengers have been locked inside with no way to exit vehicle except to climb over seat. will happen to various doors, most often the front passenger door, but not all doors at the same time (we believe this may happen,) door lock will click 3 times but will not unlock.

Right rear wheel well completely rusted out and shock mount which was bolted to it fell and is hanging next to and on the wheel along with a ball of sharp twisted metal from the wheel well. heard noises from back of car past month or so but thought it was something in the cargo compartment. then went over pothole and loud bang like the exhaust pipe fell and was dragging. then a burning rubber smell. the metal piece is about to pierce the tire and the shock itself is hanging and banging against tire. car is undrivable and may be unfixable in that the fix would be worth more than the car. i of course can not get another car right now due to financial reasons so without a car now because of this. the other wheel wells seem fine, no rust. though there is a few rust spots on the bottom of the running boards and one of the doors (which there should not be in this day and age any rust) to have this immense amount of rust only in one well tells me something is wrong with the design or the paint job at the factory. if a tire blows out it could kill someone traveling at highway speeds in an suv . this is a defect, not aging. needs to be a recall. though the car is 11 i have less than 90,000 on it. i should not have to trash the car due to body rot at 90,000. if this was due to aging or weather all the wheel wells would be like this.

The right rear passenger wheel well rusted out, causing the sudden dislocation/breaking of the shock mount which in turned caused damage to my tire, and wore through the interior of the car. the damage is extensive and upon researching the issue, it appears that this exact thing has happened (only on the right rear side of the vehicle) to thousands of 2004/2005/2006 escapes. this has been a known issue since at least 20011/2012 and is a dangerous defect that is usually not cost effective to fix, based on the mileage of the cars at the time of the problem. because the left rear does not experience this issue, it must be a defect in manufacturing and ford really needs to step up and offer a recall to fix it as well as reimbursing owners who've experienced the problem and chosen to do repairs to a vehicle in otherwise great running order.

Rear passenger wheel well where the shock mounts to the body is completely rusted out and detached from the upper body of the vehicle. i was traveling on the interstate at about 65mph when this piece broke loose from the rest of the body. this is very dangerous, and almost caused me a serious accident on a busy highway. there are hundreds of other complaints filed just in this database alone with the same exact issue, rust/corrosion of the rear passenger wheel well where the shock mounts to the body. the ford dealership that i had my vehicle towed to told us that they have recently seen 4 or 5 other escapes that have the same exact issue. please investigate, this is a serious safety concern.

The right rear wheel well rusted out and separated from vehicle body. created suspension problem and hazardous driving condition. this is apparently a known issue with several ford products according to the repair shop that has not been addressed by ford.

Clunking noise and rough ride. found passenger side rear wheel well extremely rusted out and shock essentially detached from vehicle. the rest of the vehicle has no rust aside from small surface rust on non-painted pieces. searched online to find this problem is extremely common with these escapes, yet no recall has been issued despite the obvious defect and safety concerns. *tr

The rear passenger side wheel housing where the shock mount is located rusted and there is a big hole. looking online there are multiple complaints about the exact same issue. thank god i brought it into my mechanic before it tore my tire apart. *tr

I was driving and the rear end of the truck sounded like it was falling apart. when i stopped and looked the passenger side rear wheel well was completely rotted out and the metal plate that holds the shock in place was hanging and banging around. the left side is completely intact. i took it to causeway collision to look at it and they said its a defect and probably not fixable. the truck has high mileage but runs great. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. while driving at an unknown speed, a rattling noise was heard near the rear of the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to a dealer. the technician diagnosed that the rear wheel on the passenger side was rusted around the shocks and control arms. the contact was made aware of nhtsa campaign number: 14v165000 (structure). the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 90,000. updated 7/7/15*cn updated 10/05/2017*cn

Problem with right passenger side wheel well rusted out. vehicle is unsafe to drive and pictures can be provided. when discussing with mechanic said this is a problem with all escapes. just had the vehicle over a year and was never seen when purchasing. who would of thought of checking wheel wells. shock is barely hanging on and was told if driven can flip over. *tr

Had been noticing noises when i drove over bumps and rough surfaces coming from the back right side of the vehicle. i hit an unavoidable hole in the road today and heard a loud thump from the rear right side of the vehicle. i proceeded to my sister's house where my brother in-law checked the vehicle and found that the strut/shock had broke through the horribly rusted wheel well and was hitting the underside of the plastic wheel well cover. this could have been a disaster had it happened a few days ago while i was on the freeway. i have an appointment to take the vehicle in to see if it can be fixed. in the mean time i have no vehicle to drive as it is not drivable. i see from numerous complaints that this is a continuing problem with this vehicle. why is ford not being held accountable for this issue? i may have to get another vehicle that i am not prepared to do. this is a safety issue that i feel should be addressed. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. while driving at approximately 40 mph, there was a loud noise emerging from the rear passenger side of the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the rear passenger strap mount was rusted and the rear passenger wheel well needed replacement. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 121,000. updated 6/8/15*cn the consumer stated the rear passenger side wheel well rusted and created a big hole, which caused the top stress mount to fall down. updated 06/11/15*jb

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the rpms increased. in addition, the contact stated that the head lamps and interior lighting dimmed intermittently and there was a noise coming from the steering wheel. upon further inspection, the contact noticed that the steering fluid was leaking. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the vehicle was previously repaired under nhtsa campaign number: 14v165000 (structure). the manufacturer was not notified of the failures. the failure mileage was 12,000. updated 11/01/16*lj updated 10/05/2017*cn

The car stalls after putting it in gear / *tr

Passenger (right) rear wheel well rusted through, causing the strut to detach. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. while driving at 30 mph, the contact heard a noise coming from the rear passenger side of the vehicle. in addition, the contact stated that the air bag and seat belts warning lights illuminated and the front driver side seat belt failed to retract. the vehicle was taken to a dealer who diagnosed that the rear passenger inner fender well corroded and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the vehicle was also taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the seat belt pretensioner connectors needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 28,000.

Air bag light is continually on for many years - feel a safety issue i haven't received a recall notice on the airbags no crash rear inner fender wells rust through on 2004 ford escape models according to dealership- manufacturer issue - would like replaced - safety issue my entire family owns ford vehicles. my father retired from ford, canton, ohio we have always been proud to be ford owners. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated while driving approximately 25 mph, there was a hesitation when depressing the accelerator pedal and the engine stalled. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic for diagnosis. the mechanic was unable determine the failure. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 85,000.

I was driving my 2004 escape when i heard a rattling on the rear passenger side of vehicle. a mechanic told me that the entire shock tower has rusted out and there is a whole in the wheel well. i just got off the phone with ford on 2/23/15 and told them of this problem and they never heard of such a thing. i told them it amazing that i can find alot of complaints about this and you know thing. also told them that the left side shock tower looks good. so why is the right side rusted out. she couldn't explain it. she says she will take the complaint and it will also go to nhtsa. well it seem there should be a recall on this. your complaints seem to be very similar. i don't have money to get this fixed. because the brake lines went in my vehicle and the master cylinder cost me $860. to get fixed. which i think was in a recall that you had but ford company doesn't have that recall. so keep receipts ford says to get reimbursed if stuff gets recalled. please recall the shock tower on passenger side for rusting out and driver side is ok. something is very wrong. ford company needs to deal with this even though the claim they never heard of this problem. *tr

Original owner, for almost 3 years now the airbag light would come on periodically, sometimes for 1 drive, sometimes for days at a time then go away. the light coming on and going off would happen for no apparent reason. it doesnt matter if someone is sitting in the passenger seat or not, ive checked the connector under the seat and it is firmly seated. in the past year i have also had the battery, brake and now abs light come on. in january of 2014 my alternator died and i had it replaced, in january of 2015 i had to replace my battery. battery light has since gone away, but other lights come on randomly. based on the type of work i do, im convinced there is a short or bad ground somewhere but i have no idea where to begin. ford wants $160/ hr to diagnose this. my vehicle is not abused and has about 110k miles. since the whole car is based on the electrical system, i feel this is something ford should look at, diagnose and fix. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. while driving approximately 35 mph, the steering wheel turned independently with a loud abnormal noise. the vehicle was towed to the dealer who stated that the passenger side control arm separated and the entire frame would need to be replaced. the failure occurred after the vehicle was serviced under nhtsa campaign number: 14v165000 (structure). the vehicle had not been repaired. the manufacturer was notified. the approximate failure mileage was 128,000.

Was driving 25 miles an hour down small hill, the car in front of me stopped. i hit the brakes and the car didn't stop it felt as if i was pushing the accelerator like when pushing button! to speed up cruise control and it slowly increases speed. i slammed both feet to the brake and went to reach for emergency brake but never made it. i hit the other car. last thing i remember is hearing metal crunch, the next thing i remember is smoke, top of my head on left side hairline ached looked in mirror and saw blood. started looking for my phone on the dash but it was broken.could hear someone talking, then people were walking up to car. when the officer got there he asked what i hit my head on i didn't know, he asked if i had my seatbelt on i said yes. i told him my car wouldn't stop. realized when e.m.t asked same question i knee i had it on but couldn't remember taking it off, and i told him that. he looked at chest didn't see marks or bruising, he asked again if i was sure, i was sure i put it on. after crash, when got to tow yard next day saw my seat belt broke, i cracked the windshield with my head and broke all under steering wheel with my knees...but the airbags deployed must have been after i hit everything because it hit me in the arm only based on that stinging red raised rash that later bruised on my forearm, no airbag to face injuries, just hit top of head on windshield and knees on lower dash under steering wheel, bruising on stomach lower abdomen near pelvic bone may have been steering wheel. my car kept going faster brakes didn't slow me at all witness said and my seatbelt latch is in pieces, my airbag went of late. my bumper is folded like a flat piece of metal about one inch wide hit it pushing it into my radiator. my suv was going 25 miles an hour, my suv bumper hit a small car bumper, that car was stopped. what went wrong? *tr

While driving on a rough road i noticed a rattling in the rear compartment that i had never heard before. when i investigated i found the right rear wheel well had disintegrated from rust damage and the shock is now floating basically freely which is causing the noise. i am concerned for the safety and handling of the vehicle at this point. this seems to be a very common issue with escapes and always the right rear wheel well. why has ford not issued a recall? this is clearly a systematic failure. *tr

The car started to ride rough over small bumps and a thumping sound could be heard from the right rear wheel well. thinking i needed new shocks i inspected the wheel well and was horrified to see that the wheel well holding the shock was completely rusted away. there is a hole where the steel used to be. this is only on the right rear wheel well as far as i can see. a local auto body shop will not fix it because of the safety liability and warned me not to drive the car. the car is unsafe and i am at a loss as to what to do with it. after doing some searching i have found many ford escapes with the same exact problem. apparently this is a design defect that ford knows about and should be responsible for. had i driven the car a little longer i could have been in a catastrophic crash! ford needs to fix this or replace my car. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford escape equipped with goodrich tires, tire line: long trail, tire size: p235/70/r16, and dot number: unavailable. the contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the front tires slipped across the road without warning. the contact stated that he observed that the treads were completely worn down. the vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 220,000 and the tire failure mileage was approximately 5,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the rear passenger side shock detached from the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the sub frame was rusted and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 80,000.

The throttle will stay open as if i have the gas pedal being applied. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated that the rear shock detached from the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to dealer where it was diagnosed that the vehicle could not be repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 180,000. updated 6/3/15*cn updated 9/27/2017*cn

I purchased a 2004 escape a little over a year ago. my cousin had the same car. we both had to take a few thousand loss and sell these vehicles due to severe, unsafe wheel well rust .not to mention catalytic converters on both cars were bad. two on each escape. i was ready to do repairs, until a friend with the same escape had just repaired the body in his for the same issue. so we all took loss. who is responsible for this?? i had family that worked, and retired from ford. i had several ford's over the years. this has put me in a hole..bought it for 6,000. just gave it away for 1,000. help. *tr

I purchased this vehicle 11 months ago, on feb 13,2015 as i was driving my car began to make a very loud noise as well as causing the vehicle to drive unstable. the mechanic report stated that 3 separate spark plugs had blown out and ejected causing extensive damage to multiple mechanical mechanisms to my vehicle. my vehicle is currently un drivable, also the check engine light did not come on the dash board or the machine. also prior to this incident my vehicle would accelerate while driving and also in park. *js

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. while driving approximately 70 mph and depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle began to independently accelerate. the contact noticed that the cruise control was activated and the emergency brake had to be applied in order to stop the vehicle. the failure occurred multiple times. the dealer could not determine the cause of the failure, but disconnected the cruise control cable. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 142,835. the vin was unavailable.

2nd escape i've owned that has had the rear right wheel well rust out, shock breaks loose. ford saying it has never heard of it, and yet every dealer and body shop i've talked to knows all about it. this should be a recall, faulty part. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated that the rear passenger wheel well shock was completely corroded and fractured off the vehicle. the failure recurred on multiple occasions. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 140,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated that after setting the cruise control at 75 mph, the vehicle started to accelerate independently. the contact was unable to deactivate the cruise control and stop the vehicle. the contact applied the accelerator pedal several times in order for the vehicle to stop accelerating. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the plastic piece covering the throttle body fractured. the vehicle was repaired under nhtsa campaign number: 12v353000 (vehicle speed control) but the recall remedy failed to repair the vehicle. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 120,000. updated 7/21/15*cn the dealer replaced the part. updated 07/28/15*jb

While driving to my home went over a small dip in road and suv made a very load clunking noise in right rear section of vehicle and started handling poorly got it to my parents home which is only few minutes from incident,father looked at and found right rear strut mount and wheel tub rusted out under a thick layer of sound deadening material applied at factory making it nearly impossible to see until it breaks free, father has been a mechanic all his life and tried to get pieces at local salvage yards to repair but found all in a 50 mile radius at salvage yards from years 2001-2007 to be in as bad or worse condition and is currently looking for parts on line out of the rustbelt ,i believe if it had happened on a twisty road it could have been a bigger problem fortunately it was a fairly level straight road i can only assume there isn't an investigation on these is that most people don't now where to go to file a complaint i only new to go here because my father told me too,as he believes it to be a major design flaw that may or could lead to injuries *tr

Hit a bump and vehicle started making a rattling noise on every little bump.found passenger side rear shock mount had broken through body-rust all around wheel well.checked drivers side-ok. have always washed on regular basis.has to be some manufacturing defect. *tr

Excessive corrosion in rear wheel wells, straps holding gas tank and underside of running boards. both running boards completely fell off, the straps holding the tank had to be replaced because the tank was in danger of falling off. this car is in a covered garage 90% of the time. *tr

Another case of a 2004 ford escape with extensive right rear wheel well rust putting the strut in danger of coming through the body. i'm currently trying to figure out how and where to get it repaired. this seems to be a flaw in the design of the product. while one would hope ford would step up i'm not seeing anything on their part so far. *js

When driving home on 12/30/14, i heard a loud rattle coming from the right rear of the vehicle. i looked in the rear passenger wheel well and noticed that there was a lot of rust. i did not drive it again until i took it to my mechanic to have it inspected on 1/6/15. he informed me that the wheel well was rusted and the strut could break loose. he also informed me that he had never seen a vehicle do this. i was also informed that it is a safety issue and i should not drive the vehicle until it is fixed. he also checked to see if anyone in the area would be able to fix it since he is not equipped to do so. no luck with that. after seeing how many people are having this same issue with their ford escape, i would expect that the ford company would do the right thing, take responsibility for the defect and make it right. i am prepared to follow through to have this matter taken care of, even if i have to take it to lansing and washington. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated that while driving at a unknown speed, there was an abnormal noise coming from the passenger side of the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the rear passenger and the driver side sub frame and the suspension was rusted and corroded. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 123,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated that while driving at approximately 40 mph, the rear house panel structure fractured. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 105,000.

I heard a loud thump in right rear of my vehicle. upon inspection the entire right rear wheel is rotted out and is not safe to drive. *tr

Right rear wheel well rotted out where shock attaches to the body. seems through research that this is problem with most owners in the mid west. contacted local ford dealer and informed to contact you as well as ford motor company. the took pictures to forward on to the engineering department at ford. *tr

I was driving the vehicle when i started hearing a loud thumping noise coming from the rear of the vehicle. upon inspection i discovered there was rust inside the rear passenger wheel well and that the shock mount was unattached from the vehicle. *tr

I was in a head on crash going approximated 35 mph and my air bags did not deploy. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated that the rear passenger side shock mount was rusted and fractured. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 162,000.

I had to avoid a bicyclist and ran up over the curb at a speed of about 35, i noticed right away upon driving away that there was a great rattle in the right side rear suspension. i had it looked at by my insurance company, they told me the upper strut mount broke off. because of the rust noone will fix it. the car otherwise is in perfect shape, no other rust present on the car. this obviously is a defect in the ford product, ford will not return my calls! *tr

On three previous occasions throttle stuck on high when stopped or in park while parking vehicle. after googling information on possible causes i found a complaints already filed with this issue. ford acknowledged recall number 12s37. when i contacted my local ford dealer saturday morning 11/15/2014 with this number they where unaware,and found no reference this issue. please assist. *tr

A few weeks ago i was driving slowly down a dirt road and i started to hear a bumping noise towards the back of my car, only when i when over bumps. i figured it was just gear in my trunk making the noise and i was going to take a look at it later, but it didn't seem like anything to be concerned about. yesterday i finally got all my ignition coils fixed after some trouble with the mechanics doing it wrong originally. when i left he told me i may have a suspension problem, but that it is not likely to be a problem aside from the annoyingness of it. when i got home i decided to have a look around my car and after discovering that it did not have to do with my trunk i looked under the wheel well and saw that the suspension mount had completely rusted off and had bouncing around as i drove. it was completely detached, and after goodling this i saw that many other people have this same exact problem and that it is very unsafe, and most likely to expensive to fix. i had been driving with this serious problem for a few weeks with no idea of the danger that it could cause. there is no recall on it but i feel that with the amount of people with this problem and the severity of it, ford needs to do something about this. *tr

Driving and sounds like a square bowling ball is rolling around in back. look to find a rusty mess from shock mount going through wheel well. asked around and seems to be common problem. thank goodness i wasn't far from home. very dangerous, why is this not recalled yet! *tr

Noticed a burning rubber smell. found that rear shock tower had rusted through and shock was rubbing on tire. *tr

The airbag light on the dash board flashes as it's supposed to and then remains illuminated. this defect was present and known about long before the 2013 model recall. include earlier year escapes in the airbag recall--we are still driving them. *tr

We recently took our 2004 ford escape to get it looked at because every time we hit a bump there was a loud thud sound in the back right. we found out that the rear right wheel well of our 2004 ford escape is completely rusted out. the corrosion has caused a major suspension problem and it's been deemed undrivable. what's worse is that no mechanic or body shop will attempt to fix the issue because it would be considered a liability issue if anything were to happen they would be at fault. the rest of the vehicle is in perfect condition, but because of one awful defect all we can do is sell it for parts. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. while driving approximately 45 mph, the contact heard a clunking sound near the rear passenger side of the vehicle. the dealer stated that the wheel well was corroded. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified. the approximate failure mileage was 140,000.

Running board rusted and fell off. *tr

The rightside of my wheelwell was rotted out along with the floor around it that held the wheel well the shock needed to be replaced as well. when i went to the dealership to get the wheel well they told me this was a well known part to be replaced. so i asked why was it not a recall on it no answer could he give me. i was getting a burning smell from my exhaust (muffler fumes) as i drove home many times i felt myself getting sleepy as i drove on to get to my destination i prayed toget safely there little did i know i was getting fumes in my car that caused this. i have driven with my young grandchildren in this dangerous condition in this car my question is if the ford dealership knew of this to be a well known problem why did they not recall it i only thank the lord that it did not kill me or my grandchildren. also it past inspection a year ago how could they have not seen what was happening in this area. i do have pictures of it and it was even worst then the pictures i have seen online proof one more time that god is always on yourside if you believe everyone else please check your wheel well god bless! *tr

Vehicle brought into repair shop and found that the engine cradle and was rotted considerably. a recall notice on this problem was sent to the customer and customer took into bright ford, inc for the recall. repair was done several months later and returned to customer may 16, 2004. three months later we again have this vehicle in the shop and upon inspection the lower control arm bracket rotted off of the cradle and caused the lower control arm to be only mounted by the rear bolt. this car is considered a hazard to drive due to the right front tire movement not being controlled by steering. brighton ford on their invoice #19744, found the front sub frmae rusting through on right hand side. sent quote for new sub-frame and were denied and they were told to put this cross brace on the vehicle. this repair is not in line with the repairs that were needed. the vehicle cannot be driven at this time and brighton ford says it is your responsibility to determine repair. this was not a safe repair and knowingly told customer that it was repaired. *tr

Vehicle brought into repair shop and found that the engine cradle and was rotted considerably. a recall notice on this problem was sent to the customer and customer took into bright ford, inc for the recall. repair was done several months later and returned to customer may 16, 2004. three months later we again have this vehicle in the shop and upon inspection the lower control arm bracket rotted off of the cradle and caused the lower control arm to be only mounted by the rear bolt. this car is considered a hazard to drive due to the right front tire movement not being controlled by steering. brighton ford on their invoice #19744, found the front sub frame rusting through on right hand side. sent quote for new sub-frame and were denied and they were told to put this cross brace on the vehicle. this repair is not in line with the repairs that were needed. the vehicle cannot be driven at this time and brighton ford says it is your responsibility to determine repair. this was not a safe repair and knowingly told customer that it was repaired. *tr

Loud rattle then grinding noise. when i pulled over i had to remove the shock mount which was jammed between the car and my tire. the shock has now popped through the plastic. this is my only form of transportation and the dealer said there was no recall. the other side is rusted out as well. in addition, when damp out, the #5 plug is missing causing damage to the converter. total estimated tune up repair close to $400. during the past year tyrod, brakes & rotors, wheel bearing, brake hoses, power steering, radio stays on when car is shut off unless fuse is pulled. fuel pump was replaced at 70000 in 2011. have to take the loss. ford should refund for this defect. the mound is not rusted, just the wheel wells it is attached to. *tr

While driving heard a loud clunking noise coming from the passenger side rear wheel well. arrived home to inspect the area of concern. found that the passenger side rear shock mount had completely separated from the wheel well due to extensive rusting. this allowed the shock to travel upward striking the plastic interior trim panel. this vehicle was garage kept until two years ago. it also passed state inspection requirements nine months ago. i am not a mechanical engineer. however, i do not believe a critical suspension component should be attached to sheet metal that is prone to rust. i have taken the time and made the effort to inspect several other vehicle manufacturers and find that their suspension system is connected to a solid component of the frame. obviously this is an engineered design flaw of a critical safety component that possibly could result in unsafe handling at highway speed. with only one rear shock attached to the vehicle an uncontrollable rear sway could occur resulting in a possible roll over. given the number of reported complaints of the same nature, which given known statistics is a small percentage of actual cases, i do request a recall to be made. *tr

On a trip to upper peninsula, michigan this past week we experienced a failure of the front subframe crossbrace, a near catastrophic event as the piece broke. we were in grayling, michigan and were stopped near an independent service provider who showed us the damage and attempted to find a used part. the one he found had the exact same rust and break as ours and thus he ordered a new one from ford. in the meantime we were forced to rent a car and continue on to our vacation destination. after we returned home i learned that there had been a recall of these vehicles for just such a failure. i took the car and the broken crossbrace to mike castrucci ford in alexandria, ky where the warranty officer informed me that our escape was not part of the factory recall. she was able to tell me why and was very helpful although clear that nothing could be done. the argument was presented that the failed part in the recall was made by a particular manufacturer and used in certain plants or vehicles. i get the point but i have a car that failed in exactly the same way due to excessive rust and presented the same risk of catastrophic failure that we narrowly avoided by luck. the repair replacement cost over $1000 plus labor. i believe vehicles like mine should be part of the recall. our front wheel could have totally collapsed while we were traveling at high speed. *tr

The right rear wheel well is rusting out so that the shock to break loose. i was told it's unsafe by several mechanics/body shops to drive. this is the only car that i have to transport my three children and it's not going to be a cheap fix. this needs to be recalled before someone gets injured or worse!!! *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated that the check engine warning indicator illuminated. the vehicle was taken to a private mechanic who diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 45,000.

Noticed loud rattle, knocking in rear of truck. stopped to have mechanic look at it. discovered severe erosion in rear wheel well and shock mechanism completely separated from vehicle. appears to be very common for 2004-05 escapes. *tr

I was driving home from the store and started hearing a loud banging noise coming from the rear of the truck. upon investigation i discovered what i believe to be a major safety concern in my 2004 ford escape. the rear passenger side wheel well over the shock tower completely rusted out and separated over the shock. i have been told and seen that this seems to be a common problem with my vehicle and other years of escapes. after speaking with an independent body shop in my area they informed me this was a common problem they have seen several times before. but when i contacted 3 local ford dealers they all claimed to have never seen it before. and wanted to charge me a hundred dollars just to look at it. i am told the vehicle is undriveable in this condition. and that in most cases can not be repaired. after doing much research online i found hundreds of other people with the same exact problem. i have also contacted ford and am awaiting a response. i would like to see a recall made on this as i can see this being a major problem that could have caused an accident. and is going to be a very expensive repair job if it is even repairable. i have photos but am not sure how to attach them. *tr

The right rear shock tower rusted through and the shock has come through the plastic moulding. the car drives but is unstable and unsafe. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 14v165000 (steering) but the part to do the repair was unavailable. the contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. the contact had not experienced a failure.

After investigating a loud noise. i found out that my right rear shock tower was rusted out and making the noise. after researching the problem i found out that there are many people out there with the same problem. this is a very costly fix that fords should have do do as a recall. this is also dangerous. if this part breaks while driving it could cause a accident or worse. please consider this problem and as a safety issue. recall this problem with fords. the car is undrivable. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. while driving 45 mph, the vehicle accelerated abruptly and the rpms increased. there were no warning indicators illuminated on the instrument panel. the contact examined underneath the hood and noticed there was an electrical component that was burned on the driver side of the engine compartment. when the contact depressed the accelerator pedal while the vehicle was in the park position, it shut off. the vehicle was towed to the dealer, but was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure only occurred once. the failure mileage was 160,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated while driving various speeds he heard an abnormal sound coming from the right rear passenger side of the vehicle. the contact discovered that right rear wheel well was covered with rust causing the shocks to fail. an independent mechanic discovered that the shock absorber needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 110,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. while driving at an unknown speed, the contact heard a loud abnormal noise near the rear of the vehicle. the contact discovered that the rear passenger side wheel shock and tower were severely corroded and penetrated the subframe and floor interior. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 103,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated that while driving at unknown speed, there was an unusual sound that came from the rear of the vehicle. the contact was able to maneuver the vehicle to the side of the road and observed that the rear wheel control arms had become detached due to corrosion. the contact did not notify a dealer or an independent mechanic however, she contacted the manufacturer and was told that there were no safety recalls in regard to the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 113,000.

Driving down the road wirht my 2 young kids and all sudden go over the train tracks and the rear strut broke from the shock mount and came right up thru the vehicle i have found thousands of complaints on this issue, ford needs to step up luck i gained control of vehicle with a 1 mont old baby and a 3 year old this is searious matter! someone is going to die because of this it needs to be fixed! *tr

I have a 2004 ford escape . i received a recall notice for a corrosion issue with the sub frame where it connects to the lower control arms . i haven't had an issue with it yet and was planning on getting the recall work done within the next couple of weeks . on 8/02/2014 when i pulled in my driveway i heard a loud clunking noise coming from the rearof my escape . when i look in the right rear wheel well i could see an 8 inch area around the shock mount had rusted completely through the shock mount was no longer attached to the vehicle . i'm sure this could have caused a accident had i been driving down the road when it happened . i did a google search and found an endless list of people with the same issue . i called my local ford dealer and was told they could do the recall work on the front of the vehicle but there was not a recall for the rear wheel well /shock mount . i can not believe there is not a recall yet for such a serious and common problem . please look into this situation . i work for ford and this makes me sick , they should not have to be forced into implementing a recall for such a serious problem . ford should issue a recall on their own before someone is hurt or dies from this problem . this is a control item and ford should be held accountable ! *tr

While my son was driving he heard a loud clunking noise came from back of the car. he stop , pull over and take a look to see what happening and when he look in to the rear wheel well he see it was damaged badly . he made appointment to take car to ford dealer to check it out . they checked it and told him that the shock mount had rusted completely through the shock mount and no longer attach to the car, they told him that he should not drive it because it could cause bad accident and very dangerous . he asked them about the corrosion recall which i got a letter from ford but they said the recall is for a corrosion with the sub frame where it connect to the lower control arm and nothing about the problem my car having . they told him it will cost about $3000 to have it repair . i am very upset about this , the car only 10 years old . i check on line to see anyone has the same problem with 2004 ford escape with the same issue i could not believed that there are numerous complaint about same issue and it caught my eyes that most people had this problem at the same period of 10 years . i want to see the government should force ford to have a recall before someone get killed or hurt . ford should stand behind their quality if they are trying to hide this problem they should be punish to the extend of the law. *tr

July 26,2014 in october 2013, i could not get my car inspected ( ford escape 2004 ) because the sub frame in the front was so badly rusted the steering rods was falling off and would not pass inspection. this was before the recall notice. 14502/nhtsa recall 14v-165, so i had a new subframe installed. reference # 10547199. [xxx] at clarion ford would do nothing because there was no recall at the time. i have sent all the information, and cost, to ford in june 2014 and have not heard nothing from ford. is there anything that you could do that would have ford contact me? thank you information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

The shock tower in the passenger side rear wheel has broken, due to rust and corrosion, and punctured through the interior of the trunk and the back seat. the interior of the car body has separated from the exterior body so that the wheel and road can be seen from inside the back seat through a large (inch or more wide) gap. there is no corrosion or damage in any other wheel well. there is a corrosion related recall on this car which the dealership says is unrelated to this particular area of the car (safety recall 14s02). ford's customer "care" center acknowledged multiple complaints yet has no investigation or activity aimed at a remedy for this common problem. due to ford's apparent negligence which has caused hundreds of ford owners identical damage, my car is unsafe and ford is unwilling to act. *tr

Right side shock tower rusted out . car is unsafe to drive. *tr

While driving at about 45 miles per hour my car starts to spit, sputter and run rough, there is a noticeable loss of power and my gauges first top out then they bottom out then they go back to normal. ford can't find the problem because it doesn't code for them. *tr

My daughter complained about a loud clanging noise from the right rear of her car. i bought it used from a dealer and it has been kept in a garage and used sparingly. upon inspection i noted that the right rear strut had completely broken free due to extensive rust of the wheel well. i cannot allow her to drive it in this condition. not sure if it can be repaired yet or whether it will cost more than the car is worth. i now recognize that there are many other owners with the exact same problem. with so many owners having the same experience something should be done. *js

The right rear shock tower mount completely broke away from the vehicle subframe due to corrosion/rust. this caused the shock to lean outward toward the tire. this could not be seen by the undercoating as a problem previous and apparently allowed it to corrode to the point that it broke free. this exact same issue occurred in my insurance lady's ford escape, which i believe was only one model year different. also only on the right rear shock tower. in speaking with the body shop on the repair, they have also heard of this issue and state that ford has not recognized it as a recall issue. this is a costly repair, and time consuming repair as the vehicle is gone for almost a week. this is also a very dangerous issue due to how it falls apart. we are lucky we were within the city limits and only traveling about 30 mph when it occurred. *tr

I bought my 04 escape brand new, and am the original owner car garage kept, this is a severe safety issue!! rusted out wheel well and shock mount went right through the frame while driving at only 15 mph out of a parking lot. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated that while driving approximately 30 mph, the rear passenger side started to rattle. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. the technician diagnose that the rear passenger side wheel well was corroded. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 143,000.

Rusted out right wheel well with structural collapse. we bought this car used from a local ford dealer in april of 2013. this car was being driven on a freeway on june 15, 2014 when a loud thumping started in the right rear wheel on . on inspection the right rear wheel well is rusted out. the support that the shock absorber is attached to was completely eroded and a part of it punched through the wall into the interior of the trunk area. we felt it was not safe to drive. we had it towed to another ford dealer who diagnosed the problem. the estimated cost of repair is $2259. review of the nhtsa complaint web site reveals many other owners with exactly the same problem. *tr

2004 ford escape. consumer writes in regards to cruise control cable recall notice. *smd the consumer stated she received a recall notice, in 2013, and the part is still not available. *jb

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated that while driving around a turn about circle, the vehicle stalled. the vehicle was able to be restarted. the contact stated that the failure recurred multiple times intermittently. the vehicle was taken to the dealer several times and they were not able to replicate nor diagnose the failure. the manufacturer was notified of the failure several times to no avail. the approximate failure mileage was 70,000.

2004 ford escape. consumer writes in regards to lower control arm rust recall notice. *smd the consumer stated while driving on the interstate, he heard a loud noise from the rear wheel well on the passenger side. he pulled over, and discovered the shock was hanging down. he was unable to pull it of. so he drove back home, and upon further examination, he discovered there was no fender left on the shock. also, the trunk lid was rusting. *jb the consumer he was able to remove the key from the ignition while the gear was in drive. the consumer stated he pulled into the driveway, shut the engine off and placed the keys in the console. he exited the vehicle to remove items from the back seat. soon after, the vehicle started to roll backwards. updated 06/01/16.*jb

Driving on the interstate, the car was making a loud grinding noise. pulled into rest area, and let car sit a few minutes. started it up again, and no noise. started back on the interstate, and noise started again. pulled off again, and noticed right wheel was wobbling. looked at wheel and lug nuts were loose, and wheel was now deformed. had it towed to a repair facility and had to purchase a new wheel. facility installed it and tightened all lug nuts. this problem has continued, with the lug nuts requiring tightening monthly. accompanying rust in the wheel well is a problem. hub is not holding wheel correctly. *tr

I first noticed a surging and squeal type noise while coming to a stop. spouse had repaired 3 times yet it continues. during this time i also heard a clanking noise from rear end as if hatch (window/door) was not securely closed but then assumed it may be related to the aforementioned issue. i mentioned noise increased, loud, frightening (steering difficulties). he contacted ford by phone (x3) and emailed however their reply was no fatalities or incidents had been reported therefore we have 2 options. 1) take it to a ford dealer for repair at our expense, 2) trade in for a new ford vehicle. both school/city/govt employed and cannot afford 2000.00 to repair. yesterday my husband removed the entire right shock when i returned home from work after a 12 hr day & told him i felt as if the back end was going to fall off & clanking sound intensified. at 8pm he was laying under car on garage floor and found the shock hanging! he was forced to remove as i had to work the next day at 6am. i am driving without one shock, new tires, rusted rear frame and surge continues. i would appreciate any suggestions as to other avenues for reporting. i have 2 coworkers with similar issues, both escapes. the removed shock is rusted, near crumbling of sort but saved along with several photos. thank you in advance for reviewing my lengthy email and look forward to any input and recommendations. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr updated 1/21/15 *js

I have a hole and rust forming in the passenger side rear wheel. this is beginning to expose the shock area. i live in a high salt area. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated that while driving 30 mph, there was an abnormal noise coming from the front passenger side wheel. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the wheel house strut mount was entirely rusted and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the problem, the approximate failure mileage 105,000.

Tl -the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated that in june 2014, she received nhtsa recall campaign number: 14v165000(suspension). she attempted to have the vehicle repaired but the parts were unavailable; however, ford on numerous occasions could not provide a solid answer on when the parts would be available or how long it would take to repair the vehicle. the vehicle was not repaired. the contact had not experienced the failure.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated that while the vehicle being serviced, it was advised that the sub frame was extremely corroded. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who advised that the vehicle was not worth repairing. the manufacturer was notified of the failure and stated that the vehicle was included in nhtsa campaign id number: 14v165000 (suspension front) however, the contact no longer owned the vehicle. the approximate failure mileage was 111,000.

Opened rear window when bolt connecting window to hinge broke. window shifted downwards and had it not been caught could've shattered and inflicted lacerations to hands, arms, face, and chest. inspection of blot show corrosion due to being improperly sealed from water and other elements. *tr

Recall notice arrived in the mail on saturday may 31st. called local ford dealership on monday morning june 2nd at 8 am< to make an appointment and was told the earliest opening they had was december 22nd 2014- this is way too far away if there is a safety concern with my vehicle - dealership is romano ford on burdick street, fayetteville ny 13066 - (315) 637-4668 is there any way to get faster repairs??? *tr

Rear passenger shock mount rusting out. *tr

On a family vacation, the rear passenger side upper shock mount experienced complete failure, breaking away from the rear wheel well entirely. imagine my outrage when i come to find out that rusted out passenger rear wheel wells are a common problem on the ford escapes for this year. the well-being of my family was put in jeopardy because ford has failed to issue a recall on this flawed engineering. that is shameful. this is a serious safety issue that could've ended poorly for me and my family! please address this issue. *tr

We were driving out of our subdivision and heard a loud banging noise that continued from that point. we pulled over an investigated and found the right rear shock had come loose at the top mount. upon further review by a repair shop, the wheel/fender well has corroded including the integral shock mount. the vehicle is unsafe to drive. *tr

Had speed control on, when to slow down, stepped on brakes cruise control light came off but the car didn't slow down it speed up! i did have a recall call done on the car for this. but the fix didn't work. the car speed up to 90 mph. i had to take it out of gear to slow the car down. i did everything i could think of to stop the car from speeding up. stomped on the brakes, push the cruise control button on and off. towed the car and the repair guy said there was snow in the cruise control casing, that was causing it. he disconnected it. *tr

I have a 2004 ford escape (6 cyl., front wheel drive) that now has over 110,000 miles. at 108,465 miles, the #2 catalytic converter blew and was replaced (along with all 6 ignition coils). a second mechanic found debris in the #3 catalytic converter, cleaned it and the exhaust system. (the engine was not getting enough air passing through the exhaust system and would barely make it up a hill.) then he discovered the right rear wheel well was rusting out posing a severe threat that the shock absorber will punch through into the body of the car making the escape totally inoperable. a recall is already out for ford minivans for the same issue but apparently not for the escapes. why not? this can be repaired at a cost of nearly $2,000. with the catalytic converter and ignition coils, i've already spent over $2500 and don't have the $2,000 for this necessary repair due to poor materials used to make this vehicle. *tr

Rubber brake hose on passenger side front ruptured causing all brake fluid to drain from system. upon inspection it was found the driver side rear rubber brake hose was near failure. ford service technician indicated that he had seen several failures on ford escapes. this failure causes the brakes to fail completely with no brake pedal response. *tr

I was driving down the road and hit a pothole, after hitting the pothole there was a loud clunking noise coming from the rear. after inspection the entire shock mount had rusted away from the body and became separated. it was free to jolt around and cause further damage. not safe to be driving this vehicle now. *tr

The rear hatch glass hinge bolts sheared on both hinges during hatch closure. the rear hatch glass is only held on by rear shocks. the inside bolts both have some corrosion. the rear glass is not damaged. *tr

I'm driving on a newly paved street when i heard a large noise, like a bomb going off, near the right rear of my vehicle. then i heard something hitting against the right rear tire. i pulled over and looked at the vehicle when i looked under the vehicle to the right rear wheel well the well was rusted out and the shock and mount was now detached from the frame. the ford escape is not drivable. the rear wheel well is so rusted out there is a hole into the storage compartment in the rear of the vehicle. when i look from inside the storage compartment/hatch area of the escape i can see the outside through the hole. *tr

Was driving on the highway and noticed a loud noise coming from the rear of my vehicle and noticed the noise was getting louder. i took my vehicle to my mechanic thinking i needed shocks. my mechanic stated to me that i could not put new shocks on my escape because my inner fender well was rusted out and my shock was no longer bolted to the frame. i then had to take it to a body shop to be repaired. my shock was just bouncing around and could have broken through the back seat or broken off all together. once i took it to the body shop i was told i would also have to replace the shocks because my right passenger side shock was cracked in half. i just purchased this "used" vehicle in november and my husband really likes ford products but after this happening to us and finding out that ford hasn't done anything about this problem for anybody who has had the same issue it is very disappointing. luckily nobody in my family was injured due to this problem. i realize this problem has happened to most vehicles where there is snow and ice has to be used on the roads, i feel ford should issue a recall for the vehicles that have had this problem. *tr

Right rear suspension shock absorber mount detached and pushed through body of vehicle. vehicle now is unstable and dangerous. *tr

I am writing to inform you of my problem with my 2004 ford escape. i have recently noticed a loud clunking noise in the rear of the car. upon further inspection i saw that around the right rear strut it's completely rusted out and the strut in nearly free. i did research and noticed that i am definitely not the only one with this problem. i would like it fixed or pointed in the direction as to where i can get it taken care of. *tr

We just purchased this vehicle . w e knew about a paint issue beneath the hatch window. took the vehicle to a very reputable glass and body shop . the shop owner immediately went to the right rear wheel well and told us to look at it . the area behind the tire is very eaten with rust. a good sized hole exists extending to the shock and strut. the shop owner said that he has seen many of them. always the same wheel well and nowhere else. assuredly the strut and shock are compromised. he said that he almost always sees this on the escapes. the previous owner was extremely meticulous about servicing and upkeep with the vehicle. *tr

My wife noticed a clunking coming from the right rear of the vehicle. i was able to identify that the issue is a separation in the wheelhouse where the strut attaches to the wheel well. the factory-applied undercoating failed and caused the metal area beneath it to rust out. there is a visible hole in the structure, and we are able to see into the trunk area. our body shop advises that the vehicle is no longer safe to drive, and that full detachment of the top strut mount is imminent. after investigation, he also advises us that he found online nearly 100 similar incidents on similar vehicles ranging from 2004-2006, all with varying mileage. in fact, he has two vehicles on his property that share the same concern: one lost full integrity, and the strut blew through the body into the cargo space; the other shares a similar level of failure as our car. it is also his professional opinion that this sort of rust-out is not common nor expected of a vehicle this age. after extensive local research and personal investigation, i have found in my city alone a half dozen ford escape-style vehicles of the same years-range with similar issues at various stages of concern. i also have recorded over 200 complaints from several bulletin boards across the internet noting similar concerns. we have yet to personally contact ford, yet we see from the postings that the response is the same: ford does not consider this an issue. ford, however, has slated later this month to issue a recall related to a similar suspension-rust issue in the vehicle's right front wheelhouse. as the loss of an effective strut can cause serious handling, braking and suspension safety issues at any corner of the automobile, this concern from the rear of the vehicle should be no different. *tr

A rattling from rear passenger wheel area. upon investigation to see what it was i found that the upper connection point of the shock tower was completely rusted through and was barely connected to the rest of the body. within a day or two afterwards the upper part had completely separated and the shock was bouncing around freely. i removed the shock yesterday (5/1/2014) as it had pushed up (since it has no resistance or means to hold it compressed) and punched a hole through the plastic interior side wall liner in the tailgate area. there is now an approximately 10" square hole in the side of my vehicle where i can see the tire and road. i will need to seal the opening to keep road water from entering. photos can be provided. *tr

The rear passenger fender well has rusted out. we can see into our truck. the rust is so bad the top shock mount is no longer connect and the frame is cracked. i went to two different body shops because ford is unwilling to do anything. both body shops said a 10 year old vehicle should not rust like this and it would cost more than what the vehicle is worth to fix. we can not longer drive our vehicle and will have to consider it as total unless ford stands behind their vehicles and creates a recall. ford created a recall for the front of their ford escapes rusting out but have not done the same for the rears. i have read online several hundred other people having the same issue with their ford escape. *js

As i was driving today a began to hear a loud banging noise. i took it to my mechanic and he said the wheel well is so rusted that the struts are barely attached. he told me the car is not safe to drive. after researching this online i have came across hundreds of people with the same problem. i think ford should recall these vehicles! *tr

I was driving home on the highway and all of a sudden my car pulled really hard to the right side and started making a loud horrible noise. everytime i would hit a bump, it pulled the car. i made it home and had it looked at. my rear passenger wheel well was rusted so bad that my shock went right through it. all of the other wheel wells are just fine and appear to still be coated. *js

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated that while driving 35 mph, the rear wheel weld became fractured. the vehicle was taken to a dealer where the technician diagnosed that the rear wheel weld needed to be replaced. no repairs were done to the vehicle. the manufacture was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 100,000 and the current was 110,000.

Right front wheel separated from metal attachment, presumably a rust-through failure. *js

I was driving down the road when i hit a pot hole. the body/frame part of the passenger side rear wheel well broke loose around the rear passenger shock. so there is nothing holding the shock in place. it is causing further damage to the area. the body/frame has deteriorated in that area. i cannot drive my vehicle. ford has issued a recall for the front end rusting prematurely and causing damage. but, i think this is the same reason. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated that upon inspection, she was advised that the sub frame was completely covered with rust and had become detached from the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the entire rear sub frame needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was notified of the defect. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate current and failure mileage was 180,000.

The right rear wheel housing was totally corroded away. after researching online found many with the same problem. the other three wheel housings were in good condition without rust. i took suv to woltz & wind ford in heidelburg, pa where they told me that their supply of this part was used up and ford was not making any at that time. the rear housings support the rear shocks and "could have" caused a severe accident. it took 3 1/2 months before part was replaced. of course ford down plays the severity of the problem and i was given a total run-a-round by the dealership and with fords customer service. i am 78 years old widow who dreads to think what "could have" happened. please do not wait until someone gets kills to make this a priority. you may speak to myself or my son-in-law [xxx] who has been helping with this mess. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

Steering failure.

Passenger rear wheel well has completely rusted out and shock and mount have rusted off of frame. *tr

The vehicle will not decelerate. it is ok when you first start it, but the first time you push the accelerator and let off it will not decelerate. you must hold the brake. if you let go of the brake it will surge. very dangerous. *tr

The air bag light flashes code 46 and stays on, will not go off. taken it to ford dealership 3 times does not fix problem. i have researched this issue and it is very widespread problem and should be a recall. this is definitely a safety issue! please do a recall on this problem!!! *tr

My husband was driving home with our son and started to hear a loud noise. took it to our repair guy who stated the frame was completely rusted through and was no longer safe to drive. we then took it for a 2nd look and was told the same thing and that its not fixableso we'll have to buy a new car. we've only had this car for 6 years and i bought it from our local ford dealership who when contacted said they couldn't do anything to help because there are no recalls on the vehicle for this problem. we have 2 small children and i'm very lucky that something didn't happen to them. what is a recall going to take? someone getting hurt or worse?? this is a major safety issue and ford needs to be responsible clearly its a manufacturing problem when there's 1000's of customers with the same problem!!!! *tr

The vehicle will not decelerate. it is okay when you first start it, but the first time you push the accelerator it will not decelerate. you must hold the brake. if you let go of the brake it will surge. it is dangerous to drive. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated that upon inspection, it was found that the frame was rusted. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was contacted about the failure. the failure mileage was 138,000.

While driving, the throttle stuck. applied the brakes, but vehicle was difficult to slow and tachometer indicated high engine speed. shifting to neutral, the engine rpms put the needle in the red beyond the gauge. after shutting off the vehicle, and opening the hood the problem did not persist, but returned after driving again. *tr

Airbag sensor displayed on dash. will not go off. scheduling diagnostic test on friday 2/21/2014. researched problem on internet, apparently this is happening much to often for it to be a individual problem. my mechanic stated it has become a common problem with ford escapes. the cost to repair is not cheap. i cannot believe that the government has not intervened and alerted the public or at the very least ford escape owners. i am disabled and have no income at this time. i truly hope that the government will hold ford motor company to this issue before someone gets serious hurt or worse killed. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated that while driving 55mph, the vehicle failed to accelerate. the check engine warning light illuminated after the failure occurred. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where a diagnostic was performed, which located a failure at the catalytic converter. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vin was not available. the failure and current mileage was 130,000.

Well, my ford escape 2004 ltd edition had issues slowing down. i had used the cruise control intermittently and noticed that the vehicle continued as if cruise control was on even after i braked hard and cancelled the cruise control. i shut the vehicle off and tried turning it back on. when it started back up, the vehicle revved to 5,000 rpm in under 5 seconds. i did this twice with the same effect. i brought it in to my ford dealership. they said there was no recall (although now i see them all over the internet). i got a call back after this whole ordeal that the right rear wheel well had completely rusted through and that the shock was not attached to anything. this seems to be a common trend with these vehicles, but there are no recalls. my dealership is bringing it to an auto body shop today. i am expecting a $3,000 repair now. *tr

The right rear fender well has rusted out around the shock mount causing the shock mount to separate from the body of the vehicle. *tr

Driving down road and the rpms on my 2004 escape jump up. so i try to slow down and car keeps accelerating. throw car into park because brakes wouldn't slow it down. ever site i read says it is the accelerator cable. supposedly this was replaced by dealer while in for air bag indicator light repair in december 2012. under recall. now when i start vehicle rpms jump, and get burning smell from motor. cars rpms jump while driving down road also. battery and alternator were replaced in may 2013 but since they were replaced battery indicator light is dimly lite upon accelerating. i have spent a fortune on this vehicle and every time i turn around it needs more work. i also after getting battery and alternator replaced had to put a new throttle body component in because motor was racing to 3000 rpms while in park or while foot was on break. please help. i am scared to death to drive this vehicle like it is. can not afford to put anymore money into it either. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated that the cruise control would not disengage when applying the brakes, causing the vehicle to accelerate to 85 mph independently. the contact shifted the vehicle into neutral and was able to slow the vehicle down. the vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was advised that the cruise control malfunctioned due to extreme cold weather. the contact stated the vehicle was remedied under nhtsa campaign i.d. number: 12v353000 (engine and engine cooling, vehicle speed control). the failure mileage was 80,000.

These was a loud bang when driving over small bumps in the rear passenger side wheel. when i was home i checked the wheel well and the top shock mount was totally rotted through to the truck area. the mount house in the body had broken off and destroyed the inner wheel well. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated while traveling approximately 80 mph, the vehicle continued to accelerate although the accelerator pedal was not depressed. the failure was not diagnosed nor was the vehicle repaired. the manufacturer advised the contact that the vehicle was not included in nhtsa recall campaign number 12v353000 (engine and engine cooling , vehicle speed control). the failure mileage was 140,000. the vin was unavailable.

2004 ford escape. consumer writes in regards to vehicle accident and safety recall notice. *smd the consumer stated the vehicle was totaled. she believed the accident, was due to the safety recall.

At approximately 65 mph on a crowded interstate highway, the vehicle lost power and the "check engine" light illuminated the vehicle slowed and i was able to pull off the highway. after switching the engine off and waiting a few minutes, i was able to start the car and move forward for about a mile when the same thing happened. after the third time this happened, i decided the car was too dangerous to drive in traffic and pulled over to call a tow truck. the car has less than 20,000 miles on it. the local ford dealer indicates no recall has been issued for this specific problem. losing speed in fast-moving highway traffic is extremely dangerous; thankfully there was no accident or injury in this case. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated that while driving approximately 35 mph, a loud noise was heard from outside the rear passenger's side of the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for diagnosis where the technician stated that the shocks and strut mount were completely corroded. the vehicle was scheduled for repairs. the manufacturer was not notified of the defect. the approximate failure mileage was 140,000. updated 12/4/13*cn the consumer stated the right rear side of the shock strut mount rusted away. updated 12/12/13

Rattling noise coming from the rear of the vehicle. daughter took me for a ride and i sat in the rear of the vehicle to try and find the source of the rattling. checked the storage compartment for the spare, all other parts and could not determine the source. the next day the noise was much more pronounced. took it to a body shop and they immediately found the source of the problem, that being a totally rusted out shock/strut tower. the body shop manager said he has seen this on multiple escapes. he refused to quote the job as he did not want to be liable in case it did not work out. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated the seat belt would not communicate to the air bag to activate while engaged. the air bag light was illuminated. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer for a diagnostic test. the dealer stated that the wiring system to the seat belt needed to be replaced. the dealer did not replace the wiring system. the dealer stated that in the event of a crash, the air bags possibly would not deploy. the failure mileage was 120,000. the vin was not available.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated that upon inspection, it was found that the sub frame was completely rusted and had become detached from the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to a private mechanic where it was diagnosed that the entire front sub frame needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the vehicle was repaired. the approximate failure and current mileage was 40,000. updated 11/19/13*lj updated 11/29/2013 *js

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated that while driving at various speeds, she heard an abnormal noise and upon further investigation, she found that the rear wheel well suffered from severe corrosion. the vehicle had not been repaired. the failure and current mileage was 150,000.

Tl* the contacts owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated that while driving approximately 35 mph, there was an abnormal noise coming from the rear end of the vehicle without warning. the vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was advised that there was a hole above the passenger's side rear body panel and as a result, the rear passenger's side structure of the unibody needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure and current mileage was 112,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated that while entering a residential garage, the accelerator pedal became stuck. the contact mentioned that she engaged the brakes in order to stop the vehicle. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was unknown and the current mileage was 106,000. updated 11/15/13*cn

Noticed a loud noise coming from the rear passenger side of the vehicle. after arriving home i checked the muffler area thinking it was loose which it was not. i then checked inside of the passenger side rear wheel well and found that the shock that was attached to the frame of the vehicle had totally rusted out leaving a huge hole in the frame. the hole now leaves the vehicle unstable and exposed to all elements of the weather. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated that while driving 25 mph, the steering wheel seized and the brake and accelerator pedals would not respond to pressure. the contact was able to move the steering wheel after much effort but shortly after, crashed into a utility box. the contact was not injured. a police report was not filed. the vehicle was destroyed. the failure and current mileage was 90,000. updated 04/22/14 ma when the consumers daughter crashed into the electrical box, it caught on fire, and spread to the vehicle. updated 04/24/14

The right front wheel began pulling to the right. upon inspection we found the sub-frame under the right front was rusted and was sagging. i was advised not to drive the vehicle because the frame could collapse and control of the vehicle would be lost. upon further inspection it was noticed that only frame rusted out where the air conditioner was dripping condensation. the dealer said it was the road salt used in winter. if that was the case why wasn't the whole sub-frame rotted and not just the section where the air conditioner was dripping? i don't think a 10 year old vehicle should have the frame disintegrate like this. *jb

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated that upon inspection, it was found that the sub frame was completely rusted and had become detached from the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to a private mechanic where the failure was confirmed. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was contacted about the failure. the failure mileage was 143,000.

The right rear wheel well that supports the shock tower has completely rust out,this is common in the 2004-2006 escapes. *tr

The right rear inner wheel housing has almost completely rusted away causing the right rear shock absorber to break away from its top mounting and cause severe vehicle bouncing and swaying while driving making it almost impossible to drive the vehicle.many other escape owners i have spoken to are having the same problem and an internet search of this problem confirms my findings. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated while driving approximately 50 mph, the accelerator pedal became stuck and the vehicle failed to slow down. the accelerator pedal was applied repeatedly and the front end of the vehicle began to vibrate. the vehicle veered off the road to avoid crashing into another vehicle into a ditch. the vehicle continued to travel and crashed into a concrete barrier and then a fence. there were no injuries. a police report was filed. the vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer. there was a recall under nhtsa campaign id number was 12v353000 (engine and engine cooling , vehicle speed control). the manufacturer was notified and informed him that the vin was included. the exterior damages had not been determined. the approximate failure mileage was 192,000. updated 9/5/13 *cn updated 09/11/2013 *js

The shock mount on the rear passenger wheel is loose because the metal supporting it is rusting away. whenever a bump is hit there is a loud noise and sharp jolt. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated that while driving approximately 40 mph, the engine rpms increased excessively as the vehicle suddenly accelerated. the contact mentioned that the throttle cable was stuck. the vehicle was not taken to a dealer for a diagnostic and the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the manufacturer stated that the vehicle was included in nhtsa campaign number: 04v574000 (vehicle speed control). the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure and current mileage was 176,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated that the passenger rear shock mount penetrated the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was found that the shock mount had become perforated due to rust. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was contacted about the failure. the failure mileage was 197,000. the vin was not available.

Could not turn car heater on as the interior filled with engine fumes especially when idle. took vehicle to 2 different ford dealers and they could not locate the problem. now, summer of 2013 when the ac is turned on the same thing happens. it is a safety concern that myself and 3 year old son are breathing these fumes in just driving to the grocery store! also, took the car to an independent repair shop without any positive results! i have been driving with no heat and no ac for almost a year now. what can solve this problem? *tr

Heard a rattle in rear of car. thought it was exhaust system related. upon inspection found rear passenger upper shock connection had rotted completed and the shock was disconnected from the car. shock is barely hanging on the vehicle and appears incredibly dangerous. vehicle has been maintained as per ford requirements at the dealer where it was purchased from. no unusual driving conditions. *tr

I want to bring to your immediate attention a serious safety concern i have with my 2004 ford escape. we have owned the car since 2007 (mileage 102,000) and have recently experienced intermittent stalling while the car is in motion. i have had 4 experiences where the car would stall while in motion. it appears to occur when outside temperatures are above 80 degrees and i have traveled in the car for >30 minutes and have made a short stop (for gas or shopping). after continuing my drive after a short stop, the car suddenly shuts off at some point on the way home while the vehicle is in motion, losing all power to the steering and breaking system. the car will start up again (while coasting) with no issue but stall again after a short while. these have been very harrowing experiences on busy roads and fortunate that it was me and not my pregnant wife, as i don't believe she would have had the strength to execute these emergency actions with no power. the car has been at the ford dealership for >1 week but they have failed to replicate the problem. the car remains at the ford dealership until the cause can be determined. *tr

Son came home from college. banging noise noticed when sister riding with him coming from right rear of vehicle. upon inspection at oil change garage it was noticed that right rear shock mount had completely corroded and broken off from the wheel well sheet metal. vehicle not drivable in that condition as wheel could possibly break off or at the least poor handling of vehicle. online search came up with similar complaints for 2003/2004/2005 escapes. called ford but no recall has been issued so owners out of luck for very expensive fix. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated that after driving the vehicle a small distance, she smelled a burning odor from under the hood. the manufacturer was notified but offered no assistance. the vehicle was not repaired. the vin was unavailable. the failure and current mileage was 129,790. the vin was not available.

It was last friday when i almost rear ended someone. the speed control recall is not fixed. i went to keith hawthorn ford on south blvd, here in charlotte, last year, and was told that they had to order a part. i waited a few weeks, then i called them again, and was told that the part was in, i took my car in, and it did not take 40 minutes the car was ready. i don't know what they did but i am still having issues with speed. it is very scary. this is all the time, not just last friday. *tr

My daughter noticed her escape wasn't driving right it was traveling sideway`s down the highway, i noticed her front tire`s were worn, especially the passenger`s front, it was worn on the outside. i spoke with a ford mechanic that suggested new tire`s and a front end alignment, she had that service done, which did not make the vehicle drive any differently. she then took the vehicle back in for service in which now the vehicle was dog tracking when driving and was then informed that the wheel well`s were totally rusted through and that they would not replace the rear shocks because of it. there are several hundreds of other ford escape owners whom have expressed the same concern. the whole rear end has apparently shifted out of line, because of the rusted out wheel well`s that attach to the shock`s to hold the rear end in alignment. this is a huge safety issue, and ford is not doing anything about it. this issue doe`s not just include 2004 model`s , it has also been brought to my attention, that even a new 2013 model has the same problem. please have this issue investigated it is a serious safety issue. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated that while driving approximately 35 mph, the air bag warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. the failure recurred intermittently. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for repair. the mechanic stated that the air bag wiring in the front driver and passenger side seats would have to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 165,000. *tr

The problem started when the car was driving and all of sudden the car starts struggling and then shuts off. it would take a several attempts for the car to restart but eventually it would. now the cars just idles and runs really rough and shuts off while driving. took it to ford and they said all it needed was a new cat-converter manifold, not stating why. we replaced it ($1500) but the problem still repeated. took it to a repair shop and they said it needed to replace 6 ignition coils and plugs and possibly the pcm. they also said the ignition coils caused the cat-convertor manifold to malfunction in the first place. so we replaced all coils and plugs for $1600 but they said the pcm was fine for now but it was a matter of time for the pcm to fail. i'm not sure if ford deliberately neglected this ignition coil issue but it is suspicious. my commute is mainly interstate hwy and i'm afraid this problem is might cause a major accident while on a major interstate hwy. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated that there was an abnormal knocking noise coming from the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection where they stated that the frame was rusted and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified and advised that they could not provide any assistance to the contact. the failure mileage was 98,000.

Going up a hill on snow covered roads so was going slow when car started accelerating on its own. kept stepping on the brake, but continued to accelerate. got off the road and stopped the rpm was up to 7. the acceleration continued to happen a few times every winter for the next few years and i would take it to a ford dealership to have it checked each time it happened. they tried a few different repairs and nothing worked. jan. 21,2011 called ford and reported the problem and they said this is the first they heard of this problem. in sept. of 2011 the recall #12s37 came and i took it in to have the recall taken care of. since jan. of 2013 it has done it to me twice - this recall obviously did not fix the hazardous problem! i again called ford, got a case number, and [xxx] - the ford regional customer service manager called me and said he investigated my case and with the vehicle being out of warranty and there are no current recalls there is nothing ford can do. i told him that i felt this is a safety issue and the vehicle needs to be off the road and i can't ethically trade it because i don't want to put anybody else in harm's way and i hoped ford would make it right by me and he said there is no trade assistance available from ford. i asked him if ford would pay me what it was worth since the vehicle should be off the road and he repeated it is out of warranty and ford would not be able to pay me. obviously the spokesperson for ford doesn't have the same ethics i have.[xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

As i was sitting in my car with my 9 year old in the backseat, in park, with the engine on, waiting for my older son, we heard a loud explosion and the back windshield had shattered into a million pieces. i thought someone had shot or thrown something at the car but once i got outside and looked at it i could tell by the way the glass had blown outward (for the most part) that something that i could not explain must have happened/malfunctioned with the windshield. it was very scary and, as i was a half hour from home and it was raining, pretty inconvenient. the explosion was so forceful that it damaged both the rear wiper system and the hydraulic arm which lifts the rear window. i am glad my dog was not traveling in the back of the car as plenty of glass ended up in the back of the car. also, now i have to pay for all of this to get fixed? this is a problem. *tr

Car's engine vibrated violently and completely stalled going 45 mph down a highway, accident avoided as car behind me slammed on the brakes. car would not start, check engine light on. towed vehicle to ford dealership who fond two engine coils defective and all spark plugs replaced. this vehicle has repeated issues with defective coils and dangerous to travel on a highway when engine abruptly stops. this is poor engineering on ford's part and demand the us government force a recall! *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated that the air bag warning indicator constantly illuminated. the vehicle was taken to a private mechanic for diagnostic testing. the mechanic stated the seat belt pre-tensioner connectors needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure and current mileage was 74,000. updated 3/14/13 *cn

I was driving on the expressway. the roads were clear, flat, and smooth. outside temp was in the 20's. i have been driving for about 30 minutes, after letting the vehicle warm up for 15 minutes, when the rear window exploded for no reason on the express way. there were no bridges or overpasses for anything to fall on it. the rear window defogger had been on for about 15 minutes prior. i recently purchased the vehicle used from a private party. i had driven it less than 200 miles since my purchase. approximate time of incident 16:36. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. while parked, the contact noticed that the abs warning light was illuminated on the instrument panel. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. the mechanic stated that the abs module would have to be replaced. the contact referenced nhtsa campaign id number: 07v156000 (service brakes, hydraulic:antilock:control unit/module) but was advised by the manufacturer that the vin was not included in the recall. after a period of time elapsed, the contact began to notice a loud squeaking noise coming from the rear of the vehicle and a grinding sound when depressing the brake pedal. the contact had the brakes replaced but the failure persisted. the vehicle was not further repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 203,258.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact was driving approximately 40 mph downhill and the contact depressed the brake pedal repeatedly however, the vehicle failed to decelerate until the gear lever was shifted into neutral. the failure occurred only after the vehicle was serviced under nhtsa campaign id number 12v353000 (engine and engine cooling). the manufacturer was not notified of the problem. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 215,198.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated that while driving 55 mph with the cruise control engaged, the vehicle suddenly accelerated and crashed into a tree. the contact sustained a bruised leg and kidney. the vehicle was destroyed. a police report was filed. the manufacturer was not notified of the incident. the failure mileage was 167,000. pmb

I own three of these vehicles and again right front abs ring snapped while driving. ford will not do anything even though i've had the same problem on all three cars. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated that while driving approximately 55 mph, the accelerator pedal became jammed. the contact depressed the brakes but the vehicle would not decelerate. the contact veered in and out of traffic and crashed into two guard rails, forcing the vehicle onto two wheels until the vehicle finally came to a stop. the contact sustained injuries to the head, neck and back. the police were contacted and a report was filed. the vehicle was later towed to an independent mechanic and was pending an investigation. the manufacturer was not contacted. the failure and current mileages were approximately 110,000. the vin was unavailable.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated that while driving 35 mph, the vehicle erroneously accelerated and crashed into another vehicle. the vehicle was towed to the contact’s residence. the police were notified and a report was filed. the vehicle was not taken to a mechanic and was not repaired. the manufacturer was contacted and informed the contact that the parts needed to service the vehicle under nhtsa campaign id number: 12v353000 (vehicle speed control:cables) were not available. the contact stated that the failure recurred several times. the failure mileage was 60,000.

I was on i-30 westbound approaching the mixmaster in downtown dallas. when i attempted to pass a slow moving vehicle the throttle cable stuck. my vehicle continued to accelerate. i tried pulling the gas pedal up, but it continued to gain speed. reaching 80 mph in a 60 mph zone i braked but could only get down to 50 mph. i was having to weave through traffic to avoid hitting other cars. this continued for about 5 miles. i decided to try to put the car in neutral to stop it. then car then slowed down to about 30 mph. i was in the far left lane in heavy traffic. i needed to try to get off the freeway, so i put it back in drive. the car started accelerating out control again. i made it to the right lane and put it in neutral again. the car came to a stop. the engine was severely damaged by this. i am out around $1,500. so far, ford is not being very helpful, they are giving me the runaround when i call. they act like they are not responsible. i could have been killed or killed someone. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact was driving up a steep incline approximately 25 mph when the engine rpms increased abnormally and the transmission failed to respond. the vehicle was driven to a nearby authorized dealer for diagnosis where they informed the contact that the transmission would need to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the problem. the approximate failure mileage was 81,000. updated 01/15/13*lj updated 12/23/2013*js

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated that while driving approximately from 5 to 50 mph and then coming to stop, the vehicle would surge forward. the vehicle was taken to a dealer for diagnosis. after diagnosis they advised her that the vehicle was covered under the nhtsa camapign id number 04v574000 (vehicle speed control:cables). the vehicle was repaired under the recall. approximately 2 weeks later the failure recurred. the vehicle was not taken back to the dealer. the manufacturer has not been contacted. the failure mileage was approximately 121,120. the current mileage was approximately 146,298.

All three of the catalytic converters failed to operate in the car. we were initially told that the converters were under warranty both for mileage and time (8 year/80,000 mile warranty). dealership requested car be bought, which we did. after the car arrived, we were told that the car was manufactured in january 2004 and that the warranty expired in january 2012. additionally, they want to charge us over $3,000 for the repairs. i also advised them that we purchased an extended warranty in november 2007 when the car was purchased from carmax. we were advised that the extended warranty would not cover either. my car remains at the dealership because we can not afford to repair it, however, we are still making the car payments on it. i contacted ford motors, filed a report and was later advised that they could not do anything for me. *tr

My daughter was about a mile from home after taking a friend home. it was august 27, 2012 around 9:30pm. her car went off the road crashed into a tree and caught fire. she was killed in the accident. what is puzzling is there were no skid marks, no signs of braking. it has been brought to our attention just yesterday that there was a recall on her automobile that we were never aware of. we were told that if there was a throttle problem then that would maybe explain the absent skid marks and no signs of braking. she was only 19 years old. i was told to contact you and that maybe you could help. thank you for all you can do. [xxx] heartsick mother information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape limited. the contact stated that while traveling 70 mph with the cruise control activated, the vehicle failed to stop after engaging the brakes. as a result, the contact crashed into another vehicle and the air bags deployed. the police was contacted. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. the contact received a recall notice about repairs under nhtsa campaign id number:12v353000 (vehicle speed control:cables). the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 145,000.

As i was accelerating to get on the freeway i felt my car accelerate beyond the speed in which i was applying pressure. i immediately removed my foot from the pedal but the pedal remained all the way on the floor board. i tried braking but the brake pedal applied no stopping force. i exited the freeway not knowing what was ahead in terms of innocent bystanders and traffic. not knowing how to proceed i began standing on the brake with both feet and lifting the emergency brake. my car continued to gain speed and showed no signs of slowing down. i drove the right side of my vehicle down some concrete construction barriers on the feeder in hopes that it would slow the vehicle but our speed was so great at this point we were bouncing off and i was afraid we would cause a more horrific accident by being thrown back on to the freeway. i made it through an intersection narrowly missing a truck driving through. i got on to the other side of the concrete barriers at the intersection and began driving on the dirt road under construction. searching for something to crashed into to stop my vehicle as each passing second our speed increased, i located a telephone pole and crashed into it with my two small children, my mother and myself in the vehicle. i am unsure if the vehicle caught fire but there were bystanders would came with a fire extinguisher and sprayed my engine. i am also unsure of the speed of the vehicle at the point of impact. the last time i looked it was around 60 miles per hour when i was entering the freeway. *tr

Air bag light flashing red, code 47, connectors replaced light still illuminated. dealer cost estimate $400+ dollars and no warranty. unable to fix due to cost with no warranty. real safety concern air bag will not deploy in crash. *tr

I made a left turn from eastbound stewart road onto the inside lane of northbound m125 (n. monroe street), monroe, mi at approximately 09:00. when approaching frenchtown mall area on the left, cars ahead were stopped for others making left turns into the mall. i took my right foot off of the gas pedal to coast so as not to have to brake. suddenly my car accelerated (sped up); my right foot was still off of the gas pedal and on the floor. i hit the brake hard with my right foot and the vehicle did stop. (i never use my left foot to brake. i always use the right foot to drive and to brake.) i thought of all of the incidents of sudden acceleration; now knew how it felt. researched, found info as to recall issued . we never received recall notice. put vin # in ford site. our vehicle, 2004 escape 3.0l v6 not recalled. the cruise control quit working may, 2011. we had the escape in for regular service recently and we told the service advisor, who is also the assistant service manager at the dealer, that the cruise control no longer worked. he said it could be checked but it would be expensive to fix. we chose not to incur additional expense given the age of the vehicle. this vehicle has consistently had all service, oil changes, repairs done at the ford dealer. we did not know about the recall, nor of the technical service bulletin issued to all dealers by ford. interesting note: we own and drive a 1989 ford f150 and the cruise control works fine! *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact was driving 65 mph when the vehicle began jerking and jumping abnormally. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnosis. the dealer advised that they needed to replace all of the spark plugs. the vehicle was repaired but the failure continued. the manufacturer was not contacted. the failure mileage was 111,000 and the current mileage was 111,500.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated that the vehicle would sporadically exhibit sudden acceleration. the contact had to use the emergency brakes on each occasion, but the wheels continued spinning. the contact’s mechanic cleaned the accelerator pedal but stated that they did not find a problem with the vehicle. the failure recurred after the cleaning of the accelerator pedal. the failure mileage was 100,000 and the current mileage was 146,000. updated 08/28/12*lj the consumer stated that the vehicle was put into reverse and then accelerated on its own. the consumer depressed the brake but, the vehicle did not stop until the emergency brake was pulled. the front wheels continued to spin. the second time shifting from reverse to park, then to drive the vehicle accelerated again. the emergency brake was pulled and the front wheels continued to spin. updated 09/05/2012 *js

I would like to add my complaint to the acceleration problems of the 2001-2004 ford escapes which my 2004 has also experienced. there have been a few situations over the last 2-3 years where my cars engine would suddenly start racing while parked at idle. when the issue first began i was able to tap the gas pedal with my foot and the car would return to a standard idle. the more recent instances now require turning the vehicle off and it would idle normal again after being restarted. i believe this problem is connected to a current investigation and the letter dated 7/10/12 written to ford from the center for auto safety. this may also be connected to a prior recall 04v-574 that i was recently made aware of. please keep me advised of your efforts or anything i can do to help. thank you *tr

As i was accelerating to pass a slow moving vehicle, i pressed on the gas petal and after i was back in my proper lane, my vehicle kept speeding and not backing off on the gas. i then put the car in neural and the engine continued to keep racing. i tried to stomp lightly on the gas petal to see if it would come back up but it didn't. i then shut off the engine and called the tow truck company. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated that upon starting, there was an increase in the engine rpms and the vehicle accelerated forward once shifted into gear. the vehicle was taken to a local repair shop. the repair shop stated that the throttle body gasket and sensor needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was contacted. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 97,769 and the current mileage was 98,000.

I do not own a ford escape but rather i'm a mechanic that has ran into this problem 2 or 3 times over the last couple years. the throttle sticks on these vehicles due to the speed control actuator to throttle cable. there is a plastic sleeve around the steel cable that allows the cable to retract freely. the plastic degrades and brakes up over time allowing the speed control throttle cable to bind and wedge its self under the engine cover causing a stuck wide open throttle condition. there should be a recall on this cable. it runs from the speed control (cruise control) actuator to the throttle body butterfly. removal of the engine cover is the simple fix for this issue, but the speed control cable is indeed at fault. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated that the catalytic converter failed and was replaced by his personal mechanic. one year later, the failure recurred. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the manufacturer informed the contact that the vehicle was not under recall and provided no further assistance. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 156,000 and the current mileage was 177,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact was trying to open the trunk by engaging the key alarm but the trunk would not open. the trunk also could not be opened manually. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where they stated that they needed to replace the trunk latch. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacture was not contacted. the failure mileage was 40,100 and the current mileage was 43,000. . updated 07/27/12 *bf the consumer stated that dealer wanted to charger 24,500 to repair the motor and 125.00 to evaluate. the consumer feels this is too expensive. updated 08/02/2012 *js

Driving on a state highway approaching a red light, i applied brakes and felt a pulsing sensation in the brake pedal, it became very hard to stop and i had to pull to the shoulder of the road. this has happened several more times since, at various speeds and with no warning. the abs light on the dash does not come on and there are no obd codes. the vehicle becomes very hard to stop. i had the vehicle checked by my mechanic this week. he felt the problem once, but could not find any problems or obd codes, even after running diagnostic tests. at this point i am in a quandry; i need to use the vehicle, but feel it is unsafe to do so and will probably park it until someone can tell me what is happening and find a resolution. i have read of similar problems due to a defective 'tone ring' in the abs system, but mine is not defective. *tr

For over a year i have been hearing a rattling sound but thought nothing of it, figured a screw was loose in the panelling causing a vibration. i have taken it to a ford service center numerous times complaining of noise, they said they would balance the tires and check the brakes, but never said anything about wheel well rusting through. the rear passenger side wheel well is rusted completely through and the strut is loose due to the rust damage that is continuing to grow. i have recently been investigating the entire vehicle trying to locate the source of the sound, i finally figured it out and decided to take it to auto body shop on 5/22/2012 at 11:33 am and they were stunned to see the inside of the wheel well on the passenger side. the appraiser came out and took pictures and looked at it. after looking it over he turned to me and asked me how old the vehicle is, i said it is a 2004. he said, "i have never seen this happen before." he came to the conclusion that it must be a factory defect. he said when ford was putting the coating on the inside of the wheel well, they must not have coated it enough and moisture got inside causing it to rust. he went back inside and one of the guys from the shop happened to be inside, so he came and looked at it and said he has never seen that happen before either and he has been doing body work for 25 years! he also said it is possibly becoming a safety issue, because the strut is coming loose, due to the rusting out from around the strut. this movement of the strut could potentially cause problems with handling, especially when turning around corners. he grabbed the strut and it shook easily by hand. i have noticed the car pulls to the left whenever i hit a bump in the road, at first i thought it was wind pulling me, but it is happening more often. i called ford, but they said waranty ran out, cant help you. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6) *tt

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated that the rear passenger side wheel well accumulated water abnormally. the vehicle was taken to the dealer. the dealer located corrosion in the passenger side rear wheel well that caused the suspension and bolts to corrode. the driver side wheel well was also showing signs of corrosion. the manufacturer denied assistance with the repair, stating that the warranty was expired. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 115,000 and the current mileage was 140,000.

At first, my escape only started hesitating on rainy days when i got to about 45-55 mph. at first i thought i had bad gas so i stopped at auto zone to get dry gas for it. this seem to work like a charm and i thought the problem was fixed. then it happened again; spudering, not accelerating, car shaking, and engine light began to flash once i reached 45mph. this had been an issue for a few months on and off, then one sunny day its began hesitating and misfiring very badly now not only in 5th gear but at idle and 1st gear. it misfired and hesitated every time i drove it for a week before the mechanic could get it into the shop. i did a lot of research on the two codes that the engine was pulling p0305 and p0316 pending. i found out that there were a lot of people who had the same problem as me when their escapes reach 90,000 miles or higher, some even worse. people are saying that the issues being caused are a result of ford putting in the wrong spark plugs which is causing the computer chip to burn out leading to misfires in the coil packs. my mechanic just informed me that it will cost $400 to fix two of the coils and there is only a 50/50 chance that it will fix the problem (for now). he said it will probably happen again but there is no telling how long that might be, it might be right away, a week from now, or a year. will all these people having the same issue with no way to tell if it is actually going to fix the problem there should be a recall or at least a warning to owners saying what may happen once the car gets over 100,000 miles. *tt

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated that at engine start up,air bag warning light illuminated. on a seperate occassion, the accelerator pedal detached from the vehicle while attempting a turn. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and a private mechanic to diagnose both failures. the dealer confirmed that a computer chip failed and the private mechanic replaced the throttle cable for the detached accelerator pedal. the manufacturer was contacted. the failure mileage was 52,000 and the current mileage was 78,116.

Airbag light flashes and then stays on. warning code is 46. took vehicle into ford dealership to fix this approximately 4 years ago. not sure what service was performed, but the issue was never fixed. light went on again a year later and has gone on and off for years. due to time and cost , could not bring vehicle in for repair a second time. was recently told by ford service rep that i would probably pay $400 to fix. may be seatbelt pretensioner. was informed that airbags would not deploy if this was not fixed.this is a known issue and there was a tsb (technical service bulletin)regarding this issue. in my research i found that there are many ford escape owners having the same problem. due to the high cost to repair, and with so many people out of work, many consumers may not have this work done, which is a safety hazard. to date, i am not able to pay for this repair. due to safety issue this poses there should be a recall for this. *js

The air bag warning light stays on. took it in to see what the problem was. they said we need to replace the pretensioner and connecters. very expensive estimate. i did a little research and someone suggested checking under the seat (driver side) for a loose connection. we have been adjusting the seat back and forth because we have a teenager learning to drive. we did check under the seat to make sure there was not a loose connection. now the air bag light does not stay lit. not sure if by jiggling some wires to make sure there wasn't a loose connection that we may have solved the problem. not sure this vehicle is safe to drive. *tr

When taking my escape in for an oil change, the mechanics pointed out to me that the rear passenger shock mount was almost completely rusted out. i took it for an estimate that day and could not immediately afford the repairs. within a few days the shock had completely broken through the mount and into the passenger compartment with only normal roadway driving. only the rear passenger wheel well has this problem. online research with other escape owners shows this is a common problem that ford knows about and even acknowledges as a manufacturing defect but will not cover. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated that the vehicle failed to start however, all of the electrical components were working normally. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where the contact had the fuel pump replaced. five years prior to the most recent failure, the same failure occurred and the vehicle was taken to the dealer were the fuel pump was replaced for the first time. the vehicle was not recently repaired for the similar failure. the current mileage was 34,000 and the failure mileage was 14,659.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. while driving 65, the contact stated the vehicle lost electrical power, causing the radio, speedometer and rpm gauge to decrease to zero for approximately two seconds and then the vehicle began to perform normally. neither the dealer nor the manufacturer were notified of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 159,000 and the current mileage was 160,600. the vin unavailable.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated that while having routine maintenance performed on the vehicle, she was advised that the brake lines were corroded and brake fluid was leaking. the mechanic stated that all of the lines needed to be replaced in order to repair the problem. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure and the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and the current mileage was 116,000.

Ford escape limited 2004 problem with automatic transmission, don't work vin:[xxx]. i bought in march 2011. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).*tr

Lift gate glass hinge bolt corroded and fell apart leaving rear glass hanging. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated that the tailgate door would not open . the vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the power door lift was defective and needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. the vehicle was not repaired. the vin was not available. the failure and current mileage was 208,000.

I own a 2004 ford escape and have had the seatbelt harnesses fixed 3 times. one was just fixed 18 days ago and needs to be replaced yet again. there is a wiring problem with the seatbelt harness. it has been the passenger front seat each time. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact was driving 70 mph when he heard a loud noise in the rear of the vehicle as it started swaying abnormally. the passenger side rear fender well was corroded around the strut mount and the strut had come through. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who confirmed the failure. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was out of warranty. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 125,000.

Tl*the driver owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated when the driver applied pressure to the brake pedal at an unknown speed the vehicle would not stop until excessive pressure was applied to the pedal. the vehicle was driven home where the contact noticed the front passenger side brake line had fractured and the front driver side brake line was severely corroded. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileages were 140,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact was pulling into a parking space when the brakes were applied and the vehicle surged forward causing a crash. the contact was unable to stop the vehicle until it crashed into a barrier. the vehicle was towed to a repair shop. the mechanic stated that they could not confirm if the crash was caused by the accelerator cable. the vehicle was repaired for nhtsa campaign 04v574000, vehicle speed control cables on 2/7/2005; however, it has now failed. the vin was unknown. the failure and current mileage was 60,000. updated 5/2/11 *cn updated 05/11/11*jb

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact was driving approximately 55 mph when the vehicle abnormally accelerated at a rapid speed. the vehicle failed to decelerate when the brakes were applied. the contact immediately shifted into neutral and the vehicle came to a complete stop with the engine exhibiting an unusually high increase in rpms. the failure recurred intermittently. the dealer was notified and they advised the contact that there were no recalls related to the failure for his vehicle. the vehicle was neither repaired nor diagnosed for the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 85,000. updated 03/22/11*lj updated 12/20/11 *cn

2004 ford escape xlt with 72,000 miles. air bag light came on after vehicle was started. turned the vehicle off and air bag light went away. 4 days later air bag light came on again and now it stays on. the light flashes a code of 4-6 three times and then stays lit. i was informed that there is a service bulletin concerning this issue and the fix is to replace the wiring harness going to the seatbelts for a cost of around $400.00, which is not covered by the ford motor company. since the air bag light is on, the air bag will not deploy creating a safety hazard. since this is a safety related item it should be covered by a recall. *tr

After driving about 10 miles my airbag warning light came on. on the way back, it again came on after about 10 miles - it flashed a few times and then stayed on. the ford dealer tested the car and said the warning light was caused by both front pretensioner connectors costing $397.99. i looked up pretensioner on the internet and saw many complaints specific to 2004 ford escapes. there were also solutions such as disconnecting the light, ignoring the light, and rigging the wires under the seat. my concern is that this is a wide spread defect that may lead to lack of safety and highway death. it is an expensive repair that consumers may ignore.

The #5 spark plug blew out of cylinder head on my 2004 ford escape while i was driving approx 30 mph. this was the second time this happened to me in a year (it happened 1st time in aug 2009). these were both the original factory installed spark plugs, not replacement parts. *tr

The #5 spark plug blew out of cylinder head on my 2004 ford escape while i was driving approx 30 mph in august 2010. this was the second time this happened to me in a year (it happened 1st time in aug 2009). it happened again 12/5/10 and i am awaiting report on which spark plug it happened to this time. the first two were the original factory installed spark plugs, not replacement parts. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated that when she depressed the accelerator pedal, it stuck to the floorboard and accelerated up to 80 mph although the brake pedal was also depressed. the contact had to turn the vehicle off to stop the vehicle. the vehicle had not been inspected or repaired. the current and failure mileages were approximately 141,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. while driving 65 mph with the cruise control on as he depressed the accelerator pedal to past another vehicle there was sudden acceleration and the vehicle speed increased more than it should. he had to depress the brake pedal with extreme force in order to get to move onto the side of the road and turn the engine off. the vehicle was towed to the closest dealer and after inspection he was told that the vehicle speed control cable broke and caused the vehicle to accelerate. the vehicle speed control was disconnected; yet, the vehicle was driven to his residence. he then took the vehicle to another dealer where they replaced the cable at his expense for $160. the manufacturer was notified and also offered no assistance. the failure mileage was 107,394.

2004 ford escape - rear window exploded after rear defroster was turned on for short period. outside temperature was approx. 28 degrees and frost was on windows. vehicle was started to defrost windows before traveling. *tr

2004 ford escape - a b s rings on axel cracked and allowed them to move .result in brake failing -have to let off the brake so it can grab again and a sensor make it pulse the brakes. using gasket repair to hold the rings in place...both sides have this problem. we know of three escapes different years that have now the same problem. *tr

Two axles on the car have broken. both times, the car was used for regular use (no "off-roading", no accidents). the car was driving fine, then suddenly, when braking, a grinding noise was heard. when i brought the car in to be repaired, they found a cracked boot, cracked abs ring, and cracked axel. first time this happened was in 2007 (rear axel), and now in 2010 (front axel). *tr

On sunday, july 18th, 2010, while driving on 280 s. in the afternoon, i passed a vehicle that was traveling approximately 50 mph on the highway. as i pressed the accelerator, the vehicle continued to accelerate. as this was the 2nd occurrence, i did not panic but tried a couple of remedies. i ensured the cruise control was off, it was. i tried to "pop" the gas pedal off the floor but it was limp. i tapped the accelerator to no avail. i put the vehicle in neutral as the rpm's were hitting over 4500 rpm and the mph were hitting over 70+ and not slowing. i coasted to the side and waited for a tow truck. the car was taken to the dealer. they found the throttle cable was indeed slack and the throttle body was in the wide open position. they called the ford hotline who said they have never heard of the problem occurring or had a record of the occurrence. the dealer charged me for the inspection and suggested i replace the throttle body and pvc valve? they weren't sure if that was the cause of the problem but they suggested it. the throttle body, they said was on back order because of increased demand. the vehicle had 164,000 miles on it. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated that she took her vehicle to the dealer for recall nhtsa campaign id number: 07v156000 component: service brakes, hydraulic:antilock:control unit/module. the repair was done and now the failure has recurred. the dealer stated that to repair it again the cost would be approximately 200.00, and they are only responsible for repairing it one time. the manufacturer had not been contacted. the failure mileage was approximately 56,000. the current mileage is approximately 82,000.

I was the owner of a 2004 ford escape that was recalled because the engine would suddenly accelerate uncontrollable. i had to call my insurance co. geico because of this they sent out a tow truck to check the situation. the tow operator got the engine to run normally. i put in a claim against ford and was told that they did not think they were liable. my escape accelerated again and was involved in a accident that totaled the vehicle. i need help to present my case to ford motor co. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. while driving at speeds of 35 mph, the vehicle abnormally accelerated without warrant. the contact was able to stop the vehicle, with the engine still revving, by placing the gear in neutral and applying the brakes. the dealer advised the contact that the vehicle was included in nhtsa recall campaign id number: 04v574000 (vehicle speed control: cables) and that repairs would be covered at the manufacturers expense. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileages were 90,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated that while driving at speeds of 35 mph with her foot steady on the accelerator pedal, the vehicle accelerated up to speeds of 70 mph without warning. she shifted into neutral gear and had to use both feet to apply extreme pressure to the brake pedal, in order to bring the vehicle to a stop. she stated that there was a burning odor throughout the failure. the dealer performed a diagnostic test which revealed that the vehicle cruise control cable had broken and caused a shard of metal to become lodged in the accelerator mechanism. the vehicle had not been repaired when the complaint was filed. the approximate failure and current mileages were 73,272.

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. while driving approximately 60 mph with the accelerator pedal depressed more than ¾ of the way, the contact noticed that the pedal would not release causing the vehicle to accelerate. he applied the brake pedal which slowed the vehicle down. the failure occurred on three occasions. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer and the contact had not spoken with the manufacturer when the complaint was filed. the current mileage was approximately 104,000. the failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated that while driving at unknown speeds and removing his foot from the accelerator pedal, the vehicle suddenly accelerated. he was able to bring the vehicle to a stop without incident. in addition, the contact stated that the engine would exhibit unusual increases in rpms of up to 4500 while in any gear. the vehicle was previously repaired under nhtsa campaign id number 04v574000: vehicle speed control: cables, however the dealer stated that the failure was contributed to the idle air control valve malfunctioning. he proceeded to explain the idle air control valve was not closing correctly, therefore causing the vehicle to accelerate without depressing the accelerator pedal. the failure mileage was 77,000 and the current mileage was 72667. the idle air control valve failed which caused the vehicle to accelerate at an excessive speed. updated 05/03/10. *jb updated 06/03/10*bf updated 06/10/10.*jb

1. the rear passenger seat belt was not retracting the way it should when my son would unbuckle from his booster seat. i would have to feed the belt through to have it retract. 2. it happened every time we unbuckled his seat. 3. we switched his seat with my daughter's, as she is still in a car seat and is latched to the car itself, and was not using her seat belt. we called ford and it was no longer under warranty and they recommended that we get the part fixed through them because if it fails again, it will be under warranty. it cost us $223 to have his seat belt replaced. i asked ford to check the other seat belt, on the driver's side (back seat) and they agreed that one has to be replaced too, because it too retracts slowly and catches when trying to buckle it. we didn't know that it wasn't right, until we moved our son to that side. again, we don't use the seat belt because of the latch system on our daughter's car seat. it will cost us another $223 to have that one fixed too. we are going to wait until we have to move our daughter to a booster before having it fixed. but we find it interesting that both rear seat belts need to be replaced and when for the majority of the time we've owned the car, the 2 car seats were latched in and we didn't use the seat belts. *tr

Ford escapes were recalled for sticking accelerators while this vehicle was under warranty. at ~90k miles, accelerator began sticking (three separate occasions). fortunately all occurred on the highway where there was enough time to pull over and 'unstick' the accelerator. mats were not the issue since i removed the mats after the first incident. ford claimed there was nothing wrong yet replaced several components (at my expense). no incidents since then - about 20k miles later. obviously they still have a problem. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the vehicle failed to accelerate and decelerate and he had to turn the vehicle off to avoid a collision. the manufacturer stated that the vehicle was repaired under recall 04v5740000 vehicle speed control, cables in 2005; therefore they will not offer any assistance. the vehicle will be repaired. the failure mileage was 62,000. the current mileage was 112,000.

While moving my 2004 ford escape in my driveway the vehicle suddenly accelerated without my foot on the pedal. i struck a bush in my yard and was able to stop. the bush was destroyed and there was approx. $500 damage to my vehicle. a recall repair on the accelerator cable was performed by ford in march of 2005. i brought the vehicle to a ford dealer who would not even look at the vehicle without charging me. i reported the incident to ford motor co. who stated that they repaired the accelerator cable when it was recalled and would not repair it again. i have since had the bumper damage repaired and will have the accelerator cable inspected by an independent garage. i am lucky that no one was hurt during this incident. i am hesitant to drive this car again and i am very careful when i have to. i am a retired police officer and have seen what m/v crashes can do. *tr

Ford 2004 escape - slowly making ascent up a driveway - suddenly accelerator pedal sticks, engine racing, car begins rapid acceleration - driver able to slam on brakes with extreme pressure to stop car - engine continues to race - driver able to put car in park with engine still racing - turns off car. he then turns car back on, only to have engine still racing - immediately turns off again. dealership called to come pick up car. *tr

The engine revs in below zero weather ever since i bought the escape in 2003. i'll be driving on the freeway at 60 mph and the only way i can slow the speed of the car is by applying the brakes and the engine continues revving as if it were still going 60. then when i get off the freeway the car continues to rev like that and i stop at stop signs and it revs and only by pushing down hard on the brake can i control the car as it continues to rev as if going about 60mph. often when i start it in the morning it revs (when below zero) and continues to rev as i drive a mile or so to have coffee. this has been the case since i got the car. i initially took it in to tousley ford in white bear, minnesota. they said it was fixed and charged something like $186 and it did the same thing on driving it home (about 12 miles). i took it back then and there as it was dangerous and they tried to fix it again and it still revved. attempted fixes: feb 18, 08 replaced iac, replaced 1l8z*9f715*aa x-valve. then feb. 19, '08 replaced iac again per invoice. i just gave up and due to finances decided to take my chances driving it as is (still revs). what do i do now? the date of incident instead of jan. 8, 2010 should be stated as "every winter since 2003". never has been fixed.*cw

On 10/18/09 my son was in control of the vehicle when the accelerator stuck the vehicle would not respond to braking and eventually ran into a parked vehicle one person injured and the vehicle parked received damage my 2004ford escape total loss. *tr

The rear window of my 2004 ford escape limited exploded on oct 4. the vehicle went through a car wash approximately 20 minutes before it occurred. the temperature outside was around 50 degrees fahrenheit. there were no known cracks or damage to the window. the vehicle was sitting at an atm machine when it spontaneously shattered. *tr

My 2004 ford escape i bought used from a dealer after less then 4 months an ignition coil popped i took it in for repair changed coil and spark plugs got it back and less then 2 days later another ignition coil popped. *tr

Tone rings on ford escapes breaking. these rings are for the abs system. truck doesn't stop properly. i read alot of complaints online about these tone rings. ford charges $250 per side. in my case both sides are broke . sounds like a factory faulty part. *tr

While body work was being conduced at a dealer for a scraped fender, dealer employee started vehicle after paint operations. the intake manifold instantly and violently exploded into several pieces. the vehicle has approximately 80,000 mile, was driven into the dealer for the body work, and has had no similar problems. the dealer reports that the vehicle still starts and will hold an rough idle. the timing belt is intact. this vehicle uses direct fuel injection and a dry intake system. the dealer stated that all procedures including painting process were properly followed leading up to the explosion. cause is unknown. the vehicle is still at the body shop finishing body work. no resolution has been reached concerning the mechanical failure. *tr

I have a 2004 ford escape xlt w/ 60000 miles. it required a torque converter replacement as part of the transmission shifting problem. why isn't this listed as a recall item/ online it appears there have been several transmission failures for this vehicle. all vehicles, including mine have been well maintained. this vehicle and those in online reports indicate very similar failures. this seems to be a manufacturing deficit/ fault. this transmission problem should be a recall/replacement item! *tr

I have had to replace my alternator in my vehicle three times now since 2006. i would like to know why. the dealer i bought it from can't find anything and is not willing to help since the last time it was repaired was over two years ago. when it was in for repairs they stated the ford dealer it was taken too could not find anything wrong with it. i even filed a complaint with the attorney general's office but they got a letter of such in accurate info from the dealer the claim was dropped. i know two other people with the same year ford i have with the same issue. i would like your company to buy my car and get me into a new one or at the very least repair this issue and any issues that may be found if and when this is looked into. i feel i should not need to be making payments on a car that breaks down every two years. sometime more. please help. my car is a 2004 ford escape xlt 4wd. mileage: 111925vehicle location: inpossessionif contacted dealer: yesdealer name: diehl motor. *tr

The transmission on my 2004 ford escape stopped working while driving on the highway. the car went from drive to neutral at 60 mph. it happened while i was accelerating to change lanes and almost caused a major accident as the car behind me had to slam on it's brakes and swerve to avoid other vehicles. *tr

Accelerating up hill to posted 50mph when accelerator pedal punched to the floor on it's own. vehicle reached 85mph and slowed to approx 55mph when downshifted to 1st while simultaneously pressing brake pedal and pulling up on emergency brake. accelerator pedal wouldn't come up despite attempts with foot. ultimately crashed, vehicle totaled, property damage to a house and neighbor's yard, personal injuries sustained by driver only; no passengers. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. while driving at an unknown speed, the vehicle accelerated unexpectedly. as a result, the stopping distance increased. the vin was excluded from nhtsa campaign id number 04v574000 (vehicle speed control:cables). the manufacturer would not assume responsibility for the repair. the vehicle has not been repaired. the failure mileage was 65,000 and current mileage was 82,000.

While driving home last winter my accelerator pedal stuck open and would not release. i approached the exit at approximately 55 mph and had to push the brakes to the floor to stop the vehicle. after letting the car set for approximately 10 minutes everything worked fine again until the morning when i started the engine and it stayed at 3000 rpm until the car warmed completely up. *tr

I was on my way to work 7am. it was snowing lightly and i briefly turned on the rear window defroster to melt the snow. approximately 1 mile from home i turned off the defroster while sitting at a red light and heard an extremely loud pop. i looked around and did not observe anything unusual. when i looked in my rearview mirror i saw the defroster wires hanging with pieces of glass attached and the rear windshield wiper motor assembly hanging by a thread, i realized the loud noise was my rear windshield exploding. i headed back home to arrange to have the glass replaced - final cost $369.15. the rear wiper motor was damaged during the explosion. after the windshield was replaced it made a loud vibrating noise that was not there before. research on the internet indicates that other ford escape (04, 05 & 06) owners have experienced the same exact potentially dangerous occurrence. these complaints can be viewed at: www.carcomplaints.com i called ford owner services at 800-392-3673 and filed a formal complaint. they told me the vehicle was out of warranty and no recall issued but i should bring the vehicle to ford dealer for inspection and the dealer would decide if repair expense would be covered. the ford dealer told me the vehicle was out of warranty and no recall was issued and that ford motor would decide if repair expense would be covered. dealer told me that ford will not cover any of the repair expenses. the new windshield wiper motor will cost $150 for the part and $50 to install. i am concerned that if the damaged motor is not replaced, it could cause a major electrical problem not to mention the safety issue of not being able to see out of the tailgate window. the dealer offered to charge me only for the part and absorb the labor to install motor. for obvious reasons this should be a recall and ford should be held responsible for the repairs; not the consumer who unknowingly purchased a defective and dangerous product. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. while driving less than 40 mph, the contact placed the vehicle into drive and proceeded to depress the accelerator pedal. the pedal became stuck and the vehicle proceeded forward. she attempted to depress the brake pedal, but there was no response. the vehicle crashed into a plowed area of snow. there were no injuries. the roads were not icy at the time of the crash. the vin was not included in nhtsa campaign id number 04v574000 (vehicle speed control:cables), although the failures were identical. updated 02-23-09 *bf updated 02/24/09.*jb

Throttle cable would not return to idle position while at highway speed. have had numerous problems with throttle and related components recently vehicle has been towed 3 times in two weeks because throttle becomes stuck wide open and is hazardous to drive. recall on throttle cable was completed 3 years prior. bottom line is $1,000 plus dollars later on a four year old vehicle with 60,000 miles on it. *tr

Reporting an exploding back window issue on a 2004 ford escape. once in 2005 and now again in 2009. the only thing both times had in common was the running of the rear window defroster. ford has no recalls or bulletins and will not pay for second repair as it is out of warranty. i am concerned for the safety of people driving these vehicles and passengers they may have. there is no reason for this to happen once but twice is not acceptable. i was given nothing for my trouble and they are not researching this defect. oh wait, i got a free oil change. the dealership i was dealing with was awesome...but the correspondence from ford motor leaves a lot to be desired! someone needs to check into this issue. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact noticed that the air bag warning indicator would constantly illuminate on the instrument panel. the auto shop replaced the seat belt pre-tensioner connectors at the cost of $480.48. there had been no other failures since the repair. the failure mileage was 90,000 and current mileage was 91,731. updated 02/24/09. *lj updated 02/26/09. *jb

Went to pull car out of garage and found that the rear window had exploded. found parts of the window more than 20 feet from car. the car has not been driven for a couple of days. nothing had failed or hit the window to have caused this. *tr

The brakes on my 2004 ford escape, which only has 23,000 miles on it, started squealing, and i was having to push a little harder than usual. on december 26, 2008 my husband took the vehicle to the shop to have the brakes checked, instead of new brake pads, which were curiously in good condition, we are going to need new front discs, front and back calipers, as well as brake pads. we were able to afford the brake pads as well as the right front disc at cost of 400 dollars but we are going to need to shell out another 400.00 plus to repair the rest. the wait wouldn't be so bad if i didn't need the escape to transport my daughter back and forth to school every day. *tr

I have a 2004 ford escape the rear window blew out while the car was parked. this is the second time on the escape that this has happened to me personally. i have numerous friends that have had the same problem with these rear windows. i wonder if there is a design flaw with the rear window? very dangerous. i have the window company coming to replace another window. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. while pulling into the driveway at a low speed, the bolt on the passenger side lower control arm rotted/rusted from the inside. the dealer stated that there were no recalls for this failure. the vehicle has a three year/36,000 mile warranty. there were no warnings prior to the failure. the failure mileage was 51,000. updated 09/09/08 *bf updated 09/09/08. *jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. while driving at an unknown speed, the front air bag warning light illuminated and blinked three times. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer and they stated that there was a shortage in the seat belt sensor. in the event of a crash, the air bags would not deploy. the contact would be responsible for the repair costs. as of august 12, 2008, the vehicle has not been repaired and remains at the dealer. the failure and current mileages were 66,000.

Air bag warning light lit. ford dealer had a service bulletin to change wiring harness for $415 wiring for safety equipment should not fail in 4 years. *tr

Ford escape 2004 idling problems with only 39,000 miles engine starts to misfire while running on the highway at 40 miles an hour. while idling it also misfire keeping the engine unstable. have taking it to the mechanics for electronic diagnosis and some tell me it is the engine gasket that has to be replaced. help *tr

Starting approximately one week ago, the airbag light is on constantly in my 2004 ford escape, indicating that the airbag will not deploy in case of an accident when it is needed. i called ramsey ford, where i bought the car, described the problem and made an appointment with them. they could not fit it into their schedule until yesterday. they performed a diagnostic test that indicated that both seat belt connectors should be replaced at a cost of $332.27. they did not have the parts in stock, but told me that the airbag would not work during a crash. i paid $42.50 for the diagnostic. being forced to wait until parts arrived, but worried that the airbag would not work if needed, i researched and found out that this is a very common problem with the ford escape and many people are driving on the roads with no airbag protection. if this safety hazard is so prevalent in these vehicles, there should be a recall by ford to fix this problem. *tr

2004 ford escape with gear selector and airbag warning light issues. consumer states that mechanic determined that there was a faulty wiring harness for the front seat belts. he gave the ok to replace the wiring harness. *kb the gear selection at the base of the steering column did not light up at night. *jb

Value stem failure. i two fail on me in two days the tires where brought from goodyear tire on williamsburg road in richmond va the first was sat may 24 2008 had to replace the tire the other may 26 only replace stem. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated that she had to put air in her tires each week because they would constantly deflate. she took the vehicle to the dealer and they informed her that the failure was with the tires. the tire manufacturer advised her to call national tire and battery (ntb) and have them inspect the tires. ntb stated that the failure was not the tires, but rather with the rims. the failure has not yet been identified and the failure has been occurring since october 10, 2005. the failure mileage was 11,000 and current mileage was 38,800. updated 6/9/08 *cn updated 06/09/08

My cruise control stopped working after i had a 30,000 mile check up at the bob davidson ford dealership. i email ford and got a response to take the car to the dealership for a diagnosis test. i took the car to bob davidson and found it would cost me $123.00 for the diagnose and the cost would not be applied to any repairs. i do not have $123.00 for them to tell me i have a problem the problem is the engage light comes on, but the speed trotter does not engage to keep the set speed. *tr

Transmission failure at 65k miles. trans fluid flushed by ford @ 30k miles. car is less than 3 years old and almost every mile is on a flat easy interstate highway. i asked for assistance, ford told me to go fly a kite. i also informed ford that they lost an entire family's future purchases of any ford product / service. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. while driving 20 mph, the side view mirror on the passenger side exploded and glass shattered everywhere. there was no impact or crash. the contact believed that the electrical system caused the explosion; however, the dealer disagreed. the dealer placed a new mirror on the vehicle and the contact paid approximately $330 for the repair. the purchase date, powertrain, and transmission type were unknown. the current mileage was 13,406 and failure mileage was 13,366.

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. when approaching a red light or stop sign at 15 mph, the vehicle accelerates. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for nhtsa campaign id number 04v574000 (vehicle speed control:cables). after the repair, the failure recurred and the vehicle was taken back to the dealer. they test drove the vehicle, but were unable to duplicate the failure. the dealer informed the manufacturer that the failure could not be duplicated and the recall is only repaired once; therefore, the contact would need to pay for any additional repairs. the current mileage was 62,000 and failure mileage was 60,000.

This is the second time the button on the emergency brake on my 2004 ford escape limited edition has broke. the first time was fixed under warranty, this time ford is refusing to fix it for free. this is safety equipment that has failed twice on a suv that is less than 3 years old. *tr

2004 escape refused to operate starter after being operated with load at slow speeds, found new battery was dead and new alternator was installed while under warranty 6m miles ago last year. same problem has continued before and after battery and alternator repl. private auto service shop tested... system charging subnormal below 900 rpm. will not keep battery charged especially while a/c on, driving in city traffic in phoenix,. az. dealer refuses to look at it or test it now, even though they attempted to repair problem under warranty and problem continued to exist. suv has 31,301 miles on it as of 10/20/07. they have stalled every time i took it back and just keep saying "it cannot be." *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. while attempting to accelerate from a stop, the vehicle failed to accelerate for 30 seconds. the dealer stated that the butterfly caused the accelerator cable to stick. the vehicle was repaired in july of 2007 for nhtsa campaign id number 04v574000 (accelerator cable). the failure mileage was 95,000 and current mileage was 100,000. updated 01/09/08. *lj the consumer stated shortly after the recall was performed, the vehicle started to exhibited the same problems prior to the recall being performed. updated

Leaving a traffic light the vehicle idle increased to over 4000 rpms after i took my foot off the accelerator pedal. i shut off the engine but the idle did not return to normal. i've been told that was an unusual case of the "idle speed control" failure. this "racing" had happened once before at 48,000 miles but after i restarted the vehicle idle speed returned to normal. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. while driving approximately 65 mph, the contact heard a loud pop coming from the sunroof. she looked up and noticed cracks in the sunroof glass that resembled a spider web. the sunroof was tilted and not fully open at the time the failure was noticed. the failure and current mileages were 43,000 the consumer stated the glass shattered. updated 12/12/07*lj

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. while driving 65 mph, the vehicle began to accelerate without warning. on august 8, 2007, the contact was involved in a crash that was related to a previous recall repair for the vehicle speed control (nhtsa campaign number 04v574000). a police report was filed. the contact was injured and the vehicle was destroyed. the recall was performed by ford and chevrolet. in may of 2007, the vehicle accelerated past 100 mph and began shaking as if it would flip over. the accelerator pedal became stuck to the floor and the vehicle continued to accelerate on its own. the contact was forced to stop the vehicle by placing it in park and removing the key from the ignition. when the failure occurred, no sound or warning lights were present. the contact has photos. the failure mileage was 60,000 and current mileage was 66,000.

Consumer noticed the vehicle was using excessive fuel and was not shifting into gear properly. at one time, the vehicle would not go into reverse. the dealer examined vehicle and determined that transmission was defective, even with up to date service records, and noted that problem first started at 49,000 miles, manufacturer refused to assist in repair. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated that when the weather is wet or when sand has been placed on the ground due to snow, the instrument panel gauges fail to illuminate. he stated that when the weather is nice, the dashboard illuminates as it should. the failure has been ongoing for one year. he currently has an appointment to have the vehicle diagnosed. the contact was informed that safety recall number 07v56000 (service brakes, hydraulic:antilock:control unit/module) does not apply to his vin. the purchase date and speed were unknown. the current mileage was 56,175 and failure mileage was 48,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. while driving 10 mph, the vehicle surges forward unexpectedly. the contact stated that the cruise control is leaking fluid into the electrical system. the dealer stated that the vehicle is not under recall and informed the contact that he would have to pay for the repairs. the current and failure mileages were 39,000.

Service bulletin 042612 nhtsa item number 10014302 air bag light came on took to dealer and they charged us $50.00 to fix..was it a safety problem in that we did not know if airbag would function properly? should they have charged us a fee? *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated that the gap underneath the vehicle where the tow hook is located is damaged. he is attempting to trade in the vehicle and got it inspected. the inspector discovered the damage and stated that the tow hole hook is too large for the vehicle. the engine size was unknown. the current mileage is 84,000 and failure mileage was 83,000.

On 5/21/2007 while on my way to work the airbag warning light on the intrument cluster began to flash. after a few sequences of flashing the light came on steady. when i arrived at work i called and arranged a time to take the vehicle to a dealership to be repaired. on 5/23/2007 i received a call from the dealershi,p and they informed me it was a bad airbag wiring harness that needed to be replaced, and the cost of parts and labor would be approximately $390.00. also, this was the second time i have had a problem with the airbag warning light on this vehicle. the first time approximately 1 year ago, i can get details when i get the vehicle back. i got the same indications , and a dealer made the repair and the explanation was a shorted out twire in the passenger seat sensor. that repair cost was approximately $300.00. i as wondering if this was a common problem, and if this was a safety related failure am i responsibe to pay for the repair.*ak

I have a 2004 ford escape that the cruise control switch (deactivation switch) has gone bad on two (2) occasions since i have had the vehicle. the first time the dealer replaced it and i have not yet replaced it the second time. is this common and is their a problem with these switches? *jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact believed that he may have passed out while driving. he did not remember crossing the intersection and crashing into a four foot pipe filled with concrete, and then flipping the vehicle. the air bags failed to deploy, and the contact sustained a ruptured left lung. the vehicle was destroyed. the current and failure mileages were 87,000. *ak

Airbag light on the 2004 ford escape flashes or stays on. my suv has 71,000 miles. *ak

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact received recall # 07v156000 concerning service brakes, hydraulic: antilock:control unit/module, but was unacknowledged by the dealer. also, the contact stated that the dealer was unaware of the recall in a timely manner, and feared that the vehicle may catch on fire. the vehiclewas not being driven , and the contact had an appointment on may 2, 2007 to get the recall repaired. the current mileage is 32,000 and the failure mileage was unknown. *ak updated 05/23/07. *jb

For the 5th time while driving under normal conditions, the airbag light flashed and remained on constantly. took vehicle back to same dealer that has worked on vehicle repeatedly for same airbag problem. per dealer, perform self test on rcm module koeo b1994. pinpoint test found and replaced both side air bag connector on harness side. cleared code and retest ok after repair. *jb

As i pulled off i88 into a gas station in chenango forks, ny, i attempted to brake. the car felt as if it did not want to brake and wanted to speed up. the car "pulled" me and would not stop. the engine started to "rev" as if someone had their foot down on the gas. the brake gave and i put the car in park. i checked to see if the gas pedal was "stuck", creating the "rev". it was not. i started it 3 more times and each time i did it would "rev" loud . i turned the car off. i was towed by aaa to coreys northgate ford/mazda in binghamton , ny. they checked it out, drove it, said it was fine. was there from 10:00 am-12:00 pm. left at 12:00 pm via i-88.10 minutes prior to exit 23 (the exit for route 30), i felt the car accelerating w/o my foot on the gas. the car felt like it was on cruise, and continuing to accelerate. i could take my foot off the gas and it would accelerate. i had to brake to keep the car from going over 80 down a hill. braking did not feel right. i felt very out of control. i reached exit (route 30), pulled off , tried to brake and pull over to the shoulder. the car did not want to brake and was accelerating. very scary. the brake "gave" ,the car slowed down. i put it into neutral, park, and turned it off. very scary. i called aaa (again) they towed me to aero-ford mercury - cobleskill, ny. got there at 2:30 pm. was told the throttle body was rusted, water was leaking in. this made the separator not "seal" well, which left it open. when it is open, the car accelerates out of control. they found a chunk of ice wedged into the separator keeping it open. they said this is unusual. on 3-18-05 i brought my car in due to the recall & was given a new accelerator cable. what happened today was what the recall described would happen with the old cable. scary. the 1st service team should not have let me go. this is a safety issue. after they fix it tomorrow i will still be nervous to drive. the first service team let me go and said the car was fine. *jb

Engine would remain at full throttle after highway driving and would not return to idle. found that there were ping pong size yellowish ice chunks stuck in throttle body keeping it held open. also found that throttle body was severely iced. removed throttle body and removed ice and cleaned throttle body. concern has happened 4 times within 9 days. *jb

My 2004 ford escape failed state inspection due to a loose wheel bearing at 21,500 miles. the dealership indicated that i should not drive the vehicle as this was a safety concern. when asked why this wasn't found during a complete suspension check 2 months prior, i was told that this defect may not be detected until there was a failure. when i asked about the other wheel bearings i was told this was an unusual event. i have since discussed this with engineers from detroit and was told these wheel bearings are a major warranty problem. i am concerned that i am driving a vehicle that may loose control without warning should other bearings become loose. should wheel bearing be replaced every 20,000 miles? *nm

Tl* - the contact was accelerating onto the interstate when the throttle became stuck. the vehicle was a 2004 ford escape with 47,000 miles. the contact had both feet on the brakes and the vehicle would not stop. the vehicle reached 100 mph. there were no warning signs or noises prior to the incident. the vehicle traveled at this speed for approximately 1 mile. the contact kept applying the brakes and was able to slow the vehicle to 45 mph. the contact pulled over to the shoulder and was able to stop the vehicle. the contact called the police , and the vehicle was towed to a ford dealer. the dealer replaced the throttle cable. the contact has the repair order. a police report was not filed. the weather conditions were dry. there were no injuries. ak updated 01/29/07. *jb

Tl* - the contact stated that his ford escapes just stalls while driving, there are no warnings signs. the vehicle will just stop in the middle of the road. this happens at any speed. the vehicle will start back up right away. this started happening during the week second week of november 2006. the vehicle was taken to the dealership for repairs on 12/9/06 and the dealer could not find anything wrong with. the next day the vehicle stalled again. the consumer took the vehicle back in and the dealer changed the air control valve, and the crank shaft timing sensor. the dealer also told contact that they had contaminated fuel and replaced the fuel pump and filter. the stalling occurs two or three times a day. the vehicle is currently at the dealer again for repairs for the same issue. the contact has the repair order, no injuries have occurred due to this failure.

2004 ford escape rear defogger was on and the rear window exploded throwing glass everywhere. *nm

I purchased a 2004 escape on may 13, 2004 with the standard 3-year/ 36,000 miles coverage. on the june 11, 2006 the cd player started grinding. it gave me a non-descript error message and when i tried to eject the cd it would not comply. i would estimate my mileage at about 42,000 miles. i contacted my local ford dealer who stated that since my mileage was over 36,000 my car was no longer under warranty and that they could not assist me, unless i chose to purchase a new cd player. it no longer works. i have filed complaints with the bbb and michigan attorney general office to resolve the matter. similar problems exist in 2005 models and the technical service bulletins indicates to replace it only if the car is under warranty, telling me ford has a defective part and is hedging its bet that some people won't figure it out before the end of the warranty period. *nm

2004 ford escape, consumer would like reimbursement for the catalytic converter. *kb front and rear catalytic converters plugged. the dealer replaced both. the egr valve had a hole in it. *nm

Dt*: the contact stated the vehicle accelerator failed to deactivate when pressure was released from the pedal, while passing another vehicle at 40 mph. the contact shifted the vehicle into neutral, broke to a stop and turned the engine off. the vehicle was driven to a service dealer and inspected for the failure. the vehicle speed control, cable assembly was replaced. the manufacturer was not contacted. updated 08/25/06. 8jb

Dt*: the contact stated while driving on the interstate at 50 mph on smooth dry pavement, the vehicle had sudden acceleration. the contact pulled over and shut the vehicle off. the dealership determined the accelerator cable fractured and wrapped itself around the housing, which caused the sudden acceleration. there was an nhtsa recall, # 04v574000, regarding the vehicle speed control: cables. the vehicle was not included in the recall due to the vin. updated 9/15/2006 - the consumer has the old parts in his possession. *nm

The airbag light on the dash board flashes as it's supposed to and then remains illuminated. after having the car into the shop they informed me that it's a problem with the circuit and would cost an additional $100 just to move forward and may cost more. after researching the issue it appears that several people have this problem with their escapes and it fails after being fixed repeatedly. *jb

Dt*: the contact stated while entering the vehicle, it was noticed the throttle cable was in the floor board. the vehicle was taken to the dealership and the throttle cable was replaced. a nhtsa recall, #04v574000 was performed on the vehicle concerning, the cables however, the recall did not remedy the problem. the dealership would not offer a second repair without charge under the recall.

Dt*: the contact stated while driving on a highway at 70 mph the cruise control would not deactivate. depressing the brake pedal did not slow the vehicle or turning off the cruise control. to stop the vehicle, it was placed in neutral and pulled to the side of the road. the vehicle was driven to the service dealer where they determined the cables were defective. the cruise control cable was disconnected until the ordered parts are received by the dealer.

I was driving to work on the highway and all of the sudden my 2004 ford escape began to accelerate even with my foot off the gas pedal and the floor mat was not stuck against pedal. car continued to do so. brought to dealer, they said it was the accelerator cable bracket broke causing the throttle to stick open. *nm

Dt*: the contact stated while driving 35 mph the vehicle stalled. it was pulled off the road without incident and towed to the dealer. the fuel pump and filter were replaced. three days later the vehicle stalled again while being driven 35 mph. the vehicle restarted and was driven to the contacts residence. the manufacturer was not alerted.

(1) i drive approximately 60 miles per day. vehicle is used primarily for driving to work and transporting children to school & activities. (2) on 12/6/05, i returned vehicle to dealership for 2nd time due to air bag warning light illuminating. (3) per dealer description: performed self test on rcm module koeo b1998. pinpoint test found high resistance in side air bag harness. replaced connector under passenger seat per tsb 04-26-12. cleared code & retest okay. *ak

(1) normal driving to work & school. (2) while driving on freeway to work approx 70 mph, airbag warning light came on for 3rd time. (3) returned vehicle back to dealer with following results: perform self test on rcm module koeo b1881. pinpoint test found high resistance on passenger side pretensioner. remove both from seat & replaced pretensioner connectors per tsb 05-17-11. cleared code & retest ok after repair. *jb

Premature failure, excessive premature wear of the brake rotors. vehicle serviced by trebour ford every 5,000 miles according to service schedule. at this visit, informed that brake pads were close to needing replacement. this is normal and understandable. however, was also informed that the brake rotors were beyond the point of being used further. they were worn so badly that they could not be machined even once. my experience is that brake rotors when properly maintained should last the life of the vehicle. this vehicle has been maintained properly and has 34,917 miles which has been primarily highway usage. the need for brake rotor replacement at this point was due to defective equipment installed at time of production.*ak

2004 ford escape hood flew open while driving at 55 mph. *ts ***no answer required*** the vehicle's warranty had expired two weeks prior to this incident therefore the dealer would not cover the repairs. the vehicle was taken to a local body shop for repair. *nm

1. i am complaining about my back up alarm sensors. i have had about 5 incidents in which i have received false positives when nothing is behind me. at work while backing out, the system will sound and go crazy. 2. i have not had any accidents with this malfunction to date. i just do not trust the product that was purchased with my car 3. i took my car to mossy ford in san diego on october 18, 2005. made the complaint and they said that everything checked out good. i have noticed one thing in common with all five of my incidents, i have been around nextel cellular phone towers. in my work parking lot we have a nextel cell tower and this is where the system seem to be unreliable. also at a place of business that i frequent there is a cell site down the street. i did see a technical service bulletins on your web site with this type of complaint. it is service bulletin num : 04262 date of bulletin: mar 07, 2005 nhtsa item number: 10014671.*jb

The hood on our 2004 ford escape with 36,758 miles on it unlatched and flew up against the windshield on oct 25, 2005 while driving home from a soccer game. the hood had not been opened in a couple of weeks, and there was no rattling or other signs that the hood latch had been popped from the inside. the car is driven daily to work. there was no accident or injuries, just damage to the hood, which was replaced by a body shop for $695.02 (the latch was also replaced). it took two weeks to repair due to the hood being on backorder from ford. the vehicle was not driven for this two week period. pictures were taken of the damaged hood, and the old latch is in our possession. a letter is being sent to ford, with a cc. going to nhtsa as well. *jb

Consumer 2004 ford escape stalled at slow speeds, especially when turning the steering wheel. *ts the consumer was awarded a repurchase of her 2004 ford escape after arbitration due to the stalling problem. *nm

Came out of park while i was pumping gas and rolled into the store . ( about 35 feet ). *nm

Brakes screech, squeal, and feel jerky. also when i put the vehicle in park, the vehicle rolls forward a distance of four (4) to six (6) inches. my boyfriend, jody, is an attorney. he says that on occasion when he has driven the vehicle, it rolled forward after he put it in park, and touched the vehicle in front of my vehicle in the parking lot. he also reported that my vehicle rolled forward four (4) to six (6) inches in the wal-mart parking lot, which resulted in the front end being buried up against a hedge of tall thickly woven (weaved[?] bushy limbs which scraped and scratched my front end. anyway, the paint is now scratched and peeling on the lower part of the front end, where the "cladding" is painted, and the leading edge of the metal hood.*jb

2004 ford escape developed a problem with the accelerator sticking.*mr prior to the recall notification, the consumer had already experienced the problem and it was determined to be a sticking gas linkage cable. recall#04v5774000 *jb

On two separate occasions while driving no more than 30 mph on city streets, i have lost power steering on my 2004 ford escape xlt. the first time this happened was 8/11/05 while i was 207 miles away from home on vacation. i made a right hand turn after stopping at a traffic light and all of a sudden i lost power steering. it was very hard to steer, but i managed to ease to the right hand lane. fortunately, no one was behind me. once to the side of the street, i placed car in park and started trying to turn the steering left & right until i felt the power steering return. i stopped at a ford dealership to check the vehicle before the trip home. dealer only looked under hood to check fluid and look for any obvious problem. no problem was found, and we made it home safely. the second occurrence was 9/6/05, same situation. i lost power steering after making a right hand turn after stopping at a stop sign. i managed to move to the side of street again, placed car in park, tried turning steering wheel until i felt power steering return. drove to local dealership where they once again found no problem after checking wiring, pressure pump, power steering rack, & module. nothing was replaced. i voiced my concern to service advisor that this was 2nd occasion and fortunately i wasn't on freeway or no one was behind me these two times. on both occasions i had my children in the car. we may not be so lucky the next time. i also asked service advisor about just replacing parts since can't find a problem, and he advised ford doesn't allow them to do that since they didn't find a problem. this is the 2nd ford/mercury vehicle that has caused me nothing but problems, and i do not feel that we are safe in this vehicle. *nm

Dt: consumer has 26,000 miles on the vehicle and the original tires are on the vehicle. the tires are hydro planning. he called the tire company and was told to take it to a dealer. they told him that one tire was slightly cupping ,and another was wearing out. consumer was not told which tires these were. consumer rotated tires every 2,500 miles. this problem started during a rain storm going approximately 50-55 mph last week.*ak *jb

Dt: contact states while driving and passing another vehicle the accelerator pedal stuck. it was difficult to free the accelerator pedal, the plastic shield caused the pedal to stick. . the vehicle has not been to a service dealer as of yet.*ak

I was driving in my 2004 ford escape and changing lanes. as i had my foot on the accelerator, the pedal stuck. i tried to hit the brakes, but the vehicle would not stop i was on a crowded expressway and the vehicle was going at a speed that exceeded the flow of traffic. i frantically had to use the emergency brake. this incident occurred after the vehicle was recalled and i took the vehicle back, was serviced and still the vehicle failed!

In november of '03 i bought the escape. no problems all winter. last winter of '04-'05 i was having problems where the truck would not start up right away. the dealership told me it was the winter gas and they could not duplicate the problem. after bringing it back to the dealer several times, they finally got it to duplicate. they replaced the oxygen cellinode. unfortunetly the problem just came back

While driving home from having a few drinks with my friends, a deer ran out in front of me and although i slammed on the brakes, i couldn't stop quick enough to avoid hitting the deer and smashing in the grill of my new car. when the state patrol arrived, they gave me a ticket for speeding and after i told them that i was not speeding when i hit the deer, (i had gotton the speed down to about 60mph at impact) they then wanted me to take a alcohol impaired test which i naturally declined because i wasn't impaired. i only had just a few drinks and maybe some beer & wine at dinner and maybe 2 drinks before i left to go home. they then proceeded to arrest me like a common crook and took me to jail, where i had to spend the night. anyways, my insurance company refuses to fix my new car and now the car company refuses to fix it also. this car is a piece of junk. if it had been made good, it wouldn't have sustained all that damage from hitting a lousy deer. while trying to fix the damage myself, my friend joey put some gas on the grill and lit it to soften up the plastic junk they made the grill out of, so we could bend it back together and j.b. weld it. well, joey got some of the hot melted plastic on him and it burned like hell and he jumped up and knocked over the jar with gas in it and the whole place went up in flames. my car not only burned, but my garage went up in smoke too. now the insurance company is telling me that they won't pay the claim for the garage or the car cause it looks like arson for profit. how in the hell can i profit from losing my car and garage. joeys pissed, and has threatened to sue me cause he got burned and thinks he should get some of the insurance money i thought i was going to get since he's the one that started the fire. shouldn't i be sueing him? anyway, if the damn car had been made good, i wouldn't be in this fix. now i haven't got anything to drive and no place to park it if i did. this really sucks. is there anyone i can sue?

Windshield wipers work intermittently. consumer was driving in the rain and they shut down.*ak

Went to pass another vehicle while cruise control was on our accelorator stuck and we continued to pick up speed. unable to stop car. brakes would not work. able to stop vehicle by eventually slowing enough to throw into park. it took approximately 1 mile to come to a complete stop. car was towed to dealer. dealer indicated cruise control cable needed to be replaced. could not provide reason for cable failure. vehicle has 33000 miles.*ak

My wife and i were commuting home when the rear windshield in our 2004 escape shattered on its own; we were traveling approximately 70mph. we took it to the dealer and they informed us it's not covered under warranty saying, "well...you guys must have hit something or something must have hit it because glass just doesn't shatter like that." upon further insistance that it does, the dealer still refused to repair it under warranty and we can't believe this repair isn't covered (we just passed the 12,000 mile mark).*ak

Complaint received via e-mail."my wife and i purchased a 2004 escape last year, and we have just lost the vehicle to a fire. unfortunately, my entire 5,000 sq. ft. barn is totally destroyed as well, and i nearly lost my home. she parks her escape in an opening in our detached barn to keep it out of the weather. on the morning of 3/5/05 (4:45 am), i woke to a glow in the window, finding that my barn was totally engulfed in flames. when i first discovered the fire, the flames were contained to the area of the barn where her escape was parked. the fire spread quickly, and we lost the structure and the escape. local fire investigators are looking at the escape as the cause of fire. they believe the wiring may have ignited while sitting idle (not running). i found many instances on the internet where some ford models have caught fire while sitting idle, but i haven't found any reference to the escape. can you advise if you have history of such fires with the escape? i appreciate any information you can provide. my insurance company will begin an investigation tomorrow, and i am trying to collect as much information on spontaneous fires on ford products, especially the escape.*jb *nm

2004 escape will not start. vehicle was purchased in september of 2003. it has been to the dealer 6 times for it not starting and they say that they cannot find anything wrong with it and to let the problem get a "little worse" and maybe they can find out what is wrong. this has happened in warm weather and cold weather. i contacted ford's consumer telephone number and was told that the dealer cannot find any codes so they can't fix it. just because a computer can't tell the mechanic how to do their job does not mean that there is nothing wrong with my car. ford offered to reimburse me a car rental so ii could leave my car at the dealer again for an extended period of time so they can try and figure out what is wrong. i do not have extra money laying around for a rental so they can have my car again for service and then have to wait for a reimbursement. this vehicle starts when it wants to and hesitates. this is a constant issue and i believe i have a defective vehicle. *nm

The consumer contacted ford regarding recall number 04v602000/latch/locks/doors. however, the consumer stated that he had the vehicle identification number ran by the dealer, and the vehicle was included; but did not receive a letter. the dealer contacted ford, and was told not to perform the recall on the vehicle. *ak *sc *jb

As my 2004 ford escape turned 25,000 miles, the brake light came on. i took it to my local brake shop, and they advised me that the front brake rotors were warped and had to be replaced as well as the brake pads. the brake fluid was also very low. the brake shop manager stated that it is extremely unusual for rotors to be replaced at 25,000 miles. upon investigating other similar claims on various websites, it appears that ford motor co. had many complaints on various models for the identical problem. according to one complaint website, ford motor co. was subject to a class action by ford consumers in 2003 regarding the replacement of warped rotors on their vehicles and other brake issues. i'd contacted my dealership, and the assistant service manager told me that if the brake problem occured within the 12 month/12,000 mile period, it would be covered; otherwise, it was my financial problem. since ford motor co.has been aware of the inferior brake problem and continues to install the inferior rotors on their new vehicles, why should the consumer continue to have to pay for replacements every year or 25,000 miles? according to the brake specialists, rotors generally are replaced between 60,000 - 85,000 miles, and not 25,000, unless there is a defect in product.*ak

I was in a grocery store parking lot, looking for a parking place,went down one aisle, turned left to and started up the next aisle. right after i made the turn i pulled into the aisles second parking spot on my left side. i never picked up speed after turning into the aisle. just after i started into the parking spot my car literally lunged forward and "took off" all on its own. (i did not have my foot on the gas pedal)....i rushed to push down on the brake but by that time my car had already run up on the hood of the car facing me from the other aisle. i had no control over the car. i was to stunned at the time to know now if my brake stopped the car or if the car's acceleration stopped on it's own once it was on the hood of the other car. i am so thankful no one was injured and how bad this could have been if i was stopping to let a pedestrian cross and this happened at that time. *jb

Nhtsa campaign 04v574000/accelerator cable. the owner received notification from the manufacturer on 13 jan 2005 regarding this recall. the owner immediately made an appointment. upon arrival and after waiting most of the day, the service manager informed the owner that parts needed for the repair were unavailable. provide further details. *jb

Within 2 hours of buying a new 2004 ford escape and at 180 miles the throttle stuck on the highway accelerating me to nearly 90 mph before i could shift it into neutral, get it off the side of the road, and turn off the engine. had there been any cars next to me on the highway i would have been involved in a horrible accident. the car is at the dealer to be fixed, but i read on the ford motor co. web page there is a recall for accelerator problems. how/why can a dealer sell a car with a known defect? i very easily could have been seriously injured or killed.

On five (5) occasions of filling up my 2004 ford escape gas tank there has been gas spillage. gas will come flying back out of the tank after the pump cuts off. i took the escape back to the dealership and was told nothing was clogging or impeding the flow of gas. i was told not to use the automatic pump because the flow of gas might be too fast. i do not use the automatic pump anymore and the problem still occurs. when the pump sits in the opening for the tank the pump is at an uneven level and even when i pump slowly spillage still occurs. (it takes 5 minutes for me to get 8 gallons of gas. i've timed it.) the problem has occurred at several different gas stations. i have also talked with another owner of a ford escape and he/she does not have this problem. i have to keep a full bottle of water in my car to rinse off the spilled gas before it dries on the side of my car. this is an annoying problem and i'm tired of dealing with it. *nm

When filling the gas tank, the automatic shut off when the tank is full does not function. this leads to excess gas spilling out. this has occured at numerous self-serve and full serve gas stations indicating that it is not a problem with the pump but a problem with the design of the gas tank/intake mechanism.*ak

The engine stalled at 55 mph, causing consumer to lose control of the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for checkup four times, but the cause was undetermined. *ak the consumer experienced 3 additional failures. the consumer was told to press a button whenever the failure occurred. the dealer installed a special computer. *sc *jb

I purchased used 2004 ford escape with 5650 miles in 8/04. in sept04, front passenger door unlatched while i was driving in parking lot. my 13-yr-old son was in the passenger seat. after i stopped the vehicle, he attempted to open the door using the door handle, and the door would not open. he then tried unlocking the door using the pwr door control to no avail. i then used the driver side pwr door control to lock/unlock the door, and door still would not open. suddenly the door look control on passenger side began locking/unlocking by itself. in order to open the door, i had to get out of the car and open the passenger door from the outside. i took car into dealership, and they did not find a problem. five days later on 10/5/04, the airbag light came on. returned vehicle to the same dealership. dealership advised blinking code 37. they ran self test on rcm module. fault code is b1998 (passenger side air bag high resistance). code was cleared & self test re-ran. they also flexed wires at connectors & fault did not return. on 11/24/04, i returned vehicle to dealership again because airbag light came on again. the found same fault code. dealer found oasis message 18280. ford is working on a fix that is supposed to be available 4th quarter 2004. dealer cleaned terminals per ford instructions & re-tested. i asked service advisor if my airbags will work, and he advised he didn't know. i feel this is a safety hazard.*ak

Consumer complained about intermittent stalling at low speed that when the accelerator pedal was applied from a stop position or coming to a stop. vehicle had been to the dealer on eight occasions, and dealer unable to resolved / duplicate the problem. *ak

Purchased 2/04. hesitation problems since first month- found nothing wrong. chnaged oil at 5000k miles, checked again, found nothing wrong. now has 7000k miles, still hesitating at various speeds and has begun not starting. towed to dealer, fuel pump replaced due to weak pressure. two days later, would not start and hesitating still. towed back again did start, smelled bad, but no codes or problems found.*ak

After 5000 mile service, which include inspecting brakes and rotating tires. i started hearing sound from the rear brake while applying. the noise was a type of thump which seem to catch on the drum. i took the vehicle back to the dealer the following day. mechanic rode with me and did hear noise. said that it sounded like the drum brake was catching. dealer machined drums and tapered ends of rear shoes. noise was fixed but i have never heard of this before. *nm

1. used the emergency brake normaly throughout the day. 2. on 10/21/2004 the emergency brake release button fell down inside the e-brake hand grip, had to use the end of a pen to get the e-brake to release.*ak 3. taken to dealership, they took it apart, and put the button back up where it should be, and ordered a replacement e-brake assembly, still have old assembly, they weren't sure why it fell down and became stuck.

Windshield of 2004 ford escape suddenly cracked from lower seal up to about 12 inches in length. no evident sign of impact to the glass, vehicle wasn't even on the road when it happened. *jb

My 2001 ford escape had its automatic transmission break at 40,00 miles. it had to be repaired 3 more times within the year,the third time after having the recall for the stalling problem. there was a seam weld broken in clutch drum in 2nd repair. *nm

Vehicle occasionally difficult to start after sitting all day (i.e. 8 hour work day). it will crank, but will not catch. has happened on several occasions. has taken up to 4 times to start. dealer could not find anything wrong and suggested checking tsbs. *jb

While driving down a hill with cruise control on, vehicle picked up speed. dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem. *ak the cruise control has failed everytime it' s been used. *nm

The driver's seat in my 2004 ford escape causes severe back pain after 15-20 minutes. this is a safety hazard, because constantly adjusting the seat creates a distraction. *la

Ongoing musty mildew odor from vents and a/c unit. have brought it for service 3 times, nothing has been done to correct problem. after driving in the car for a long period of time, i feel ill and have slight difficulty breathing. *ak

My 2004 ford escape rolls backward when in drive on an incline (moderate to steep). the dealer says this is normal. i think this is a safety problem. *jb

Complete transmission failure at freeway speed. no accident, injuries, or property damage was involved. the vehicle a '04, ford, escape, 2wd, auto, had 5,104 miles and was less than 90 days old. vehicle was towed to dealership, which promptly replaced defective transmission with a new one. total time required was (6) working days. most of the required time was waiting for the delivery of a new transmission. dealership reported the transmission failure was due to the "planetary bearing". the "needle bearings" in the "planetary bearing" had failed. they disintegrated. small metal fragments worked through out the transmission, resulting in excessive internal damage. transmission was repaired under warranty. all costs for towing, repair, and loaner were paid by ford motor co. repair work was performed by dick masheter - ford and they did a good job. i did request a 3yr, 36,000 mile warranty for the new transmission. this was denied. i still have the original factory warranty of 3 yr, 36,00 miles; but i wanted the clock reset for the new transmission. this would have extended the warranty for the new transmission to 41,104 miles. a single failure may happen, since we don't live in a perfect world. i'm filing a complaint for informational purposes, so the nhtsa may track this type of failure and perhaps determine if it requires further investigation and/or a recall. *nm

While being operated on an expressway, the accelerator pedal could no longer be controlled and remained in an open and high speed position. *ph (nar) *cb

Consumer noticed the vehicle was using excessive fuel and was not shifting into gear properly. at one time, the vehicle would not go into reverse. the dealer examined vehicle and determined that transmission was defective. the manufacturer replaced the transmission. *ak *jb

I purchased a 2004 ford escape xlt on 12/8/03. on the way home from the dealership, the vehicle pulled strongly to the left, and an appointment was made to have the vehicle serviced. on 12/17/03, the left rear power window had an electrical short and would not close. it went into service and the electrical short was repaired. on 12/19/03 we brought the vehicle in to service for the pulling to the left. they tried an alignment on the vehicle, and it still pulled to the left. the service people told my wife to drive it for 400-600 miles to see if it corrects itself. on 12/22/03 i brought the vehicle back to the ford service department to have them correct the problem; as i did not feel that continuing to drive it was a proper solution. the service tried the alignment again, tried to rotate the tires, changing the tires, but nothing corrected the vehicle from pulling to the left. they contacted ford who advised that the trouble may be the steering rack. on 12/26/2003 i brought the vehicle back to the service dept, and they put on a new steering rack, but the vehicle still pulled to the left. the informed that they have no idea why the new 2004 with now 600 miles on it still pulls to the left. the informed that they will have a ford engineer come out to see the vehicle to see if they can figure out what the issue is. i have spoken to the ford salesman that sold me the vehicle and the sales manager on my concerns on buying a new vehicle with these issues right from the start. they informed that there is nothing they can do until the ford engineer comes to check the vehicle out. our concern now is that the vehicle pulls to the left for unknown reason that the ford service experts cannot figure out, these problems are occuring when the vehicle had only 42 miles on it.

While driving at 65 mph consumer heard a flapping sound coming from the rear of vehicle. consumer parked on the shoulder of the highway and inspected the vehicle, discovered that rear right tire collapsed. vehicle was taken to the dealer, who claimed that the tire was punctured which caused it to collapse. *ak the dealer stated that the tire was probably punctured before the sidewall collapsed, but the sidewall should not have ever collapsed. *sc

While driving on the interstate, i pressed the accelerator pedal to accelerate from 60 mph to 70 mph. when i pressed the accelerator pedal, it went to the floor and remained there until i reached a maximum speed of 110 mph. i attempted to pump the pedal to unstick it and depressed the brake. the only way i was able to stop was to shift into neutral and depress the brake strongly. even after removing the key from the ignition, the pedal remained depressed to the floor. this was a hertz rental car so i don't have information on it other than the registration. mo757kfr. *ak

Rear structural body, joints, massive rust and corrosion.

I hit a bump and the back of my vehicle started making a banging noise afterward any time i went over the slightest bump. i took it to the garage and the mechanic wouldn't even touch it. the rear shock mount plate is rusted out and he said the wheel well is breaking right off the frame. there is nothing left around it - the metal was only held together by undercoating in some places. he said it was pushing down on the brake line, too. i have seen several incidents with this make/model/year and the 2005 as well. this needs to be addressed before someone gets killed. my children were in that vehicle! *tr

Transmission broke in the year2008 and then again in less then 18 months later. the car we as not even 5years old. two transmission job. ford need to do recall on the transmission. spoke to other owners and they had problems too. i will let themknow where to file complaint. ford knows their is problem with the transmission but won't admit to it because it is a so costly for them to fix it. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. while driving 35 mph, the accelerator cable linkage snapped and the vehicle was left with the engine throttle wide open. the contact had to shift into neutral, shut off the engine, and coast to a stop. the vehicle was towed to a dealer and the accelerator cable, cruise control, throttle body, and roll cable were replaced at the cost of $430. nhtsa campaign id number 04v574000 (vehicle speed control: cables) was referenced. the current mileage was 43,900 and failure mileage was 43,800. updated 07/08/08. *bf the consumer stated the recall was not done correctly back in jan 2005, because of the failure he experienced in may 2008. the consumer was informed the recall was completed. updated.

The headlights are not working properly. when going over bumps at times, the headlights cut on and off. when taken to get serviced, the problem could not be determined. *nm