2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID Engine Problems

The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid. The contact stated while driving approximately 50 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled, but restarted after 45 minutes. The vehicle stability assists system warning light was illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 154,000.

Mileage: 154,000

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 75 MPH, THE CONTACT NOTICED A RATTLING NOISE EMERGING FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT AND THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO METRO FORD (5422 WAYNE TERR, MADISON, WI 53718) WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE ENGINE FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 122,000.

Mileage: 122,000

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. WHILE DRIVING 70 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL SHOOK SEVERELY AND THE VEHICLE WAS OUT OF CONTROL. ALSO, THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT COASTED THE VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND POWERED OFF THE ENGINE. THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED AND WAS ABLE TO DRIVE NORMALLY. THE VEHICLE WAS SLOWLY DRIVEN TO MATTHEWS CURRIE FORD (LOCATED AT 130 N TAMIAMI TRAIL, NOKOMIS, FL 34275, (800) 248-2378) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE STEERING COLUMN ASSEMBLY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THERE WAS NO RECALL ASSOCIATED WITH THE VIN. THE CONTACT WAS REFERRED TO NHTSA. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 133,588.

Mileage: 133,588

THIS HAS HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES RANDOMLY WITHOUT WARNING. I HAVE BEEN ON A FREEWAY, BRIDGE, REGULAR STREET, TRAFFIC. A RED WARNING LIGHT WILL COME ON WITH "STOP SAFELY NOW" AND THE CAR WILL QUICKLY SLOW DOWN. IT WILL GO REALLY SLOW REGARDLESS OF STEPPING ON THE GAS. ONCE I PULL OVER I HAVE T STOP THE CAR AND PUT IT IN PARK THEN TURN IT BACK ON. THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS ESPECIALLY WHEN I AM ON THE FREEWAY OR ON THE BRIDGE (I WORK IN SAN FRANCISCO).

Mileage: 176,779

I WAS DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE WITH MY 2 YEAR OLD AND 4 YEAR OLD IN THE CAR. I HAD BEEN DRIVING FOR ABOUT 45 MIN AT INTERSTATE SPEEDS, THEN SLOWED DOWN TO ABOUT 5-10 MILES PER HOUR DUE TO TRAFFIC. ALL OF A SUDDEN, WHILE SLOWLY MOVING IN TRAFFIC, A TONE SOUNDED, A RED TRIANGLE APPEARED ON THE DASH AND THE MESSAGE CENTER SHOWED 'STOP SAFELY NOW'. THE ENGINE TURNED OFF, SO THE CAR STALLED AND STOPPED ITSELF FOR ME WITH NO TIME TO REACT. I WAS STUCK IN THE MIDDLE LANE OF A 3 LANE INTERSTATE AND THE CAR WOULD NOT RESTART. IT JUST KEPT THE SAME MESSAGE 'STOP SAFELY NOW', WITH THE RED TRIANGLE DISPLAYED. EVENTUALLY A ROAD RANGER ASSISTED ME TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD BY PUSHING MY DEAD CAR WHILE IN NEUTRAL. I LET THE CAR SIT AND COOL OFF OVER NIGHT AND THEN WAS ABLE TO RESTART IT IN THE MORNING WITH NO ISSUES AT ALL. AFTER READING ONLINE, THE FAILURE SOUNDS IDENTICAL TO OTHER FORD ESCAPE HYBRID PROBLEMS WITH THE FAILURE OF THE MOTOR ELECTRONICS COOLANT (MEC) PUMP. THERE WAS A RECALL THAT COVERED MY VEHICLE MODEL PRODUCTION YEAR MODEL AND LOCATION OF PRODUCTION, NHTSA RECALL NO. : 14V-526 MANUFACTURER RECALL NO. : 14S19. HOWEVER, AFTER INQUIRIES WITH NHSTA AND FORD, BOTH HAVE TOLD ME THAT MY VIN IS NOT COVERED UNDER THE RECALL. THERE IS NO EXPLANATION THAT EITHER ENTITY WILL PROVIDE AS TO WHY MY SPECIFIC VEHICLE, WITH THE SAME PRODUCTION DATE, LOCATION, AND MODEL AS THIS RECALL, DOES NOT FALL UNDER THIS RECALL. I WAS NEVER NOTIFIED OF ANY RECALLS WHEN THE RECALL WAS INITIATED EITHER, IF THIS HAD OCCURRED LESS THAN A MINUTE EARLIER, IT WOULD HAVE CAUSED A MAJOR ACCIDENT AND ONLY BY CHANCE IT OCCURRED WHEN TRAFFIC WAS MOVING SLOWER, LEAVING TIME FOR OTHER DRIVERS TO REACT TO MY STALLED VEHICLE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE INTERSTATE.

Mileage: 294,000

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. WHILE DRIVING 70 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO GARY YEOMANS FORD (1420 N. TOMOKA FARMS ROAD, DAYTONA BEACH, FL 32124, (386) 274-6700) TO BE DIAGNOSED AND REPAIRED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE COOLANT PUMP NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V526000 (HYDRO PROPULSION SYSTEM). THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 109,927.

Mileage: 109,927

AT JUST OVER 100,000 MILES, WARNING LIGHT COMES ON TO PULL OVER SAFELY, AND ENGINE WILL STALL. THIS HAPPENS WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, AS WELL AS COMMUTER TRAFFIC. YESTERDAY I HAD TO BE PUSHED OFF THE ROAD BY POLICE WHILE AT AN INTERSECTION. AFTER TURNING CAR OFF FOR 10 MINUTES, CAR STARTED BACK UP AND I WAS ABLE TO GET HOME. FORD HAS RUN A DIAGNOSTIC ON MY CAR AND SAYS THERE IS NOTHING WRONG.

Mileage: 140,000

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED AND THE STOP-SAFETY WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO BE RESTARTED AFTER TEN MINUTES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER TO BE DIAGNOSED; HOWEVER, THE TECHNICIAN WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE OR PRODUCE A FAULT CODE. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE FAILURE COULD BE RELATED TO THE THROTTLE BODY NEEDING TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 210,000.

Mileage: 210,000

THE VEHICLE STALLED AND LOST ALL POWER TO THE ENGINE WITH A "PULL OVER SAFELY" SIGN WHILE ON THE FREEWAY BACK IN SEPTEMBER 2013 WHEREIN I WAS TOLD TO HAVE THE COOLING PART FOR THE HYBRID BATTERY REPLACED. I WAS TOLD THE PART WAS FAULTY. THE REPLACED PART HAD TO BE REPLACED AGAIN THAT SAME WEEK BY ANOTHER DEALERSHIP WITH FORD. FAST FORWARD TO TODAY, AND THE SAME RED TRIANGLE WARNING LIGHTS APPEARED AND THE PART NEEDS TO BE REPLACED AGAIN. THE WARRANTY FOR THE PART IS ONLY FOR 2 YEARS, BUT AFTER 3 YEARS WITH THE PART, THE DEALERSHIP IS TELLING ME IT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED AGAIN. I FIND THIS AGGREGIOUS IN NATURE AND A RACKET THAT FORD IS TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THEIR CUSTOMERS. THE MAKE AND MODEL WERE A PART OF A RECALL SPECIFIC TO THIS VERY ISSUE, BUT MY SPECIFIC VIN NUMBER WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THIS RECALL, SO I'M OUT OF OPTIONS FOR FORD TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE THEMSELVES, TELLING ME THAT IT IS OUT OF WARRANTY AND THEY WILL NOT ASSIST ME WITH THE REPLACEMENT/COSTS AND NOW I'M EXPECTED TO COME OUT OF POCKET AGAIN FOR THE SAME ISSUE. THE ORIGINAL SITUATION OCCURRED WHILE TRAVELING 70MPH ON THE I5 SOUTHBOUND NEAR LAKE ELSINORE, CA IN THE HOV LANE ON THE FREEWAY, AND TWO DAYS AGO IT WAS STATIONARY AND COULD NOT BE STARTED AFTER DRIVING IT THAT MORNING AFTER SITTING FOR ONE HOUR.

Mileage: 161,000

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH, THE "TURN OFF ENGINE IMMEDIATELY" WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT PULLED OVER AND WAITED APPROXIMATELY 30 MINUTES BEFORE THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED. AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED, A LOCK WITH A KEY WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, BUT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE CONTACT ALSO MENTIONED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS PREVIOUSLY SERVICED PER AN UNKNOWN RECALL FOR THE SAME FAILURE IN 2013. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,000.

Mileage: 60,000

IT WAS BEEN MORE THAN COUPLE YEARS AGO WHEN I HAD ERROR MESSAGE" STOP SAFELY NOW" ON MY FORD 2008 ESCAPE HYBRID. DURING THAT TIME, I WAS DRIVING INTERSTATE ROUND 50-60 MILES PER HOUR AND ALL OF SUDDEN, IT STOP THE ENGINE. I TOOK THE DEALER THE NEXT DAY. THEY GET IT FIXED. UNTIL RECENTLY, MAY 22, 2016 AND JUNE 20,2016 THE ERROR "STOP SAFELY MESSAGE" CAME BACK. I TOOK TO THE SAME DEALER I USED TO GO BUT THIS TIME. I LEFT IT FOR 2 DAYS BUT THE DEALER SAID IT WILL TAKE A WHILE TO DIAGNOSE WHATS IS THE ISSUE. I HAD TO RENT A CAR FOR THOSE DAYS BUT MY CAR WAS NOT FIX OR THE DEALER SAYING IT WILL TAKE A WHILE. I AM SURE THEY KNOW WHAT IS THE ERROR CODE. IS THIS A RECALL?I SEEN OTHER COMPLAIN IN HERE ALMOST THE SAME LIKE ME.

WHEN THE ENGINE WAS WARM, THE ENGINE WOULD SURGE THEN STALL AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS (55+). A RED HAZARD LIGHT THEN CAME ON, AND A STOP SAFELY MESSAGE CAME ON. PULLING THE VEHICLE OVER, AND RESTARTING THE VEHICLE ALLOWED FURTHER DRIVING FOR ANOTHER 20-30 MILES BEFORE THE ISSUE WOULD HAPPEN AGAIN.

Mileage: 85,000

AFTER APPROX. 10 MINUTES OF STOP AND GO DRIVING AT <5MPH A TONE SOUNDED, A RED TRIANGLE LIT, AND THE LED INDICATED "STOP SAFELY NOW." THE ENGINE DID NOT STALL, SHUT DOWN, OR GIVE ANY OTHER INDICATION OF A FAULT, THEREFORE I CONTINUED DRIVING AT <15MPH TO THE NEAREST PARKING LOT AND TURNED OFF THE ENGINE. AFTER I RETURNED SEVERAL HOURS LATER THE ENGINE STARTED NORMALLY WITH NO FAULT INDICATION, AND I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE HOME WITHOUT ANY FURTHER FAULT INDICATION. I READ ON THE WEB THAT THIS HAD OCCURRED WITH OTHER 2008 ESCAPE HYBRIDS AND WAS DUE TO A FAULTY HYBRID SYSTEM ELECTRONICS COOLING PUMP. ONE COMPLAINANT INDICATED THAT THE 2008 ESCAPE HYBRIDS HAD BEEN RECALLED FOR THIS ISSUE, BUT THE RECALL DOES NOT SHOW ON YOUR, OR ON FORD'S, DATABASE FOR THIS VEHICLE. HAS THIS BEEN REPORTED PREVIOUSLY, AND WAS THERE A RECALL?

Mileage: 90,000

IN 2012, I WAS DRIVING ON FREEWAY AT APPROX 70MPH WHEN I HEARD THE WARNING SOUND AND RED LIGHT WARNING ME TO "STOP SAFELY NOW." I HAD TO CROSS FOUR LANES OF TRAFFIC AND BARELY GOT TO THE SHOULDER BEFORE THE POWER SHUT DOWN COMPLETELY. I WAITED AND IT RESTARTED, BUT IT DID IT TWO MORE TIMES BEFORE I REACHED MY DESTINATION. I CALLED AND TOOK MY VEHICLE FOR REPAIR, WHICH WAS DETERMINED TO BE THE COOLANT PUMP (COST $1010.96). THE NEXT YEAR A RECALL FOR THIS ISSUE OCCURRED AND I WAS REFUNDED THE COST FOR REPAIR. TODAY, 2015, THE SAME ISSUE OCCURRED. THIS TIME I HAD JUST PULLED OFF FROM A TRAFFIC LIGHT MAKING A U-TURN, SO TRAVELING MAYBE 10 MPH WHEN I GOT THE SAME SOUND AND WARNING RED LIGHT AS I FELT THE ENGINE LOSING POWER. I GOT THROUGH THE BUSY INTERSECTION AND SAFELY TO THE SHOULDER. I IMMEDIATELY DROVE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP. THIS TIME I WAS TOLD THE ISSUE WAS THE THROTTLE BODY. IT WAS CLEANED AND REPROGRAMMED (COST $369.15; I WAS TOLD MY VEHICLE IS NOT IN THE VIN# GROUP). WHILE THE COSTS HAVE BEEN HIGH FINANCIALLY, WE ARE MOSTLY CONCERNED ABOUT THE POTENTIAL COSTS FROM HAVING THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY LOSE POWER AND SHUT DOWN. BOTH TIMES I HAVE BEEN VERY LUCKY TO AVOID CRASHES. SAME SYMPTOMS, DIFFERENT DIAGNOSES; CONCERNED ABOUT WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN NEXT.

Mileage: 105,200

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 60 MPH, THE ENGINE STALLED AS THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE THROTTLE ASSEMBLY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 70,000. UPDATE 01/13/16 MA

Mileage: 70,000

ELECTRONIC THROTTLE BODY FAILURE EQUIVALENT TO THE CUSTOMER SATISFACTION PROGRAM BUT TOLD MY VIN NUMBER IS NOT IN THE APPLICABLE GROUP. LOSS OF ALL ENGINE POWER WHILE ON THE FREEWAY TRAVELING AT 65MPH WITH A SEMI TRACTOR TRAILOR BEHIND ME. I WAS BARELY ABLE TO GET THE VEHICLE ONTO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD.

Mileage: 170,000

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE STOP SAFELY NOW WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL AND THE VEHICLE DECELERATED INDEPENDENTLY. AFTER SHUTTING DOWN THE VEHICLE FOR SEVERAL MINUTES, IT RESUMED NORMAL OPERATION ONCE RESTARTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE TECHNICIAN DETERMINED THAT THE THROTTLE BODY WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT AFFECTED BY A CUSTOMER SATISFACTION PROGRAM. THE CONTACT EXPERIENCED THE FAILURE DESCRIBED IN THE PROGRAM. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 106,000.

Mileage: 106,000

VEHICLE GASOLINE ENGINE POWER QUITS WITH NO WARNING. I HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS ONLY WHEN DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AND ONLY WHEN DRIVING FOR MORE THAT APPROXIMATELY 20 MINUTES. A "PULL OVER SAFELY NOW", OR WORDS TO THAT EFFECT, APPEAR ON THE INFORMATION SCREEN. THE ELECTRIC ENGINE WILL CONTINUE TO WORK IF IT HAS CHARGE. THE CAR WILL RESTART ALMOST IMMEDIATELY, BUT WILL QUICKLY STALL AGAIN IF THE ENGINE IS NOT ALLOWED TO COOL DOWN. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS AS IT OCCURS ONLY AT HIGH SPEED. *TR

Mileage: 121,000

WARNING LIGHT CAME ON TO "STOP VEHICLE SAFELY". WE PULLED OFF HIGHWAY, CAR RESTARTED. THIS KEPT HAPPENING, FINALLY HAD CAR TOWED TO LOCAL GARAGE. THEY DETERMINED IT WAS A CODE INDICATING A PROBLEM UNDER RECALL, AND ADVISED WE TAKE IT TO THE FORD DEALER. LOCAL GARAGE HAD CLEARED OUT ERROR CODES, SO FORD DEALER SAID WE HAD TO WAIT UNTIL IT HAPPENED AGAIN, THEY WOULD THEN REPAIR IT. THIS MEANS WE CANNOT TRUST THE CAR, AND MUST ONLY DRIVE WITHIN A TOWING RANGE. HOW LONG DOES FORD HAVE TO REPAIR A KNOWN PROBLEM, OR CAN THEY TELL OWNERS TO WAIT UNTIL THE CAR ACTUALLY HAS THE PROBLEM AGAIN? *TR

Mileage: 91,100

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE ENGINE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. AFTER RESTARTING THE VEHICLE, THE RPMS BEGAN TO INCREASE RAPIDLY. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN WITH CAUTION DUE TO THE EXCESSIVE HESITATION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, WHO STATED THAT THE THROTTLE BODY WAS STUCK AND REQUIRED REPLACEMENT. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 125,700.

Mileage: 125,700

THE ISSUE HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES. LATEST WAS 2 DAYS AGO. WHILE DRIVING, THE CAR ACCELERATION ALL OF A SUDDEN DROPS TO ZERO AND THE CAR WILL NOT GO. IT DOES NOT SHUT OFF BUT IT CANNOT BE DRIVEN. AFTER ABOUT 2 OR 3 MINUTES A MESSAGE COMES ON THE DASH THAT SAYS "IT IS SAFE TO SHUT OFF YOUR VEHICLE NOW." ONCE THE VEHICLE IS SHUT OFF AND I WAIT ABOUT 5 MINUTES I CAN START IT AGAIN. IT HAPPENS WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD. THERE IS A RECALL ISSUED FOR THIS PROBLEM BUT BECAUSE THERE ISN'T A YELLOW TRIANGLE WARNING ON MY DASH FORD AND THE DEALER WILL NOT DO THE RECALL BECAUSE THERE IS A SHORTAGE OF PARTS. SO I HAVE TO DRIVE AN UNSAFE CAR UNTIL THERE ARE PARTS AVAILABLE ALL BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE A CODE. DEALER CLAIMS THERE IS A GROUND FAULT WIRE PROBLEM AND REFUSES TO DO THE RECALL. THIS IS REALLY UNSAFE WHEN DRIVING DOWN THE FREEWAY AND ALL OF A SUDDEN THE CAR COMES TO A COMPLETE STOP ON ME. THEY KNOW IT'S A PROBLEM FOR PEOPLE BUT WON'T FIX IT BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE THE PARTS EVEN THOUGH RECALL LETTERS CAME OUT IN OCTOBER. IT'S NOW JANUARY. *TR

Mileage: 69,500

REFER TO TSB-08-24-5 AND RECALL 14S19. ESCAPE HYBRID EXPERIENCED THE EXACT FAILURE DESCRIBED IN THE RECALL NOTICE WHILE PASSING ANOTHER VEHICLE AT 70 MPH. THE ENGINE SHUT OFF AND A RED TRIANGLE APPEARED. VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED THE NEXT DAY AT THE OWNERS EXPENSE BY AN AUTHORIZED FORD DEALER WHO NOTED THE TSB NUMBER ON THE REPAIR INVOICE. THIS VIN NUMBER WAS EXCLUDED FROM FORD'S LIST AS A COVERED VEHICLE. FORD REPRESENTATIVES DENIED ANY INTEREST IN REFUNDING THE REPAIRS COSTS EVEN THOUGH THE VEHICLE WAS IN THE GROUP AND FAILURE WAS EXACTLY AS DESCRIBED IN THE RECALL NOTICE. NTSB NEEDS TO EXPAND THIS RECALL TO ALL VEHICLES WITH THIS FAILURE EVEN IF THEY ARE NOT ON FORD'S LIST. *TR

Mileage: 46,550

AS I WAS DRIVING TO WORK, I ACCELERATED AND AT ABOUT 40MPH A RED TRIANGLE WITH AN EXCLAMATION POINT IN THE MIDDLE SHOWED UP ON MY DASHBOARD AND MY ENGINE SHUT OFF. VERY SCARY! I HAVE LOOKED ONLINE AND IT SEEMS TO BE AN ISSUE WITH THE COOLING SYSTEM. I HAD TO DEAL WITH THE TRIANGLE OF DEATH A COUPLE YEARS AGO AND NOW THIS. I WILL BE TAKING IT TO THE DEALER TODAY! IT LOOKS LIKE THERE ARE QUITE A FEW PEOPLE THAT HAVE HAD THE SAME ISSUE! FORD NEEDS TO RECALL THIS ITEM! IT IS VERY DANGEROUS! *TR

Mileage: 91,000

I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AND THE VEHICLE ABRUPTLY LOST POWER, A TRIANGLE WITH AN EXCLAMATION POINT CAME ON IN THE DASHBOARD AND THE DATA SYSTEM SAID "STOP SAFELY NOW". THIS HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES DURING THE SAME DRIVE. THE DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE MEC PUMP. ABOUT ONE YEAR LATER THE SAME ISSUE BEGAN OCCURRING MULTIPLES TIMES PER DAY UNTIL I WAS ABLE TO GET IT TO A DEALERSHIP. THEY REPLACED THE THROTTLE BODY, THE ISSUE OCCURRED AGAIN. THEY REPLACED THE TRANSMISSION, THE ISSUE OCCURRED AGAIN. IT IS NOW AT THE FORD DEALERSHIP GETTING DIAGNOSED YET AGAIN. THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE AND MUST BE RESOLVED. *TR

Mileage: 50,000

THE ELECTRONIC COOLANT PUMP IS KNOWN PROBLEM AND FORD IS FINALLY SUPPOSED TO BE FIXING THIS THROUGH A RECALL OCTOBER 2014. (HTTP://WWW.GREENCARREPORTS.COM/NEWS/1094407_2005-2008-FORD-ESCAPE-HYBRID-RECALLED-ALSO-MERCURY-MARINER-HYBRIDS). DRIVING IN NEW MEXICO ON A FAMILY VACATION, THE CAR SUDDENLY SAYS TO STOP SAFELY NOW WARNING COMES UP. MIND YOU THAT WE ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF NO WHERE AND IT'S OVER ONE HUNDRED DEGREES WITH TWO SMALL CHILDREN IN THE CAR. SOMEHOW, WE BARELY MAKE IT INTO LAS CRUCES, NM ABOUT AN HOUR LATER. SO, AFTER WAITING A FEW HOURS THEY TELL US THAT THEIR HYBRID TECH ISN'T THERE AND IS ON VACATION. REALLY? IT TOOK A FEW HOURS TO FIGURE OUT THAT HE WASN'T THERE? ANYWAY, THEY SUGGESTED TO TRY AND CONTINUE ON TO PHOENIX, AZ WHERE THEY WOULD KNOW WHAT TO DO. SO, WE TRY HEADING OUT, BUT THE CAR GOES OUT AGAIN AS SOON AS WE GET ON THE FREEWAY. SO, WE DO THE PULL OVER AND RESTART THING ABOUT TWENTY TIMES UNTIL WE MAKE IT BACK TO THE LAS CRUCES DEALERSHIP. WE HAD TO STAY IN LAS CRUCES FOR A WEEK, COSTING US THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN WHAT WE NOW CALL THE ADVENTURE OF A LIFETIME. THIS HAS RECENTLY HAPPENED AGAIN WITH OUR ESCAPE, AND THEY WANT TO CHARGE US AGAIN TO FIX THIS. FORD NEEDS TO GET IT'S ACT TOGETHER, OR I WILL NOT BE PURCHASING FROM THEM AGAIN. *TR

Mileage: 60,134

ENGINE DIED MULTIPLE TIMES IN A PARKING LOT. CAR HAD BEEN IDLING AND HAD RECENTLY BEEN DRIVEN OVER THIRTY MILES ON THE HIGHWAY AND THE AMBIENT TEMPERATURE WAS OVER 90 DEG F. HAD THE CAR TOWED HOME BECAUSE THE DEALER SERVICE DEPT WAS CLOSED. THE NEXT DAY THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM AND NO DTC FOUND IN ECM. PAID THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TIME AND PICKED UP UP THE CAR. ONE WEEK LATER, THE CAR DIED AGAIN WHILE DRIVING AT ABOUT 10-20 MPH. DASHBOARD DISPLAY SAID TO PULL OVER AND PARK SAFELY. AFTER WAITING FOR 30 MINUTES FOR THE ENGINE TO COOL, WE WERE ABLE TO DRIVE THE THREE MILES HOME. THE NEXT DAY AT THE DEALER, NO DTC FOUND IN THE ECM, BUT THE DEALER SAID THAT THE SYMPTOMS POINTED TO A THROTTLE BODY PROBLEM. THEY WERE UNABLE TO RECALIBRATE THE THROTTLE BODY, SO THEY ASKED US TO APPROVE PAYING FOR A THROTTLE BODY CLEANING, WHICH WE DID. THIS SEEMS TO INDICATE THAT THE HYBRID SYSTEM DIRECTS THE ENGINE TO SHUT OFF WHENEVER IT DETECTS A SENSOR PROBLEM THAT IT CAN NOT RESOLVE. MOST CARS WOULD PRODUCE A CEL ILLUMINATED ON THE DASH AND SET A LIMP HOME MODE. THE ESCAPE HYBRID SEEMS TO JUST SHUT OFF AND LET YOU HOPE FOR THE BEST. THIS MAY SEEM LIKE AN IRRATIONAL RESPONSE TO A MODEST PROBLEM, BUT THESE WERE THE SAME THINGS THAT HAPPENED BEFORE WHEN THE PROBLEM WAS DIAGNOSED AS A PUMP PROBLEM FOR THE ELECTRONICS, WHICH IS NOW A SAFETY RECALL FOR 2005-2008 ESCAPE HYBRIDS. TO COMPOUND THE PROBLEM, THE DEALER DID NOT OFFER TO REFUND OUR PREVIOUS PAYMENT FOR THE PUMP REPLACEMENT. I HAD TO ASK FOR IT AND AM NOW WAITING FOR THEM TO GIVE ME A REFUND, EVEN THOUGH THE FORD WEBSITE CLEARLY STATES THAT THEY SHOULD EXPEDITE REFUNDS FOR PRIOR WORK DONE ONCE A RECALL IS STARTED. UNHAPPY ON MULTIPLE LEVELS. *TR

Mileage: 105,800

MY WIFE LEFT OUR HOUSE TO RUN ERRANDS IN OUR 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. SHE DIDN'T EVEN GET OUT OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD BEFORE SHE GOT THE "STOP SAFELY NOW" WARNING, AND THE VEHICLE WENT INTO "LIMP HOME MODE". SHE TURNED AROUND IN A NEIGHBOR'S DRIVEWAY AND CAME BACK HOME. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP TODAY THINKING THAT IT MIGHT BE THE MECS PUMP FOR WHICH THERE IS A RECENT RECALL. IT TURNS OUT THAT IT WAS THE THROTTLE BODY CAUSING THE WARNING. EVEN THOUGH THERE WAS A NHTSA INVESTIGATION ON THE THROTTLE BODIES OF THESE VEHICLES (DP12006), THE 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRIDS WERE NOT INCLUDED IN FORD CONSUMER SATISFACTION PROGRAM #13N03, WHICH EXTENDS THE WARRANTY OF THE THROTTLE BODY ON SOME ESCAPE MODELS (AMONG OTHER VEHICLES). SO, I NOW HAVE TO SPEND $775.00 TO REPLACE A PART THAT WAS KNOWN TO HAVE ISSUES. LUCKILY, MY WIFE WAS NOT ON THE HIGHWAY WITH OUR 2-MONTH OLD DAUGHTER WHEN THIS OCCURRED. I DON'T QUITE UNDERSTAND HOW ESCAPES FROM 2005 TO 2012 WERE PART OF THE INVESTIGATION, BUT THE PRELIMINARY EVALUATION PE13-003 ONLY APPLIES TO 2009 - 2012 MODELS. *TR

Mileage: 104,000

WHEN DRIVING AT HIGHER SPEEDS (APPROXIMATELY OVER 50 MPH), THE CAR WOULD SUDDENLY LOSE ENGINE POWER AND THE "STOP SAFELY NOW" MESSAGE WOULD COME ON. THE CAR WOULD GO INTO LIMP-HOME MODE AND ALLOW ME TO PULL OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. TURNING OFF THE CAR AND RESTARTING IT WOULD ALLEVIATE THE PROBLEM FOR A FEW MORE MINUTES OF DRIVING. THIS HAPPENED ABOUT 15 TIMES ON A 60 MILE TRIP HOME, ALLOWING ME TO DRIVE ANYWHERE FROM ONE TO 10 MILES AT A TIME BEFORE THE ENGINE SHUT OFF. THIS WAS ACCOMPANIED AT TIMES WITH AN ENGINE OVERHEATING MESSAGE. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER FOR A REPAIR. THEY CLAIMED IT WAS A MALFUNCTIONING ELECTRONIC THROTTLE BODY AND REPLACED IT FOR ABOUT $1000. A WEEK LATER, THE SAME THING HAPPENED TWICE ON A 30-MILE HIGHWAY TRIP WHEN DRIVING AT HIGHER SPEEDS, BUT HAS NOT HAPPENED SINCE THEN. *TR

Mileage: 71,000

I WAS STOPPED AT A SIGNAL. WHEN THE LIGHT TURNED, I PRESSED DOWN ON THE ACCELERATOR AND THE CAR STARTED TO MOVE AS NORMAL. JUST PAST THE INTERSECTION, THE GAS ENGINE SHUT DOWN, A RED LIGHT CAME ON AND THE CAR LOST ALL POWER. THE CAR BEHIND ME STRUCK US. UPON GOING TO THE DEALERSHIP, THEY KNEW THAT THE ELECTRONIC COOLING PUMP HAD FAILED. THERE WAS NOT MANY QUESTIONS, AS THEY DESCRIBED WHAT THE SYMPTOMS WERE. UPON LOOKING AT THE INTERNET, IT WOULD SEEM THAT THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH FORD, AND THAT THE NEW ECP WAS REDESIGNED TO PREVENT THE ISSUE. THERE ARE LITERALLY HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT VEHICLES LOSING POWER TO THIS SAME PROBLEM. IN SOME CASES, AS WAS MINE, ELECTRICAL POWER IS LOST AS WELL, CAUSING LOSS OF POWER STEERING AND BRAKES. *TR

Mileage: 54,000

RECEIVED THE RED MASTER VEHICLE ELECTRICAL HAZARD WARNING LAMP, IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWED BY ENGINE SHUTTING DOWN WHILE ON HIGHWAY. CAUSE WAS A FAILURE OF THE MECS PUMP FORD PN 5M6Z-8C419-A. AFTER IT HAPPENED I RESEARCHED AND FOUND OTHER REPORTS ISSUED FOR SAME ISSUE. SEE 10597458,10604791,10596349,10592073,10588181,10588170,10568053,10567619,10567234,10566464,10565177,10560868,10557567,10554859,10548328,10547463,10537539,10533928,10531556,10525970,10523932,10523371,10521436,10521116,10516178,10514445,10513916,10511202,10505543,10504308,10500579,10500159,10461261,10462036,10462214,10463235,10468355,10474060,10475192,10476583,10477359,10485797,10490135,10460373,10459919,10459596,10459518,10458744,10457505,10457488,10456830,10456625,10455257,10455049,10454894,10453205,10448469,10448468,10409310,10409374,10410388,10411980,10412392,10416615,10419367,10430477,10326667,10329839,10348540,10349760,10352951,10360029,10361122,10393862,10393924,10399209. *TR

Mileage: 92,000

MECS COOLANT PUMP DEFECT CAUSES LOSS OF ENGINE POWER AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS RESULTING IN AN EXTREMELY UNSAFE CONDITION. FORD IS AWARE OF THE DEFECT IN THIS "HYBRID UNIQUE" COMPONENT BUT REFUSES TO COVER IT UNDER THEIR HYBRID COMPONENT WARRANTY. IN MY CASE I WAS DRIVING AT 55MPH ON A PUBLIC HIGHWAY WHEN THE DASH ILLUMINATED A RED TRIANGLE WITH THE MESSAGE "STOP SAFELY NOW". I HAD TO SCRAMBLE TO GET TO THE RIGHT SHOULDER AND CREATE A DANGEROUS CONDITION BY CUTTING OFF THE DRIVERS AROUND ME. I HAD TO PAY OUT OF POCKET FOR A REDESIGNED MECS PUMP REPLACEMENT AND HAVE NOT EXPERIENCED THE ISSUE SINCE. PENDING LAWSUIT, MACDONALD V. FORD MOTOR CO., CASE NUMBER 3:13-CV-02988, IN THE U.S. DISTRICT COURT FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA. *TR

Mileage: 57,000

A WARNING APPEARED "STOP SAFELY NOW." WE PULLED OVER AND RESTARTED. WE WERE ABLE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE IN FOR SERVICE WITHOUT THE LIGHT COMING ON AGAIN. THE DIAGNOSIS WAS A BAD THROTTLE BODY AND IT WAS REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY AND LISTED AS A RECALL IN THE SERVICE REPORT. *TR

Mileage: 54,953

STARTING IN MAY OF 2014, MY CAR'S PERFORMANCE HAS BEEN UNTRUSTWORTHINESS. SOME DAYS THERE'S NO PROBLEM-- I PUSH ON THE GAS PEDAL AND THE CAR MOVES ACCORDINGLY. AT A STOP SIGN, I CAN GO. WHILE MOVING AT 50 MPH ON THE FREEWAY, I CAN EASILY ACCELERATE AND MOVE AROUND A MONSTER SIZE 18 WHEELER. BUT ON THE DAYS WHEN I PRESS THE GAS PEDAL AND THE CAR DOESN'T RESPOND, I SWEAT. HERE'S A DESCRIPTION: FOOT ON THE GAS PEDAL, NO RESPONSE... SO I PRESS DOWN FURTHER, WITHOUT ANY ACCELERATION OF THE CAR. FINALLY, NOW FREAKED OUT THAT THE CAR IS NOT MOVING (AND THAT ANOTHER CAR IS RIGHT ON MY TAIL) I PRESS THE PEDAL TO THE FLOOR-- WITH NO IMMEDIATE REACTION. THEN-- BAM-- SURPRISE! IT WORKS AND THE SUDDEN SURGE SENDS ME FLYING BEYOND INTENTION AND I MUST PRESS ON THE BRAKES TO SLOW. AT STOP SIGNS THIS HAPPENS AND PEOPLE BEHIND ME GET FRUSTRATED, PROBABLY THINKING I'M ON DRUGS OR SOMETHING. BUT REALLY, IT'S NOT ME; IT'S MY FORD ESCAPE HYBRID 2008. THE RATE OF INCIDENCE HAS GRADUALLY INCREASED FROM MAY TO THE CURRENT DATE OF JULY, AND CONSEQUENTLY, I AM AFRAID TO DRIVE THIS CAR. *TR

Mileage: 75,000

AS WE WERE DRIVING, A "HAZARD" LIGHT COME ON THE DASH, THE ENGINE SHUT COMPLETELY OFF, AND A MESSAGE, "STOP CAR SAFELY," ALSO APPEARED ON THE DASH. WE DID SO, AND TURNED OFF THE CAR AND TURNED IT BACK ON. CAR DROVE FINE FOR ABOUT 5 MINUTES AND THE SAME THING HAPPENED. WE DID THIS FOR ABOUT AN HOUR OR SO TO GET HOME. HAD WE BEEN ON A BUSY INTERSTATE. A SUDDEN ENGINE SHUT OFF COULD HAVE BEEN VERY DANGEROUS. WE TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP AND WERE INFORMED THAT THE ELECTRIC BATTERY HAD OVERHEATED BECAUSE THE WATER PUMP WAS NOT WORKING. I HAVE COME ACROSS SIMILAR COMPLAINTS WHILE LOOKING INTO MY SITUATION. SOME EXAMPLES: HTTP://REPAIRPAL.COM/COOLANT-PUMP-ON-HYBRID-MAY-FAIL-AND-CAUSE-CELENGINE-SHUTDOWN-562. *TR

Mileage: 68,000

I WAS DRIVING MY 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID AT ABOUT 65MPH IN THE LEFTMOST LANE SHORTLY AFTER MERGING FROM I83 SOUTH ONTO I395 (BALTIMORE BELTWAY) WHEN, WITH NO ADVANCE WARNING WHATSOEVER, THE GAS PEDAL STOPPED RESPONDING AT THE SAME TIME AS THE TRIANGLE WITH AN EXCLAMATION POINT AND THE "STOP SAFELY NOW" (AS IF I HAD ANY CHOICE) MESSAGE APPEARED. BY THE GRACE OF GOD I WAS ABLE TO COAST ACROSS 5 LANES OF TRAFFIC TO THE BREAKDOWN LANE. I WAS ANXIOUS TO GET HOME TO FEED THE DOGS, AND MY HUSBAND WAS OUT OF TOWN, SO RATHER THAN CALL A TOW TRUCK I RESTARTED THE CAR AND KEPT GOING IN THE RIGHT-HAND LANE FOR ANOTHER 3 OR 4 MILES UNTIL THE SAME THING HAPPENED AGAIN. IT TOOK ANOTHER 2 HOURS (WITH AN 15-20 ADDITIONAL STALLING EPISODES) UNTIL BEFORE I WAS ABLE TO MAKE IT HOME TO ANNAPOLIS. THROUGH THE INTERNET (AND MY HUSBAND CRAWLING UNDER THE CAR) WE HAVE CONFIRMED THAT THE SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM IS A WELL-DOCUMENTED FAULTY OEM HYBRID DRIVE TRAIN MECS COOLANT WATER PUMP. SEEMS TO ME THAT THIS IS A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE THAT IS EVERY BIT AS SERIOUS AS THE GM IGNITION SWITCH PROBLEM, AND A FATAL ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN. IT IS UNCONSCIONABLE THAT FORD HAS NOT ISSUED A RECALL ON THIS ISSUE, AND UNCONSCIONABLE THAT NHTSA HAS NOT FORCED FORD TO DO SO. *TR

Mileage: 75,000

CAR GOES LIMP. FORD HAS TSB 08-24-05. MECP FAILS. POOR DESIGN. HAS GONE LIMP ON ME ~8 TIMES. EACH TIME CAR DRIFTS TO A STOP REGARDLESS OF LOCATION, SPEED, ETC...(EG, CAN BE GOING 75MPH ON HIGHWAY) AND IT GOES LIMP. CANNOT MOVE AFTERWARDS FOR MINUTES. MANY CASES OF THIS HAPPENING HAVE BEEN REPORTED. TSB 08-24-5 STATES THAT SOME 2005-2008 ESCAPE HYBRID AND 2006-2008 MARINER HYBRID VEHICLES MAY EXHIBIT A RED TRIANGLE LIGHT AND CODES INDICATING A TRANSAXLE OVERTEMP. THIS CONDITION MAY RESULT IN REDUCED POWER AS THE SYSTEM ACTIVATES FAIL SAFE OPERATION. CODES P1A0E, P1A0F, P0A3C, P0A3E, P0A7A, P0A7C AND P1A0D MAY ALSO BE SET. *TR

Mileage: 58,225

CAR ENGINE TURNED OFF AT 70 MPH. I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THE CAR TO THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD. PRIOR TO THE ENGINE SHUT-OFF, ONLY THE "WRENCH INDICATOR" WAS ON; IT COMES ON OCCASIONALLY. SERVICE CENTERS CAN NEVER DIAGNOSE THE ISSUE ONCE THE CAR HAS TURNED OFF. WARNING LIGHT ON DASH SAID "SAFETY MODE" AT THE TIME OF ENGINE SHUT-OFF. I WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE CAR AFTER ABOUT TWO MINUTES. DASH WARNING INDICATORS TURNED OFF. GOT BACK ON THE INTERSTATE ONLY FOR THE CAR ENGINE TO TURN-OFF AGAIN AT THE BASE OF AN OFF-RAMP ABOUT FOUR MILES FARTHER UP THE ROAD. I WAS DRIVING THE CAR AT 55-60 MPH BEFORE THE SECOND INCIDENT. I WAS ABLE TO PULL INTO THE FORD DEALERSHIP. *TR

Mileage: 110,000

SINCE THE FIRST TIME I EXPERIENCED A BRAKING FAILURE INCIDENT I HAVE DONE A LOT OF RESEARCH&VISITS TO MECHANICS TO RETRIEVE CODES THROWN FROM THE CAR OFF DIAGNOSTIC MACHINES. REPLACING THE HCU CARRIES A PREMIUM PRICE TAG OF $5K-7K. PRIOR TO THE FIRST ACCIDENT,THERE IS NO OBVIOUS WAY THAT I COULD HAVE DAMAGED THE HCU WITH MY VERY NORMAL DRIVING HABITS (I.E.NO HISTORY OF TOWING, NO LONG DOWNHILL BRAKING)&THE HCU IS NOT A COMPONENT SUSCEPTIBLE TO WEAR TO THE POINT OF EARLY FAILURE. I BELIEVE THAT THE ESCAPE HYBRIDS BRAKING SYSTEM IS DEFECTIVE BY DESIGN (HENCE THE TSB)&FAULT LIES WITH FORD.I CONSIDER THIS BRAKE FAILURE VERY SERIOUS&A PROBLEM THAT FORD HAD NEVER BOTHERED TO NOTIFY ME ABOUT OR RECALL.MY ATTEMPTS TO GET FORD'S ATTENTION ON THIS MATTER HAVE BEEN FRUITLESS.TO SUMMARIZE NHTSA IS NOT CONCERNED B/C NOBODY HAS GOTTEN KILLED BY THESE DEFECTIVE BRAKES. FORD CLAIMS NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS VERY SERIOUS&SIGNIFICANTLY DANGEROUS DESIGN FLAW.AFTER SEVERAL EPISODES OF BRAKE FAILURE I FOUND TSB 05-8-5 (8/5/05 NHTSA ID#10017553:ESCAPEHYBRIDVEHICLES EXHIBIT THE YELLOW ABS&RED E- BRAKE WARNING LAMPS ILLUMINATING AFTER THE ENGINE IS STARTED,&AN INCREASE INBRAKE PEDALEFFORT)FORD CLAIMS NO RESPONSIBILITY TO DEAL W/THE PROBLEM.ITS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE W/O THE REPAIR,IT HAD NO VALUE BEING BROKEN,&I DID NOT HAVE THE CONSCIENCE TO SELL THE VEHICLE W/A DANGEROUS PROBLEM.FORDS FAILURE TO PROACTIVELY ADDRESS THIS SAFETY ISSUE IS RATHER APPALLING.FORD ABANDONED ME W/A$7,000 BILL TO REPAIR A PROBLEM THAT IS SOLELY RELATED TO THEIR POOR DESIGN.FIRST ACCIDENT DESCRIPTION:ABS WARNING LIGHT&SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON CLUSTER."SERVICE BRAKE SYSTEM"&"REGENERATIVE BRAKING DISABLED" ILLUMINATED ON MESSAGE BOARD. ON THE HIGHWAY IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC,UPON EXTREME BRAKING, BRAKES FAILED TO STOP THE VEHICLE IN TIME TO AVOID A REAR-END COLLISION WITH THE VEHICLE STOPPED IN FRONT OF ME. *TR

Mileage: 127,000

MULTIPLE INCIDENTS OF THE VEHICLE SHUTTING DOWN OCCURRED ON 3/8/2014 BEGINNING WHILE TRAVELLING ALONG A 2-LANE HIGHWAY (CA-74 AROUND IDYLLWILD AREA) AT APPROXIMATELY 10:30 P.M. VEHICLE DISPLAYED RED TRIANGLE ICON WITH EXCLAMATION POINT INSIDE THE TRIANGLE AND WORDS IN RED "STOP SAFELY NOW", AT WHICH POINT POWER TO THE ENGINE WAS DISABLED ALTHOUGH POWER STEERING APPEARED TO STILL BE ACTIVE. I THEN PULLED OVER AT A TURN-OUT (LUCKILY ONE WAS NEARBY SINCE I WAS GOING UPHILL AND LOSING SPEED QUICKLY). I PROCEEDED TO TURN THE IGNITION TO THE OFF POSITION AND WITHIN MINUTES RE-STARTED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT UNTIL APPROXIMATELY MIDNIGHT AT WHICH POINT I WAS TRAVELLING ALONG A MAJOR FREEWAY IN SAN DIEGO I-15 SOUTHBOUND AT A SPEED OF 65-70 MPH. AT THIS POINT THE VEHICLE BECAME DISABLED AFTER DISPLAYING THE RED ICON AND WORDS DESCRIBED ABOVE. THIS HAPPENED AGAIN 4 SEPARATE TIMES. THESE 4 INCIDENTS OCCURRED WITHIN A 6 MILE STRETCH OF EACH OTHER AND WITHIN A 20 MINUTE WINDOW. THERE WAS NO OTHER INDICATION THAT ANYTHING WAS WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE - NO SYSTEM NOTICE OF OVERHEATING, FAULTY ELECTRICAL, ETC. *TR

Mileage: 85,803

THIS WEEK THE NEWS HAD STORIES ABOUT GENERAL MOTORS RECALLING SEVERAL CARS BECAUSE THE IGNITION CAN SUDDENLY TURN OFF CAUSING THE CAR TO LOSE POWER WHILE DRIVING. THERE WERE EVEN DEATHS DUE TO BAD ACCIDENTS AS A RESULT OF THE IGNITION FAILURE AND CAR LOSING POWER. THIS REMINDED ME OF AN INCIDENT THAT HAPPENED TO ME WHICH WAS SIMILAR. I WAS DRIVING MY 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID LAST DECEMBER, ON I-280 IN SAN FRANCISCO DURING RUSH HOUR AT 65 MPH, WHEN SUDDENLY THE DASH BEEPED AT ME, FLASHED THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, DISPLAYED A MESSAGE TO PULL OVER SAFELY, AND THE ENGINE HAD NO POWER! I SUDDENLY FOUND MYSELF IN HEAVY TRAFFIC, MIDDLE LANE OF THE FREEWAY AND NO POWER TO SAFELY PULL OVER. I WAS LOSING SPEED AND SLOWED TO WHERE I CUT BETWEEN OTHER CARS AND OVER TO THE SHOULDER. I'M SURE I CUT SOMEONE OFF IN THE PROCESS. LUCKILY THERE WAS NOT A HORRIBLE ACCIDENT. THERE COULD HAVE EASILY BEEN AN ACCIDENT. THE SAME THING HAPPENED THREE MORE TIMES IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS BEFORE I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER TO BE FIXED. THEY INDICATED THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM OF WHICH THEY ARE AWARE. THE FORD DEALER DIAGNOSED IT WITH CODE P1A0D, WHICH WAS A BAD COOLANT PUMP FOR THE ELECTRIC GENERATOR. I DID SOME RESEARCH AND FOUND THAT MANY OTHER FORD ESCAPE OWNERS HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME SITUATION AS I DID WHERE THE VEHICLE LOST POWER WHILE AT HIGH SPEED AND PUT THEM INTO A DANGEROUS SITUATION. A SIMPLE GOOGLE SEARCH ON THIS FINDS SEVERAL BLOG REPORTS OF PEOPLE WITH SIMILAR SITUATIONS. FORD HAS YET TO ISSUE A RECALL ON THIS, BUT I HAVE FOUND THAT THERE IS A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT AGAINST FORD: MACDONALD V. FORD, CASE NO. 3:13-CV-02988, IN THE US DISTRICT COURT FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA. *TR

Mileage: 85,000

WE WERE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY 80 GOING ABOUT 70 MPH WHEN THE ENGINE SUDDENLY SHUDDERED AND QUIT. A RED TRIANGLE WITH AN EXCLAMATION POINT IN THE CENTER APPEARED ON THE DASH WITH THE MESSAGE "STOP SAFELY NOW". FORTUNATELY, THERE WAS A SHOULDER AND NO TRAFFIC IN THE RIGHT LANE, SO WE PULLED OFF. WE SHUT THE ENGINE OFF AND RESTARTED IT A FEW MINUTES LATER. WE PROCEEDED, STAYING IN THE RIGHT LANE AND THE SAME THING HAPPENED. THIS OCCURRED 5 TIMES INCLUDING ONCE ON THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY BRIDGE. IN RESEARCHING THIS, I FOUND THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH FORD ESCAPE HYBRIDS AND THAT IT IS A FAULTY MOTOR ELECTRONICS COOLANT PUMP. FORD HAS ISSUED A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN ABOUT THIS PROBLEM (TSB08-24-5), BUT HAS NOT YET ISSUED A RECALL. SINCE THIS IS A POTENTIALLY SERIOUS PROBLEM THAT COULD LEAD TO INJURY OR DEATH, I STRONGLY URGE YOU TO FORCE FORD TO ISSUE A RECALL. *TR

Mileage: 49,950

THROTTLE BODY FAILURE; ACCELERATION ISSUES. *TR

IT WAS THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2013. THE AMBIENT AIR TEMPERATURE WAS ABOUT 62 DEGREES. IT WAS SUNNY. THE STREETS WERE DRY. I WAS DRIVING SOUTH FROM AUSTIN TO NEW BRAUNFELS, TEXAS ON I-35 AT APPROXIMATELY 7:15 A.M. I HAD THE SPEED CONTROL SET FOR 55 M.P.H. AS I WAS LEAVING SAN MARCOS, AN ALARM TONE SOUNDED, AND THE DASH BOARD DISPLAY SHOWED "STOP SAFELY NOW" AND THE ENGINE SHUT OFF. I WAS ABLE TO MOVE TO THE SHOULDER USING BATTERY POWER ONLY AT LESS THAN 20 MILES AN HOUR, CAUSING ISSUES WITH OTHER TRAFFIC ON THE INTERSTATE, WITH MANY OF THE OTHER DRIVERS ANXIOUS TO GET TO WORK. I STOPPED THE CAR, AND WHEN IT WAS SAFE TO DO SO, EXITED THE VEHICLE AND DID A PERIMETER SCAN FOR ISSUES. NONE WERE DETECTED. I OPENED THE HOOD AND CHECKED FOR UNTOWARD ISSUES. THERE WAS NO SMOKE. THE ENGINE WASN'T OVERLY HOT. OIL WAS FULL TO THE APPROPRIATE MARK. THE VEHICLE HAD BEEN SERVICED BY THE DEALERSHIP WHO SOLD THE VEHICLE TO ME ABOUT 1790 MILES PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT, AND A FULL DIAGNOSTIC WAS PERFORMED WITHOUT ANY ISSUES DETECTED. AFTER COMPLETING THIS CHECK, I RESTARTED THE CAR AND DROVE FOR ANOTHER 20 OR SO MILES WHEN THE ALARM AND DISPLAY REPEATED AS ABOVE. AGAIN THERE WERE NO ISSUES. I RESTARTED THE VEHICLE AFTER ABOUT THREE MINUTES AND WAS ABLE TO COMPLETE THE 75 MILE COMMUTE. THE RETURN TRIP HAD NO ISSUES. SINCE THE VEHICLE SHUT DOWN COMPLETELY WITHOUT WARNING IN FAST-MOVING TRAFFIC, THIS IS A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE. INFORMATION FROM THE INTERNET INDICATES THAT FORD HAS HAD THIS ISSUE SINCE THE FIRST ESCAPE HYBRIDS WERE ON THE ROAD, AND THERE APPEARS TO BE NO DEFINITIVE PROBLEM OR CORRECTION. I REQUEST THAT THE NHTSA EXAMINE THIS TO DETERMINE IF A RECALL SHOULD BE PERFORMED BEFORE SOMEONE IS KILLED BECAUSE OF A FAULTY ALARM THAT SHUTS THE VEHICLE DOWN COMPLETELY WITHOUT WARNING. *TR

Mileage: 92,827

DRIVING ON HIGHWAY WITH NO APPARENT PROBLEM, THEN SUDDENLY, THREE THINGS HAPPEN SIMULTANEOUSLY: 1) THE GAS ENGINE SHUTS OFF COMPLETELY, LEAVING NO POWER TO MAINTAIN SPEED, DECELERATION HAPPENS. 2) SAFETY ALERT LIGHT ILLUMINATES IN THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER. IT'S A RED TRIANGLE WITH "!" INSIDE OF IT. 3) MESSAGE CENTER DISPLAYS "PULL OVER SAFELY" OR WORDS TO THAT EFFECT. THIS LEAVES YOU WITH ABSOLUTELY NO RECOURSE, OTHER THAN TO SOMEHOW GET TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, OUT OF THE WAY OF ANY TRAFFIC CONDITIONS THAT ARE AROUND YOU AT THAT INSTANT. THE ELECTRIC HYBRID MOTOR STILL OPERATES, BUT THAT'S ONLY GOOD TO CREEP ALONG LIKE A GOLF CART, DOWN THE SHOULDER OF THE HIGHWAY, IF THE SAFETY OF THE SHOULDER LOOKS BETTER UP AHEAD, TO GET OUT OF THE WAY OF THE TRAFFIC THAT'S ZOOMING BY. CORRECTIVE ACTION, ONCE THE OWNERS MANUAL IS STUDIED, IS TO PUT IT IN PARK, AND TURN OFF THE IGNITION. THEN, RE-START AND GO. IT OPERATES AS IF NOTHING HAD JUST HAPPENED! THEN, IN A WHILE, IT HAPPENS AGAIN, AND AGAIN, AND AGAIN, (VARYING MILES BETWEEN EPISODES, ANYTHING ROUGHLY FROM 1 MILE TO 70 MILES) UNTIL EITHER YOU FINALLY GIVE UP AND HAVE IT TOWED, OR YOU FINALLY GET IT TO SOME FINAL DESTINATION. *TR

Mileage: 80,800

FAILURE OF THE ELECTRONIC WATER PUMP FOR THE HYBRID SYSTEM CAUSES THE IMMEDIATE SHUTDOWN OF THE VEHICLE LEAVING DRIVER NO POWER TO MOVE TO A SAFE AREA. THERE IS NO WARNING BUT JUST AN IMMEDIATE ELECTRICAL SHUTOFF UNTIL DRIVER CAN MOVE TO THE SHOULDER AND RESTART THE VEHICLE. THIS OCCURRED TWICE AND LEFT US IN VERY DANGEROUS SITUATIONS BEFORE I HAD THE CAR REPAIRED. FORD WOULD NOT REPLACE THE PART CLAIMING IT IS NOT COVERED UNDER THEIR HYBRID WARRANTY ALTHOUGH THE PART IS INTEGRAL TO THE HYBRID SYSTEM. PART SHOULD BE RECALLED BEFORE FATALITIES OCCUR. *TR

Mileage: 62,500

WHILE TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEED, THE CAR SUDDENLY LOSES ALL POWER AND THE STOP SAFELY NOW LIGHT COMES ON IN THE DASH. I HAD TO PULL OVER QUICKLY WHILE AVOIDING BEING KILLED BY HIGHWAY TRAFFIC. NO WARNING AT ALL. DURING MY ROAD TRIP, THIS HAPPENED 3 TIMES ON THE HIGHWAY. DURING MY RETURN TRIP, IT HAPPENED 3 MORE TIMES. PROBLEM WILL ONLY OCCUR AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND DURING LONG ROAD TRIPS. MY 20-MIN DRIVE TO WORK HAS NO ISSUES. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY PROBLEM AND A FLAWED DESIGN ON FORD'S PART. MY FAMILY AND I COULD HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY INJURED OR KILLED DURING ANY ONE OF THE SIX TIMES THE CAR MYSTERIOUSLY DIED ON THE HIGHWAY. FROM MY RESEARCH, THIS PROBLEM CAN BE CAUSED BY SEVERAL COMPONENTS AND IS DIFFICULT TO DIAGNOSE IN THE SHOP. FOR OLDER MODELS, THERE HAS BEEN TSB'S ISSUED, BUT NOT FOR 2008 AND LATER MODELS. I HAVE KNOWN SEVERAL 2008 MODELS THAT EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM AROUND 60,000 - 70,000 MILES. BROWSING THOUGH THIS WEBSITE SHOWS MANY HAVE COMPLAINED ABOUT THIS ISSUE. FORD NEEDS TO ADDRESS THIS ASAP BEFORE SOMEONE GETS KILLED OR INJURED ON THE HIGHWAY. *TR

Mileage: 70,200

WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AT HIGHWAY SPEED ON A SUMMER NIGHT AT AROUND 9:00 PM, THE CAR'S ENGINE SUDDENLY STOPPED, A RED WARNING TRIANGLE LIGHT CAME ON, AND THE DASH MESSAGE SCREEN SAID, "STOP SAFELY NOW." I PULLED THE CAR TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, TURNED IT OFF, AND WAS ABLE TO RESUME DRIVING AFTER A FEW MINUTES. ON 5 SEPARATE TRIPS SUBSEQUENTLY, THIS SUDDEN LOSS OF ENGINE POWER HAS HAPPENED, OFTEN IN HEAVY TRAFFIC WHERE PULLING TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WAS VERY DIFFICULT AND DANGEROUS. THE FAILURE OFTEN HAPPENS MULTIPLE TIMES ON THE SAME TRIP. EACH TIME THE FAILURE HAS HAPPENED HAS BEEN IN THE SUMMER AND IN THE LATE AFTERNOON OR EVENING. EACH TIME THE CAR CAN BE RESTARTED ONCE PULLED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND TURNED OFF. *TR

Mileage: 34,000

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE STALLED WITH THE ILLUMINATION OF A RED TRIANGLE ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WARNING THE CONTACT TO PULL OVER. THE CONTACT LATER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE MOTOR ELECTRONIC COOLANT SYSTEM FAILED AND CAUSED THE FAILURE. THE DEALER STATED THAT THIS WAS KNOWN ISSUE THAT THE MANUFACTURER HAD NOT CORRECTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 62,000. *TR

Mileage: 62,000

DRIVING FOR ABOUT 30 MINUTES AT HIGHWAY SPEED AND THE GAS MOTOR SHUTS OFF AND GOES IN TO LIMP MODE USING ONLY BATTERY HYBRID POWER. THE CAR WON'T RESTART MOTOR WHILE ROLLING. THE DASH SHOWS A MESSAGE TO PULL OVER AND STOP WITH A LITTLE RED TRIANGLE. IN ORDER TO RESTART THE MOTOR YOU HAVE TO COMPLETELY TURN THE KEY TO THE OFF POSITION. THE CAR WILL IMMEDIATELY START BACK UP AND DRIVE BETWEEN 1/2 TO 1 MILE THEN SHUTS DOWN AGAIN. REPEAT PROCESS AGAIN AND AGAIN UNTIL GOT OFF THE HIGHWAY. ONCE OFF THE HIGHWAY, I STOPPED WITH THE MOTOR SHUT IT OFF FOR APPROXIMATELY 15 MINUTES AND THE CAR STARTED BACK UP AND OPERATED NORMALLY. DROVE AN ADDITIONAL 30 MILES WITH NO PROBLEMS. NO ISSUES FOR ABOUT THREE WEEKS THEN SAME SCENARIO OF MULTIPLE STALLS ON THE HIGHWAY. CAR WORKED FINE THE FOLLOWING DAY. NO ENGINE LIGHTS OR CODES. THE FIRST INCIDENT OCCURRED WHILE RAINING. THE SECOND INCIDENT OCCURRED AT NIGHT WHEN IT WAS DRY. *TR

Mileage: 108,000

WAS DRIVING ON A HWY ON A SUMMER NIGHT, GOING 60 MPH, WHEN A LIGHT CAME ON MY 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID'S DASHBOARD THAT SAID "STOP SAFELY NOW" AND THE ENGINE LOST POWER/TURNED OFF. I COASTED TO A SHOULDER AND SHUT THE VEHICLE OFF AND RESTARTED, AND THE WARNING LIGHT WAS GONE, SO I DROVE ON. NOTICED ENGINE WAS RUNNING LOUDER THAN NORMAL AND TRANSITION BETWEEN GAS AND ELECTRIC MODES SEEMED CLUNKY. GOOGLED THE PROBLEM WHEN I GOT HOME AND FOUND DOZENS OF CONSUMER COMPLAINTS - SAYING IT WAS A FAULTY COOLING PUMP (PART NUMBER 5M6Z-8C419-A) CAUSING THIS PROBLEM. TOOK VEHICLE TO THE FORD DEALER AND THEY CONFIRMED THIS WAS WHAT WAS WRONG WITH MY VEHICLE. REPAIR COST $632.00. NOT COVERED UNDER THE HYBRID WARRANTY. (WE WERE TOLD IT'S NECESSARY FOR THE HYBRID ENGINE TO FUNCTION, BUT IT'S NOT CONSIDERED A HYBRID PART.) DUG FURTHER, SAW THAT FORD HAD ISSUED A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN (NOV. 20, 2008) TO DEALERSHIPS: "TSB 08-24-5 STATES THAT SOME 2005-2008 ESCAPE HYBRID AND 2006-2008 MARINER HYBRID VEHICLES MAY EXHIBIT A RED TRIANGLE LIGHT AND CODES INDICATING A TRANSAXLE OVERTEMP. THIS CONDITION MAY RESULT IN REDUCED POWER AS THE SYSTEM ACTIVATES FAIL SAFE OPERATION." FORD KNOWS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM. THIS IS CLEARLY HAPPENING TO A LOT OF PEOPLE. FORD NEEDS TO BE MADE ACCOUNTABLE AND DO THE RIGHT THING AND ISSUE A RECALL. IF THIS PROBLEM HAPPENS WHEN SOMEONE IS IN THE MIDDLE OF A BUSY EXPRESSWAY, OR IF SOMEONE IS BEING TAILGATED, ETC. WHEN THE ENGINE SHUTS OFF, PEOPLE WILL GET KILLED, IF SOME HAVEN'T BEEN ALREADY. WE CALLED THE FORD OWNER RELATIONS NUMBER AND WERE TOLD THAT THE BEST WAY TO GET A RECALL ISSUED IS TO SUBMIT THESE COMPLAINTS. HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE TO BE INJURED OR DIE BEFORE THIS IS TAKEN CARE OF? FORD MOTOR COMPANY - IF YOU'RE WORRIED ABOUT PROFITS AND THE BOTTOM LINE - HOW MUCH REPEAT BUSINESS WILL YOU GET ONCE YOU KILL OFF YOUR CUSTOMER BASE? *TR

Mileage: 69,500

ON 4 SEPARATE OCCASIONS, ALL OCCURRING AT HIGHWAY SPEED AFTER AT LEAST 40 MINUTES OF DRIVING ON A HOT DAY, THE CAR'S ENGINE SUDDENLY CUT OFF, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO LOSE SPEED RAPIDLY. A RED TRIANGLE WARNING LIGHT APPEARED ON THE DASHBOARD WITH THE FOLLOWING WORDS: "PULL OVER SAFELY NOW AND TURN OFF ENGINE". ALL 4 TIMES I WAS DRIVING AROUND 65 MPH ON AN INTERSTATE. ALL 4 TIMES THE CAR STARTED AGAIN NORMALLY AFTER A FEW MINUTES. AFTER THE 3RD INCIDENT, I STARTED THE CAR AGAIN SOON, AND IT STALLED AGAIN AFTER 10 MORE MINUTES OF HIGHWAY DRIVING. FIRST INCIDENT LATE JULY 2012, THEN LATE AUGUST 2012, AND TWICE ON JUNE 19, 2013. THIS IS A TERRIFYING EXPERIENCE, AND I WAS EXTREMELY LUCKY NOT TO BE REAR ENDED. THE DEALER CLAIMS IT CANNOT DUPLICATE PROBLEM OR SEE ANY CODES IN DIAGNOSTIC COMPUTER, REFUSES TO PURSUE. HELP!!!! *TR

Mileage: 51,000

FORD ESCAPE HYBRID (FEH) "STOP VEHICLE SAFELY" RED TRIANGLE WARNING AND IMMEDIATE ENGINE SHUTDOWN DUE TO THE WELL-KNOWN DEFECT IN THE BOSCH OEM MOTOR ELECTRONICS COOLING SYSTEM (MECS) PUMP IN THE 2005-2008 MODEL YEARS. SEE FORD TSB 08-24-5. IF THE NHTSA DID EVEN A CURSORY SEARCH ON THE INTERNET THEY WOULD SEE MANY, MANY HUNDREDS OF POSTINGS AND RELATED ACCIDENTS OR NEAR-MISSES. THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS SAFETY PROBLEM BECAUSE FAILURE IS ONLY TRIGGERED BY DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS OR DRIVING UP STEEP HILLS AND THE SHUTDOWN IS IMMEDIATE (NO PRIOR WARNING), CAUSING SUDDEN AND SIGNIFICANT DROP IN SPEED AND FRANTIC ACTIONS BY THE DRIVER TO ABRUPTLY STEER THE UNPOWERED CAR TO THE SHOULDER. THERE ARE NO EXTERNAL INDICATORS TO WARN OTHER VEHICLES OF THE SUDDEN SLOWDOWN AND LANE CHANGE AND THE DRIVER DARE NOT USE THE BRAKES TO SIGNAL OTHERS BECAUSE TO HIT THE BRAKES WITH THE ENGINE SHUT DOWN AND THE VEHICLE ALREADY QUICKLY SLOWING TO A STOP WOULD CAUSE THE FEH TO ABRUPTLY STOP IN THE MIDDLE OF HIGHWAY. ALTHOUGH THIS PART IS UNIQUE TO THE HYBRID VERSIONS OF ESCAPES, FORD REFUSES TO CLASSIFY IT AS A UNIQUE HYBRID COMPONENT (WHICH WOULD BE COVERED BY THE 8 YR 100,000 MI WARRANTY) AND ROUTINELY CHARGES $800 TO REPLACE IT. IN MY CASE FAILURES HAPPENED FOUR TIMES IN THE LAST YEAR, ALWAYS ON INTERSTATE HIGHWAYS. TWO OF THE FAILURES NEARLY CAUSED MULTIPLE CAR PILEUPS BECAUSE THE INTERSTATE WAS FULL OF CARS AND SEMIS WHEN THE ENGINE CUT OUT. I AM FRANKLY SHOCKED THAT THE NHTSA DIDN'T REQUIRE A RECALL YEARS AGO FOR A WELL-KNOWN AND COMMON DEFECT THAT WITHOUT WARNING CAUSES FEH'S TO ABRUPTLY AND SIGNIFICANTLY SLOW DOWN SPECIFICALLY AT HIGH SPEEDS OR STEEP HILL CLIMBS, FORCING THE DRIVER TO ABRUPTLY CHANGE LANES TO GET TO THE SHOULDER. SEVERAL CLASS ACTION LAWSUITS ARE BEING PREPARED. ISN'T IT TIME THE NHTSA ADDRESSED THIS VERY SERIOUS DEFECT? *TR

Mileage: 60,000

MY 17 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING HOME APPROX 5:30 PM ON A BUSY FOUR LANE ROAD FROM AN ERRAND AND THE "STOP SAFELY NOW" LIGHT CAME ON. AT THAT POINT SHE COULD NOT GET OVER DUE TO TRAFFIC AND THE ENGINE SHUT OFF IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. SHE WAS ABLE TO COAST DOWN A HILL INTO A TURN LANE NEARLY HITTING AN ONCOMING CAR AND STOP THE CAR. WE ARRIVED ON THE SCENE AND WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE CAR AND BRING IT HOME. WE TOOK IT TO THE DEALER WHERE THEY WANTED TO REPLACE THE COOLANT MOTOR TO THE BATTERY WHICH WAS DEFECTIVE AND CAUSING THE HYBRID BATTERY TO OVERHEAT THEREBY SHUTTING DOWN THE ENGINE COMPLETELY. THIS IS TO PREVENT THE HYBRID BATTERY FROM OVERHEATING. I DO UNDERSTAND THE NEED FOR THIS TO ELIMINATE THE POSSIBILITY OF A FIRE, BUT THESE SHOULD BE REPLACED EVERY 50,000 MILES TO STOP THE ENGINE FROM SHUTTING OFF . WE WERE GETTING READY TO DRIVE ON A 600 MILE TRIP IN THIS CAR AND WOULD HAVE BEEN STRANDED ON THE HIGHWAY. THE WAY THE WARRANTY IS WRITTEN, IT IS NOT COVERED. AFTER RESEARCHING THE PROBLEM, THIS HAPPENS MORE FREQUENTLY ESPECIALLY AFTER 50,000 MILES. PLEASE INVESTIGATE AND PROVIDE A RECALL AND/OR FIX TO THIS PROBLEM ON THESE CARS. *TR

Mileage: 74,000

DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, ENGINE DECELERATED, RED TRIANGLE WARNING LIGHT APPEARED ON DASH, WITH DIRECTION TO GET OFF OF THE ROAD. I DID SO, TURNED OFF ENGINE AND WAITED A FEW MINUTES. ENGINE THEN RESTARTED WITHOUT WARNING LIGHT COMING ON. BETWEEN THAT EVENT AND ARRIVING HOME (APPROXIMATELY 10 MILES), THIS OCCURRED 5 MORE TIMES. THIS HAD NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE. RESEARCHING THIS ONLINE, THERE APPEAR TO BE HUNDREDS IF NOT THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WITH THE SAME EXPERIENCE. THIS NEEDS TO BE INVESTIGATED AND FORD NEEDS TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR RESOLVING THIS ISSUE. *TR

Mileage: 90,000

DRIVING ALONG, MY WIFE SUDDENLY NOTICED THAT BRAKING WAS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT. DASHBOARD STATES ABS SYSTEM FAILURE, AND REGEN SYSTEM FAILURE. SHE PULLED OVER AND TURNED CAR OFF. RESTARTING, FAILURE LIGHTS STILL COME UP, BRAKING STILL EXTREMELY DIFFICULT. A LOOK UNDER THE HOOD, AND THE BRAKE FLUID IS ALMOST COMPLETELY GONE! IT'D BEEN FILLED AT LAST OIL CHANGE (LESS THAN 1500 MILES AGO) TOOK CAR TO FORD DEALERSHIP. AFTER 2 DAYS, THEY DETERMINED THAT THE MASTER CYLINDER AND HCU NEEDED TO BE REPLACED, THAT THEY WOULD BE SPECIAL ORDER PARTS AND THAT IT'D COST EXTRA $ FOR REPAIRS DUE TO THE COMPLEXITY OF THE REPAIR. (I'D TOLD THE DEALERSHIP THAT I'D RESEARCHED AND THIS IS A VERY COMMON ISSUE, FORD HAS MANY TSBS OUT FOR THIS, CALLS INTO QUESTION THE TRAINING OR THE ABILITY OF THIS DEALERSHIP TO PROPERLY DO THE REPAIR) FORD IS THE ONLY SUPPLIER FOR PARTS FOR THIS PARTICULAR REPAIR, AND THEY CHARGE A PREMIUM PRICE FOR THEM! $7000 FOR PARTS AND LABOR TO REPAIR A SAFETY RELATED PROBLEM THAT FORD SHOULD BE VOLUNTARILY RECALLING. IF THEY'RE NOT GOING TO ISSUE A SAFETY RECALL, THEY SHOULD AT LEAST MAKE THE PARTS AVAILABLE FOR A LOT LESS MONEY! *TR CONSUMER TRADED THE VEHICLE IN JULY 2014 TO MARK MILLER TOYOTA IN SALT LAKE CITY, UT. UPDATED 6/8/18*JB

Mileage: 59,575

WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY, THE "STOP SAFELY NOW" LIT UP AFTER I FELT A JOLT TO THE CAR, WHICH THEN SLOWED DOWN. I REACHED THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND TURNED THE CAR OFF FOR A FEW MINUTES. UPON RESTARTING THE CAR THE RED SSN LIGHT WAS OFF AND I WAS ABLE TO REACH A QUALIFIED AUTO REPAIR. THEY RAN THE DIAGNOSTICS BUT WERE UNABLE TO SEE A PROBLEM AFTER GOING THROUGH THEIR CODE PROCESS, NOR RECREATE THE SSN ALERT. THIS FIRST HAPPENED ON FEBRUARY 27TH 2013. AGAIN, HAVING THREE CHILDREN IN THE CAR WITH ME AND TO HAVE THIS HAPPEN ON THE FREEWAY WAS (ON THE WAY TO DISNEYLAND) QUITE FRIGHTENING AND HAZARDOUS! I HAVE READ MANY MANY STORIES OF FEH OWNERS WITH THE SAME ISSUE! THIS IS A DEFECT TO THE CAR, AND NOT DUE TO NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR. IT IS A HUGE SAFETY CONCERN AND WHILE I WAS NOT INJURED, THE FACT THAT I HAD TO SUDDENLY SLOW DOWN AND PULL OVER COULD HAVE RESULTED IN OTHER CAR OWNERS ON THE FREEWAY BEING IN AN ACCIDENT. SERIOUSLY. *TR

Mileage: 60,200

WHILE DRIVING AT A NORMAL SPEED, THE ELECTRICAL PANEL HAS STARTED DISPLAYING "STOP SAFELY NOW" AND THE ENGINE SHUTS DOWN. THIS WAS HAPPENING SPORADICALLY BUT HAS SINCE STARTED HAPPENING MORE CONSISTENTLY. IT HAPPENED WHILE TRAVELING ON THE HIGHWAY ON 3/22/2013, WHICH IS A VERY SERIOUS SAFETY CONCERN WHEN A VEHICLE SHUTS DOWN IN THE MIDDLE OF A BUSY HIGHWAY. ONCE I PULL OVER AND RESTART THE CAR, EVERYTHING APPEARS NORMAL UNTIL THE NEXT TIME IT HAPPENS. ON 3/23/2013 IT HAPPENED TWICE IN LESS THAN 5 MILES. *TR

Mileage: 65,000

WHILE COMMUTING TO WORK TRAVELING AT INTERSTATE SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE INDICATED A RED TRIANGLE WITH EXCLAMATION MARK ENCLOSED, A MESSAGE IN THE DRIVER MESSAGE CENTER READING 'STOP VEHICLE SAFELY', AND AN IMMEDIATE LOSS OF POWER ON BOTH FOSSIL FUEL ENGINE AND ELECTRICAL MOTOR DRIVE COMPONENTS. COASTING TO THE SIDE OF THE INTERSTATE WAS STRESSFUL AND EXCEEDINGLY DANGEROUS DURING RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC AT SPEEDS IN EXCESS OF 70 MPH. WITHOUT EXTENSIVE DRIVER EXPERIENCE, THIS INCIDENT COULD HAVE BECOME A FATALITY. THIS POWERLESS ACTION SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED DUE TO ITS VERY POTENTIAL OF FATALITY. *TR

Mileage: 125,578

DRIVING VEHICLE ON INTERSTATE HIGHWAY @ HIGHWAY SPEEDS. WHILE MERGING INTO TRAFFIC, EXPERIENCED ABRUPT LOSS OF POWER. AMBER WRENCH WARNING LIGHT CAME ON. MOVED TO SHOULDER OF ROAD IN HEAVY TRAFFIC, STOPPED VEHICLE, TURNED OFF IGNITION & AFTER ABOUT 30 - 40 SECONDS RESTARTED VEHICLE, POWER RESTORED & VEHICLE CONTINUED TO DRIVE NORMALLY (WRENCH LIGHT OFF). TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER, WHERE THROTTLE BODY WAS REPLACED, NOT UNDER WARRANTY (DESPITE TSB 09-19-12). ON FEB. 3, 2012, EXPERIENCED SIMILAR LOSS OF POWER PROBLEM, AND THE AMBER WRENCH LIGHT AND MASTER VEHICLE ELECTRICAL HAZARD WARNING LIGHT CAME ON, AND VEHICLE COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN (MILEAGE AT THIS POINT: 45,500 MILES). AFTER SHUTTING OFF THE IGNITION & RESTARTING, THE VEHICLE WOULD RUN NORMALLY FOR 45-60 SECONDS, THEN WOULD FAULT & SHUT DOWN. I WAS CLOSE TO MY WORKPLACE, SO I LIMPED IT BACK TO WORK. CALLED DEALER, WHO RECOMMENDED CALLING FORD'S ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE. VEHICLE WAS TRANSPORTED TO HYBRID CERTIFIED DEALER, WHERE THE THROTTLE BODY WAS REPLACED (UNDER WARRANTY THIS TIME) AND THE PCM WAS REPROGRAMMED. WHEN I CAME TO PICK THE VEHICLE UP, I EXPERIENCED THE SAME LOSS OF POWER & WARNING LIGHTS (OPEN WRENCH LIGHT). DEALER NOW CLAIMS A SENSOR IN THE SHIFT ASSEMBLY IS BAD & IS CAUSING THE PROBLEM (CLAIMING THIS IS NOT COVERED BY WARRANTY). VEHICLE IS STILL AT DEALER AT THE TIME OF THIS POST. *TR

Mileage: 36,050

CAR STARTED AND AFTER BACKING OUT AND MOVING FORWARD, STOP ENGINE NOW MESSAGE CAME ON WITH A RED TRIANGLE ON DASH. SLOWLY MOVED TO A PARKING SPACE. TURNED ENGINE OFF AND WAITED FOR ONE MINUTE AND RESTARTED. MESSAGE WAS GONE AND CAR DRIVEN HOME. BROUGHT TO DEALER FOLLOWING WEEK WITH DESCRIPTION OF PROBLEM. THEY DIAGNOSED AS A FAILURE OF THE THROTTLE BODY AND REPLACED THE THROTTLE BODY AND ASSEMBLY AT COST OF $629. READ IN OTHER COMPLAINTS THAT PROBLEM RESURFACES LATER. HAPPY THAT I WAS NOT TRAVELING ON FREEWAY WHEN THE PROBLEM OCCURRED. CONSIDERING FREQUENCY OF THIS AND OTHER PROBLEMS RELATED TO SHUTDOWN AND HYBRID, SHOULD A RECALL BE ISSUED? *TR

Mileage: 79,270

STOP SAFELY NOW-LIGHTS UP AND ENGINE KILLS/QUITS. WILL RESTART AFTER STOPPING AND RESTARTING VEHICLE ENGINE KILLS CREATING A DANGEROUS SITUATION. *TR

Mileage: 68,735

I WAS DRIVING WITH MY FAMILY TO SEE MT. RUSHMORE AT NIGHT WHEN MY 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID SUDDENLY SHUT DOWN. I WAS ON THE FREEWAY GOING ABOUT 70 MPH WHEN WITHOUT WARNING A RED TRIANGULAR WARNING LIGHT CAME ON AND THE ENGINE STOPPED RUNNING. I PULLED OVER, SHUT THE ENGINE OFF, AND WAS ABLE TO COMPLETE MY TRIP AFTER THIS. HOWEVER, WHEN VACATIONING A YEAR LATER IN MICHIGAN, THIS EXACT SAME THING HAPPENED 3 TIMES WHEN MAKING AN 8-HOUR TRIP. EACH TIME I'VE BEEN GOING CLOSE TO 70 MPH AND I'VE HAD TO CAREFULLY NAVIGATE MY WAY TO THE SIDE OF THE FREEWAY... VERY DANGEROUS! IT WOULD SEEM THAT A RECALL WOULD BE IN ORDER FOR SUCH A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. *TR

Mileage: 46,000

DOES SOMEONE HAVE TO DIE BEFORE FORD RECALLS THESE CARS TO FIX THE HYBRID COOLING SYSTEM IN THESE VEHICLES. I HAVE FIXED THE PROBLEM ONCE MYSELF (TWO YEARS AGO) AND NOW IT IS HAPPENING AGAIN. THESE CARS SHUT DOWN ON THE HIGHWAY WITH OUT WARNING BECAUSE OF SOMETHING GOING ON WITH THE HYBRID SYSTEM. THIS TIME MY WIFE WAS IN THE PASSING LANE WHEN IT HAPPENED. ONE DAY SOMEONE IS GOING TO DIE FROM THIS PROBLEM BECAUSE IT ONLY HAPPENS WHEN YOU ARE TRAVELING AT HIGHER SPEEDS (ON A HIGHWAY) THE RED TRIANGLE LIGHT COMES ON AND AUTOMATICALLY SHUTS DOWN THE CAR. SOME FAMILY WILL BE KILLED BECAUSE OF THIS AND FORD WILL BE CAUGHT KNOWING ABOUT THE PROBLEM AND DOING NOTHING TO FIX IT. *TR

Mileage: 102,000

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

Mileage: 50,400

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

Mileage: 93,829

WE WERE DRIVING UP I-95 FROM FL TO VA WHEN THE CAR SUDDENLY GAVE A LOUD WARNING TONE AND DISPLAYED THE MESSAGE STOP SAFELY NOW. THE CAR LOST ALL POWER AS WE QUICKLY TRIED TO CROSS SEVERAL LANES OF TRAFFIC TO REACH THE SHOULDER. UPON EXAMINATION OF THE CAR WE STARTED IT UP AGAIN WITH NO CONSEQUENCE AND CONTINUED ON OUR TRIP. ABOUT 30 MINUTES LATER IT HAPPENED AGAIN. AFTER READING THE OWNER'S MANUAL I DISCOVERED THE WARNING MESSAGE INVOLVED A COMPONENT OF THE HYBRID SYSTEM. I DECIDED TO TRY SHUTTING OFF THE ECON SWITCH (WHICH ACTIVATES BATTERY) AND ALL AC/ ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS. THIS WORKED BEAUTIFULLY FOR 100+ MILES UNTIL AT NIGHTFALL THE HEADLIGHTS KICKED ON AND OUR TROUBLES RETURNED. SINCE IT WAS SUNDAY NIGHT WE DECIDED TO STAY OVERNIGHT WHERE WE WERE AND GET IT CHECKED BY THE NEAREST FORD IN THE MORNING. THE DIAGNOSTICS ($95) REVEALED IT WAS THE MOTOR ELECTRONIC COOLING PUMP AT FAULT WHICH THIS DEALER DID NOT CARRY. WE CAUTIOUSLY CONTINUED USING THE NO ELECTRICAL METHOD AND WERE ABLE TO SUCCESSFULLY REACH OUR DESTINATION 400MILES AWAY WITH NO MORE INCIDENTS, WHERE WE THEN TOOK IT TO OUR HOME DEALER FOR REPAIR. A VERY DANGEROUS CONDITION WHICH UPON RESEARCH I'M LEARNING IS HAPPENING TO MANY OTHER ESCAPE HYBRID OWNERS. *JS

Mileage: 80,100

THE FIRST TIME IT OCCURRED I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AND THE INFO SCREEN TOLD ME TO STOP SAFELY AS THE ENGINE SHUT DOWN. IT HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES THAT DAY, AND THEN DIDN'T HAPPEN UNTIL TODAY, JUNE 17, 2012. THIS RECENT TIME A HIGH ENGINE TEMPERATURE WARNING CAME UP ON THE INFO SCREEN. I CHECKED ALL OF THE FLUIDS AND THEY ARE FULL AND ALL HAVE BEEN CHANGED IN THE LAST YEAR OR SO. *TR

Mileage: 72,258

TRAVELING ON FREEWAY AT APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH. WITHOUT WARNING, ENGINE COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN. CHIME SOUNDED AND WARNING MESSAGE APPEARED ON DASHBOARD SAYING "STOP SAFELY NOW." RED TRIANGLE WITH EXCLAMATION POINT IN CENTER APPEARED ON DASH. I WAS INFORMED BY FORD SERVICE DEPARTMENT DURING REPAIRS THAT THIS IS A KNOWN FAILURE PROBLEM AS RELATED IN FORD TSB 09-18-6, AFFECTING SIMILAR VEHICLES UP TO 2007. *TR

Mileage: 38,200

WHILE DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE AT AROUND 55-65MPH THE VEHICLE LOST ENGINE POWER, A WARNING LIGHT CAME ON AND A "STOP SAFELY NOW" MESSAGE. THE VEHICLE LOST THE ABILITY TO ACCELERATE BUT WE WERE ABLE TO COAST TO A STOP AT AN EXIT THAT HAPPENED TO BE NEARBY. DUE TO CONSTRUCTION AND THE REMOVAL OF THE SHOULDER LANE, HAD THIS HAPPENED MERELY A MILE EARLIER IN THE ROUTE THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN NO PLACE TO STOP SAFELY. THE SAME WARNING LIGHT AND ENGINE POWER LOSS OCCURRED ABOUT 10 MONTHS PRIOR WHILE DRIVING ON A TWO- LANE HIGHWAY. WE WERE ABLE TO COAST TO A STOP SAFELY THEN AS WELL, BUT WE'RE AGAIN LUCKY TO BE IN LITTLE TRAFFIC AND IN AN AREA WITH SUFFICIENT SHOULDER SPACE. AFTER TAKING THE VEHICLE TO OUR DEALERSHIP FOR SERVICE WE WERE TOLD NO PROBLEM COULD BE IDENTIFIED. EACH TIME THIS OCCURS WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO RESTART THE CAR AND COMPLETE OUR TRIP. THE INABILITY FOR THE VEHICLE TO ACCELERATE AND THE INSTANT POWER LOSS WITH THIS WARNING IS A SERIOUS SAFETY CONCERN THAT SHOULD BE ADDRESSED IN A RECALL PARTICULARLY IF THIS IS THE RESULT OF A FAULTY PART. *TR

Mileage: 70,000

WHILE DRIVING IN THE LEFT LANE OF THE HIGHWAY AT ABOUT 60-65 MPH IN MODERATE/HEAVY TRAFFIC, THE GASOLINE ENGINE SHUT DOWN AND GAVE ME A "STOP SAFELY NOW" MESSAGE ON THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER. I WAS ABLE TO GET THE CAR OFF OF THE ROAD, BUT IT WAS A RATHER FRIGHTENING AND DANGEROUS ORDEAL TO CROSS TWO LANES OF MODERATE/HEAVY TRAFFIC AFTER THE ENGINE SHUT DOWN. AFTER HAVING THE CAR TOWED TO THE DEALER, THEY INFORMED ME THAT IT WAS "A PRETTY COMMON" PROBLEM AMONGST ESCAPES (TRANSAXLE COOLING PUMP / WATER PUMP). RESEARCHING THIS FURTHER, IT APPEARS THAT THERE ARE A NUMBER OF OTHERS ON MESSAGE BOARDS AND THE LIKE THAT HAVE THIS SAME PROBLEM. *TR

Mileage: 86,200

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 70 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED AND A WARNING LIGHT ADVISING HER TO PULL OVER ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE CONTACT RESTARTED THE VEHICLE AND THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS IN THE PROCESS OF BEING TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR INSPECTION. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.

Mileage: 80,000

WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE INTERSTATE AT 70 MILES PER HOUR, THE ENGINE SUDDENLY SHUT OFF AND I RECEIVED A WARNING LIGHT, AND THE MESSAGE "STOP SAFELY NOW." THIS PARTICULAR INSTANCE OCCURRED ON 1-95 SOUTH JUST SOUTH OF WASHINGTON ON A PORTION UNDER CONSTRUCTION WITH NO SHOULDER, IT IS EXTREMELY LUCKY THAT NO MAJOR ACCIDENT OCCURRED. HOWEVER, KNOWING THAT THIS ISSUE IS FREQUENT AS CAN BE SEEN BY FELLOW COMPLAINTS, AND FROM THAT FACT THAT THIS HAS HAPPENED BEFORE, THIS VEHICLE SHOULD RECEIVE AN IMMEDIATE RECALL, AS DID THE IDENTICALLY MODELED TOYOTA HYBRID VERSIONS. THE FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED THE CAR WAS LESS THAN 2 YEARS OLD. THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE, AND IT WILL EVENTUALLY KILL SOMEONE. *TR

Mileage: 75,000

WHILE DRIVING ON A BRIDGE AT 65 MILES PER HOUR, I HEARD A BEEP AND A TRIANGLE LIGHT CAME ON. THE CAR IMMEDIATELY JOLTED AS IT LOST POWER AND IT DISPLAYED A MESSAGE TO STOP SAFELY. THIS WAS IN LATE MORNING TRAFFIC AND A SEMI WAS ABLE TO SLIGHTLY SWERVE TO THE RIGHT IN ORDER TO AVOID REAR ENDING ME AS I HAD SUDDEN REDUCED POWER AND LITTLE MEDIAN SPACE TO COAST TO ON MY LEFT SIDE. I WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE CAR AFTER A FEW MINUTES. A FORD DEALER HAS RUN A DIAGNOSTIC AND CONFIRMED IT IS A FAILURE OF THE MOTOR ENGINE COOLING PUMP AND THE OVERALL COST FOR PARTS AND LABOR, INCLUDING DIAGNOSTIC IS $738. AFTER READING ALL OF THE COMPLAINTS TO THIS AGENCY AND ONLINE ENTRIES, I CANNOT BELIEVE THAT NO ACTION HAS BEEN TAKEN ABOUT THIS SAFETY HAZARD. THERE ARE TWO ISSUES, THE FIRST BEING THAT THE COOLING PUMP IS KNOWN TO FAIL ON THESE VEHICLES AT DIFFERENT MILEAGE LEVELS, AND IS SUPPOSEDLY NOT COVERED BY THE HYBRID WARRANTY EVEN THOUGH IT IS ONLY FOUND ON HYBRIDS. FORD DEALERS WILL NOT EVEN ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM. THIS PART SHOULD BE RECALLED AS IT IS KNOWN AS ONE CAUSE THAT LEADS TO THE SHUT OFF OF THE CAR AT DIFFERENT SPEEDS. SECOND, FORD'S SHUTOFF DESIGN ITSELF IS SERIOUSLY FLAWED SINCE IT ALLOWS THE CAR TO UNEXPECTEDLY SHUTOFF AT HIGH SPEEDS RISKING COLLISION AND INJURY. I AM FORCED TO PAY THE HIGH COST OF THIS PARTICULAR REPAIR BECAUSE I CANNOT DO IT MYSELF, HOWEVER, I NO LONGER CONSIDER THIS A RELIABLE SAFE VEHICLE. I URGE NHTSA TO INVESTIGATE THESE COMPLAINTS RATHER THAN WAIT FOR ONE OF THESE INCIDENTS TO RESULT IN DEATH OR SERIOUS INJURY. AT THE VERY LEAST FORD SHOULD BE NOTIFYING ALL OWNERS OF THESE VEHICLES ABOUT THE DEFECTIVE COOLING PUMPS AND NEED FOR REPLACEMENT.

Mileage: 70,000