NHTSA Complaint #10144858 — 2006 FORD ESCAPE

ON 12/7/05, THE MAIN AIR BAG LIGHT LIT UP ON THE DASH. IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE OWNER'S MANUAL, THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR REPAIR. THE PROBLEM OCCURRED WITH ONLY 542 MILES DRIVEN ON THE VEHICLE. THIS VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED AS A REPLACEMENT TO A 2005 FORD ESCAPE THAT HAD THIS SAME CHRONIC PROBLEM, WHICH COULD NOT BE REPAIRED BY FORD AFTER SIX REPAIR ATTEMPTS. THE 2005 VEHICLE WAS BOUGHT BACK BY THE MANUFACTURER AND AT NO TIME WAS A PATTERN OF REPAIRS TO THIS TYPE OF VEHICLE DISCLOSED TO ME PRIOR TO PURCHASE OF A REPLACEMENT VEHICLE. WHEN THE 2006 VEHICLE WAS TAKEN IN FOR REPAIRS, WE WERE ADVISED THAT THE DEALER CURRENTLY HAS SEVEN VEHICLES WITH THIS SAME PROBLEM AND THAT THEY ARE ATTEMPTING TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. IF WE HAD KNOWN ABOUT PRE-EXISTING SAFETY COMPONENT PROBLEMS WITH THIS MODEL, WE LIKELY WOULD NOT HAVE PURCHASED A REPLACEMENT. *JB