NHTSA Complaint #10434863 — 2005 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID

THERE WAS A LEAK OF SOME FLUID NOTED IN MY DRIVEWAY, AND A REQUEST WAS MADE FOR THE DEALER TO INVESTIGATE DURING THE NEXT ROUTINE SERVICE. NO LEAK WAS FOUND. *TR AT 110,000 MILES, DURING ROUTINE SERVICE, A LEAK WAS NOTICED BY THE MECHANIC, BUT NO SOURCE WAS FOUND. SOME TIME AFTER THAT, A NOISE BEGAN TO DEVELOP IN THE FRONT END. AT 120,000 MILES, THE NOISE WAS SEVERE, AND AN INSPECTION DETERMINED THAT THE PTU WAS FAILING. I WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS OKAY TO DRIVE UNTIL THE PART ARRIVED. THE NOISE GOT WORSE WITHIN A FEW HUNDRED MILES, CHANGED TO A VIBRATION, AND THEN AN OCCASIONAL CLUNKING NOISE. I STOPPED DRIVING THE VEHICLE, AWAITING THE REPLACEMENT PART. I HAVE SINCE BECOME AWARE OF TSB 09-4-4 MAR 09 DRIVETRAIN - FLUID LEAK FROM PTU VENT. I FEEL THAT THIS MAY HAVE BEEN THE SOURCE OF THE REPORTED LEAK, AND THAT LOSS OF FLUID IN THE PTU LED TO THE FAILURE OF THE PTU, WHICH ONLY HOLDS 12 OUNCES OF FLUID. THIS LEAKAGE SHOULD HAVE BEEN DETECTED BY THE DEALER, AND THE LOSS OF MY PTU MIGHT HAVE BEEN PREVENTED. THESE PTUS FAIL PREMATURELY, AND ARE CONSISTENTLY ON BACK ORDER. MY DEALER HAD ANOTHER UNIT IN FOR THE SAME PTU REPLACEMENT WHEN I PICKED MINE UP AFTER THE REPAIR, AND ACKNOWLEDGES REPLACING MANY. FORD SHOULD COVER THE COST OF THE REPLACEMENT PTU, A SIMPLE MECHANICAL DEVICE THAT SHOULD LAST LONGER THAN THE CAR, CERTAINLY AS LONG AS OTHER DRIVELINE COMPONENTS LIKE THE REAR END, SEVERAL HUNDRED THOUSAND MILES.