NHTSA Complaint #10564515 — 2009 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID

A RECURRING ISSUE WITH THE ELECTRICAL/BRAKE SYSTEM OF THIS VEHICLE WAS A RANDOM-OCCURRING "SHORT" OR ELECTRICAL SYSTEM GLITCH THAT WOULD PARTIALLY DISABLE THE ELECTRIC POWER BRAKING SYSTEM AND CAUSING A SUBSTANTIAL LOSS OF ENGINE POWER, WHICH CAUSED THE BRAKING CAPABILITY OF THE VEHICLE TO BE REDUCED TO A BARELY FUNCTIONING OPERATIONAL LEVEL AS WELL AS THE LOSS OF POWER STEERING. THIS OCCURRED AT LEAST 20-TIMES DURING OUR FIRST 22-MONTHS OF OWNERSHIP. THIS SUDDEN AND SEVERE LACK OF BRAKING REQUIRED THE VEHICLE TO HAVE THE TRANSMISSION DOWNSHIFTED TO A LOWER FORWARD GEAR AND A HARD MECHANICAL EFFORT APPLIED TO THE BRAKE PEDAL AND STEERING WHEEL TO BRING THE VEHICLE TO A STOP. WITH THE VEHICLE STOPPED, THE IGNITION COULD BE TURNED-OFF AND THE KEY REMOVED. WHEN THE KEY WAS RE-INSERTED AND TURNED TO "START", THE VEHICLE WOULD ALWAYS START AS IF THE ENTIRE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM HAD "RESET". THIS REQUIRED A TOTAL OF FIVE (5) DIFFERENT MULTIPLE-DAY REPAIRS AT THE LOCAL FORD DEALER IN ATTENTION TO THE NORMAL MAINTENANCE INTERVALS SERVICE. EACH OF THE 5-"POWER PROBLEM" REPAIRS WERE FOUND TO BE FROM DIFFERENT CAUSES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO: FAULTY STARTING-BATTERY LOCATION AND WIRING HARNESS DAMAGE, FAULTY WIRING ASSEMBLY (DIFFERENT LOCATION), ABS BRAKE SENSOR MODULE. THE FORD DEALER WE PURCHASED THE VEHICLE FROM, AND FORD CORPORATE ULTIMATELY DID NOT STAND BEHIND OUR PURCHASED "FORD PREMIUM SERVICE PLAN" OR OUR PURCHASED "FORD EXTENDED SERVICE MILEAGE CONTRACT" COSTING US OVER $2,000 OF OUT-OF-POCKET AND "NON-COVERED" PLAN EXPENSES. BECAUSE OF THE RANDOM AND SEVERELY UNSAFE POWER AND BRAKING CONDITIONS OF THIS VEHICLE, IN ADDITION TO THE EXCESSIVE REPAIRS AND FINALLY THE NON-RESOLUTION ATTITUDE AND NON-PERFORMANCE OF THE FORD MOTOR COMPANY, WE SOLD THIS VEHICLE AS A DEALER TRADE-IN FOR THE PURCHASE OF A NEW SUV FROM A DIFFERENT MANUFACTURER AND DEALER. *TR