NHTSA Complaint #10629467 — 2008 FORD ESCAPE

WHILE DRIVING MY FRONT WHEEL DRIVE FORD ESCAPE ON A TRIP THE ABS AND STABILITY CONTROL LIGHTS BOTH CAME ON. THIS DID NOT INITIALLY CAUSE ANY PROBLEMS WITH NORMAL BRAKING WHILE DRIVING IN DRY CONDITIONS. AT THE END OF THE TRIP THE ABS SYSTEM ACTIVATED ON EVERY STOP, SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCING STOPPING DISTANCE ON DRY GROUND. MY INVESTIGATION FOUND THE FOLLOWING: RUSTING OF THE DRIVESHAFT SURFACE APPARENTLY CAUSED OUTWARD PRESSURE ON THE INSIDE OF THE FRONT RIGHT ABS TONE RING RESULTING IN IT SEPARATING IN ONE SPOT. THIS PROBABLY CREATED A ERROR IN THE MONITORING BY THAT ABS SENSOR RESULTING IN THE LIGHTS COMING ON. THE RING MAY HAVE HELD FAST TO THE RUST UNDER THE REMAINDER OF THE RING DURING MOST OF MY TRIP CAUSING NO OTHER PROBLEMS. NEAR THE END OF MY TRIP THE CRACKED RING APPEARS TO HAVE SHAKEN FREE, SLIPPING ON THE ROTATING DRIVESHAFT SURFACE. THIS MAY HAVE MADE THE SENSOR THINK THE WHEEL WAS NOT TURNING AND APPLIED THE ABS TO THAT WHEEL EACH TIME THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED. THE DANGER THEN BECAME INCREASED STOPPING DISTANCE ON DRY GROUND AND UNKNOWN PERFORMANCE ON SLIPPERY SURFACES. IN CHECKING AROUND, THIS APPEARS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM AND THE OTHER RING WILL CRACK EVENTUALLY DUE TO SIMILAR RUSTING. REPAIRING THIS REQUIRES THE RING TO BE REPLACED AND POSSIBLY THE DRIVESHAFT SECTION IT IS MOUNTED ON. *TR