NHTSA Complaint #10716988 — 2006 FORD ESCAPE HEV

***DOOR AJAR/CAR ALARM/DOME LIGHT/ ISSUES*** 5/18/15 2006 FORD ESCAPE XLT 4WD 3.0L 6 CYLINDER HAS INTERMITTENT FALSE DOOR AJAR/CAR ALARM/DOME LIGHT ISSUES ALL THREE SYMPTOMS CAUSED BY FAULTY DOOR LATCH SENSORS. THE SUSPECT PART HAS A TEMPERATURE COEFFICIENT. THAT IS TO SAY WHEN YOU PARK YOUR CAR, AND GO INSIDE YOUR HOUSE, THE CAR ALARM WILL START GOING OFF IN NEIGHBORHOOD WAKING UP NEIGHBORS AND IS A HUGE ANNOYANCE TO QUIET NEIGHBORHOODS BECAUSE ALARM WILL FALSELY ACTIVATE WHEN THE TEMPERATURE VARIES. SOMETIMES WHEN OUTSIDE TEMPERATURES WARMS UP TO ABOUT 75-80 DEGREES OUTSIDE THE CAR ALARM SOUNDS TO INDICATE A FALSELY TRIPPED ALARM. IT SOMETIMES WILL OCCUR IN WINTER WEATHER CLIMATES ALSO. TEMPERATURE CHANGES PROVOKE THE FAULTY SYMPTOMS. FORD REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE FORD ESCAPE AND MANY OF THEIR MODEL VEHICLES HAVE THIS PROBLEM. THE PROBLEM APPEARS TO BE CHEAP FLIMSY METAL ELECTRICAL CONTACTS WITHIN THE DOOR LATCH MECHANISM THAT OXIDIZE AND LOSE SPRING TENSION OVER TIME CAUSING THESE FALSE ALARMS. WITH EACH FALSE ACTIVATION, CAR ALARM WILL SOUND, DOOR AJAR LIGHT ACTIVATES (CAN'T TELL WHICH DOOR IS FAULTY) DOME LIGHT TURNS ON AND WILL STAY ON UNTIL IT RUNS DOWN YOUR BATTERY IN YOUR CAR AND THEN YOUR STRANDED BECAUSE YOUR CAR WON'T START BECAUSE FAULTY DOOR ELECTRICAL SWITCH BUILT INTO DOOR LATCH MECHANISM ACTIVATED YOUR DOME LIGHT WHICH DISCHARGES YOUR BATTERY CHARGE. IF YOUR IN A COLD WEATHER ENVIRONMENT AND THE BATTERY DIES BECAUSE OF THIS DEFECT IN ELECTRICAL SENSOR SWITCH, YOU CAN BECOME STRANDED BECAUSE YOU CAN NOT START YOUR CAR BECAUSE FORD REFUSES TO ADMIT THEIR IS A PROBLEM AND ISSUE A RECALL. [XXX] - SPRINGFIELD, IL INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR