NHTSA Complaint #10818706 — 2007 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID

STARTED WITH OCCASIONAL CLUNKING WHEN IN REVERSE. SLOWLY DEVELOPED A SORT OF THUMPING LIKE WHEN DRIVING. LIKE FROM A BAD TIRE OR WHEEL BEARING. AS MY WIFE HAD A MEDICAL PROBLEM, I DROVE IT FOR ABOUT A WEEK BEFORE CHECKING OUT. I ROTATED AND INSPECTED THE TIRES AND BREAKS. I MANUALLY ROTATED EACH WHEEL BY HAND TO CHECK FOR SIGNS OF A WHEEL BEARING PROBLEM. NOTHING FOUND. THE NEXT COUPLE DAYS THE NOISE BECAME WORSE. I TOOK IT TO A REPUTABLE TRANSMISSION SHOP. WHEN THEY TEST DROVE IT, THEY WOULD NOT EVEN TAKE IT OFF THEIR LOT. THEIR COMMENT TO ME IS THAT THEY HOPE I HAD NOT BEEN DRIVING IT LONG LIKE THIS. THEY WERE SURE THAT SOMETHING IN THE TRANS AXLE WAS ABOUT TO LOCK UP. I AM SURE THEY WERE RIGHT. BY THIS TIME IT WAS QUITE BAD. THEY FOUND THAT MY TRANSFER CASE HAD FAILED AT 40,245 MILES. A LITTLE RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET SHOWS THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH AWD ESCAPES. I NOTICE THAT 2 WERE REPORTED TO THE NHTSA, ONE RESULTING IN INJURY. IF THIS UNIT LOCKS UP WHILE DRIVING, LOSS OF LIFE IS POSSIBLE. ONLY A SMALL PERCENTAGE OF ESCAPES ARE AWD AND HAVE TRANSFER CASES. IT APPEARS THAT A HIGH PERCENTAGE OF EARLY AWD ESCAPES ARE SUFFERING FROM THIS PROBLEM. ANY DRIVE TRAIN ISSUE IN ANY VEHICLE WHICH COULD RESULT IN THE VEHICLE LOCKING UP WHILE UNDER WAY SHOULD NOT HAPPEN. FORD HAS A RESPONSIBILITY TO FIX THIS ISSUE. I HAVE TO ADMIT THAT WHEN I DROVE THE CAR TO THE SHOP THAT MORNING IT SOUNDED SO BAD THAT I WAS A LITTLE SCARED TO DRIVE IT FASTER THAN AROUND 30 MPH. IT WOULD HAVE COMPLETELY FAILED WITHIN DAYS. I FEEL I WAS LUCKY TO GET IT REPAIRED WHEN I DID. IT COST ME $4,353.00 TO REPLACE THE TRANSFER CASE. NOW I AM NOT SURE I WANT TO KEEP THE VEHICLE. NOT SURE I SHOULD TRUST THEIR CVT EITHER.