NHTSA Complaint #10822740 — 2005 FORD ESCAPE

REAR WHEEL WELL RUST OUT. WE PURCHASED THIS CAR NEW AT AL PACKERS WHITE MARSH FORD 11-13-04 WE ALSO OPTED FOR THE COMPLETE ZIEBART PACKAGE. THE END OF DEC.15 MY WIFE SAID THUMPING NOISE FROM REAR HEARD WHEN GOING OVER A BUMP IN ROAD. I CHECKED ALL AROUND AND UNDER CAR, FOUND NOTHING. ON JAN.22ND 2016 WHEN SHE GOT HOME FROM WORK SHE SAID GET YOUR COAT YOU NEED TO SEE THIS. WHEN I GOT TO THE CAR I COULD NOT BELIEVE WHAT I SAW. MOST OF THE ZIEBART UNDER COATING WAS GONE FROM THE RIGHT REAR WHEEL WELL AND THERE WAS A HUGE HOLE THAT RAN FROM THE BACK OF THE WHEEL WELL FORWARDS THROUGH AND PAST THE SHOCK TOWER MOUNT.THEN THE BLIZZARD OF 2016 HAPPENED. I GOT ON THE NET AND FOUND OUT WE ARE NOT THE ONLY PEOPLE THIS HAS HAPPENED TO. I CALLED FORD USA HEADQUARTERS ON JAN.26 AND 27TH. I WAS TOLD THERE ARE NO SERVICE BULLITENS OR RECALLS ON MY VEHICLE AT THIS TIME. I WAS GIVEN A CASE NUMBER, AND TOLD TAKE THE CAR BACK TO A FORD DEALER SO A CERTIFIED FORD PERSON COULD GO OVER THE CAR AND DOCUMENT THE PROBLEM AND GIVE ME AN ESTIMATE TO FIX THE PROBLEM. THEN IF I GET THE REPAIRS DONE KEEP MY RECEIPTS, AND IF AND WHEN IT BECOMES A RECALL I MIGHT GET PARTIAL OR FULL REFUND. THANKS FOR CALLING FORD HAVE A NICE DAY. AFTER THIS I TOOK THE CAR TO OUR LOCAL MECHANIC. HE SAID HE DIDN'T DO THAT WORK HE SENT ME TO A LOCAL BODY SHOP THAT TOLD ME IT WAS A MAJOR JOB THEY SAID THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS. FILE A COMPLAINT AND GO BACK TO FORD. MOST OF ALL PARK IT DO NOT DRIVE THE CAR IT IS NOT SAFE. THE CAR WINDOW STICKER SAYS FINAL ASSEMBLY KANSAS PLANT. DOES ANYBODY ELSE HAVE THAT SAME STICKER? IS THIS PROBLEM A BAD BATCH OF PARTS AT ONLY THAT KANSAS PLANT? THIS WAS NOT AN ESCORT, ASPIRE, EVEN A RANGER IT WAS A 30,000. DOLLAR ESCAPE. THEY GOT THE MONEY THEY SHOULD FIX THIS MY CAR HAS 84,000 MILES.