NHTSA Complaint #11010120 — 2017 FORD ESCAPE

I LEASED A NEW 2017 FORD ESCAPE WITH 379 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. WHEN I DROVE THE CAR HOME FROM THE DEALERSHIP, IT MADE A CREAKING NOISE BY MY RIGHT EAR WHEN I PULLED INTO THE DRIVEWAY. I TOOK VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALER A FEW DAYS AFTER THE NOISE WAS MADE. THE DEALERSHIP AND A FORD ENGINEER TRIED SEVERAL TIMES TO FIX THE NOISE WITH NO RESULTS. THE NOISE REMAINED. I WAS IN CONTACT WITH FORD MOTOR COMPANY ABOUT THIS PROBLEM. FORD SENT THE SAME ENGINEER BACK TO WORK ON THIS VEHICLE. THIS TIME THE DEALERSHIP AND FORD ENGINEER FOUND THAT THERE WERE MISSING WELDS BELOW THE FRONT LEFT DOOR. THE MISSING WELDS WERE WHERE THE ROCKER PANEL WELDS TO SEVERAL OTHER PIECES OF STEEL, UNDER THE VEHICLE. THIS REPAIR TOOK ALMOST 2 WEEKS TO COMPLETE. THE VEHICLE ONLY MADE THE NOISE WHEN THE BODY WOULD FLEX(GOING FROM THE STREET INTO THE DRIVEWAY OR SIMILAR PLACES THAT MADE THE BODY FLEX). THE AREA WELDED LOOKS LIKE IT IS A STRUCTURAL PART OF THE VEHICLE. I STILL AM CONCERNED THAT THE STRUCTURE OF THIS VEHICLE IS NOT AS IT WAS DESIGNED TO BE. I ALSO WORRY THAT THERE COULD BE MANY OTHER 2017 FORD ESCAPES THAT MIGHT NOT BE AS STRONG AS THEY SHOULD BE IN THE EVENT OF A COLLISION.