NHTSA Complaint #11021800 — 2008 FORD ESCAPE

I WAS DROPPING MY CHILD OFF AT SCHOOL. I PUT MY VEHICLE IN PARK AND WHEN I PULLED OUT AND WENT TO USE MY BRAKE THE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR AND THE PEDAL VIBRATED LIKE ABS WAS ENGAGED. I WAS ABLE TO STOP BUT IT WAS VERY SLOWLY. I WAS GOING UNDER 10 MPH.WHEN I STARTED TO DRIVE AGAIN MY ABS AND TRACTION CONTROL LIGHTS CAME ON AND YOU COULD HEAR THE SOUND OF THE TRACTION CONTROL BEING ENGAGED. I HAD TO STOP TWO MORE TIMES ON MY WAY HOME AND WAS ABLE TO DO SO BY DRIVING ONLY 5 MPH WITH MY FOUR WAYS ON. THE TRACTION CONTROL SOUND WAS INTERMITTENT AND THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE PROPERLY. THE BRAKE PEDAL CONTINUED TO GO TO THE FLOOR AND VIBRATE. THE BRAKES CONTINUED TO NOT WORK PROPERLY AND MAKE SOUNDS. I WAS ONLY 1 MILE FROM HOME AND WAS ABLE TO GET HOME WITHOUT AN ACCIDENT. THIS HAPPENED IN A RESIDENTIAL AREA WHILE I WAS MAKING A SHORT TRIP UNDER 3 MILES BOTH WAYS. IT HAPPENED RIGHT AFTER I PUT THE VEHICLE IN DRIVE AND PULLED OUT. AFTER DOING SOME REASEARCH THIS APPEARS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE HYDRAULIC BRAKING SYSTEM. I WAS VERY LUCKY THAT I WAS NOT INVOLVED IN ACCIDENT AND THAT I WAS DRIVING SLOW AT THE TIME. I JUST DROPPED MY CHILD OFF AT SCHOOL. HAD THIS OCCURRED AT ANOTHER TIME WE COULD HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY INJURED OR KILLED AS WELL AS ANYONE ELSE THAT MAY HAVE BEEN INVOLVED. I HAVE CALLED THE FORD DEALERSHIP TODAY TO HAVE MY VEHICLE LOOKED AT AND AM WAITING TO HEAR BACK FROM THEM. SINCE THIS IS A COMMON AND SERIOUS PROBLEM I FEEL THAT FORD SHOULD TAKE RESPONSIBILITY AND ISSUE A RECALL ON THIS BEFORE SOMEONE IS KILLED.