2006 FORD ESCAPE HEV — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data

MY SON AND I WERE LEAVING A PARKING LOT WHEN SUDDENLY AND WITHOUT WARNING THE POWER STEERING WENT OUT. I GOT A WARNING CHIME AND THE WRENCH LIGHT CAME ON WITH THE MESSAGE "SERVICE PWR STEERING" ON THE DASH. LUCKILY (I THOUGHT) I WAS NEAR A AUTO PARTS PLACE SO I SLOWLY DROVE THERE. I PULLED IN, TOOK OUT THE MANUAL AND REALIZED THAT THERE IS NO POWER STEERING FLUID RESERVOIR TO CHECK OR FILL (AS WOULD HAVE BEEN MY QUICK SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM). DRIVING WAS SLOW AND POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS DUE TO INABILITY TO TURN (AT SPEED). THE VEHICLE WAS INITIALLY PURCHASED FOR MY MOM, WHO WAS 75 AT THE TIME. THE LOSS OF POWER STEERING FOR HER WOULD HAVE BEEN MUCH MORE SERIOUS.DRIVING WITH MANUAL STEERING IS DIFFICULT AND MUSCLE BUILDING. I HAD TO DRIVE 25 BACK HOME ON CURVY, MOUNTAIN BACK ROADS. LUCKILY THERE WAS NO ACCIDENT/INJURIES AS A RESULT OF THE POWER STEERING FAILURE. I READ THROUGH MANY COMPLAINTS OF SIMILAR INCIDENTS AND REALIZED THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM THAT HAS NOT BEEN RESOLVED. I PLAN ON CONTACTING THE DEALERSHIP IN THE MORNING, BUT AM NOT HOLDING MY BREATH FOR RESULTS. DURING A PAST ISSUE I WAS TOLD THAT THE DEALERSHIP HAD ONLY ONE SERVICE TECHNICIAN THAT WAS TRAINED ON THE HYBRID VEHICLES. THAT TIME, THEY SAID I NEEDED A NEW BATTERY! HAHA! THAT ISSUE WAS RESOLVED DUE TO A RECALL. SO MAYBE ENOUGH COMPLAINTS FOR POWER STEERING ISSUES WILL FINALLY GET A RECALL TOO. PLEASE TAKE NOTICE.

DRIVING ON CITY STREET WHEN "SERVICE BRAKE SYSTEM" MESSAGE WAS DISPLAYED AS WELL AS ABS AND BRAKE LIGHTS ON DASH. VEHICLE HAD NO BRAKES AND EMERGENCY BRAKE HAD TO BE USED TO STOP VEHICLE.

***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

I WAS DRIVING ON THE 495 BELTWAY (APPROX 55MPH) IN THE RIGHT LANE WHEN SUDDENLY MY CAR LOST POWER AND THE FAIL SAFE MESSAGE APPEARED SAYING STOP THE CAR IMMEDIATELY. FORTUNATELY, I WAS ABLE TO TAKE A NEARBY EXIT OFF THE BELTWAY WITHOUT INJURING MYSELF OR SOMEONE BEHIND ME AND CAUSING A MULTIPLE CAR COLLISION. A RED TRIANGLE ICON APPEARED ON THE DASHBOARD INCLUDING OTHER LIGHTS AND MESSAGES SINCE THE CAR HAD NO POWER. I DID HAVE THE CAR HEATER ON DUE TO WINTER TEMPERATURES. I IMMEDIATELY TURNED THE CAR OFF AND RESTED IT AND DID NOT PUT MY HEAT BACK ON SUSPECTING THE ELECTRONIC MOTOR COOLANT PUMP AS THE PROBLEM AFTER RECENTLY READING A NYT ARTICLE. THE CAR STARTED ABOUT 10 MINUTES LATER. I MADE AN APPT W MY FORD DEALER TO INSPECT THE CAR FOR THIS PROBLEM.I HAD A SIMILAR PROBLEM LAST SUMMER AND WAS TOLD BY FORD THAT MY VIN DIDN'T HAVE ANY RECALLS. I HAD THE A/C ON THAT DAY. UNFORTUNATELY, THE RECALL FOR THROTTLES ONLY APPLIES TO FORD NON-HYBRID CARS. THERE HAS ONLY BEEN A SERVICE BULLETIN TO FORD MECHANICS AND NO RECALL FOR THE ELECTRONICS MOTOR COOLANT PUMP. THIS INCIDENT SCARED ME AND I FEEL MY CAR IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE ESP ON INTERSTATE HIGHWAYS AT HIGH RATES OF SPEED UNTIL THIS PROBLEM IS RESOLVED. *TR

I WAS DRIVING ON THE 495 BELTWAY (APPROX 55MPH) IN THE RIGHT LANE WHEN SUDDENLY MY CAR LOST POWER AND THE FAIL SAFE MESSAGE APPEARED SAYING STOP THE CAR IMMEDIATELY. FORTUNATELY, I WAS ABLE TO TAKE A NEARBY EXIT OFF THE BELTWAY WITHOUT INJURING MYSELF OR SOMEONE BEHIND ME AND CAUSING A MULTIPLE CAR COLLISION. A RED TRIANGLE ICON APPEARED ON THE DASHBOARD INCLUDING OTHER LIGHTS AND MESSAGES SINCE THE CAR HAD NO POWER. I DID HAVE THE CAR HEATER ON DUE TO WINTER TEMPERATURES. I IMMEDIATELY TURNED THE CAR OFF AND RESTED IT AND DID NOT PUT MY HEAT BACK ON SUSPECTING THE ELECTRONIC MOTOR COOLANT PUMP AS THE PROBLEM AFTER RECENTLY READING A NYT ARTICLE. THE CAR STARTED ABOUT 10 MINUTES LATER. I MADE AN APPT W MY FORD DEALER TO INSPECT THE CAR FOR THIS PROBLEM.I HAD A SIMILAR PROBLEM LAST SUMMER AND WAS TOLD BY FORD THAT MY VIN DIDN'T HAVE ANY RECALLS. I HAD THE A/C ON THAT DAY. UNFORTUNATELY, THE RECALL FOR THROTTLES ONLY APPLIES TO FORD NON-HYBRID CARS. THERE HAS ONLY BEEN A SERVICE BULLETIN TO FORD MECHANICS AND NO RECALL FOR THE ELECTRONICS MOTOR COOLANT PUMP. THIS INCIDENT SCARED ME AND I FEEL MY CAR IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE ESP ON INTERSTATE HIGHWAYS AT HIGH RATES OF SPEED UNTIL THIS PROBLEM IS RESOLVED. *TR