The body panel around the rear driver side shock mount has almost completely rusted away. Driving one day, I started to hear a loud clunking noise from the rear driver side. It started to get louder the more I drove it. Upon inspection, I found the body panel had completely rusted around the shock mount tower, which is only now connected to the rear floor panel. Without the support of the rest of the body panel, the metal is slowing ripping away where it is connected to the floor if it is driven. The vehicle is completely unsafe to drive now as the rear shock could rip away from the vehicle at any moment. There have been many complaints of this happening on the rear passenger side, which I also had on this vehicle. Roughly 5 years ago, I had an independent auto body shop repair rust on the passenger side shock mount/body panel where it had rusted through. I noticed a hole in the body panel when changing the rear shocks, but it was not large enough or bad enough at that point to create a safety issue. So, I had time to safety get it to an auto body shop for repair before it got bad. This same issue has now happened on the driver side and I am left with a car that is unsafe to drive. When the other side was repaired, there was no sign of rust or concern on the other side. So, it has completely rusted through in that 5-year time frame. I inquired about repairing this with an auto body shop, and I was told that the rust is too significant to repair safely and cost effectively. It would require extensive metal repair on the body and frame underneath it. This absolutely could have put myself, my passengers, and other drivers at risk if the rear shock and mount had unexpectedly ripped away from the body of the vehicle. It could have ripped through the rear body of the car or come in contact with the rear wheel while driving, causing a significant risk of losing control of the vehicle.

- Cedar Rapids, IA, USA

The whole underbody is rusting away especially the frame, couldn't even get regular maintence done since the rust so bad. We always washed the underbody after it snowed and that didn't stop the rust from eating away the SUV. I see there is a recall for my year but when I do a VIN check it says no recall open for my vehicle. I had to get a window put in had 4 different companies come out till I could get some one willing to put it in since they where scared of the pinch wheel from being so rusty. The frame is so bad you can see through it, I scared it going to break and leave me stranded or worse in a car accident!

- Saint Johns, FL, USA

The contact owns a 2004 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the subframe was rusted. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to asheville Ford located at (611 brevard rd asheville nc 28806 828 253 2731) but was not diagnosed nor repaired. The contact referenced the failure to NHTSA campaign number 14V165000 (structure) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was contacted but did not assist. The failure mileage was 180,000.

- Candler, NC, USA

As with all other postings the rear passenger wheel well has completely rusted out.and the car started making very loud clunking noises. I do not know the exact moment the wheel well completely degraded. The repair shop said it is not repairable. So we are just now out a car. I just spent way too long chatting with someone from Ford who gave me a postal address to send a complaint to. I think everyone who has had the issue should send a complaint. Mail: Ford Motor Company customer relationship center, P.O. Box 6248, dearborn, mi 48126, I am also considering hiring a lawyer. I think this is just wrong. My son is a college student and left without a car when this is obviously an inferior product and I can not believe this is the service that Ford wants to provide. If you would like to be a part of the lawsuit please contact me at [xxx]. this is insane that they have admitted the issue, recalled the front end, came up with an inferior solution and now are going to just say there is no recall. This is a dangerous issue. They at the very least should buy peoples Escapes for the value they would be worth. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Minneapolis, MN, USA

The contact owns a 2004 Ford Escape. While driving 65 mph on the highway, the rear drive axle fractured causing the rear drivers side wheel to detach. As a result, the vehicle spun out of control and became difficult to maneuver. The vehicle was unable to be driven. A police officer assisted with moving the vehicle off the road and towing the vehicle to a facility. An appointment was made with quick lane at apple Ford Lincoln (8800 stanford blvd, columbia, md 21045, (410) 290-1100) for diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 120,000.

- Burke, VA, USA

Recently purchased car, check engine light came on. Diagnostics scan shows 2nd cylinder misfire, ignition coil faulty. Went online to check common issues with this model..it is a common issue with most 04 Escapes. Lots of complaints for wheel well rust..upon inspection, mine too is corroded and the shock is coming through the floor board in the hatch. I heard noises while driving but hadn't inspected it until now, as I just bought this vehicle. The corroded spots were concealed under the carpet. Unsafe to drive. My photos are too large to upload.

- Fort Atkinson, WI, USA

The contact owns a 2004 Ford Escape. While driving approximately 10 mph, the steering wheel failed due to severe rust and corrosion of the subframe. The contact attempted to replace the control arms and noticed that a huge chunk on the subframe was rotted and corroded with a large hole near the front passenger side of the subframe. The contact stated that the steering wheel was approximately 40 degrees off balance. In addition, the steering wheel was adjusted while turning left or right to prevent independently intrusive steering due to the steering imbalance. The contact was unable to make repairs to the vehicle due to the damage associated with the mount of the subframe that had partially detached from the vehicle. The contact concluded that any replacement measures in relation to the failure would be faulty. Champion Ford Volvo (2502 West 26th street, erie, Pennsylvania 16506, (814) 878-2500) was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that the vehicle was inspected in 2014 per NHTSA campaign number: 14V165000 (structure), in which the crossbrace was applied to the vehicle for preventative subfame damage in July of 2014. The failure mileage was approximately 128,000.

- Erie, PA, USA

When hitting a bump in the road, car pulls sidewavs. Got checked out. They found excessive corrosion on engine cradle and steering components were loose and affected by excessive corrosion on engine cradle. Stabilizer rod is almost ready to fall off. They advised us not to drive the car until all components are repaired. Steering is erratic and tires squeal when turned left or right.there is a recall for 386,000 of these vehicles in road salt states. We live in one of them, Michigan. When Ford put the car on the rack, they said something is seriously wrong: That the wheels were bowed out.bought car from Ford after a 3-year lease was over. No problems til now. The car is now 14 years old, mileage is apprx. 128,000.

- Scottville, MI, USA

I am a mother of three children whom I use my Ford to drive to school, I also depend on it to get me to work three weeks ago I was on my way to work my children present in car when we heard a loud bang from the back of my SUV I pulled off to the side of the road immediately to check out the vehicle nothing seemed to be wrong so I resumed driving from that day when I drove the car there was a clanking sound in the cabin it sounded like one of my doors wasn't shut all the way when they were all shut. I had my father inspect my Ford and he discovered the problem. The SUVS right rear shock had popped threw the plastic casing in the rear of my SUV due to the entire mount and wheel well has completely rusted away. I can't aford to get it fixed and it is not safe to drive. I need help. Thank you.

- Riverview, FL, USA

Passenger side rear wheel well rusting away. Shock tower mount is in tremendous jeopardy. I have looked at dozens of similar model year Escapes this weekend, including one I own, and they are all fine. A review of the internet shows I am not alone though. Thousands of reports of the same issue. What to do?

- Noblesville, IN, USA

The two hinges holding the rear window to the tailgate are badly corroded to the point that the metal bolts have failed and the rear window is now a safety hazard and could fall off during normal driving.

- Erie, CO, USA

Rear passenger inner fender well rusted out, causing the shock mount and shock to come disconnected. The shock now has nothing to connect to.

- Deland, FL, USA

The rear passenger side suspension has completely broken off and hangs freely. Had it inspected at a local garage and was informed this was an extremely common problem for this type of vehicle, and that a safety recall should've been put in place due to the routine failures of this part. I'm now forced to drive a dangerous vehicle to get to work and respond to emergencies.

- Madison, WI, USA

Catastrophic failure of the front sub-frame engine cradle assembly. It completely rusted apart on the passenger side causing the lower control arm to come loose. My daughter was driving when it came loose causing the Escape to run off the road. Thankfully there was plenty of shoulder on the rural road and no one was hurt. Had this been in traffic, an accident would have been inevitable. Called Ford customer service - no help, there is nothing they can do. The car has been garage kept, well maintained with on 70K miles. Nothing else is rusted. This is clearly a defective part. More disturbing is that there was a recall 14S04 back in 2014. All that was done was to add reinforcement cross brace if rust was present. This did not address the defective part, nor, did the Ford dealer notify us of the rusting part which was destine to fail. Based on this type of product support and concern for customer safety, we will be looking elsewhere for vehicles in the future.

- Cary, IL, USA

We had noticed we was getting water inside our Escape bad it was standing water in floor board so we looked at the inner and outer wheel housing and it was rusted very bad the mechanic said it was not safe for us to drive. The passenger side was the worst. They had to weld in pieces to truck and floor boards now mind you we have an 11 year old that rides right where this was rusted the worst :( when we noticed this we was in Kansas City Missouri and had to drive home to carrollton. Missouri.I will have a repair invoice this week cause it is in the shop now getting fixed and they told us at the shop they have had to redo a lot of these but has never been this bad please help someone is gonna get hurt bad.also this is a very expensive repair so please help with this.if you send me somewhere to send pics I will get them from the shop because they took some.thank you for taking time to read this

- Carrollton, MO, USA

The contact owns a 2004 Ford Escape. While driving 35 mph, the vehicle began to shake violently without warning. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the subframe was cracked and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the frame fractured and needed to be replaced. The VIN was included in NHTSA campaign number: 14V165000 (structure). The contact was informed that the damage was too extensive to be remedied per the recall. The manufacturer stated that due to the age and mileage of the vehicle, assistance would be denied. The failure mileage was unknown.

- Saxonburg, PA, USA

The contact owns a 2004 Ford Escape. While driving 35 mph, the vehicle violently bounced up and down without warning. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the rear subframe was rusted and corroded and the rear lower control arm separated from the vehicle. The technician stated that the rear lower control arms needed to be replaced. The vehicle was serviced per NHTSA campaign number: 14V165000 (structure), but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 118,000.

- Waterloo, IA, USA

My 2004 Ford Escape has major rust issues that has affected the structural integrity of the vehicle. The vehicle is not driveable unless the rust is repaired. I just filed a complaint with Ford (case #cas12002459). Currently there are no recalls on the vehicle and as a consumer I am turning to the NHTSA for support in having Ford make the ncessary repairs yo my vehicle.

- New Freedom, PA, USA

I was driving to work on a smooth roadway and all of a sudden my rear end started to clunk and bang. I was so startled that I had to pull over in heavy morning traffic and had to miss work and take it to a mechanic where I was told the rear shock assemblies had snapped from the vehicle. After due diligence I found there was a recall issued for the front end for the same make and model because of mounts separating from the auto due to salt and corrosion. When I contacted Ford I was told there was no recall for that situation, but I did find a large amount of complaints from individuals with the same issue in their same year and model Escapes. The mechanic told me at the least it will be 1800 to fix, but since there is no metal to weld to it will require a full rebuild of the body, mounts, and frame in that area. The following site is a representation of the issuewww.fordforums.com/F59/2005-Escape-shock-mount-rusted-out-177762/index4.html.

- Appleton, WI, USA

The contact owns a 2004 Ford Escape. While driving approximately 45 mph, the vehicle swerved independently into a ditch. There were no injuries and a police report was not filed. The contact noticed that the subframe was rusted and detached. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 130,000.

- Arcade, NY, USA