This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
The car involved was a 2008 Ford Escape. I was driving at about 45 and I lost complete control of my power steering. I was unable to turn steering wheel. I used all my force to get to the side of the road. I then turned the car off and turned it back on my steering was then fine. I got back on the road and I lost all of my power steering again. This steering problem is very dangerous and recall must be enforced!!
While driving at 65 mph on I-10, toward armstrong international airport, the vehicle, with no pre-warning began to decelerate (slow down). The vehicles speed did not respond to depressing throttle pedal; the vehicle would not maintain speed. Fortunately, there were no vehicle in the right lane and I was able to get to the shoulder of the road. There, by turning off the ignition and restarting the vehicle I was able to continue the trip until the second and third occurrence. This situation occurred three more time on the return trip home. All on the interstate highway. Needless to say, after the first occurrence I proceeded in the far right lane where I could get to the shoulder easily. After doing some investigation, I have found that this has been occurring on Ford escorts since 2004 at least. I find it difficult to believe that such a potentially dangerous design flaw in an automobile has persisted so long. Imagine what would be the consequences of having this occur while driving in the middle of a six lane interstate with 18 wheelers all around. At best there would be an accident, there is a very high probability of fatalities.
The dashboard cluster (instrument panel) failed while driving causing the speedometer and RPM gauges to drop to zero. All the instrument lights turning, car not starting on, ac blowing warm ai, were all side effects of the problem. Searching for the problem has amounted to almost $900 in expenses. Sent in complaints to Ford, who promised to escalate the issue and then never contacted me. Took it to the dealer, who mentioned that they didn't know what it was and that it was somewhere in the vehicle. Took it to a reliable mechanic who called in a specialist to find broken connections within the panel causing it to fail intermittently. I have the mechanic's report stating that many similar models have this exact issue and is surprised Ford in not giving attention to this safety issue.
Out of nowhere in Sept and Oct of 2011 my sun roof, right passenger and right back passenger windows stopped working. They fell straight down.. the motor and the band quit and now come August and October of.2012 the same thing on the left. I bought this brand new on 2008 out of the dealership and now I have to spend my time and money for a defective auto.
Starting in the fall of 2009 when the weather got colder, the throttle became unresponsive and harder to depress, requiring a greater effort to press down the pedal to un-stick and only then would the throttle pedal depress beyond the idle position. Therefore, the vehicle continues to lurch forward creating a sudden, dangerous condition. The problem has been persistent and continues to get worse.
- Romeo, MI, USA
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Issue happened four times in last couple months--two times with my wife-two with me-was once on highways with each of us -and once in just going into a parking lot while turning at 5 mph or less-have a witness on last occasion a couple days back at work lot. Have also experience a battery dead-took to advance auto of hammonton, NJ and advised on Sunday passed that battery tested fine. The ignition has been loose-and is getting worse -the key wiggles -and on just a normal input the engine does not turn over --have to put in 2nd or 3rd time -pushing in hard to get contact. Feel, but do not know, that this issue effects both the battery and the loss of power steering on the four occasions--in any case it is a real safety issue-will not let my wife drive the car-she uses now the 2000 sel Ford van we have for second car. We love the Escape-but this is a serious safety issue. I have all my records on my home page Ford for years-and all service records-99 per cent from dealership where bought this and many others. They have in past been great. Contacted Ford.com -received a reply to my E-mail in a day from a [xxx] of Ford -they are doing a very intensive study and are also saying there are no current recalls or financial assistance on what our dealership said could cost around $400 to pull down and repair.[xxx] of Ford.com promised a reply and hope for solution with and in co-operation with my dealership and Ford. Ford in the past has always stood up to their responsibilities for us, as has our dealership service department at lilliston Ford, vineland, NJ. Thanks for allowing to share this with other folks -will follow up on a conclusion in the next weeks. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
When driving the instrument cluster fails. All the dashboard lights come on, the speedometer/fuel gauge/etc move to 0 or the far left. Looking online for Ford instrument panel failure, there are hundreds of complaints about it. Checked with the mechanic who says it is a common failure with Ford. They have a bulletin about it but it will not construe a recall until a death or injury from a crash related to the defective equipment. This may also fall under a tort lawsuit.
I was driving with two family members when power steering failed on a freeway off ramp. Steering failed whereas I narrowly avoided a major collision. Vehicle extremely difficult to turn with electric steering failure.
I had purchased this truck new from the dealer in March of 2008, this truck has had many problems in the past starting with the day I bought the truck. Now a few year's later the "a.C. condenser" was leaking transmission fluid and the dealer is now telling me that it is not covered under my "drive train warranty". I am not a mechanic but the several mechanic's that I have spoken to said that, that part is vital to the power train. I am a young struggling nurse trying to pay off school loans, and they are telling me that this is going to cost $700, I cannot afford it and I need my truck. I bought this new with the impression that these things will not be an issue and if they were they would be covered by Ford's warranty. I have done some research on the internet and this is a major problem with this specific year and truck. I am hoping that you guy's will be able to help with this matter. Thank you and god bless.
The tire pressure monitor light comes on and the message center says "tire pressure monitor fault". at the same time the door ajar light and brake lights came on. The volume on the stereo automatically goes down or stops working or can't change stations when I get the tire pressure message or reboots along with the air conditioner blowing hot air. The doors don't automatically lock, when they do lock, the ac comes back on. As it got worse the dash has a mind of its own, somedays it doesn't light up other days it stays on all night. Sometimes when I ride over a speed bump it will fix the problem, but it always comes back.
Car burned down to the frame. Turned the car on it started to smell like something was burning. Smoke and fire started coming out of the A/C vents. The contact left the vehicle immediately and it went up in flames. After speaking with the police and firemen and they had a chance to look at the remains of the car once the fire was put out, the best conclusion they could come up with as to what happened was some sort of electrical fuse malfunction. Updated 12/20/10 * bf the fire originated within the passenger compartment and then advanced into the engine compartment. The exact cause of the fire could not be determined. Updated 12/27/10
The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape. While the vehicle was parked, as she turn the ignition off she heard a clicking noise. She believes the clicking noise was coming from the air conditioner. She also stated that white partials were all over her seats and interior. The vehicle was taken to two authorized dealers and she was told that the noise was normal. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure mileage was 100 and the current mileage was 1,400.
Tccf transmission cooler condenser failure- July 16,2008 repaired; -leaking -slipping on shifting-had very little transmission oil on dip stick when repaired at dealership under the 36,000 limited warranty--after 4 days July 20, 2008 wife was rear ended by a dwi traveling at estimated more than 75 to 80 mph(my wife traveling on a state highway at normal regulated speed of 50 mph) -damages of over $13,500 to our car-all shop and repairs done by Ford dealership, our only shop and service place for this Escape 2008. On February 9, 2010(at 21,000 miles later the 2nd tccf-leaking fluid seen in snow-dealership after contact with Ford.com replaced and repaired under good will customer plan of the dealership. They also replaced on our complaint of a "clacking" type noise, a steering right front assembly at no cost to us) there evidently a tsb on it. In addition we have a heating-cooling flow of air from our heat and air vents problem-temperatures not as we regulate them.. the dealership had replaced a actuator in behind dash(have record of that along with all service dates on Ford ownership home page-believe it about on previous service for oil change) on completion of recent repairs and our vehicle returned to us on February 18, 2010 we advised the service manager of the continuing air-heat regulator problem-advised they would reexamine it on next service or at our convenience. The dealership has stood behind the Ford, we must admit that-but our inconvenience and the so many that have seen by others on the internet seem to warrant a recall as to all three related problems--some of which seem to be related to the same tcc problems.
The battery drains while the vehicle is off. It takes about 2 days for the battery to be completely dead. I brought the car to the Ford dealership. The mechanics couldn't figure out where the drain was coming from so they flew in an engineer from the Ford factory. He had them remove each fuse & put them back in 3 at a time. Then wait 2 days to see if there was a drain on that electrical line. After over 3 months of my car in the shop, they replaced the smart junction box thinking that would solve it. It didn't. the Ford customer service rep I was dealing with basically told me that there's nothing else they can do. I told her that I bought the car brand new 2 yrs ago but she didn't care at all. I posted my problem on the internet & had 2 other people from across the country email me with the same exact problem. Ford is not taking responsibility for their faulty product. I've been a loyal Ford customer for the last 15 years. I'm also in the military & need my car for my duties. I've taken excellent care of the vehicle from the day I bought it. Ford has completely abandoned me with this problem.
Defect in vehicle wiring harness - my car has been at the dealership for repairs since 01/30/2010. The dealership stated my vehicle was not safe to drive due to the wires corroding and causing mechanical failures on this vehicle. The dealership had ordered the new wiring system as an emergency "order" on 01/30/2010 but due to this being such an overwhelming issue Ford cant keep up with the demand for the replacement parts ! this is a 2008 Ford Escape 4X4, I should not being experiencing any problems with a new vehicle that only has 46 thousand miles on it. Of course nothing is covered under warranty when your wires corrode and catch fire. The damages so far are around $800. My son and I both smelled something burning from the truck but couldn't locate the source of the smell. Once in the Ford dealership I was told it was the wiring that had corroded due to road salt and that this is a very common occurrence and that they are hoping for a recall due to the volume. Unfortunately for me this will be all out of pocket expenses. Being told that this is a "notorious" issue does not ease my mind when the safety of myself and my children were at risk !!
The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape. While driving flames erupted from the instrument control panel. The fire department extinguished the flames. The fire inspector concluded that the failure was caused by an electrical failure. The vehicle was completely destroyed. The failure and current mileages were under 10,000.
The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape. While backing out of a parking space at low speeds, the back-up sensor alarm did not sound. The contact was unaware of obstacles in the rear of the vehicle due to the low sound of the alarm. There were no prior warnings. The vehicle was taken to the authorized dealer and they stated that the back-up sensor speakers were installed and designed by the manufacturer, located at the rear of the vehicle. The technician stated that the speakers could be repositioned to the front of the vehicle at the contact's expense. The vehicle has not been repaired. The contact was concerned of the safety risk involved. The failure mileage was 50 and current mileage was 2,200.
The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape. While backing out of a parking space at low speeds, the parking sensors failed. The alarm did not sound loud enough to alert the driver. The backup sensor failure occurs continuously when driving in reverse. There were no warnings prior to this failure. The vehicle was taken to the authorized dealer and they stated that the speakers were located in the interior rear of the vehicle, which may cause the alarm not to sound as loudly. The technician stated that the speakers could be relocated to the interior front of the vehicle at the contact's expense. The vehicle has not been repaired for the malfunction. The contact was concerned of the safety risk involved. The failure mileage was 50 and current mileage was 2,200. Updated 11-19-08 the consumer stated the problem has been fixed. Updated 11/19/08.
About 2 months after I purchased my Escape, the tire pressure monitor light came on and the message center said "tire pressure monitor fault". at the same time the door ajar light and brake lights came on. I took it to the dealer and they couldn't find a thing wrong with it. It happened again, this time the volume on the stereo automatically goes down when I get the tire pressure message along with the air conditioner blowing hot air. It just got worse. I took it to the dealer this time and they kept my car for 3 weeks. They consulted Ford engineers and were in constant contact with Ford (who had no idea what was wrong with it). They finally decided to replace the whole computer. It didn't fail it happened again. But this time the car would just constantly beep, the most annoying thing in the world, and the doors don't automatically lock. As it got worse the dash has a mind of its own, somedays it doesn't light up other days it stays on all night. Thankfully it hasn't drained my battery. It has been to the dealer 4 times already and I have contacted an attorney to help me with a lemon law case. The dealer has no clue what is going on. The advisor said that I was the only Escape in the nation with this problem, but looking on the website mine is not the only one, there is at least one other one. My car is still doing this even more frequently. I have another two weeks before we hear from Ford about a repurchase. It's unfortunate, because I really love my Escape if it wasn't for this one major problem.
- Los Angeles, CA, USA
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- Boulder, CO, USA