The car was coasting and then just completely turned off reducing steering and braking ability at least 50% until I could come to a complete stop, turn off the ignition, then restart it again. Since then this has happened at least 5 times, 4 in the last week! my totally trustworthy mechanic did a diagnostic test and found no failures besides the fact that the fuel gauge hasn't worked in years, the speedometer doesn't always tell me the speed, the gas tank shuts off before filling up, the head lights and interior lights have stayed on after turning off the car and hasn't turned off after it's rained. The RPM seems to be the problem for why the engine turns off when they are too low. There used to be a jerky problem during acceleration when the car would shoot forward then back off a couple times before returning to a more steady acceleration. I would consider this vehicle a complete lemon and threat to the safety of me and anybody else on the road but since the warranty period is over and it's been taken to a mechanic I don't have any other options besides reporting it to you, I really wish there was some way this problem could be solved and I'm certain many other owners of this same vehicle are dealing with the same problem.

- San Juan Capistrano, CA, USA

The car stalled while cruising at highway speeds. Needed to pull over to without power steering or brakes and restart the car. This is not an isolated incident. www.ncconsumer.org/news-articles/nccc%20petitions%20nhtsa%20for%20defect%20investigation%20into%20ford%20escape%20vehicles.html.

- Clayton, NC, USA

I started to have problems with the handling of my 2005 Mustang GT when I would drive down the road. It would swerve in the other lanes and it would hit the road bumps and holes like a "go kart" would. I noticed since I put on my 245/45/17 B.F.goodrich tires that I started having all these problems. I asked the Ford place what I needed to do because my tire in the inner part was wearing out and my fabric had started to show. The Ford dealership would not help me at all, all they would tell me is that I should have never changed the original tires and wheels. I have now american racing wheels with those B.F.goodrich tires still on, but I have not drove my car in about a week.

- Asheboro, NC, USA

Contact states. The pinion gear (which the consumer says is part of the rear end) is bad on his 2005 convertible Ford Mustang diagnosed by the dealer. The manufacturer says there is no fix for this. The dealer says they cannot get the parts because Ford will not relinquish the parts. The dealer and the manufacturer tells him there is an indefinite backorder on the parts. The vehicle has 4500 miles on it. He also cannot put the convertible top up or down on the vehicle. The motor on the top is blown up and the dealer and the manufacturer do not have a new one and refuse to give him the old pump back. They have told him there is no fix for the convertible top. He can only put one half gallon of gas in the car at a time because the gas pump clicks on/off telling him the gas tank is full. The dealer has diagnosed that the gas tank is bad and has ordered a new gas tank that will be there on 7-29-05 which is covered by the warranty. Other was selected as the component for the pinion gear because the consumer was not sure where the pinion gear was located.

- Napa, CA, USA