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 contact owns a 2006 Ford Escape hybrid. When the contact took the vehicle to an unknown dealer in fenton, Michigan for maintenance, it was diagnosed that the shock tower frame was rusted. The vehicle was deemed unsafe to drive. The contact was informed that the vehicle was not included in a recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that there was no recall. The contact was referred to NHTSA. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.
I heard a loud clunky from the right rear wheel well, louder when going over bumps. Upon inspection I observed the entire wheel well was missing it's protective coating and flaking rust/corrosion was everywhere with exposed white fiberglass sheeting visible the right rear shock is exposed, missing bolts and with the bracket missing the other side of the care (left rear) does not exhibit this rust. With palpation of the right rusted rear well a person can move the remaining pieces. This is very unsafe and can not imagine why there is not a recall as other reviews online describe the same problem. I called Ford: No assistance or recall as of this date. I reside in Wisconsin and took care to remove underbody salt to no avail, evidentially.
We noticed banging coming from the right rear wheel well. After investigating, we found a number of small rusted out holes into the trunk from just that wheel well. The banging was the shock mount and the shock absorber hitting the well. The rusted out area has grown. There is no other indication of significant rust on the undercarriage. We've been told that this is the result of a leak from the hybrid battery; others, via message boards and the like, have reported the same problem. We were afraid that the shock absorber would hit the wheel and cause an accident so we took it off the road. Given we need the vehicle and don't want to sell an otherwise serviceable SUV for scrap, we hope you can persuade Ford to recall this model and fix this dangerous problem as soon as possible.
Right rear shock absorber mounting has gotten weak and started to flex. The wheel well above it has lost the integrity of its plastic coating and has caused it to rust out enormously. Shock mount and wheel well need to be replace. From doing some searching online this is a major problem for the 04-06 escape and can lead to a failure of the mounting and make the vehicle unsafe to drive.
Right rear wheel well completely rusted out and collapsed, exposing shock. Shock is broken. You can see through wheel well via the jack compartment. Unsafe to drive. Rough estimates are $3000-4000, replacing wheel well, shock, and right rear quarterpanel. Left wheel well intact and good.
- Terrace Park, OH, USA
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We have a 2006 Ford Escape hybrid - and just this morning, upon hearing an odd rattle coming from the right rear when dropping off my daughter at the local veterinary hospital, I inspected the right rear wheel housing and discovered, to my shock, that under the factory black inner fender undercoating, which was hanging off, the upper shock mount was almost completely perforated with rust, to the point that I could feel a flow of cold air from the A/C exiting the cabin through the perforations. I called ganley Ford as soon as they opened, but the body shop won't be open until Monday. This is my wife's primary car, and with what I've discovered, I'm reluctant to have her, or anyone, drive it until the problem's addressed - and the extent of the corrosion is astonishing. With a 400++ pound battery located between the left and right upper shock mounts, and with the extent of the corrosion I just found, I'm equally concerned for the left rear upper shock mount and body pan integrity, as well as for the hybrid system and battery pack. Please help me to get into immediate contact with the proper Ford zone representative to get a look at this issue and decide where to go from here - this is a premium hybrid SUV that I thoroughly researched before selecting to purchase, and now I'm afraid to even move it from my parking deck at the office. This car, and other escapes suffering from this same issue, are accidents waiting to happen. A simple web search shows that there are hundreds, if not thousands, of escapes suffering the same issues. This is a critical safety issue and I would ask sincerely that NHTSA investigate and act quickly. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
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- Howell, MI, USA