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 2003 Ford Escape. The contact heard a knocking sound coming from the vehicle. An independent mechanic discovered that the subframe was rusted and quoted a repair cost of $2,000 to have the frame replaced. Several unknown dealers were contacted and quoted repairs costs as high as $4,800. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 88,000.
The contact owns a 2003 Ford Escape. The contact noticed that the K frame was corroded and the air bag warning indicator illuminated continuously. In addition, while the brake pedal was depressed, the vehicle accelerated independently. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the K frame needed to be replaced, the power control module needed to be repaired, and the air bags needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 172,470.
My vehicle was serviced for the Ford recall # 14S02 and a cross brace was installed. The recall was due to a subframe corroding away in some parts of the us including my region. My complaint is that Ford did not correctly fix this problem with their cross brace. They simply bolted a cross brace from one side of the frame to the other and it does nothing when the subframe actually corrodes away. I was lucky to not get in an accident a week ago when my frame that has the cross bar installed finally gave way and my front passenger side control arm completely separated from the cross brace and subframe that has corroded to nothing. Ford has claimed that since the recall work has already been done there is nothing more they can do. I think the NHTSA should investigate and make Ford actually fix this problem before someone gets seriously hurt. It was one of the scariest moments driving that I have ever had. Driving down the road with my 7 yr old son in the car and all of a sudden I lose steering almost all together. Thankfully I was one of the lucky ones that day. If this problem is not addressed then I'm afraid many people will be hurt.
The front frame of the car has corroded to the point that the control arm has come loose and the car is not drivable. There is a recall of this specific problem for this make/model/year but I am being told my VIN is not part of this recall. The control arm detached while I was driving. I was not in an accident but was able to pull over. I had the damage asses by a local mechaninc, who informed me of the recall.
The contact owns a 2003 Ford Escape. While driving approximately 5 mph, a crunching sound was present coming from the front passenger side and the vehicle suddenly could not be driven properly. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the lower control arm had fractured due to corrosion. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the vehicle was repaired in 2014 per NHTSA campaign number: 14V165000 (structure). The contact indicated that the vehicle later experienced the same failure listed in the recall. The local dealer was not notified. The failure mileage was 53,000.
- Bradford, PA, USA
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The contact owns a 2003 Ford Escape. While the contact's spouse was driving 30 mph, a loud pop was heard and the steering wheel became extremely loose. The contact stated that the vehicle swerved to the right and the driver was able to stop the vehicle on the side of the roadway. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was towed to ourisman Ford & Lincoln of alexandria (6129 richmond hwy, alexandria, va 22303, (703) 660-9000) where it was diagnosed that the subframe was fractured and needed replacement. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the vehicle was serviced per NHTSA campaign number: 14V165000 (structure), but the remedy failed to repair the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and opened a case. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000. The VIN was unavailable.
The contact's daughter owns a 2003 Ford Escape. The contact stated that his daughter noticed that the subframe looked rusted and loose. The vehicle was towed to brondes Ford toledo (5545 secor rd, toledo, oh 43623) where it was diagnosed that the subframe had rotted. The vehicle was serviced per NHTSA campaign number: 14V165000 (structure). After the vehicle was driven over 20 mph, the wheels turned at different angles and the vehicle made a screeching sound. The vehicle was taken back to brondes Ford, but the dealer and manufacturer (who was made aware of the failure) declined to provide further assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 150,000.
The contact owns a 2003 Ford Escape. While driving 35 mph, a loud noise was heard coming from the front passenger side of the vehicle and the vehicle swayed back and forth. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The contact was able to drive the vehicle home and, upon inspecting underneath the vehicle, noticed corrosion and separation of the lower control arm from the frame. The vehicle was not taken to an independent mechanic or dealer for diagnostic testing or repairs. The contact researched online and found NHTSA campaign number: 14V165000 (structure). The manufacturer confirmed that the VIN was not included in a recall. No further assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 153,207.
The contact owns a 2003 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the front end of the vehicle shook violently. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where he was advised that the sub frame was rusted out. The vehicle was not repaired. A local dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and opened a case #cas13006709 and advised the contact to follow up. The vehicle was serviced under NHTSA campaign number: 14V165000 (structure) however the remedy failed to repair the vehicle. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was unknown.
The contact owns a 2003 Ford Escape. While the vehicle was being inspected, the contact noticed that the subframe was completely fractured. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 134,000.
The contact owns a 2003 Ford Escape. While driving 45 mph, the steering failed and the subframe fractured. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided case number: 17653427. No further assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 172,907.....updated 11/16/17 updated 11/28/2017
The contact owns a 2003 Ford Escape. While driving 10 mph, the passenger side of the subframe was rusted and detached from the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to mark thomas Ford (located at 3098 elm rd ext ne cortland, oh 44410) where it was diagnosed that the frame needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and opened case number: Cas13677317. The failure mileage was 174,522.
My father took my Escape to have the brakes assessed and while it was up on the lift, the owner of the service station made mention to the excessive, abnormal rust in the chassis. He stated that the condition of the chassis is very dangerous and that the support arm, that was installed due to the recall #14V165000 and 14S02, is attached to rust and not supporting anything to make the truck safe. I have tried a number of times to ask for help from Ford customer relations and they are unwilling to assist in any way. This truck was well cared for and the engine and transmission are in great working order. I should be able to continue to drive this car, however, because of the rust issue, the truck is not safe to drive. Undertaking a new car payment would be a huge financial burden that I am unable to afford at this time. It is very disheartening that a large corporation such as Ford manufactured a substandard vehicle and they would rather its customer(s) drive an unsafe car than maintain responsibility and offer some kind of assistance.
My vehicle was setting in my driveway on 4/14/2017 and the neighbor came pounding on my door stating my vehicle was on fire. He tried putting the fire out to avoid the fire from reaching the gas tank and also spraying the side of my house to try to keep it from catching the siding on fire. The front drivers side tire blew up so he dropped the hose and ran.when the fire dept got here it had already burned my vehicle all the way up and melted the siding on the house. The fire chief was unable to determine the cause of the fire because of the way everything was burned! nothing was left but the 2 rear tires and wheels and the 2 back tail light lens. I had drove it 2 1/2 hrs before the fire started so the motor was already cooled off! I've checked for recalls but none to be found on this yr model. I also filed a complaint with recall center and with Ford Motor Corporation.all they said was I would receive the report within the next 15 days. It's been 11 days now and still haven't received anything! complaint #: 10978773 (Ford Corp) fire department incident #: 17-1703168....keith fitch. Fire chief...
The contact owns a 2003 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign numbers: 12V353000 (engine and engine cooling, vehicle speed control) and 14V165000 (structure); however, the parts for the recall repairs were unavailable. The contact stated that the undercarriage of the vehicle, especially near the control arm, was corroded to the point that it failed inspection. Also, the vehicle's RPM monitor fluctuated between 0-5, failing to correctly indicate an increase in rpms. The failure caused the vehicle to rev up without the contact purposely causing an increase. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failures. The approximate failure mileage was 244,310. Parts distribution disconnect.
The contact owns a 2003 Ford Escape. While driving 65 mph, a loud noise was heard coming from the front passenger side and the vehicle immediately veered to the side of road. The contact mentioned that the vehicle was serviced per NHTSA campaign number: 14V165000 (structure). The vehicle was towed home to a family member's home where it was inspected by an independent mechanic who diagnosed that a cracked subframe due to extreme corrosion was the cause of the failure. The manufacturer and dealer did not provide assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 113,000.
The contact owns a 2003 Ford Escape. Upon exiting a parking area, there was an abnormal suspension vibration near the front of the vehicle. The front subframe fractured and impacted the front passenger side tire. The contact and a mechanic inspected the fact that there had been premature rust and corrosion associated with the underbody, subframe, and the bar that was connected to the frame. The vehicle was unable to be driven and was towed by the mechanic. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided no solution other than for the contact to take the vehicle to the dealer. The VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign numbers: 14V165000 (structure) and 15E045000 (suspension). The failure mileage was not available.
The vehicle was moving at 35 mph, the front passenger side wheel started making noise and got wobbly. I took it to a Ford dealer. The service department took a day to diagnose the problem. They indicated that the sub frame has rusted out and the lower control arms are not secure in the sub-frame and may separate anytime. They refuse to fix the problem as per the recall saying that they put a cross brace and the recall is fixed. The cross brace that was put, is a band-aid fix and does not address the failure of the defective sub-frame. The sub-frame will fail even after installing the cross brace that Ford seems to think will fix the problem. The lower control arm will separate and the cross brace will not prevent any accidents that could result from lower control arm separation.
The contact owns a 2003 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 14V165000 (structure). The vehicle was repaired. While driving approximately 5 to 10 mph, there was a grinding noise. The vehicle was coasted over to the side of the road and towed to a mechanic. It was diagnosed that the subframe was completely rusted. The manufacturer was notified. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 115,000.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Raleigh, NC, USA