Engine died multiple times in a parking lot. Car had been idling and had recently been driven over thirty miles on the highway and the ambient temperature was over 90 deg F. had the car towed home because the dealer service dept was closed. The next day the dealer was unable to reproduce the problem and no dtc found in ECM. Paid the dealer for diagnostic time and picked up up the car. One week later, the car died again while driving at about 10-20 mph. Dashboard display said to pull over and park safely. After waiting for 30 minutes for the engine to cool, we were able to drive the three miles home. The next day at the dealer, no dtc found in the ECM, but the dealer said that the symptoms pointed to a throttle body problem. They were unable to recalibrate the throttle body, so they asked us to approve paying for a throttle body cleaning, which we did. This seems to indicate that the hybrid system directs the engine to shut off whenever it detects a sensor problem that it can not resolve. Most cars would produce a cel illuminated on the dash and set a limp home mode. The Escape hybrid seems to just shut off and let you hope for the best. This may seem like an irrational response to a modest problem, but these were the same things that happened before when the problem was diagnosed as a pump problem for the electronics, which is now a safety recall for 2005-2008 Escape hybrids. To compound the problem, the dealer did not offer to refund our previous payment for the pump replacement. I had to ask for it and am now waiting for them to give me a refund, even though the Ford website clearly states that they should expedite refunds for prior work done once a recall is started. Unhappy on multiple levels.

- Soquel, CA, USA

The electronic coolant pump is known problem and Ford is finally supposed to be fixing this through a recall October 2014. (www.greencarreports.com/news/1094407_2005-2008-Ford-escape-hybrid-recalled-also-Mercury-mariner-hybrids). driving in New Mexico on a family vacation, the car suddenly says to stop safely now warning comes up. Mind you that we are in the middle of no where and it's over one hundred degrees with two small children in the car. Somehow, we barely make it into las cruces, nm about an hour later. So, after waiting a few hours they tell us that their hybrid tech isn't there and is on vacation. Really" it took a few hours to figure out that he wasn't there" anyway, they suggested to try and continue on to phoenix, AZ where they would know what to do. So, we try heading out, but the car goes out again as soon as we get on the freeway. So, we do the pull over and restart thing about twenty times until we make it back to the las cruces dealership. We had to stay in las cruces for a week, costing us thousands of dollars in what we now call the adventure of a lifetime. This has recently happened again with our escape, and they want to charge us again to fix this. Ford needs to get it's act together, or I will not be purchasing from them again.

- Pasadena, CA, USA

Currently Ford has a recall (14S19). The coolant pump may malfunction, which can cause the hybrid electronics systems to overheat and possibly lead to more serious problems. "when the hybrid electronics system gets too hot it will shut down the powertrain, resulting in a stall-like condition, increasing the risk of a crash, " according to Ford's filing with NHTSA. My vehicle has this problem. It has happened several times, and I have already notified this Agency. Once again, on September 5, 2014, I was driving in Maryland, near DC, in rush hour traffic, and I lost all power. It is really horrible losing all power when you are in the left most lane (no left shoulder), and lose all power. Several cars almost hit us...again. I don't care if my hybrid system is overheating. I would rather destroy the batteries than all of a sudden losing all power in DC rush hour.

- Richmondville, NY, USA

At approximately 8:00 am on the above date, I was traveling North on interstate 75 from cincinnati toward toledo at around 70 mph. Without any warning whatsoever, the vehicle completely shut down and the computer advised I should pull off immediately to safety. When the escape came to a stop, I turned the key off and then was able to restart the engine. After traveling less than two miles, the same thing happened. This time I was able to limp off an exit ramp to a side street where the vehicle seemed to be able to run a bit longer before cutting off however, the engine dying happened at least another half dozen times before I was able to make it to an enterprise rental car location North of dayton. From there, I stopped by the nearest Ford dealership (beau townsend Ford) and they were able to retrieve the vehicle from the enterprise parking lot. The dealership was not able to look at the vehicle until several days later on 6/19/14 however, at that time they diagnosed the problem as a defective / shorted-out motor electric cooling system pump. The part was ordered and replaced the following day however, including towing and the necessity of renting a vehicles (I was on a business trip), the incident ended up costing me close to $1,000. From what I understand, Ford was aware of this defective part at the time of manufacturing and did nothing to prevent it from being installed on tens of thousands of vehicles. There are hundreds of complaints on file regarding this part as well as a class action law suit which was filed in the state of California. Let's hope that Ford finally steps up to the plate and admits their grave error in judgment before somebody gets killed because of this faulty part. Those of us who have had to incur expenses due to the malfunction should be full reimbursed by Ford.

- Cincinnati, OH, USA

As we were driving, a "hazard" light come on the dash, the engine shut completely off, and a message, "stop car safely, " also appeared on the dash. We did so, and turned off the car and turned it back on. Car drove fine for about 5 minutes and the same thing happened. We did this for about an hour or so to get home. Had we been on a busy interstate. A sudden engine shut off could have been very dangerous. We took the car to the dealership and were informed that the electric battery had overheated because the water pump was not working. I have come across similar complaints while looking into my situation. Some examples: repairpal.com/coolant-pump-on-hybrid-may-fail-and-cause-celengine-shutdown-562.

- Marietta, OH, USA

The electric cooling pump fails causing the motor to shut down. This is a known problem by Ford and there is a service bulletin on this problem. Ford need to recall this item.

- Livermore, CA, USA

Electrical system in my Ford Escape hybrid 2008 shut down while driving at high speed (indicator with a triangle shape and an admiration sign inside). The "stop safely now" sign was displayed at the same time. I could not accelerate anymore, thus losing full control of the car. I pulled over to the shoulder, turned the engine off and turned engine back on. Once I turn the car off, it will drive and then repeat. Initially it only happened on the freeway but now it happens while driving at regular speeds (25mph). The first dealer I took it to told me to replace the engine coolant pump, I did still the same problem; I took it to another Ford dealer who said I needed to replace the filter to the coolant pump, I did still the same problem. Today I was told that the throttle body was bad so I replaced this, still the same problem!!!! this is a very dangerous situation with nosolution. Ford, please recall the models impacted and fix this issue as soon as possible before people get killed.

- Cleveland Heights, OH, USA

For the last month or so, my car has randomly stalled, in the middle of driving. The "pull over safely" light would light up, and the entire car would shut down. I took it to the dealer, and they said that I need to replace my electronic throttle because it is shutting down. After researching, I have discovered this is a common problem and I would like to urge Ford to recall the part and accept responsibility for selling defective cars.

- Houston, TX, USA

Several times since buying my car in Nov 2013 my steering wheel has locked up on me so that it is extremely difficult to turn the wheel, typically when turning a corner, almost causing accidents. I have been very lucky that there were no other vehicles around since I was unable to pull completely over in one case and I was unable to complete the turn in my own lane in another. I am very worried that this will happen in traffic and myself and others could be injured or even killed. And neither Ford or warranty company is willing to repair/replace.

- Escalon, CA, USA

Multiple incidents of the vehicle shutting down occurred on 3/8/2014 beginning while travelling along a 2-lane highway (ca-74 around idyllwild area) at approximately 10:30 P.M. vehicle displayed red triangle icon with exclamation point inside the triangle and words in red "stop safely now", at which point power to the engine was disabled although power steering appeared to still be active. I then pulled over at a turn-out (luckily one was nearby since I was going uphill and losing speed quickly). I proceeded to turn the ignition to the off position and within minutes re-started without further incident until approximately midnight at which point I was travelling along a major freeway in san diego I-15 southbound at a speed of 65-70 mph. At this point the vehicle became disabled after displaying the red icon and words described above. This happened again 4 separate times. These 4 incidents occurred within a 6 mile stretch of each other and within a 20 minute window. There was no other indication that anything was wrong with the vehicle - no system notice of overheating, faulty electrical, etc.

- La Mesa, CA, USA

This week the news had stories about General Motors recalling several cars because the ignition can suddenly turn off causing the car to lose power while driving. There were even deaths due to bad accidents as a result of the ignition failure and car losing power. This reminded me of an incident that happened to me which was similar. I was driving my 2008 Ford Escape hybrid last December, on I-280 in san francisco during rush hour at 65 mph, when suddenly the dash beeped at me, flashed the check engine light, displayed a message to pull over safely, and the engine had no power! I suddenly found myself in heavy traffic, middle lane of the freeway and no power to safely pull over. I was losing speed and slowed to where I cut between other cars and over to the shoulder. I'm sure I cut someone off in the process. Luckily there was not a horrible accident. There could have easily been an accident. The same thing happened three more times in the next few days before I took the car to the dealer to be fixed. They indicated that this is a common problem of which they are aware. The Ford dealer diagnosed it with code P1A0D, which was a bad coolant pump for the electric generator. I did some research and found that many other Ford escape owners have experienced the same situation as I did where the vehicle lost power while at high speed and put them into a dangerous situation. A simple google search on this finds several blog reports of people with similar situations. Ford has yet to issue a recall on this, but I have found that there is a class action lawsuit against Ford: Macdonald V. Ford, case no. 3:13-cv-02988, in the us district court for the northern district of California.

- Cupertino, CA, USA

While traveling at interstate speeds (65 -70 mph) in the middle lane, my 2008 Ford Escape hybrid had a sudden loss of power with a red triangle exclamation mark indicator light in the driver message center reading 'stop vehicle safely', had to coast to the side of the interstate which was very dangerous, this sudden loss of power incident almost ended in me being rear ended and then in a collision as I tried to cross over to the emergency lane. Could you please investigate this. I will be taking my car into the shop tomorrow to see what they say. I see on the internet that many other Ford escape owners have had this same thing happen to them.

- Carlsbad, CA, USA

Electrical system in my Ford Escape hybrid 2008 shut down while driving at high speed (indicator with a triangle shape and an admiration sign inside). The "stop safely now" sign was displayed at the same time. I could not accelerate anymore, thus losing full control of the car. I pulled over to the shoulder, turned the engine off and turned engine back on. The problem repeated five times. I was finally able to make it home. This is a very dangerous situation. While doing research on the internet I found that this is a known issue related to the coolant pump system. Ford, please recall the models impacted and fix this issue as soon as possible before people get killed.

- Moraga, CA, USA

It was Thursday, October 17, 2013. The ambient air temperature was about 62 degrees. It was sunny. The streets were dry. I was driving South from austin to new braunfels, Texas on I-35 at approximately 7:15 a.M. I had the speed control set for 55 M.P.H. as I was leaving san marcos, an alarm tone sounded, and the dash board display showed "stop safely now" and the engine shut off. I was able to move to the shoulder using battery power only at less than 20 miles an hour, causing issues with other traffic on the interstate, with many of the other drivers anxious to get to work. I stopped the car, and when it was safe to do so, exited the vehicle and did a perimeter scan for issues. None were detected. I opened the hood and checked for untoward issues. There was no smoke. The engine wasn't overly hot. Oil was full to the appropriate mark. The vehicle had been serviced by the dealership who sold the vehicle to me about 1790 miles prior to this incident, and a full diagnostic was performed without any issues detected. After completing this check, I restarted the car and drove for another 20 or so miles when the alarm and display repeated as above. Again there were no issues. I restarted the vehicle after about three minutes and was able to complete the 75 mile commute. The return trip had no issues. Since the vehicle shut down completely without warning in fast-moving traffic, this is a catastrophic failure. Information from the internet indicates that Ford has had this issue since the first Escape hybrids were on the road, and there appears to be no definitive problem or correction. I request that the NHTSA examine this to determine if a recall should be performed before someone is killed because of a faulty alarm that shuts the vehicle down completely without warning.

- Austin, TX, USA

Failure of the electronic water pump for the hybrid system causes the immediate shutdown of the vehicle leaving driver no power to move to a safe area. There is no warning but just an immediate electrical shutoff until driver can move to the shoulder and restart the vehicle. This occurred twice and left us in very dangerous situations before I had the car repaired. Ford would not replace the part claiming it is not covered under their hybrid warranty although the part is integral to the hybrid system. Part should be recalled before fatalities occur.

- Hoover, AL, USA

While driving down the road at highway speed on a summer night at around 9:00 pm, the car's engine suddenly stopped, a red warning triangle light came on, and the dash message screen said, "stop safely now." I pulled the car to the side of the road, turned it off, and was able to resume driving after a few minutes. On 5 separate trips subsequently, this sudden loss of engine power has happened, often in heavy traffic where pulling to the side of the road was very difficult and dangerous. The failure often happens multiple times on the same trip. Each time the failure has happened has been in the summer and in the late afternoon or evening. Each time the car can be restarted once pulled to the side of the road and turned off.

- Raleigh, NC, USA

Same thing that has been happening. I have photos for each incident. ABS lights, check brakes light. And E-brake lights light up. Regen brakes disengaged. I have spoken with [xxx] at future Ford he asked me to bring it in the next time it does it, during business hours since there are no options for after hours. I get off work at 5pm and pick up my kids and by the time that is done there is not time to make it back to dealer. I am making arrangements to have someone else pick up kids so when it happens again tomorrow I can go straight to dealership after work or on my lunch. I also plan on having them check the tone rings. Ford Motor Company says they are unable to help, but have still not addressed my concerns about the number of complaints others have had regarding similar issues. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Martinez, CA, USA

I left work. Picked up daughter. Check brake system, ABS, and emergency brake lights came on @ 530pm. Drove to pick up boys from summer program. Get in car. Lights off. 553pm. Put car in reverse. Same lights reappear. 555pm. Regen brakes disabled. Takes pedal to floor to stop and feel pressure of brakes. Car feels like it is in neutral and rolling back on incline unless brakes are all the way applied. Talked to [xxx] at dealership earlier. Said to bring in when lights were on, during business hours. Said that Ford was unable to help due to no warranty. Said it sounded like hcu unit. I asked why this wasn't mentioned at my inspection a week ago. He said it appears to be working fine when they look at it. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Martinez, , CA, USA

The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape hybrid. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled with the illumination of a red triangle on the instrument panel warning the contact to pull over. The contact later took the vehicle to the dealer where it was determined that the motor electronic coolant system failed and caused the failure. The dealer stated that this was known issue that the manufacturer had not corrected. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and the current mileage was 62,000.

- Brooklyn, NY, USA

During a 300 mile trip, the feh "stop safely now" warning came on and car shut down. We were on a busy la highway at the time. We were able to get it off the highway, read up on that warning symbol and restarted car without another incident then. 25 days later, driving the car on 45 minute trip, 'stop safely now' light came on repeatedly. Had to pull over several times, wait a few minutes and restart car. Again this was highway driving in heavy traffic. This was very dangerous situation and no car should just shut down while you're driving.

- Chandler, AZ, USA