Recalls


CampaignManufacturerManufacturing dateType# of units affectedDate Owner notified MfgRecall Initiated byManufacturers of recalled vehicles/productsReport Recieved DateRecord Creation DateRegulation Part NumberFMVSS Number
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES - DOORS - LATCH
04V602000FORD MOTOR COMPANY V (Vehicle)26211303/31/2005MFRFORD MOTOR COMPANY12/20/200412/23/2004571206
Defect SummaryCertain 2004-2005 sport utility vehicles and certain 2001-2003 sport utiity vehicle having rear liftgate components serviced with 2004 equivalent components fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 206, 'door locks and door retention components.' the rear liftgate latching system does not meet the inertia load requirement in one direction.
Consequence SummaryIf the liftgate is left unlocked, there is the potential that it may open during a crash.
Corrective SummaryDealers will replace the rear liftgate latch release rod, the release rod attachment clip and the door handle return spring. the recall began on march 31, 2005. owners should contact ford at 1-800-392-3673.
NotesFord recall no. 04c09.customers can also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236.

Bulletins


BulletinBulletin dateReplacement BulletinItem no.SummaryAdded
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES - HATCHBACK/LIFTGATE - LOCK
1460701/01/2001617905Conditions on escape running change on vehicles equipped with a rear lock cylinder on the rear hatch. *jb04/02/2001

Consumer Complaints


Fail datemilesoccurencesPurchase date
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES
05/28/2011
 Opened doors to many times from outside of vehicle. both drivers side and passenger side front doors will not engage when handles are pulled upward which before the mechinism failed allowed entry to the vehicle. now when handles are activated neither door operates as it should. in other words the doors will not open. and yes, the doors are unlocked and still will not open. this occurs on each and every entry is tried. or everytime i try to get in the vehicle. the consequences are entry has to be made by sticking my arm through a window that is down and engaging the inside door handle to open the door. i can not afford to make repairs on a item that should perform regardless of age but is propertly maintained. doors are a safety feature without properly working doors there is an accident waiting to happen. i called the 18003923673 spoke to anree and he transfered me to ford credit, i think he thought it was time to finance a new ford. but if they would fix and engineer these doors/components correctly i wouldn't be writing this complaint.thanks for nothing andree from ford. this in my mind is one of those hidden fix-it problems that puts money in fords pocket and takes it from mine. the ford service people at my ford dealer i called before this complaint, didn't have the foggest idea of any 2001 ford escape door problems. yea, right guys. this is a safety problem pure and simple.
11/24/2010185000
 Door locks are not unlocking properly. contacted ford about problem and they informed moe to put grease on it this did not work. ford escape trys to quite while running. replaced hoses and plugs and problems still going on. ford escape dpes not want to stop properly with new brakes or brakes that are only 10 to 20 percent worn. also leaks brake fluid have been unable to locate leak on escape.
07/15/20081
 I have a complaint. i own a ford escape 2001. first the drivers rear door will not open from the outside or inside. now the driver's door won't open from the outside to get in, but i can open it from the inside to get out. is there a recall on theses doors? *tr
06/15/20081650001
 Door locks are on all 4 doors are locked and cannot be opened no access to vehicle except through the back hatch or windows. *tr
12/12/20081900001
 On occasion the drivers door and back passenger door latches will not release to allow door to open when pulling handle to open. multiple attempts are required to have door open. now, front passenger latch will not release at all, causing the door to not be usable. i spoke with ford at 18003923673 and was told they were not willing to do anything to help fix the problem. i am concerned that my young children, who ride in the back, will not be able to get out of the vehicle. if we were ever in an accident emergency help may not be able to reach them in a timely manner and the children may become trapped. in the event that the front door would not longer open the passenger , myself, had to climb over the seats to get out of the vehicle. *tr
01/03/2008120000
 Tl*the contact owns a 2001 ford escape. while the vehicle was in park or idling at a stop light, the engine revved. the contact would have to shut off and restart the vehicle in order to reset the throttle. in addition, the rear hatch door would open intermittently. after several weeks, the rear hatch does not function at all. the dealer stated that her vin was not included in nhtsa campaign id numbers 00v210001 (vehicle speed control) and 04v602000 (latches/locks/linkages:doors:latch). the vehicle is currently at the dealer, but has not been repaired. the failure and current mileages were 120,000.
04/01/2006500001
 I own a 2001 ford escape. the locks on the hatch door and hatch glass window do not open consistently, particularly when it is hot outside (i live in fl). there are no other ways to open the door or window as there are no handles on the inside and no key lock on the outside. ford has not issued a recall for this. i would think this would be some type of safety issue. from blogs i see that other owners have the same problem. it seems the actuator may be at fault. *tr
08/21/200721300104/24/2001
 Driver's side outside door handle fails to work. upon disassembly, we found that the part that connected the handle mechanism to the lock mechanism was a flimsy thin metal washer, which had broke in half. this component is definitely substandard for the constant use it gets. upon conferring with other 2001 escape owners at escape-central.com (tech. tips ), not only does this part fail, but the same part on the interior door eventually fails too, thus you cannot open the door from either the outside or inside.' the passenger side door also has this problem as posted by other owners. this creates the possiblilty of being trapped inside during an emergency situation, such as a fire, accident, etc. these cars should be recalled and ford should fix this problem with a more substantial part.
10/22/2006211/06/2003
 My driver's side door stuck and could not be opened and had to be repaired at a cost of $350. both back doors are stuck closed and can not be opened. now the front passenger side door is stuck closed and can not be opened. my son broke his arm and injured his leg and had to go to the emergency room. we had to get him out of the car through the window! as the door suddenly would not open. there were no events leading up to the failure. the repair bill is estimated at another $350.00. in addition, my rear hatch door refused to open the other day while i was having the shocks repaired. the mechanics finally got it open. i fear that something will happen and emergency personnel will not be able to get in to the car and we will not be able to get out. *nm
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES - DOORS - LATCH
06/01/201210
 Submission from re ford escape 2001 safety recall notice 11s24 *tgw the consumer received a recall notice in jan 2012. the notice indicated she would be informed when the parts required to complete the safety recall would become available, which wouldn't be until the second quarter. the vehicle caught on fire while parked, which was prior to the recall, but was quickly extinguished. shortly after the fire, the vehicle was repaired. several months later, the consumer was partly compensated by ford in the form of a check for $1900 accompanied by a document which stated by accepting the compensation, she would also be signing off on any other claims. the consumer also stated the catalytic converter, exhaust manifold, master cylinder, wiring harness, abs, brake line booster, power steering rack and pinion, tie rods, intake manifold as well as the air bag were all replaced. the steering column would freeze, the rear passenger door handle fell off, rendering the door unstable, the coolant light illuminated, the oil pan needed to be replaced, the air condition stopped working and the rear shock were leaking. *jb
04/14/2009
 Tl*the contact owns a 2001 ford escape. while entering the vehicle; the contact attempted to activate the rear passenger power door lock; however, the door failed to unlock. in addition, the rear driver side and front passenger door failed to unlock. the occupants were unable to enter or exit the vehicle due to the failure. previously while driving the door was ajared without assistance. the doors also required excessive force to close them. the door failures were intermittent and have become progressively worse. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer inspection. the technician stated that the failure was contributed to the door handle and latch system. the vehicle was in the process of being repaired. the estimated repair cost for the three defective handles and lock system was $1,500. the vin was unavailable. the failure mileage was unavailable. the current mileage was 70,000.
06/18/200678509/12/2005
 Door handle on occasion gets stuck. *tr
06/06/2007106/10/2001
 Tl*the contact owns a 2001 ford escape. the contact stated that the driver and passenger side doors open by remote, but the other two doors must be opened manually due to latch failure. the dealer stated that it will cost $1,800 to repair the doors. the engine size and failure mileage were unknown. the current mileage is 124,756.
10/01/2006106000110/01/2001
 The front passenger door no longer opens with the outside latch handle. while it opens from the inside, the outside door handle failed inexplicably. it has not been repaired as yet. *nm
09/20/2006119000110/01/2002
 Dt*: the contact stated the door latches were faulty on both front doors. there was no warning signal prior to the incident. the contact was not able to open the front doors from the outside. the contact had to enter from the rear passenger side and open the doors from the inside. the vehicle was taken to a service dealer who determined that there was a problem with the door latches, and notified the contact that the manufacturer was aware of the problem.
08/30/2006235000203/23/2001
 Both back doors of my 2001 ford escape: i do not use my back doors very often since there are only 2 members of my household. i unlocked then tried to open both back doors, both were stuck shut, the handles were loose on the outside. it was not a freezing cold night. i locked and unlocked the doors a bunch of times, then tried to open again. they finally opened, but would not latch shut. the outside handle doesn't seem to be attached to the in door mechanism. my husband finally got the doors to stay shut. i have not opened them since. i am afraid they might open while driving! *nm
09/23/200510
 Nhtsa campaign id number : 04v602000 i have this above latch problem. ford is telling me my car is not eligible. vin # 1fmyu041x1ka44888. *jb
04/01/2005203/01/2001
 Dt: contact stated the passenger door latches stopped working. after about a month earlier driver's side door latch quit working. upon examination the attachment to the rod broke away from the door latch. the vehicle had not been to a service dealer. *ak
01/10/20051
 1. no events leading up to the failure. 2. passenger door failed to open. 3. car currently being repaired. was told by dealer there was no service bulletins regarding this issue. this evidently is a lie. if possible, will follow up with more information. *nm
05/24/200439850204/15/2001
 Both front door locks failed within 1 month of each other. doors could not be opened from the outside. same small part broken on each side. had to replace the entire power lock assembly on each side. *la
03/10/20041150001
 No crash - no injuries yet! think there may be a possible product liabity safety issue: ford escape, 2001, w/ power door locks, serial# 1fmyu04121kf77642. *ak rear doors on both sides do not latch, properly. they do not work properly. once opened they will not close and latch securely. one door failed within one week of the others failure. found out the parts are on national backorder and have been revised 3 times by manufacturor. in 50 years i have never seen an automobile with this type of failure. i've sold hundreds of cars in my life time and have owned plenty. my question is is there any other complaints of this simiilar type on the same type of vehicle? any injuies? is it something the nhtsa can look into for consumers.
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES - HATCHBACK/LIFTGATE - LOCK
12/31/2004700001012/13/2004
 Liftgate gets stuck and will not open. once in a while it will open out of the blue, then i know as soon as i lock my car, it will be stuck again. nothing has been done to correct the failure, because it is obviously a defect, a defect that has been recognized for other 2001 escapes, but not my particular one. *jb
10/03/2005111/13/2002
 I have had problems with the liftgate latch not locking properly for nearly a year. i found on your website under recalls that this is a problem with my vehicle model (ford escape 2001). i called my local ford dealership and they told me it is not found under the ford oasis of recalls. i'm concerned after reading the information, you provided on your website, that this could cause the liftgate to open during a crash. why are you calling this a recall when ford says it's not a recall? i want to get this fixed but believe ford should see this is a problem and needs to be recalled. *nm
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES - TAILGATE - LATCH
05/15/2006202/15/2001
 2001 ford escape tailgate will not unlock. tried 2 different key faubs and tried unlock from the driver door. there is no place to unlock with a key, there is no place to open from inside the cargo area. i checked the owners manual for a location of a manual release and there is none. i called ford motor customer support and they searched the database for a manual release and could not locate any information. this appears to be a serious safety concern if you were in an accident or situation that warranted exiting the vehicle from the back. *nm