Bulletins


BulletinBulletin dateReplacement BulletinItem no.SummaryAdded
AIR BAGS
04261212/31/200410014302Side air bag diagnostic trouble code (dtc) b1994 or b1998. *tt04/29/2005
1828011/01/200410013422Air bag warning lamp on . *eh04/18/2005
1828411/01/200410013426High airflow from defroster vents when in floor or floor defrost modes. *eh04/18/2005

Consumer Complaints


Fail datemilesoccurencesPurchase date
AIR BAGS
01/11/2013
 I have had my 2002 ford escape since june 2002. i bought it brand new and i have never had any problems with my airbags before and have never been in any accidents that would cause the airbags to deploy. all of a sudden in early january 2013, i started to notice my check airbag light on my dashboard illuminate. i thought this was odd since it had never done so before and i had never been in any accidents so i didn't really think anything of it and thought the light would just go off. the light continued to go on and so i finally brought it to the dealership on february 15, 2003. the dealership performed a diagnostic test on the airbag system only to find out that both of the pre-tensioner connectors that clip to the wire harness that makes the airbag system work had high resistance and needed to be replaced. without a fix, the airbag system no longer worked. they claimed that over time with the wear and tear of the vehicle, this will happen and the clips will no longer clip as they said. i find that hard to believe that a major safety feature of a vehicle such as airbags would all of a sudden stop working creating a potentially hazardous situation if there was an accident and the airbags did not deploy. i just wanted to share my story with you in case there have been other similar situations with this make and model of vehicle that might warrant a model recall in the future.
07/01/200680060
 Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford escape. the contact stated that while driving the air bag light erroneously illuminated. the vehicle was not taken to a mechanic. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not contacted. the failure mileage was 80,060 and the current mileage was 130,000.
07/01/200680060
 Tl- the contact owns a 2002 ford escape. the contact stated that while driving the airbag light erroneously illuminated. the vehicle was not taken to a mechanic. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not contacted. the failure mileage was 80,060 and the current mileage was 130,000. pmb
07/01/200680060
 Tl- the contact owns a 2002 ford escape. the contact stated while driving the airbag light erroneously illuminated. the vehicle was not taken to a mechanic. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not contacted. the failure mileage was 80,060 and the current mileage was 130,000. mh
10/08/2012108500
 Tl -the contact owns a 2002 ford escape. the contact stated that the air bag warning lamp illuminated intermittently. the dealer was contacted who did not offer any assistance since her vehicle was not included in any recalls. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the vin was not available. the failure mileage was 108,500 and the current mileage was 108,600. kmj
12/19/200269
 The airbag light keeps coming on. i took it in for service for regular maintenance and then the light was off. i've had the car now for 10 years this december. i can't recall a time my airbag light has not been on. just recently i started researching and found their is a short wire under the drivers seat and it has a little gray prong on it. the gray prong needs to be grounded and it should be attached the bars the seat slides back and forth on. i stuck the gray plug in and the airbag light went out. the only problem is everytime you move the seat it pushes the gray plug down and eventually it will come back on and i will have to fix it again. ford needs to correct this problem. the problem is an easy fix and i don't understand why they don't change the plug or make a longer cord. ford needs to fix the problem. i love my car but hate the frustation.
05/23/200520000
 I purchased my escape in 2004, with 15,000. miles. shortly after that i recieved an noticed that it had been recalled for something with the safety belt which they replaced/repaired frr of charge. now the airbag light came on and the dealer told me it was some type of senor, and it would cost about 250.00 to fix. now the airbag light is off but the chime remains. i have been observing that this issue one of safety, and it isn't the first complaint. when will ford get off their corporate behind and get this fixed before someone gets killed?
09/16/200925
 In march 2004 while driving at a low rate of speed, i clipped the corner of a parked vehicle which caused my ford escape to overturn. no airbags deployed. in september 2009 while entering a freeway during a heavy rainstorm, driving at a low rate of speed, the escape hydro planed, slammed into the cement barrier rendering the vehicle useless. despite the vehicle having spun multiple times and being slammed into the barrier at such an impact the transmission dropped several inches, no airbags deployed. this vehicle was purchased new from butterfield fored in salt lake, at a cost of $22, 200. in the 5+ years of owning this vehicle, i spent more than $10,000 in repairs - for a brand new vehicle. despite my pleas to the dealer ship, i was never provided any rememdy. despite a dpf sensor going out 3 times and only being covered once by warranty, calipers going out and then brakes shortly after the vehicles warranty expires which ford will not cover despite the calipers having just been replaced. the exhaust manifold, the latch to the tail gate did not work. this vehicle was a lemon and ford never even tried to provide a remedy. my primary concern, the air bags did not deploy despite the vehicle turning over during the first accident nor when i hit a cement barrier with such force the transmission dropped several inches.
07/15/20100
 My airbag light keeps coming on every time i start my ford escape. upon review of this it's been on complaint websites several times by hundreds of people. how many of these people need to die due to malfunction of the air bags before we have a recall. this light has been on since i've owned the vehicle. also my window stopped going up. the dipstick can't give a clear reading of the oil amount. these things lead to death, constant and costly repair, and constant problems.
10/05/200210000
 My 2002 ford escape was bought new in march of 2002. the problem with it accelerating at low speeds started about 6-7 months later. returned to the dealership many times to have it checked but was told every time there was nothing wrong. i've had one accident as a result of this problem. i still own the same escape and still have the problem with it . i was told that there were no complaints of this nature with these models but have since learned that there have been many. i also as have many people had the problem with the air-bag light on .again many trips to the dealer and was told nothing was wrong about $300 later for labor costs. finally on one more attempt to find out what was wrong i returned to the dealer again and was told that a sensor in the seat-belt was the problem and it would cost approximately $300-$400 to repair it and that the air bags may or may not be working because of this sensor. i have personally lost all faith in ford canada and their products and some of the employees at the dealerships i've dealt with. i am in the process i buying a new car but it's not a ford. never again will i buy a ford
07/30/200994959
 Tl-the contact owns a 2002 ford escape. the contact stated the air bag light stays illuminating and will not go off. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where they stated they repaired the vehicle (repairs unknown) but the light still illuminated. the manufacturer was not contacted. the failure mileage was 94,959....mw
08/26/2005500001
 Air bag light came on i was told it was several different problems on several different occasions all resulting in the dealer replacing my safety harness which was oh by the way not covered under the electrical wiring extended warranty. they replaced the safety harness and guess what the air bag light is back on. i was told it would happen every time i adjust the seat. ( a defect in design). *tr
07/13/2008320001
 Air bag lights go on and off. *tr
04/15/2008998001
 I purchased my 2002 ford escape in february 2006. within a few days the airbag light came on and stayed on. i took it to the ford dealership and they said that the seatbelt pretenser needed to be replaced, but i can not afford to pay almost $500. the dealership says that because i can't have it fixed, my airbags may not deploy in an accident. i have reported this to the ford company and got no help. so, basically they are saying that i deserve to be hurt or killed in an accident because i can't afford to have the pretenser fixed. i for one do not think that is fair. *tr
03/05/2008590005
 Air bag light illuminated continuously indicating that the air bags may not work properly in a collision. ford dealer performed air bag self test and code b1881 was obtained. i had to have wiring revisions to both seats at a cost of $292.86. the dealer representative informed me that the wiring revision was necessary because the original wiring under the seats was incapable of accommodating the full range of normal seat adjustments allowed by the electric seat adjustor. this is obviously a manufacturer defect involving a safety feature of the 2002 ford escape. should not the manufacturer have to pay for correcting this safety defect? *tr
01/09/200888500204/15/2006
 Srs airbag lamp on on the dashboard, it will blink for 30 seconds when you start the engine. then it will stay lit. i brought this to the dealer where i bought this suv and after 1 year it came on again. i had it checked to a dealer and they reset the lamp and it came back again. it worries me because i do not know if the airbags will work during an accident. *tr
06/10/200775000102/13/2002
 Air bag light comes on and stays on. dealer says air bags are disabled when the light is on. he wants about $400 to fix the problem. this problem has been reported frequently on the internet. *jb
08/04/20071
 My granddaughter was operating my 2002 ford xlt escape and was involved in an accident recently in august 2007. an individual ran a stop sign and she hit his vehicle broadside at 50 miles per hour. the automobile has been classified as totaled at 10k plus damage. the problem is that none of her airbags deployed in the vehicle. she was wearing a seat belt but received injures including a partially collapsed lung, which may have been a direct result of the airbags not stopping her forward motion. *jb
04/06/2007310/01/2002
 In april 2007, i took my 2002 ford escape because of constant clicking noise that i heard coming from the left front side of the car for about 3 months. i was told that it was my sway bar end link, but the right side. the left end link had been replaced in april 2006, so i had to pay for the right end link to be replaced. the clicking noise persists. now, the dealer is saying that it is the right lower control arm that is making the noise and i must have done something to it, even though it is the same noise and started only 2 days after being serviced. also, the car has stalled twice. the front brake rotors have been replaced twice and needs a third replacement. the transmission has been replaced. the air bag light comes on intermittently and remains on for months at a time; started in 2004. the windows and door locks have been serviced for intermittently not working three times before the problem was resolved.
11/03/200675000102/01/2002
 Air bag light came on. it stays on. i was told by the dealer that when this happens the air bags are immediately shut off as there is a error code. this has happened three times before and each time the passenger side pretensioner was replaced. twice the dealer covered it and the third time the dealer said it was out of warranty and they wouldn't fix it. seems like if they fixed it right the first time it wouldn't have happened again. now it has happened again. and once again the dealer said i am on my own. now i am driving a car with no air bags and i specifically brought it because of the airbags.
04/01/2003480574101/01/2002
 Dt*: the contact stated while driving 25 mph, the airbag light illuminated intermittently, then became constant. the vehicle was taken to a service dealer where it was determined that a seat belt assembly pretensioner kit needed to be installed for the driver and passenger sides. the wiring for the airbag was also inspected, and it was determined that the wiring needed to be replaced. the contact stated the problem occurred 4 times. the manufacturer was alerted but denied the claim.
08/28/20066800010002/15/2002
 In april 2005 my airbag light came on. took it to ford autoland and was told i needed to pay to have some switch or module replaced cost over 400.00 dollars. had the repairs completed and now 18 months later same problem and i am told i have to pay another $400 to fix same problem. *jb
07/20/2006610/25/2002
 Since having my 2002 ford escape, i have had ongoing problems with my airbag light staying on. on occasion it goes off, but always comes back on again. the problem began within a few months of purchasing my escape and took 4+ visits to rectify. the problem resurfaced again last year. i was recently quoted $400.00 to get this fixed. it seems unreasonable to have to pay so much money to get this fixed when there is a clear pattern of it being a problem with escapes, and is an issue that is not related to driver recklessness or usage patterns. *nm
02/03/20061
 Small impact under 5 miles per hour and my air bags deployed. no damage to my car at all. was having a problem for a year with my srs air bag light coming on. took it to ford several times and nothing resolved the issue. seems that the sensor was not working properly and my air bags should not have deployed. ford will not cover the high cost of replacing the air bags under warranty. dealer was shocked that there was no damage at all to my car and the air bags deployed. *nm
01/18/200641000110/14/2005
 Car lost control coming toward me, she went into my lane sideways. i t-boned her on her passenger side of vehicle. seat belt saved my life, but the airbags were of no use. why don't the airbags deploy on these vehicles. if i had been traveling at a much faster speed or her, i probably would have been seriously hurt or killed. *jb
02/20/20036
 The consumer noticed that the srs light appeared on the dashboard and remained on. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection. the mechanic informed the driver that the sensor needed to be replaced. the sensor had already been replaced six times. *jb
09/13/2004431321
 Steering column. his vehicle was involved in a front end collision. the air bags deployed and the steering column completely detached from the dash. i am unaware if this caused further injury to the operator. i am a licensed auto damage appraiser and thought this to be very unusual and potentially unsafe.*ak
08/10/200446000105/15/2002
 Vehicle suddenly surged forward. vehicle is currently at the police garage waiting to be investigated. *ak the consumer was pulling into his driveway, put the vehicle in park and pulled up the emergency brake. the consumer exited the vehicle to retrieve her mail and got back into the vehicle. the consumer put the emergency brake down and proceed to shift the vehicle into drive. when the vehicle was shifted into drive the vehicle accelerated suddenly and could not be stopped, not even by applying the brake. the vehicle went through a garage wall, through a utility room and came out the back of the house and hit a small tree. the air bag did not deploy. the car was totaled. *nm
04/22/20042
 While driving 45 mph vehicle stalled. consumer was able to start vehicle and drove it home. the next day, vehicle would not start. consumer had the vehicle towed to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic replaced the battery. driver informed the mechanic that the air bag light appeared on the dashboard and remained on after the battery was replaced. *ak
200003
 Within one month of purchasing the vehicle (2002 ford escape) the vehicle experienced problems with the brakes. (see odi #10051805 for information regarding 1998 ford ranger complaint).*mr the consumer took the vehicle to the dealer three times for the same vibration problem, but the dealer continued to state there was no problem, after about a year they finally noticed that the tires were cupping on the rear, it was finally determined that the problem was due to the to the alignment of the front and rear which caused the vehicle to need new tires. also the air bag light illuminated on the dashboard. *cb *jb
1
 The airbag light illuminated and stayed on. took vehicle to dealer, and they replaced something on the passenger side. air bag light went off, but months later it was on again. *ak
06/12/2003
 When consumer's vehicle was hit in the front center of vehicle air bags did not deploy, causing minor injuries to consumer. dealer notified. *ak
06/07/200319000107/13/2002
 My air bag light keeps coming on. informed by the dealer today that this is a known defect. it is due to rain water getting on a sensor. the entire drivers side front quarter panel will have to be removed to fix the problem. the part will be ordered and i'll take the car back for repairs. *jb
11/23/20022000610/20/2002
 On my new ford escape 2002 bought 8-2002. my gas pedal stuck, my brakes were leaking fluid my ignition has broke. my passanger side rear door will not open or close properly and has opened while the vehicle is in motion. there is a vibration in my left front end and my air bag warning light stays on at times my driver side saftey restraint has sheared and had to be replaced
09/27/2002110/01/2001
 On 9/27/02 i was involved in a collision where i ran a stop sign and t-boned a passing car that was traveling through the intersection. my 2002 escape was totaled - the front end completely collapsed. every officer, paramedic, and fireman was amazed that the air bag failed to deploy. they all instructed me to contact the manufacturer regarding this matter. as this is my second escape (the first one sucked a valve within the first week of ownership), i will no longer trust ford to provide a safe mode of transportation for myself or my family members. mr
02/01/200209/01/2001
 After new sensor installed for airbag, another electrical component had an error. *ak
12/11/2001111/01/2001
 Engine stalled while driving downhill. was either braking or decelerating by letting up on gas. check engine, airbag, and possibly oil lights came on. power steering and brakes failed. was able to pull off the road and stop vehicle with hand brake. shifted vehicle into park and restarted. had been driving for approx. 1/2 hour (15 miles). weather was cool and clear.
AIR BAGS - FRONTAL
01/11/2011220000
 Tl- the contact owns a 2002 ford escape. the contact tried stop at a light and the break pedal went all the way to the floor causing the to run into a light pole at 25 mph. the air bags failed to deploy as well. the vehicle was towed to the contacts home. the vehicle had not been inspected, but the contact fells the vehicle is destroyed. the contact is concerned, because they had recall campaign 07v156000 dealing with the service brakes unit control module. the recall was perform 2 years prior to the accident and the contact feels the repair failed causing the crash. the failure mileage and current mileages was 220000.rl
09/16/201050000
 My wife's 02 ford escape (with less than 50k miles) just had one of the gas tank straps break due to corrosion. major fire/safty hazard if the gas tank hits the ground. very similar issue known with f150. the dealer is charging us $1k to fix!!! this same car is also in the shop every other month for a faulty airbag switch/relay that we've spent hundreds of dollas to fix.the ford motor company makes me sick! why is it so hard for these guys to do the right thing? it blows my mind.
10/10/2008575421
 My 2002 ford escape is experiencing its second major airbag problem. the wiring under the seat has now burnt up for the second time and i can't afford to have them replaced again to the tune of $450 so i drive without active airbags. the wiring has been replaced once already just 4 months ago but i live in a different state than i did 4 months ago so i'm stuck. in researching this problem online i see that it is a common problem. shouldn't there be a recall when it involves a safety issue like this? *tr
10/17/2006103/18/2006
 Recently, i was involved in an accident where the front end of my 2002 ford escape was totaled. the airbags never released. luckily, i had been wearing my seat belt, and did not suffer from an injury. summary: 1. event(s) leading to failure: collision with another vehicle 2. failure: air bags did not release; consequences: none 3. correction: n/a. *nm
11/04/200582231107/17/2002
 Bumped the bumper of the car in front of me at a traffic light, no visual damage to the front of my vehicle. both airbags deployed. speed at the point of impact near 5 miles per hour or less. airbag deployment broke the windshield and caused slight injury to left arm. *jb
04/05/20042
 Consumer noticed that the srs light appeared on the dashboard and remained on. vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic determined that the air bag sensor needed to be replaced, and replaced it. a few months later the srs light appeared on the dashboard, and the vehicle was taken back to the dealer for inspection. mechanic informed determined that the clock spring needed to be replaced. *ak
10/05/200459000107/20/2002
 Driving westbound approximately 35 miles per hour, another vehicle turned left in front of me resulting in front end damage to my car. sustained whiplash, treated at hospital and released. continuing care with primary care physician. airbags did not deploy. contacted ford motor company directly to report airbag non-deployment and was told that the airbag system needed to be checked after vehicle repairs are made and results sent directly to ford at my cost. ford then referred the complaint to their legal department. situation currently ongoing. *nm
04/28/20042
 While driving consumer noticed that the air bag light appeared on the dashboard and remained on. vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic determined that the sensor needed to be replaced, and replaced it. however, the problem recurred. *ak
03/05/200425000107/23/2002
 While driving air bag light illuminated. dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem. *ak the illumination of air bag light happened in an intermittent basis. consumer was also involved in an accident where his air bags failed to deploy. in addition, consumer experienced noise in steering wheel and rattling noise in exhaust. *la
11/14/200325000109/30/2001
 I was driving on the interstate at 65 mph and a deer came out in the road and i hit it. the car sustained engine damaged and pushed the hood up. it pushed the engine back and the air bags did not deploy. *la
10/30/2003200001
 While driving at 45 mph consumer was involved in a head on collision. upon impact, neither of the front air bags deployed. *ak consumer's wife was traveling eastbound at 45-50 mph when another vehicle traveling in the opposite direction crossed over into her lane. the vehicles struck head on and both went down a 15' bank into a ditch. the other vehicle was a older chrysler and the air bags deployed. consumer's wife was still going to therapy for x-rays. *ph
08/11/200310200107/01/2002
 While driving 40/45 mph, the vehicle was involved in a frontal collision. none of the airbags deployed upon impact.*ak *ph *jb
06/14/200313155110/19/2002
 I was pulling into a parking space at a shopping center. as i took my foot off the accelerator preparing to stop, the vehicle suddenly lunged forward, hopping the curb and continuing forward into the patio area. i applied the brakes, but the car did not stop. it hit a trash can and tables and finally crashed into a pillar. in applying the brake, i had managed to slow the vehicle down so the impact was not severe and the airbags did not deploy. i was not injured but two people lunching in the patio area received minor injuries (a scratched/swollen leg and sore elbow). the vehicle has since been repaired and the cause of accident is being investigated by the insurance company. since i am paranoid about driving the vehicle, i am planning to have a diagnostic test conducted. *ak
04/25/2003
 While driving 10 mph the vehicle was involved in a head on collision. neither front air bag deployed. *nlm
AIR BAGS - FRONTAL - SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE
04/17/2008103000112/15/2003
 Air bag trouble light began blinking after turning the engine on one morning. a series of blinking......6 times, 4 times, 6 times, 4 times and then remained on. only went off when turning engine off. local repair shop said only dealer could handle this. dealer quoted price to just investigate. and that it would depend on what they found if the quote would be applied to the total repair cost. hmmm. dealer also said that most likely while the warning light is on that the airbags will not deploy in the event of a collision. i have seen the number of complaints here at this website and elsewhere and merely want to add mine to the growing list. the more we complain maybe we'll get some results. thanks. *tr
09/12/200774122205/06/2005
 Air bag light started blinking when i started vehicle blinked for about 30 sec then went solid, took escape to ford dealer and the got a code from the air bag system and informed me i had faulty wiring on the seat belt connector and there was a replacement wiring harness i needed to install . told then to order it and was informed that air bags were functioning ok even though light was still on. the said i just missed the warranty by 4 days so i had to pay the $200.00 for parts and labor. you would think ford would give a little leeway since this is a faulty part first installed on production line. please advice ford of this thank you. *jb
07/30/200776000501/01/2004
 Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford escape. after picking up her vehicle from being serviced, the air bag light began blinking intermittently while driving 50 mph. a few minutes later, the air bag light stopped blinking and remained lit each time the vehicle made a turn. she took the vehicle back to the dealer and they informed her that the connector harness needed replacing. the vin, engine size, and number of cylinders were unknown. the current and failure mileages were 76,000.
08/10/2007720001
 (1) airbag light came on (2) cables defective - airbags will not deploy during crash (3) cables replaced - $450 total *tr
06/26/200311729510/31/2001
 Air bag warning light on intermittently on dashboard. started in 6/03, taken to dealer 5 times and still not repaired. i am resigned to having an inoperative airbag.*ak
01/27/2007102/01/2004
 I have had many problems with the airbag light coming on and off randomly in my 2002 ford escape & have read on the internet that other people are experiencing the same problem. i have taken my vehicle to the dealership for the 2nd time and they replaced the airbag pretensioner, as it had gone bad. i was advised that if the light were on, the airbag would not deploy. i do not believe this is a wear-and-tear part and ford needs to look into the situation to make sure a recall is not needed.*jb
11/06/200538000106/17/2005
 Airbag light is on and airbags not working. according to complaints found on the internet and in chat rooms and with ford issuing diagnostic trouble codes this is a long term ongoing problem which the dealership has difficulty fixing. so i am at risk of injury or death because ford made a faulty airbag system. please investigate and issue a recall. *jb
05/10/2005577862
 2002 frod escape seat belt tensioner failure causes failure of the air bag safety restraint system. seat belt tensioners (both at once!) failed, part numbers 1l8z78610e22aaa and 1l8z78610e23aaa.
02/04/200541273508/05/2002
 Airbag/restraint system warning lamp is on. initially, it flashed for about 30 seconds, then remained on. vehicle has been to ford dealer for this condition on four previous occasions. previously diagnosed to be a problem with the sensor in the passenger seat and reportedly repaired, but the problem returns in 3 to 9 months. unknown whether airbag and restraint system would properly deploy in a collision.*jb
11/08/200441000106/17/2003
 Restraint system - airbag sensor light continually on, potential failure of airbag system would not deploy in a crash
06/07/20042
 While driving srs light appeared on the dashboard and remained on. consumer pressed down the horn and it failed. consumer took vehicle to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic informed consumer that this vehicle was not on recall. *ak
05/23/2003406/10/2002
 We have had the vehicle in for repair 4 times for the air bag light. it keeps coming on and won't shut off. this vehicle is just a year old. the dealer repair center can't seem to get the problem repaired
AIR BAGS - SIDE/WINDOW
08/26/2005500001
 Air bag light came on i was told it was several different problems on several different occasions all resulting in the dealer replacing my safety harness which was oh by the way not covered under the electrical wiring extended warranty. they replaced the safety harness and guess what the air bag light is back on. i was told it would happen every time i adjust the seat. ( a defect in design). *tr
01/26/20071200001
 I have a 2002 ford escape with the same problems with the air bag light. the air bag light began blinking then it would stay on. i believe it has to do with the side air bag connectors under the driver seat. i have tried cleaning them with contact cleaner. the light will go off but will come back on sometime later. the light comes on every time i start the engine or just have in the
09/16/20025400104/28/2002
 When consumer pulled into the intersection, the vehicle was hit at the front wheel well area, and the side airbags failed to deploy, which caused injury to the driver. ts *jb