Consumer Complaints


Fail datemilesoccurencesPurchase date
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
08/10/201249000
 The car would jerk when you drove it. it was a hard jerk sometimes and hardly noticeable at times. i never owned an suv so i thought maybe it was normal. asked dealer they drove and stated it was ok. kept jerking at times when you were driving. especially when slowing down in vehicle, would jerk when shifting from gear to gear (automatic transmission). asked white ford service again about hard shifting. in october at 56,000 miles on vehicle they stated that they could reprogram computer and set it. it cost me $105 for them to do that. did not notice much difference, maybe a little better. in december my son took vehicle to white ford because i did not feel like they were listening to me, they told him no transmission technician. take to different ford dealer. took to nick nicholas ford in crystal river, fl and they stated trans fluid burnt. $5,000 to fix. i took vehicle to tri-county transmission in chiefland, fl. mgr. worked for ford service 27 years. they stated trans fluid burnt, black and fine metal and fiction mat, and had trans torn up due to defective part. solenoid bore worn caused clutches to slip metal all thru trans and converter. this is a problem that should be a recall. what if transmission had failed me???
02/02/201326829
 Vehicle was parked in a lot of a grocery store, opened hatch and put grocery in back of hatch. when i closed hatch door the window exploded sending glass inside the back and on the ground. temperature was below freezing and there nothing that hit the glass to cause it to shatter. did not close hatch door with any excessive force.
12/26/2012
 While parked i shut the back hatch as normal. upon shutting the glass exploded shattering throwing glass everywhere including covering myself, my small child sitting in the car, and across the entire street.
12/23/201242687
 With no warning, i was unable to accelerate. car went into limp mode. i was able to pull over safely. i am thankful i wasn't traveling at a higher rate of speed or traveling on the freeway; this would have been incredibly dangerous. diagnostic lights on dash indicated something with throttle. was able to get car home - very difficult. had to have it towed. very expensive car repair, 208.00 part (throttle body) and 190.00 labor.
01/04/201349900
 I was coming to a stop at a light and the vehicle stalled. it was a dangerous situation. i assumed this was a random event. car started right up and no check engine code light came on etc.
11/20/201221000
 Wife was driving vehicle, when she heard a pop. when she got home she noticed the sunroof glass had exploded. she told me and i went out to see if i could find a rock or any other foriegn object. could not find anything. the sunroof glass just failed in an outward direction. ford has denied warranty claim and denied our appeal. i have read several other reports of this same thing happening with their ford escapes. driving along and hear a pop sound. then later realize their sunroof has failed. this critical situation needs to be brought to attention of ford motor co. and have them stand behind their product, if said product is still under the manufacturers warranty.
11/16/201231000
 My family was about to leave on a trip, my wife closed the rear trunk of our 2010 ford escape, and the window on the rear trunk shattered completely. there was absolutely no obstruction; the window exploded on impact. broken glass fell in all directions: in the car, in the parking lot, on my wife, and around the neighboring cars. we cleaned up the glass on the ground and drove the car to our dealership. we have a full bumper-to-bumper warranty, but were told this type of damage is unwarrantable. as it was explained to me, any instance in which a window shatters completely and glass shards fall inside the car, ford concludes there must have been an obstruction and does not cover the cost of replacement. ford's corporate office said they could not overturn the serviceman's conclusion unless there was a recall on the part in question. i believe this is an abuse. the window is clearly defective: i have been driving for seventeen years and never witnessed a window explode as this one did, and then i find that at least 18 similar complaints have been filed with the nhtsa for the same issue. to insist that a part must be under recall before they honor a warranty is an unrealistic hurdle that ford puts in place.
09/05/201275000
 While driving wrench light came on & with a sudden jerk ford escape's gas pedal stopped acceleration. i pulled car on the side. engine was still running but gas pedal was not responsive. we were waiting for police & tow truck with the hazards light on & someone hit the car from behind & broke suspension etc. i went to ford dealership & they were not at all concerned. then i went to another dealership & they said there computer found throttle problem & they changed it. very dangerous car stops on a highway. i read multiple complaints regarding this matter. please look in to the matter to save lives. it could be a tractor trailor coming at fast speed. thank god we are saved.
07/22/201248500
 I was driving and the car just lost power. i had just exited the hwy. i pulled over to the side of the road put the car in park and turned the key back off and the car restarted. then this happened again about 5 minutes later. then two weeks later is happened again same situation. it happened about 3- 4 times. we thought maybe it was bad gas -- so we refilled with premium gas....two weeks later it happened again 3 times in a row. on a major highway -- it was very scary..i took it to the dealer they found nothing - did not charge me and there was no report that i even took the car in to them .3 weeks after that ..it happened constantly but i was on a trip away from home -- it started back up every time ..i it happened 9 time in one day. 3 times on the interstate going about 60 mph -- it was very upsetting..when i got home i took it to the dedaler and they said it was the abs and it would cost 800$+ -- i told them to keep the car and drive it until the issue i had happened to them -- they had it 2- 3 days and it finally happened to them when they had the diagnostics on the car...it was the throttle sensor ...they charged me $400+ and it is now fixed--my sister had an escape an dit had the same issue -- my 83 year old mother has the same car and i would not want this to happen to her! thanks
10/02/201221133
 In the span of 4 days my 2010 ford escape xls engine failed to turn over 3 times. the first two incidents were resolved by jump starting probably due to low battery output. so yesterday, i took the vehicle to a local mechanic shop and replaced the factory-installed battery thinking this was it. today this morning, as my family and i were about to head out for grocery shopping, the ignition won't start again. so i called for a jump starting service through my insurance and this time it won't start at all. it was towed and moved to the mechanic shop for further inspection. since it wasn't a ford dealership, they weren't able to do a complete diagnosis. but based on what they were able to do, it appears that there is a breakdown of communication between ignition and engine. i had this for two years now originally purchased from aafes military sales korea and the vehicle has never been in a major accident. i am completely baffled and irritated by all this event because there should be no reason for the car to stall like that. currently i am overseas in korea with the us army and there are only a couple of ford dealerships over and they are not near by.
09/29/201253000
 I shut my tailgate and the rear window shattered on my 2010 ford escape. no one was injured, but it definately made a huge mess and it was a shock to have this happen. this is the second issue my vehicle has had this year. a few months ago the throttle control went on the vehicle. both not covered by ford, due to the warranty over. i have many concerns that a two year old vehicle could have these type of things going wrong with it. my other concern is ford won't acknowledge these issues with recalls and many of my fellow ford owners are having the same issues. please check into this for us. can say i definately won't be buying ford again after this.
08/13/201233000
 Multiple noises started to occur. the first was a cracking noise when accelerating, second came a clicking noise while breaking and then a howling sound. the crackling noise has yet to be discovered, the clicking was the drive shaft and rotors. the howling noise is supposedly the transfer case. additionally, the gears do not seem to catch between 50-65mph.
05/14/201041900
 A/c not cooling, after checked by dealer i was told the complete system was damaged by coming apart from the inside out. complete a/c and lines replaced. ok for about 8 weeks, now same problem no a/c and dealer will not stand behind their work, nor will ford motor. they want me to pay again to have unit checked and they are not even willing to give me a loaner for the 3 days they claim it is going to take them to find the problem. ford states i have to pay for the check and they are unsure if they will help me pay to the repairs again.
08/06/201249305
 Driving on freeway at 70 mph. lost drive power as if transmission had disconnected (even though transmission shifter was in drive mode) and wrench light came on. tachometer showed about 1100 rpm. pushing the accelerator pedal down did not increase engine rpm. coasted to shoulder. turned off ignition and restarted the vehicle, immediately. vehicle started up and drove normally.
07/27/201247500
 The car literally died while driving. i pulled over (coasted more like), turned off the engine and then tried to restart (it did). then it did the same thing an hour later. i was told by a trusted mechanic it's likely a defective throttle body assembly (tba) and that there's a note in the database indicating there might be a problem. i won't know for sure until it's replaced on thursday. i called ford and they said it's possible it could be covered under their 60,000/5yr power train warranty but that a dealer might say it's under the 3 yr warranty and thus passed coverage. i went to a nearby ford dealership and surprise, surprise it's not covered. how can a car literally dying while on an interstate highway not be due to a defective part?! it's a 2010 model. i've got less than 50,000 miles on it. also the emissions warranty book specifically lists the tba as covered and it's not limited to 3 years. this looks like an accident waiting to happen. it's not a minor problem like the air conditioning going out. and i don't think this is an isolated incidence if there is sufficient concern that a mechanic can see a warning on the part. hope i'm wrong. -austin
05/18/201238068
 My 2010 ford escape is making a noise that started about 2 months ago. the noise sounds like tools were being stored in the back and when i stopped, turned, or even began to take off again i would hear this rattling sound. i had to pay a diagnostic fee of 150 something dollars. test-drove vehicle with mechanic but it was very hard to duplicate. they had vehicle 3 separate times vehicle ended up staying by the 3rd time with them from a thursday till a tuesday i was told it was rust on the sub frame shocked that ford had a service bulletin for and that they had to remove some type of bolts. sound would be gone for a few days but maybe shake back loose. sound now coming from the front. i called back to the 1st dealership and was told by the service manager basically don't bring it back there it is a waste of their time because they can't find anything wrong with the vehicle he asked me where i purchased it and was told to take back to original dealership. i must say early on into the situation i wrote to ford because i was very disgusted that i had to pay a diagnostic fee for something that was a known problem to ford all this time and wanted my fee back. they told me since it was not fixed and the 1st dealership could not really figure out what is wrong take it back to the original dealership of purchase. i found out that again i have to pay another diagnostic fee and i pray that they find or hear something due to the noise is not heard all the time. again, i am out of more money. i decided not to waste anymore time paying diagnostic fees and maybe hope the vehicle falls apart i feel like i am up against a wall i know this is my last time dealing with ford time to move on especially with this 36,000 mile warranty crap. the noise is definitely there as others can hear it. i feel stuck i just pray that nothing happens to me when driving this junk!
07/07/201257000
 A light in the shape of a wrench suddenly appears on the dashboard of the car. the car goes immediately into neutral but engine keeps running. managed to get to shoulder and turned off car. waited and restarted. this was the third time it happened, but the first time it happened on a highway, creating a potentially dangerous situation. each time, the local ford dealer was unable to diagnose the problem and kept the car for several weeks. they've never been able to find out what is causing this.
04/14/201242000
 I was going approx. 30 - 35 mph and my car started jerking and sputtering as if it were out of gas then just died in the middle of an intersection. my husband had to push me across three lanes of traffic to a station where we bought gas. the car started right up so we went continued on with our business. we got on the interstate and was going about 65 mph and the same thing happened. i got it on the shoulder and it died again so we called the extended warranty co. (which charged me an additional $200 deductible on top of the cost of the warranty) and they had it towed to the nearest ford dealership which was on the other side of the interstate. my sister has the same car (only a year newer) and the exact same thing happened to her while she was on vacation in indiana. in researching the incident we discovered this is a very common problem in the escape. the mechanic at the ford dealership where she had her car towed to made the statement that he has been waiting for two years for a recall on this part. if this is a common issue then why hasn't ford issued a recall (recall even a ford mechanic is waiting for)? in researching we also discovered another issued with the back window exploding. i do not fee safe drivng my escape (which i absolutely love). i am ready to trade it in . oh, and the mechanic also said the part he replaced was the exact same part as the one that was originally in the car. when asked what is to keep this from happening again and he said nothing because it is the same part. so, they took a defaulted part out and replaced it with another defaulted part. i would just like to know why a recall hasn't been issued on this part. thanks for your time.
01/13/2012
 I went to close the rear and went it shut, the rear window exploded shattering glass and sending it about 15 feet from the vehicle, no unnecessary force was used in closing the hatch, nothing was blocking it or anything. bought this vehicle in october 2011. this happened jan. 13, 2012. just closed the hatch and boom, glass went everywhere,
11/08/201138521
 Subject: rear window exploded. i closed the tailgate, not the window, and by the time i was 2-3 steps away, the window exploded. the car was parked for about an hour before opened and i closed the tailgate door, then the window chattered into pieces that flew in all directions. i only opened and closed the door, i did not operate or touch the window but it chattered. it was the first and only door i had opened when it happened. glass flew in all directions in little pieces like 8 feet away on the outside and like 3 feet on the inside. the sock absorbers are sticking out of the window and are too hard to retract and can't be put back inside the car. the rear wiper asembly is hanging and the heater elements are dangling too. the outside temperature was around the 40's at around 10:40 pm. nothing could've touched the glass at the time of closing door since i only had a charcoal bag laying flat on the cargo area with a small box of aluminum foil, a small toolbox (like 4 x 8 x 12), also laying flat on the cargo area floor, and a small blanket.
10/31/201151302
 At stop or idle, engine surges, hesitates, stalls, smell gas, check engine light comes on. took escape to dealer. dealer says its the purge valve and evap canister. purge valve failed and raw gas filled evap canister. dealer says its out of warranty, theres nothing they can do. this has been a know problem since 2006, tsb bulletin 11-3-22, part # 9u5z-9c915h-purge valve, part # 9r3z-9c985-b evap canister. ford has done nothing to correct the issue. they replaced the damaged parts with the same parts with no fix for the spillage of raw fuel, on the ground, in the air, on the vehical. this raw fuel situation could cause a fire or explosion at any time. yet ford says its not an emission issue and the vehical is out of warranty. the ford forums on the internet are full of complaints for the same raw fuel spillage. does someone have to die before ford admits they have a design problem and fixes it??? this same issue is also related to the 2010-12 fusion.
11/08/201138521
 Subject: rear window exploded. i closed the tailgate, not the window, and by the time i was 2-3 steps away, the window exploded. the car was parked for about an hour before opened and i closed the tailgate door, then the window chattered into pieces that flew in all directions. i only opened and closed the door, i did not operate or touch the window but it chattered. it was the first and only door i had opened when it happened. glass flew in all directions in little pieces like 8 feet away on the outside and like 3 feet on the inside. the sock absorbers are sticking out of the window and are too hard to retract and can't be put back inside the car. the rear wiper asembly is hanging and the heater elements are dangling too. the outside temperature was around the 40's at around 10:40 pm. nothing could've touched the glass at the time of closing door since i only had a charcoal bag laying flat on the cargo area with a small box of aluminum foil, a small toolbox (like 4 x 8 x 12), also laying flat on the cargo area floor, and a small blanket.
10/31/201151302
 At stop or idle, engine surges, hesitates, stalls, smell gas, check engine light comes on. took escape to dealer. dealer says its the purge valve and evap canister. purge valve failed and raw gas filled evap canister. dealer says its out of warranty, theres nothing they can do. this has been a know problem since 2006, tsb bulletin 11-3-22, part # 9u5z-9c915h-purge valve, part # 9r3z-9c985-b evap canister. ford has done nothing to correct the issue. they replaced the damaged parts with the same parts with no fix for the spillage of raw fuel, on the ground, in the air, on the vehical. this raw fuel situation could cause a fire or explosion at any time. yet ford says its not an emission issue and the vehical is out of warranty. the ford forums on the internet are full of complaints for the same raw fuel spillage. does someone have to die before ford admits they have a design problem and fixes it??? this same issue is also related to the 2010-12 fusion.
10/20/20102000
 New 2010 ford escape xlt, 4 cylinder, was purchased in september, 2010. during late october, 2010, a noise became evident when starting from a stopped position. the noise sounds like a brief rubbing noise. weather does not appear to be a factor. the vehicle was examined at least twice by the dealer who denied hearing the noise and determined it was not a safety concern. one explanation given by the dealer is that it could be the result of the amount of pressure the driver uses on the gas and break pedals. the noise has occurred with various drivers, so i do not agree with the dealers explanation. the noise continues as of this date.
07/09/201124283
 I drove my 2010 ford escape to the olympic penninsula from seattle on a sunny 70 degree day (taking the bremerton ferry to save on mileage) and drove one hour to my property in lilliwaup on a paved road. after unpacking the the escape i closed the back hatch as usual and it exploded blowing a million pieces of glass 10 feet in all directions. i had my daughter and 3 yr old twin grandsons with me who were standing closeby. miraculousy none of us were hurt but we were all very scared and shaken! it was like a bomb went off in the back of the vehicle. glass was still hanging from the window frame and the wiper and struts were dangling outside. it took me 2-3 hrs to clean up the glass from the car and the property. i duct taped the edges of the frame so any remaining glass would not blow back in when i drove home and put socks on the struts so as not to scratch the paint. luckily it was not raining on the way home as it often does in seattle. i googled the problem when i got home and found out that there are 18 other complaints about the same problem on this vehicle. i drove my escape to bill pierre ford service center today and told my story and they are replacing for free and giving me a free rental car until the new back window comes in which they said would be 2-3 weeks! they said they just had another 2010 ford escape there with the same problem. this can be life threatening if it explodes again and hits someone in the face or body and i want to make sure that it never happens again to anyone! i want ford motor company to publicly acknowledge this problem and fix it! i also want to make sure that the new window i am getting is safe. i have my grandsons with me in this vehicle all the time.
12/02/20106500
 In december 2010, i was closing the liftgate on my 2010 ford escape and the liftgate glass shattered as it closed. the glass shattered inside and out. the shattering glass also caused damage to the paint on the liftgate. the glass had to be replaced and the liftgate repainted.
04/08/20119073
 I was driving my 2010 ford escape at apx 45 mph and a loud explosion occured turns out my sun roof glass exploded for no apparent reason
07/10/2010
 Ford escape (2010) appears to have frequent windshield glass breakage compared to other vehicles. a very tiny ship can cause large windshield cracks. please investigate and take appropriate actions. off course the manufacturer is hiding behind, the ford escape windshield meets all regulatory conditions.
01/22/201110000
 Was driving my new 2010 ford escape hybrid, which i had just purchased in august, 2010 at about 40 mph when - for no apparent reason - the rear window on the driver's side imploded. if a child had been in backseat, the child would have a highly liklihood of injury to eyes and probably cuts. took the car to the dealership - and upon their inspection - they said there was nothing wrong with the window mechanism; and therefore, ford would not fix the window for free. ended up costing me $500. i understand ford has been having issues with the same type of freak window explosions/implosions in the ford escape. ford should be made to replace these windows - the dealerships are of no help whatsoever.
11/26/201015000
 2010 ford escape - rear window exploded/shattered when liftgate closed.
11/26/201012000
 My husband was standing beside my ford escape which was parked in the driveway and the rear windshield just exploded as he stood there. for no reason at all the whole window blew out. if he had been standing any closer, he would have been cut by glass or it could have exploded in his face causing eye damage. i have read a lot online where this has happened to many other ford escape owners and yet ford is still not taking ownership of the problem.
11/26/201015000
 2010 ford escape - rear window exploded/shattered when liftgate closed.
11/26/201012000
 My husband was standing beside my ford escape which was parked in the driveway and the rear windshield just exploded as he stood there. for no reason at all the whole window blew out. if he had been standing any closer, he would have been cut by glass or it could have exploded in his face causing eye damage. i have read a lot online where this has happened to many other ford escape owners and yet ford is still not taking ownership of the problem.
11/26/201015000
 2010 ford escape - rear window exploded/shattered when liftgate closed.
11/26/201012000
 My husband was standing beside my ford escape which was parked in the driveway and the rear windshield just exploded as he stood there. for no reason at all the whole window blew out. if he had been standing any closer, he would have been cut by glass or it could have exploded in his face causing eye damage. i have read a lot online where this has happened to many other ford escape owners and yet ford is still not taking ownership of the problem.
11/26/201015000
 2010 ford escape - rear window exploded/shattered when liftgate closed.
11/26/201012000
 My husband was standing beside my ford escape which was parked in the driveway and the rear windshield just exploded as he stood there. for no reason at all the whole window blew out. if he had been standing any closer, he would have been cut by glass or it could have exploded in his face causing eye damage. i have read a lot online where this has happened to many other ford escape owners and yet ford is still not taking ownership of the problem.
11/15/201010000
 After closing liftgate, rear glass exploded, sending shards 10 ft. the gas cylinder struts were then stuck at full extension out of the vehicle. they could not be pushed in with force. weather was dry, 35 deg.f. we have owned four previous escapes and have never seen anything like this.
09/11/201012999
 I rented a 2010 ford escape suv from dollar rental car in san jose. on 9/11/10 at about 6:00 am at my hotel i went to load my bags to return to the airport. by accident i unlocked the rear liftgate glass with the remote. (i did not think to re-lock it before opening the liftgate.) after my bags were loaded, i closed the liftgate firmly (not softly, but not like king kong); upon impact of closing, the rear liftgate glass exploded, showering glass all over the pavement and in the back / on my luggage. there had been no contact with luggage in the back / my bags were low-profile (i have photos to prove; also, i have a 3rd-party witness who was loading his car several spaces away.) the ambient air temperature was around 60 degrees; the weather was fair / clear. the car had not been entered since the day before; i did not ever use the rear defrost or wiper during the course of my three-day rental. when reviewing the damage, i noted how heavy the rear wiper motor is that is attached directly to the glass. the suspension rods for holding the liftgate glass in the raised position must be very strong to support that motor, especially with the shallow angles involved. (others reporting exploding rear windows explain that the compressed gas inside these devices causes the explosive nature of the failure.) presumably this failure occurred because the glass was not locked, as it had not exploded during previous closings of the liftgate. there is no warning in the owners manual to be sure that the glass is locked before closing the liftgate. possibly there was an invisible defect in the glass that contributed to the failure. i was booby-trapped by this car. in my 53 years i have never damaged a vehicle simply by opening and closing its doors. there were no other factors than those described above; i have photos, a 3rd party witness, and will be happy to testify these events in court.
01/01/19011
 2010 ford escape. consumer expresses discontent regarding the denial of a grab handle for her disability in the vehicle *tgw the consumer was told that if she purchased the vehicle, a grab handle would be installed. however, that turned out to false. no one was willing to install the grab handle as the consumer was informed it would effect the structure of the vehicle in case of a roll over accident. *jb
06/22/20101800
 Unexpected glare from the instrument panel has the potential to blind you while driving thru winding roads in bright sunlight. the curvature of the lower right and left corners of the panel needs to be made of a non-glare material. i am going to place something in each corner to keep them from reflecting the sun back in anyones eyes.
04/01/20103000
 On march 14, 2010 i purchased a 2010 ford escape from tutle-click ford irvine, ca. within 3 weeks i began to smell oil burning and hard shifting/bucking of the transmission. in early may i received a letter from ford stating a need for a transmission solenoid reprogramming (program number 10b15). when i brought it to ford on june 3, 2010 with a mere 4,369 miles for this service i also informed them of the oil burning odor. they dealt with transmission problem and found an oil leak during the diagnostics. i called ford customer relations and immediately asked for a case to be started on my vehicle (1422071530) the service manager informed me initially the needed to replace a gasket and it would be a couple days. on june 4, they informed me the engine needed to be removed to get to oil leak area and part was to be ordered for the 2010. on june 8, the service manager told me a short block had to be ordered and arrival would be june 9. on june 9 it had not arrived. on june 10, the short block arrived late in the day and the estimated completion was for june 15, 2010. i picked up the car on june 16, 2010 with 4,375 and no further leaks detected. i was told by the service manager that he put more than 10 miles on it to perform a road test and everything was fine. on june 17, i noticed a big puddle of oil/fluid in my parking area. i received a phone call from a friend i visited and she had a puddle of oil on her driveway. i spoke with the regional customer relations contact on june 17, and he informed me that he would have a factory technician come out to the dealership on wednesday june 23, 2010. i informed him i would be taking back to the dealer asap. on june 18, i dropped off the car and told them my assessment of not only the leak but the transmission was chugging/skipping. i received a phone call at 6pm on friday to inform me that was transmission fluid leaking an an axle seal needs to be replaced. i have lost complete faith in this shoddy and incompetent service
06/11/20109700
 Was driving my 2010 ford escape limited when i heard a very loud pop and the sunroof glass had completely shattered. the person in front of me was about 100 -150 meters ahead of me, mid-60 degree day, highway driving. was able to close the inner slide before the glass starting falling down.