Cpsc:about a month ago I noticed a loud noise coming from the rear passenger side of my vehicle when going over bumps in the road. Upon inspection, I found the shock casing on the rear passenger side is completely rusted out and my shock mount is no longer attatched to my vehicle. *dt
2004 Ford Escape body complaints
Page 2 of 6: complaints 11 to 40 of 138, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Passenger side rear wheel well rusting away. Shock tower mount is in tremendous jeopardy. I have looked at dozens of similar model year escapes this weekend, including one I own, and they are all fine. A review of the internet shows I am not alone though. Thousands of reports of the same issue. What to do?
The two hinges holding the rear window to the tailgate are badly corroded to the point that the metal bolts have failed and the rear window is now a safety hazard and could fall off during normal driving.
Rear passenger inner fender well rusted out, causing the shock mount and shock to come disconnected. The shock now has nothing to connect to.
The rear passenger side suspension has completely broken off and hangs freely. Had it inspected at a local garage and was informed this was an extremely common problem for this type of vehicle, and that a safety recall should've been put in place due to the routine failures of this part. I'm now forced to drive a dangerous vehicle to get to work and respond to emergencies.
Catastrophic failure of the front sub-frame engine cradle assembly. It completely rusted apart on the passenger side causing the lower control arm to come loose. My daughter was driving when it came loose causing the escape to run off the road. Thankfully there was plenty of shoulder on the rural road and no one was hurt. Had this been in traffic, an accident would have been inevitable. Called ford customer service - no help, there is nothing they can do. The car has been garage kept, well maintained with on 70k miles. Nothing else is rusted. This is clearly a defective part. More disturbing is that there was a recall 14s04 back in 2014. All that was done was to add reinforcement cross brace if rust was present. This did not address the defective part, nor, did the ford dealer notify us of the rusting part which was destine to fail. Based on this type of product support and concern for customer safety, we will be looking elsewhere for vehicles in the future.
2004 ford escape. Consumer writes in regards to vehicle front sub-frame crossbrace corrosion separation of lower control arm recall notice repairs. *m updated 07/20/2017
We had noticed we was getting water inside our escape bad it was standing water in floor board so we looked at the inner and outer wheel housing and it was rusted very bad the mechanic said it was not safe for us to drive. The passenger side was the worst. They had to weld in pieces to truck and floor boards now mind you we have an 11 year old that rides right where this was rusted the worst :( when we noticed this we was in kansas city missouri and had to drive home to carrollton. Missouri .I will have a repair invoice this week cause it is in the shop now getting fixed and they told us at the shop they have had to redo a lot of these but has never been this bad please help someone is gonna get hurt bad.also this is a very expensive repair so please help with this.if you send me somewhere to send pics I will get them from the shop because they took some.thank you for taking time to read this
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. When the gear was shifted into drive, the vehicle independently accelerated in excess of 30 MPH. As a result, the contact's vehicle crashed into another vehicle. The contact was able to stop the vehicle by shifting into neutral and shutting off the engine. A police report was filed. There were no injuries. The vehicle was towed to the independent mechanic (ct conveyor llc located at 320 terryville rd, bristol, ct 06010; (860) 637-2926) where it was diagnosed that the cruise control cable needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency campaign numbers: 12v353000 and 14v165000 (engine and engine cooling, vehicle speed control and structure). The parts to do the repairs were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 199,400. ..updated 08/31/17 *bf
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. While driving 35 MPH, the vehicle began to shake violently without warning. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the subframe was cracked and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the frame fractured and needed to be replaced. The VIN was included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 14v165000 (structure). The contact was informed that the damage was too extensive to be remedied per the recall. The manufacturer stated that due to the age and mileage of the vehicle, assistance would be denied. The failure mileage was unknown.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. While driving 35 MPH, the vehicle violently bounced up and down without warning. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the rear subframe was rusted and corroded and the rear lower control arm separated from the vehicle. The technician stated that the rear lower control arms needed to be replaced. The vehicle was serviced per the federal safety agency campaign number: 14v165000 (structure), but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 118,000.
My 2004 ford escape has major rust issues that has affected the structural integrity of the vehicle. The vehicle is not driveable unless the rust is repaired. I just filed a complaint with ford (case #cas12002459). Currently there are no recalls on the vehicle and as a consumer I am turning to the federal safety agency for support in having ford make the ncessary repairs yo my vehicle.
I was driving to work on a smooth roadway and all of a sudden my rear end started to clunk and bang. I was so startled that I had to pull over in heavy morning traffic and had to miss work and take it to a mechanic where I was told the rear shock assemblies had snapped from the vehicle. After due diligence I found there was a recall issued for the front end for the same make and model because of mounts separating from the auto due to salt and corrosion. When I contacted ford I was told there was no recall for that situation, but I did find a large amount of complaints from individuals with the same issue in their same year and model escapes. The mechanic told me at the least it will be 1800 to fix, but since there is no metal to weld to it will require a full rebuild of the body, mounts, and frame in that area. The following site is a representation of the issuehttp://www.fordforums.com/f59/2005-escape-shock-mount-rusted-out-177762/index4.html.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. While driving approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle swerved independently into a ditch. There were no injuries and a police report was not filed. The contact noticed that the subframe was rusted and detached. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 130,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. The contact took the vehicle to a local dealer where it was diagnosed that the subframe needed to be replaced. The manufacturer did not want to replace the subframe for free. The contact stated that the vehicle could not be driven long distances. There were no recalls for the vehicle. The failure mileage was 100,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. While driving over a bump in the road at any speed, a thumping noise emitted from the vehicle. The contact pulled the vehicle over to the side of the road and noticed that the rear passenger side wheel well was rusted and the shock absorber had loosened. The contact notified the manufacturer. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 116,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. The contact stated that the front subframe was rusted and affected the control arm. There was a recall for the front subframe rust; however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The contact requested that the VIN be included in the recall. The federal safety agency campaign number was unknown. The failure mileage was 111,255.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. The contact stated that while driving at 70 MPH, the front passenger side tire and frame fractured and caused sparks to emit from the vehicle. The vehicle was coasted to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact had received notification for the federal safety agency campaign number: 14v165000 (structure). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was not available.
Passenger rear wheel well has completely rusted out and shock and mount have rusted and broken off of frame. While driving the vehicle on a village street, hit a rough patch of road by a manhole and heard a terrifying noise, then it sounded like the back of the car was going to fall off. Upon parking and inspecting the vehicle, the broken piece was pressed against the rear tire, and had rubbed some of the rubber off in the short time it was driven afterward. Research shows that frame corrosion seems to be a common problem with the vehicle, and there was a recall for corrosion on the front end. It seems that it should be for the entire frame, and rectified before accidents and injuries occur. My vehicle falls under those date and state parameters, yet the VIN # is not included for some unknown reason. Front recall: ford motor company (ford) is recalling certain model year 2001-2004 escape vehicles manufactured october 22, 1999, through january 23, 2004, originally sold, or currently registered in, connecticut, delaware, illinois, indiana, iowa, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, west virginia, wisconsin and the district of columbia. These vehicles may experience excessive corrosion at the forward attachment of the lower control arm. Consequence: a separation of the lower control arm can result in a significant loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash. Remedy: ford will notify owners, and dealers will install a newly designed reinforcement cross-brace, free of charge. The recall began on may 30, 2014. Owners may contact ford at 1‑800‑392‑3673. Ford's number for this recall is 14s02.
Rear structural body, joints, massive rust and corrosion.
Structural excessive rust and corrosion rear wheels
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. While driving 30 MPH, the contact lost control of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the subframe for the steering was deteriorating. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired per the federal safety agency campaign number: 14v165000 (structure); however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 101,000.
Airbag light blinks or continuously stays on...also rear passenger shock has broken away from wheel well causing unsafe driving conditions. I just had this vehicle financed back in february 2016.
I heard rattling from the back of my car like a tin thermos rolling around. I looked at the back and was inspecting my vehichle. Once I took out the spare tire cover I discovered a huge hole in the right rear wheel well. I called my dealer about the issue and brought the car in as soon as possible to be serviced. I have looked this up online to see if there is a recall for an issue like this and I am finding that many ford escape owners from 2005-2006 are having the same issue. This issue is a safety hazard. I am currently unable to drive my car as my dealer is not comfortable letting use drive it, and their body shop was unable to repair it saying that it was to compromised and would be liability
Vehicle steering has become unstable and wobbly. Took it to the shop to check on the alignment, and was told the entire subframe has corroded. I found a recall for this issue, but apparently my VIN was not included in the recall, even though it has the same issue.
Passenger side rear inner wheel well and strut mount rusted out. Hole the size of a grapefruit. Apparently this is a known issue with this make, model, and year of vehicle. Complaints regarding this exact issue all over the internet yet no safety recall regarding the problem. My strut has not yet protruded and broken through the mount but will shortly if not addressed.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. When the vehicle was moved from a parking spot, there was evidence of fragments of corroded metal underneath the vehicle. The contact stated that the passenger and driver side rear wheel wells were corroded. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be inspected. The contact was informed that there was extreme corrosion to the fuel tank, the fuel tank straps, and the entire rear subframe of the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 111,000.
Passenger side rear wheel well rusted. Shock mount is now completely disconnected.
The wheel well on the right rear side of car completely rusted out causing my shock to be free in my car. Ford will not fix it and it is a serious issue. A quick search will reveal at least 96 other complaints of the exact same issue in the exact same area of the vehicle
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. While driving approximately 25 MPH, the steering wheel seized without warning. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the subframe needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 84,000.
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2004 Ford Escape?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history