The frame around the rear suspension is rusted out (through) the rear shock is not connected to anything. Is there a recall on this ? I know the vehicle is old but I have never heard of this on even older vehicles.
2004 Ford Escape body complaints
Page 3 of 6: complaints 41 to 70 of 138, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Engine cradle, part of the frame is under recall,is broke. Dealer applied "band-aid" manufacturer declines to replace broken cross-member, even though it is under recall. Recall #14v165000
I just purchased a used 2004 ford escape xlt with only 45,000 miles on it (12 years old, 45,000'what I thought was a diamond in the rough). It had undercoating to protect from rust when it was new. Very well taken care of, like new inside! So imagine my surprise after driving it 2 months when the passenger side rear wheel well started falling apart (wasn't like that when I bought it). Within a 3 week span it was almost completely destroyed. Again it was protected with undercoating and still rusted out all those years in a garage being barely driven!!! I asked about getting both sides done while it's in the shop and mechanic said the driver side rear well was fine and in good shape, almost no rust at all. Ford stocks only the passenger wheel well, not the driver side. This is obviously a known manufacturing failure/substandard part that ford doesn't want to own beyond selling you the replacement part. I'm losing appreciation for "american made" values. This one is especially upsetting because it's a brand I previously held in high regard. This easily could have been dangerous at high speeds on my trips.
Shock frame support on right rear side completely rusted out making vehicle unsafe to drive along with entire area rusting out prematurely. I can see the outside thru my speaker grill. How could this not be a safety recall when it is clearly a ford defect? Repair quotes in the $2000- $2500 range.
Our 2004 ford escape is making metallic creaking, squeaking and groaning sounds from the passenger side rear. The sound is triggered by just sitting in the stationary car and rocking back and forth. It becomes constant as soon as the vehicle starts moving. There are also occasional heavy metallic thumps or knocks on the passenger side or underside of the car, and the ride is rough. The passenger side rear inner metal wheelhouse is extremely rusty. A few holes are several inches square & go all the way through into the interior of the car. Part of the rust is very near where the top of the shock absorber bolts into the wheelhouse. The wheelhouse metal is so rusty that I can flex it with my hand and cause the creaking sounds. I believe the heavy metallic thumps are caused when the conical bumper inside the top of the spring bottoms out and hits the suspension mounted to the bottom of the spring. This likely happens because the shock absorber cannot stop it, since the rusty wheelhouse bends so much. This serious safety problem is heavily documented on the internet by a very large number of people. The top of the shock absorber could crash through the wheelhouse and protrude into the car interior, injuring occupants of the car. This would make loss of control more likely. It would be extremely dangerous if the shock absorber breaks free and becomes tangled up with the rear wheel or punctures the tire. This car is a unibody construction, so this wheelhouse is supposed to provide structural strength for that part of the car. In the event of a crash this rusty wheelhouse will disintegrate and not properly absorb the crash energy like it is supposed to. This makes it more likely that the occupants will get injured. Please force a vehicle recall asap which makes ford motor co. Replace this dangerous wheelhouse with one that has a safer, non-rusting design.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. While driving 45 MPH, a loud banging noise was heard. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the rear passenger wheel well, and the shock absorber tower were severely corroded. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The VIN was invalid. The approximate failure mileage was 144,000.
2004 ford escape. Rear right wheel hub rust/corrosion around strut assembly. Safety issue with rear shock. Known problem with 2004 to 2006 ford escape despite rust proofing. Rusts around area for strut leading to structural compromise of this assembly. Unsafe to drive.
Ford's 14s02 recall was to deal with excessive rust on a subframe unit. If the recall inspection of the subframe did not result in characteristics warranting replacement, ford instructed dealers to install a cross brace. Approximately 13 months after our 2004 ford escape had the cross brace installed the subframe unit failed while we were driving. The car violently jerked to the side and if there had been another car or any obstacle on that side of our vehicle we would have hit it. I contacted ford several times and on each occasion was told ford would not cover the cost of the repairs because they had already installed the cross brace - which was not the part that failed and was not the part for which the recall was initiated. The repair cost over $800. At the time of the incident the escape had fewer than 60,000 miles. During each on my calls to ford, and after being told ford would not cover the repair costs, I asked to speak with a supervisor. Each time I was told they could have a supervisor call me 1 business day later, but they would not give me a time when I could expect the call so I had to be available at any time throughout the day. To summarize, the band-aid ford put on to deal with the subframe problem (the cross brace) did not fail. The part for which the recall was initiated did fail even with the cross brace. Ford is denying coverage for the repair costs.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. While driving at approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle violently veered to the right without warning. The failure recurred three times. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the subframe failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The vehicle was previously repaired under the federal safety agency campaign number: 14v165000 (structure) but the remedy failed to prevent the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 59,000.
Right rear inner fender well rusted out. Causing shock not to be attached. Unsafe to drive as is. Ford should do something about this.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to a dealer for the federal safety agency campaign number: 14v165000 (structure). While having the repairs performed, the failure listed in the noticed occurred. Due to corrosion, the cross brace that was installed failed to support the weight and fractured, rendering the part unusable. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact was informed that the manufacturer would only provide recall repairs once. The failure mileage was approximately 145,000.
Wheel well rusted through to interior of car, shock dislocated from wheel well. We just moved to raleigh from michigan. See related news articles: http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2014/04/07/ford-recall-fusion-escape/7427299/ http://truckyeah.jalopnik.com/almost-400-000-old-ford-escape-suvs-recalled-1560352974 http://www.ripoffreport.com/r/ford-motor-company/dearborn-michigan-/ford-motor-company-factory-defect-to-escape-vechicles-dearborn-michigan-904056 http://www.arfc.org/complaints/2004/ford/escape/suspension/problem.aspx
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. The contact stated that the rear passenger side inner fender well was rusted due to excessive corrosion. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 109,000.
Right rear shock breaking free due to rusted out inner fender well. Called ford. They wont back the problem even though thousands of owners have complained and there are currently no replacement parts for repair. This is an unsafe situation and causes a swerve in stability. It is also causing repairs to be made unsafely with cob job fixes. It needs to be addressed with ford to do something about it...updated 08/27/15 *bf updated 12/3/15
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. The contact stated that the recall notice for the federal safety agency campaign number: 14v165000 (structure) was received in may of 2014. In june of 2014, the vehicle was taken to the dealer who inspected the subframe and the lower control arm. The remedy included installation of a newly designed reinforcement cross-brace. The recall remedy was not performed on the vehicle. In july of 2015, while driving at various speeds an abnormal pumping sound was heard coming from the front of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the lower control arm failed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 100,450.
The car began making a loud creaking that I suspected was the back window or something inside. It got worse after a couple of days. I pulled over and checked those and then the wheel wells, and the back right wheel well was rusted so badly that the shock mount was nearly completely detached. It detached the rest of the way over the course of the 2 mile drive to my home. This is apparently a common problem with this make and model, especially in the 201-2004 range, and can affect handling. It has been referred to as a factory defect and a recall was issued for this in some vehicles, but not mine. The local ford dealership will not look at it because any repair would require alteration to the body, so they've referred me to a body shop.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. While driving at 15 MPH, the vehicle independently veered to the right. Upon further inspection, the contact noticed that the front passenger tire leaned outwards. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the subframe fractured and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 14v165000 (structure). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 101,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency campaign number: 14v165000 (structure). The contact brought the vehicle to dealer for the recall remedy. The mechanic stated that the vehicle was unsafe to operate because the subframe was extremely corroded. The vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 143,000.
The right rear passenger wheel well rusted out, causing the sudden dislocation/breaking of the shock mount which in turned caused damage to my tire, and wore through the interior of the car. The damage is extensive and upon researching the issue, it appears that this exact thing has happened (only on the right rear side of the vehicle) to thousands of 2004/2005/2006 escapes. This has been a known issue since at least 20011/2012 and is a dangerous defect that is usually not cost effective to fix, based on the mileage of the cars at the time of the problem. Because the left rear does not experience this issue, it must be a defect in manufacturing and ford really needs to step up and offer a recall to fix it as well as reimbursing owners who've experienced the problem and chosen to do repairs to a vehicle in otherwise great running order.
Right rear wheel well completely rusted out and shock mount which was bolted to it fell and is hanging next to and on the wheel along with a ball of sharp twisted metal from the wheel well. Heard noises from back of car past month or so but thought it was something in the cargo compartment. Then went over pothole and loud bang like the exhaust pipe fell and was dragging. Then a burning rubber smell. The metal piece is about to pierce the tire and the shock itself is hanging and banging against tire. Car is undrivable and may be unfixable in that the fix would be worth more than the car. I of course can not get another car right now due to financial reasons so without a car now because of this. The other wheel wells seem fine, no rust. Though there is a few rust spots on the bottom of the running boards and one of the doors (which there should not be in this day and age any rust) to have this immense amount of rust only in one well tells me something is wrong with the design or the paint job at the factory. If a tire blows out it could kill someone traveling at highway speeds in an SUV . This is a defect, not aging. Needs to be a recall. Though the car is 11 I have less than 90,000 on it. I should not have to trash the car due to body rot at 90,000. If this was due to aging or weather all the wheel wells would be like this.
Rear passenger wheel well where the shock mounts to the body is completely rusted out and detached from the upper body of the vehicle. I was traveling on the interstate at about 65mph when this piece broke loose from the rest of the body. This is very dangerous, and almost caused me a serious accident on a busy highway. There are hundreds of other complaints filed just in this database alone with the same exact issue, rust/corrosion of the rear passenger wheel well where the shock mounts to the body. The ford dealership that I had my vehicle towed to told us that they have recently seen 4 or 5 other escapes that have the same exact issue. Please investigate, this is a serious safety concern.
I was driving and the rear end of the truck sounded like it was falling apart. When I stopped and looked the passenger side rear wheel well was completely rotted out and the metal plate that holds the shock in place was hanging and banging around. The left side is completely intact. I took it to causeway collision to look at it and they said its a defect and probably not fixable. The truck has high mileage but runs great.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. While driving at approximately 40 MPH, there was a loud noise emerging from the rear passenger side of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the rear passenger strap mount was rusted and the rear passenger wheel well needed replacement. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 121,000. Updated 6/8/15*cn the consumer stated the rear passenger side wheel well rusted and created a big hole, which caused the top stress mount to fall down. Updated 06/11/15
Had been noticing noises when I drove over bumps and rough surfaces coming from the back right side of the vehicle. I hit an unavoidable hole in the road today and heard a loud thump from the rear right side of the vehicle. I proceeded to my sister's house where my brother in-law checked the vehicle and found that the strut/shock had broke through the horribly rusted wheel well and was hitting the underside of the plastic wheel well cover. This could have been a disaster had it happened a few days ago while I was on the freeway. I have an appointment to take the vehicle in to see if it can be fixed. In the mean time I have no vehicle to drive as it is not drivable. I see from numerous complaints that this is a continuing problem with this vehicle. Why is ford not being held accountable for this issue? I may have to get another vehicle that I am not prepared to do. This is a safety issue that I feel should be addressed.
Passenger (right) rear wheel well rusted through, causing the strut to detach.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. While driving at 30 MPH, the contact heard a noise coming from the rear passenger side of the vehicle. In addition, the contact stated that the air bag and seat belts warning lights illuminated and the front driver side seat belt failed to retract. The vehicle was taken to a dealer who diagnosed that the rear passenger inner fender well corroded and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was also taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the seat belt pretensioner connectors needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 28,000.
Air bag light is continually on for many years - feel a safety issue I haven't received a recall notice on the airbags no crash rear inner fender wells rust through on 2004 ford escape models according to dealership- manufacturer issue - would like replaced - safety issue my entire family owns ford vehicles. My father retired from ford, canton, ohio we have always been proud to be ford owners.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. While driving approximately 35 MPH, the steering wheel turned independently with a loud abnormal noise. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who stated that the passenger side control arm separated and the entire frame would need to be replaced. The failure occurred after the vehicle was serviced under the federal safety agency campaign number: 14v165000 (structure). The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The approximate failure mileage was 128,000.
While driving on a rough road I noticed a rattling in the rear compartment that I had never heard before. When I investigated I found the right rear wheel well had disintegrated from rust damage and the shock is now floating basically freely which is causing the noise. I am concerned for the safety and handling of the vehicle at this point. This seems to be a very common issue with escapes and always the right rear wheel well. Why has ford not issued a recall? This is clearly a systematic failure.
The car started to ride rough over small bumps and a thumping sound could be heard from the right rear wheel well. Thinking I needed new shocks I inspected the wheel well and was horrified to see that the wheel well holding the shock was completely rusted away. There is a hole where the steel used to be. This is only on the right rear wheel well as far as I can see. A local auto body shop will not fix it because of the safety liability and warned me not to drive the car. The car is unsafe and I am at a loss as to what to do with it. After doing some searching I have found many ford escapes with the same exact problem. Apparently this is a design defect that ford knows about and should be responsible for. Had I driven the car a little longer I could have been in a catastrophic crash! Ford needs to fix this or replace my car.
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