I purchased a 2004 escape a little over a year ago. My cousin had the same car. We both had to take a few thousand loss and sell these vehicles due to severe, unsafe wheel well rust .not to mention catalytic converters on both cars were bad. Two on each escape. I was ready to do repairs, until a friend with the same escape had just repaired the body in his for the same issue. So we all took loss. Who is responsible for this?? I had family that worked, and retired from ford. I had several ford's over the years. This has put me in a hole..bought it for 6,000. Just gave it away for 1,000. Help.
2004 Ford Escape body complaints
Page 4 of 6: complaints 71 to 100 of 138, newest first, as owners wrote them.
2nd escape I've owned that has had the rear right wheel well rust out, shock breaks loose. Ford saying it has never heard of it, and yet every dealer and body shop I've talked to knows all about it. This should be a recall, faulty part.
While driving to my home went over a small dip in road and SUV made a very load clunking noise in right rear section of vehicle and started handling poorly got it to my parents home which is only few minutes from incident,father looked at and found right rear strut mount and wheel tub rusted out under a thick layer of sound deadening material applied at factory making it nearly impossible to see until it breaks free, father has been a mechanic all his life and tried to get pieces at local salvage yards to repair but found all in a 50 mile radius at salvage yards from years 2001-2007 to be in as bad or worse condition and is currently looking for parts on line out of the rustbelt ,I believe if it had happened on a twisty road it could have been a bigger problem fortunately it was a fairly level straight road I can only assume there isn't an investigation on these is that most people don't now where to go to file a complaint I only new to go here because my father told me too,as he believes it to be a major design flaw that may or could lead to injuries
Excessive corrosion in rear wheel wells, straps holding gas tank and underside of running boards. Both running boards completely fell off, the straps holding the tank had to be replaced because the tank was in danger of falling off. This car is in a covered garage 90% of the time.
When driving home on 12/30/14, I heard a loud rattle coming from the right rear of the vehicle. I looked in the rear passenger wheel well and noticed that there was a lot of rust. I did not drive it again until I took it to my mechanic to have it inspected on 1/6/15. He informed me that the wheel well was rusted and the strut could break loose. He also informed me that he had never seen a vehicle do this. I was also informed that it is a safety issue and I should not drive the vehicle until it is fixed. He also checked to see if anyone in the area would be able to fix it since he is not equipped to do so. No luck with that. After seeing how many people are having this same issue with their ford escape, I would expect that the ford company would do the right thing, take responsibility for the defect and make it right. I am prepared to follow through to have this matter taken care of, even if I have to take it to lansing and washington.
Another case of a 2004 ford escape with extensive right rear wheel well rust putting the strut in danger of coming through the body. I'm currently trying to figure out how and where to get it repaired. This seems to be a flaw in the design of the product. While one would hope ford would step up I'm not seeing anything on their part so far.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. The contact stated that while driving at a unknown speed, there was an abnormal noise coming from the passenger side of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the rear passenger and the driver side sub frame and the suspension was rusted and corroded. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 123,000.
I was driving the vehicle when I started hearing a loud thumping noise coming from the rear of the vehicle. Upon inspection I discovered there was rust inside the rear passenger wheel well and that the shock mount was unattached from the vehicle.
Driving and sounds like a square bowling ball is rolling around in back. Look to find a rusty mess from shock mount going through wheel well. Asked around and seems to be common problem. Thank goodness I wasn't far from home. Very dangerous, why is this not recalled yet!
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. While driving approximately 45 MPH, the contact heard a clunking sound near the rear passenger side of the vehicle. The dealer stated that the wheel well was corroded. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The approximate failure mileage was 140,000.
Running board rusted and fell off.
The rightside of my wheelwell was rotted out along with the floor around it that held the wheel well the shock needed to be replaced as well. When I went to the dealership to get the wheel well they told me this was a well known part to be replaced. So I asked why was it not a recall on it no answer could he give me. I was getting a burning smell from my exhaust (muffler fumes) as I drove home many times I felt myself getting sleepy as I drove on to get to my destination I prayed toget safely there little did I know I was getting fumes in my car that caused this. I have driven with my young grandchildren in this dangerous condition in this car my question is if the ford dealership knew of this to be a well known problem why did they not recall it I only thank the lord that it did not kill me or my grandchildren. Also it past inspection a year ago how could they have not seen what was happening in this area. I do have pictures of it and it was even worst then the pictures I have seen online proof one more time that god is always on yourside if you believe everyone else please check your wheel well god bless!
Vehicle brought into repair shop and found that the engine cradle and was rotted considerably. A recall notice on this problem was sent to the customer and customer took into bright ford, inc for the recall. Repair was done several months later and returned to customer may 16, 2004. Three months later we again have this vehicle in the shop and upon inspection the lower control arm bracket rotted off of the cradle and caused the lower control arm to be only mounted by the rear bolt. This car is considered a hazard to drive due to the right front tire movement not being controlled by steering. Brighton ford on their invoice #19744, found the front sub frmae rusting through on right hand side. Sent quote for new sub-frame and were denied and they were told to put this cross brace on the vehicle. This repair is not in line with the repairs that were needed. The vehicle cannot be driven at this time and brighton ford says it is your responsibility to determine repair. This was not a safe repair and knowingly told customer that it was repaired.
I was driving home from the store and started hearing a loud banging noise coming from the rear of the truck. Upon investigation I discovered what I believe to be a major safety concern in my 2004 ford escape. The rear passenger side wheel well over the shock tower completely rusted out and separated over the shock. I have been told and seen that this seems to be a common problem with my vehicle and other years of escapes. After speaking with an independent body shop in my area they informed me this was a common problem they have seen several times before. But when I contacted 3 local ford dealers they all claimed to have never seen it before. And wanted to charge me a hundred dollars just to look at it. I am told the vehicle is undriveable in this condition. And that in most cases can not be repaired. After doing much research online I found hundreds of other people with the same exact problem. I have also contacted ford and am awaiting a response. I would like to see a recall made on this as I can see this being a major problem that could have caused an accident. And is going to be a very expensive repair job if it is even repairable. I have photos but am not sure how to attach them.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. While driving at an unknown speed, the contact heard a loud abnormal noise near the rear of the vehicle. The contact discovered that the rear passenger side wheel shock and tower were severely corroded and penetrated the subframe and floor interior. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 103,000.
I have a 2004 ford escape . I received a recall notice for a corrosion issue with the sub frame where it connects to the lower control arms . I haven't had an issue with it yet and was planning on getting the recall work done within the next couple of weeks . On 8/02/2014 when I pulled in my driveway I heard a loud clunking noise coming from the rearof my escape . When I look in the right rear wheel well I could see an 8 inch area around the shock mount had rusted completely through the shock mount was no longer attached to the vehicle . I'm sure this could have caused a accident had I been driving down the road when it happened . I did a google search and found an endless list of people with the same issue . I called my local ford dealer and was told they could do the recall work on the front of the vehicle but there was not a recall for the rear wheel well /shock mount . I can not believe there is not a recall yet for such a serious and common problem . Please look into this situation . I work for ford and this makes me sick , they should not have to be forced into implementing a recall for such a serious problem . Ford should issue a recall on their own before someone is hurt or dies from this problem . This is a control item and ford should be held accountable !
Driving down the road wirht my 2 young kids and all sudden go over the train tracks and the rear strut broke from the shock mount and came right up thru the vehicle I have found thousands of complaints on this issue, ford needs to step up luck I gained control of vehicle with a 1 mont old baby and a 3 year old this is searious matter! Someone is going to die because of this it needs to be fixed!
July 26,2014 in october 2013, I could not get my car inspected ( ford escape 2004 ) because the sub frame in the front was so badly rusted the steering rods was falling off and would not pass inspection. This was before the recall notice. 14502/the federal safety agency recall 14v‑165, so I had a new subframe installed. Reference # 10547199. [xxx] at clarion ford would do nothing because there was no recall at the time. I have sent all the information, and cost, to ford in june 2014 and have not heard nothing from ford. Is there anything that you could do that would have ford contact me? Thank you information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
The shock tower in the passenger side rear wheel has broken, due to rust and corrosion, and punctured through the interior of the trunk and the back seat. The interior of the car body has separated from the exterior body so that the wheel and road can be seen from inside the back seat through a large (inch or more wide) gap. There is no corrosion or damage in any other wheel well. There is a corrosion related recall on this car which the dealership says is unrelated to this particular area of the car (safety recall 14s02). Ford's customer "care" center acknowledged multiple complaints yet has no investigation or activity aimed at a remedy for this common problem. Due to ford's apparent negligence which has caused hundreds of ford owners identical damage, my car is unsafe and ford is unwilling to act.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 MPH, the rear passenger side started to rattle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The technician diagnose that the rear passenger side wheel well was corroded. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 143,000.
My daughter complained about a loud clanging noise from the right rear of her car. I bought it used from a dealer and it has been kept in a garage and used sparingly. Upon inspection I noted that the right rear strut had completely broken free due to extensive rust of the wheel well. I cannot allow her to drive it in this condition. Not sure if it can be repaired yet or whether it will cost more than the car is worth. I now recognize that there are many other owners with the exact same problem. With so many owners having the same experience something should be done.
I bought my 04 escape brand new, and am the original owner car garage kept, this is a severe safety issue!! Rusted out wheel well and shock mount went right through the frame while driving at only 15 MPH out of a parking lot.
The right rear shock tower mount completely broke away from the vehicle subframe due to corrosion/rust. This caused the shock to lean outward toward the tire. This could not be seen by the undercoating as a problem previous and apparently allowed it to corrode to the point that it broke free. This exact same issue occurred in my insurance lady's ford escape, which I believe was only one model year different. Also only on the right rear shock tower. In speaking with the body shop on the repair, they have also heard of this issue and state that ford has not recognized it as a recall issue. This is a costly repair, and time consuming repair as the vehicle is gone for almost a week. This is also a very dangerous issue due to how it falls apart. We are lucky we were within the city limits and only traveling about 30 MPH when it occurred.
2004 ford escape. Consumer writes in regards to lower control arm rust recall notice. *smd the consumer stated while driving on the interstate, he heard a loud noise from the rear wheel well on the passenger side. He pulled over, and discovered the shock was hanging down. He was unable to pull it of. So he drove back home, and upon further examination, he discovered there was no fender left on the shock. Also, the trunk lid was rusting. *jb the consumer he was able to remove the key from the ignition while the gear was in drive. The consumer stated he pulled into the driveway, shut the engine off and placed the keys in the console. He exited the vehicle to remove items from the back seat. Soon after, the vehicle started to roll backwards. Updated 06/01/16.
Rusted out right wheel well with structural collapse. We bought this car used from a local ford dealer in april of 2013. This car was being driven on a freeway on june 15, 2014 when a loud thumping started in the right rear wheel on . On inspection the right rear wheel well is rusted out. The support that the shock absorber is attached to was completely eroded and a part of it punched through the wall into the interior of the trunk area. We felt it was not safe to drive. We had it towed to another ford dealer who diagnosed the problem. The estimated cost of repair is $2259. Review of the federal safety agency complaint web site reveals many other owners with exactly the same problem.
I have a hole and rust forming in the passenger side rear wheel. This is beginning to expose the shock area. I live in a high salt area.
Rear passenger shock mount rusting out.
Opened rear window when bolt connecting window to hinge broke. Window shifted downwards and had it not been caught could've shattered and inflicted lacerations to hands, arms, face, and chest. Inspection of blot show corrosion due to being improperly sealed from water and other elements.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. The contact stated that while the vehicle being serviced, it was advised that the sub frame was extremely corroded. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who advised that the vehicle was not worth repairing. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and stated that the vehicle was included in the federal safety agency campaign id number: 14v165000 (suspension front) however, the contact no longer owned the vehicle. The approximate failure mileage was 111,000.
I have a 2004 ford escape (6 cyl., front wheel drive) that now has over 110,000 miles. At 108,465 miles, the #2 catalytic converter blew and was replaced (along with all 6 ignition coils). A second mechanic found debris in the #3 catalytic converter, cleaned it and the exhaust system. (the engine was not getting enough air passing through the exhaust system and would barely make it up a hill.) then he discovered the right rear wheel well was rusting out posing a severe threat that the shock absorber will punch through into the body of the car making the escape totally inoperable. A recall is already out for ford minivans for the same issue but apparently not for the escapes. Why not? This can be repaired at a cost of nearly $2,000. With the catalytic converter and ignition coils, I've already spent over $2500 and don't have the $2,000 for this necessary repair due to poor materials used to make this vehicle.
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