For over a year I have been hearing a rattling sound but thought nothing of it, figured a screw was loose in the panelling causing a vibration. I have taken it to a ford service center numerous times complaining of noise, they said they would balance the tires and check the brakes, but never said anything about wheel well rusting through. The rear passenger side wheel well is rusted completely through and the strut is loose due to the rust damage that is continuing to grow. I have recently been investigating the entire vehicle trying to locate the source of the sound, I finally figured it out and decided to take it to auto body shop on 5/22/2012 at 11:33 am and they were stunned to see the inside of the wheel well on the passenger side. The appraiser came out and took pictures and looked at it. After looking it over he turned to me and asked me how old the vehicle is, I said it is a 2004. He said, "I have never seen this happen before." he came to the conclusion that it must be a factory defect. He said when ford was putting the coating on the inside of the wheel well, they must not have coated it enough and moisture got inside causing it to rust. He went back inside and one of the guys from the shop happened to be inside, so he came and looked at it and said he has never seen that happen before either and he has been doing body work for 25 years! He also said it is possibly becoming a safety issue, because the strut is coming loose, due to the rusting out from around the strut. This movement of the strut could potentially cause problems with handling, especially when turning around corners. He grabbed the strut and it shook easily by hand. I have noticed the car pulls to the left whenever I hit a bump in the road, at first I thought it was wind pulling me, but it is happening more often. I called ford, but they said waranty ran out, cant help you. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6)
2004 Ford Escape body complaints
Page 6 of 6: complaints 131 to 138 of 138, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. The contact stated that the rear passenger side wheel well accumulated water abnormally. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The dealer located corrosion in the passenger side rear wheel well that caused the suspension and bolts to corrode. The driver side wheel well was also showing signs of corrosion. The manufacturer denied assistance with the repair, stating that the warranty was expired. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 115,000 and the current mileage was 140,000.
When taking my escape in for an oil change, the mechanics pointed out to me that the rear passenger shock mount was almost completely rusted out. I took it for an estimate that day and could not immediately afford the repairs. Within a few days the shock had completely broken through the mount and into the passenger compartment with only normal roadway driving. Only the rear passenger wheel well has this problem. Online research with other escape owners shows this is a common problem that ford knows about and even acknowledges as a manufacturing defect but will not cover.
Lift gate glass hinge bolt corroded and fell apart leaving rear glass hanging.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. The contact stated that the tailgate door would not open . The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the power door lift was defective and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The failure and current mileage was 208,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. The contact was driving 70 MPH when he heard a loud noise in the rear of the vehicle as it started swaying abnormally. The passenger side rear fender well was corroded around the strut mount and the strut had come through. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who confirmed the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was out of warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 125,000.
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. The contact stated that the gap underneath the vehicle where the tow hook is located is damaged. He is attempting to trade in the vehicle and got it inspected. The inspector discovered the damage and stated that the tow hole hook is too large for the vehicle. The engine size was unknown. The current mileage is 84,000 and failure mileage was 83,000.
While driving home from having a few drinks with my friends, a deer ran out in front of me and although I slammed on the brakes, I couldn't stop quick enough to avoid hitting the deer and smashing in the grill of my new car. When the state patrol arrived, they gave me a ticket for speeding and after I told them that I was not speeding when I hit the deer, (I had gotten the speed down to about 60mph at impact) they then wanted me to take a alcohol impaired test which I naturally declined because I wasn't impaired. I only had just a few drinks and maybe some beer & wine at dinner and maybe 2 drinks before I left to go home. They then proceeded to arrest me like a common crook and took me to jail, where I had to spend the night. Anyways, my insurance company refuses to fix my new car and now the car company refuses to fix it also. This car is a piece of junk. If it had been made good, it wouldn't have sustained all that damage from hitting a lousy deer. While trying to fix the damage myself, my friend [xxx] put some gas on the grill and lit it to soften up the plastic junk they made the grill out of, so we could bend it back together and j.b. Weld it. Well, [xxx] got some of the hot melted plastic on him and it burned like [xxx] and he jumped up and knocked over the jar with gas in it and the whole place went up in flames. My car not only burned, but my garage went up in smoke too. Now the insurance company is telling me that they won't pay the claim for the garage or the car cause it looks like arson for profit. How in the [xxx] can I profit from losing my car and garage. [xxx] pissed, and has threatened to sue me cause he got burned and thinks he should get some of the insurance money I thought I was going to get since he's the one that started the fire. Shouldn't I be suing him? Anyway, if the [xxx] car had been made good, I wouldn't be in this fix. Now I haven't got anything to drive and no place to park it if I did. This really sucks. Is there anyone I can sue? Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of
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