2004 Ford Escape: pulls to one side

Filed Jul 14, 2016 · Steering, Suspension · 99,987 miles · MA

Had a recall from ford shortly after buyiny car in 2014 about subframe rust.ford said they fixed problem.about a year later the subframe broke complexly making frone wheel wobble and pull to right I went off the road into some brush before I got control of car!!I made it home and saw the (fix)a piece of flat steel holding left frame to right not a repair at need to replace complete sub frame.ford blamed it on dealer.dealer will not speak to me about it.I also had promlem with right rear shock coming up through floor no recall on that.lucky no injury or death.

Filed Jun 3, 2015 · Wheels · 80,000 miles · PA

Front tires now experiencing excessive wear after the lower control arm rusted through. Re-enforced brace in may 2014 recall does not help prevent an accident. Steering pulls to the right when turning. The control arms need replaced.

Filed Sep 3, 2013 · Body, Suspension · 118,000 miles · OH

The right front wheel began pulling to the right. Upon inspection we found the sub-frame under the right front was rusted and was sagging. I was advised not to drive the vehicle because the frame could collapse and control of the vehicle would be lost. Upon further inspection it was noticed that only frame rusted out where the air conditioner was dripping condensation. The dealer said it was the road salt used in winter. If that was the case why wasn't the whole sub-frame rotted and not just the section where the air conditioner was dripping? I don't think a 10 year old vehicle should have the frame disintegrate like this.

Filed May 23, 2012 · Body · 166,000 miles · IN

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)

Filed Dec 30, 2003 · Electrical, Steering · 42 miles · CT

I purchased a 2004 ford escape xlt on 12/8/03. On the way home from the dealership, the vehicle pulled strongly to the left, and an appointment was made to have the vehicle serviced. On 12/17/03, the left rear power window had an electrical short and would not close. It went into service and the electrical short was repaired. On 12/19/03 we brought the vehicle in to service for the pulling to the left. They tried an alignment on the vehicle, and it still pulled to the left. The service people told my wife to drive it for 400-600 miles to see if it corrects itself. On 12/22/03 I brought the vehicle back to the ford service department to have them correct the problem; as I did not feel that continuing to drive it was a proper solution. The service tried the alignment again, tried to rotate the tires, changing the tires, but nothing corrected the vehicle from pulling to the left. They contacted ford who advised that the trouble may be the steering rack. On 12/26/2003 I brought the vehicle back to the service dept, and they put on a new steering rack, but the vehicle still pulled to the left. The informed that they have no idea why the new 2004 with now 600 miles on it still pulls to the left. The informed that they will have a ford engineer come out to see the vehicle to see if they can figure out what the issue is. I have spoken to the ford salesman that sold me the vehicle and the sales manager on my concerns on buying a new vehicle with these issues right from the start. They informed that there is nothing they can do until the ford engineer comes to check the vehicle out. Our concern now is that the vehicle pulls to the left for unknown reason that the ford service experts cannot figure out, these problems are occuring when the vehicle had only 42 miles on it.