general problems of the 2003 Ford Escape

Driver had uneasy feeling with stability of vehicle as if it was swaying. He got it looked at and was told he probably needed lower control arm and links to take care of the problem. After ordering parts, the vehicle, while driving to work, a loud popping sound was heard and then the vehicle dropped down and had to be towed home (thank god this didn't happen on the expressway). I then looked up any recalls on this vehicle and low and behold there was a recall on this year, make and model car but not on this VIN number (Ford's number for this recall is 14s02. Recall date 2014-04-02 recall no. 14v165000). This vehicle suddenly and dangerously broke down from this same problem, and has the same issue that was recalled by Ford on this make, model and year described in their recall (14s02) but the VIN number seems to say otherwise when I looked it up. This needs to be investgated before this happens to someone while driving in snow or rainy condtions or while driving on the expressway. Please investigate!.

The mechanic told me that the sub frame was broken and would be about $1000 to replace. I was driving down a dirt road , it was a little bumpy and the steering wheel stopped working due to the frame breaking. The 2003 Ford Escape has124000 miles on it. Luckily nobody was hurt, but I can't believe the frame of n SUV could break so easily.

The contact owns a 2003 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon taking his vehicle to an independent mechanic to be inspected, the mechanic discovered severe corrosion on the driver side rear wheel tubular frame. The mechanic informed him that the failure could cause the collapse of the driver side rear wheel. Prior to the discovery, the vehicle had been repaired under NHTSA campaign number: 14v165000(structure). The contact spoke with germain Ford of columbus (7250 sawmill rd, columbus, OH 43235, (614) 356-9743) where he was informed that the dealer was not authorized to repair the vehicle. The contact was then referred to the manufacturer who then referred him to NHTSA for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 254,000.

My car had a recall #14s02 for a rusted subframe. Fords fix was to put a $20 piece of metal that they call a reinforcement brace. This reinforced brace has failed and the original problem has reoccurred. The original recall problem was that the car was almost impossible to steer and could cause serious accidents. Now Ford is telling my there is nothing they can do since they put the cheap reinforcement brace! now I have an undriveable vehicle that has the same problem as the original recall! I believe they should be responsible to fix the problem since what they did to fix the recall has literally failed again!.

Hello the car is making a noise like bearing when I drive more than 35 miles it going worse when you move a little bit the stearin weell and never end just when get less than 30 or 35 miles somtimes it doit less than 30 miles and everyday it going worse please can you doble check recall for from bearing I really appreciate.

Bearing are making noise.

Bearing have a wired noise on from of vehicle when I get 35 miles or more.

I was driving my car out of my driveway and the steering wheel turned off center making it difficult to correctly steer the car. I took it to a mechanic and was told the sub frame rusted and cracked in half.

Front sub frame rusted out and split half way across pulls vehicle when driving 14s02 complaint.

Tl the contact owns a 2003 Ford Escape . The contact stated that while driving various speeds the vehicle sub frame would rub against the body of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to ricart Ford 4255 s hamilton rd, groveport, OH 43125 (614) 836-6260. They performed a diagnostic test and inform the contact the the sub frame had corroded. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 195,000. Nd.

The front sub frame is rusted and the vehicle is unsafe to drive.

My daughter was driving home from work and went over the railroad tracks and the whole front end felt like it was going to collapse the steering got thrown way off and when she went to apply the brakes at the light she almost went through them because of the front-end being way out of line. When I had a chance to look underneath it the next day it is so corroded and split and cracked where the crossmember is. And these railroad tracks she went over every day with no problems that are very smooth except for that night when they just gave out. You can tell that the metal for the vehicle is not quality.

The contact owns a 2003 Ford Escape. Upon exiting a parking area, there was an abnormal suspension vibration near the front of the vehicle. The front subframe fractured and impacted the front passenger side tire. The contact and a mechanic inspected the fact that there had been premature rust and corrosion associated with the underbody, subframe, and the bar that was connected to the frame. The vehicle was unable to be driven and was towed by the mechanic. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided no solution other than for the contact to take the vehicle to the dealer. The VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign numbers: 14v165000 (structure) and 15e045000 (suspension). The failure mileage was not available.

While driving, the front right tire felt like it was going to fall off the vehicle. I took it to my mechanic who stated that the sub-frame was cracked and Ford had a recall in place. I had it towed to the nearest Ford dealership who stated that it would be covered under the recall. Instead, they put a cross-bar on the cracked sub frame because they determined it was "not broken" only "cracked". The sub frame had "rusted and corroded" due to Ford's own admittance of "faulty parts". I asked if the vehicle was safe and they stated "no". I asked if the vehicle would pass inspection and again they stated "no". I asked if this was a "bandaid" that they put on to make themselves feel better about the fact that anyone operating the vehicle could lose total control. I asked to speak to a manager, who told me there was nothing he could do. He did state he would makes some calls and called me a day or two later to say, that his manager said if I wanted the vehicle fixed, I could pay $1,200 for the part and an additional $600-$800 in labor to fix the vehicle, or I could trade it in. I am beyond frustrated that Ford will not back up their product. The vehicle has less than 65,000 miles on it!.

The contact owns a 2003 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle had a recall on the frame and was repaired. While driving 20 mph, the vehicle shook and the steering wheel wobbled. The front driver side wheel was straight while the front passenger side wheel faced outward. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the subframe was completely fractured and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 145,000.

Tl-the contact owns a 2003 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 mph a thumping noise emerging from the passenger side of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the diagnosis was the sub frame was severely rusted and fractured. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact also stated that a brace was put on by the dealer in the sub frame as part of a recall in 2014. The approximate failure mileage was 121,000. Bp.

I was driving along a highway getting ready to turn when the frame broke and I was barely able to get off the road when it stopped because I found out later the frame that kept the c v joint in place came apart and my tire twisted into the wheel well. The recall that was to keep this from happening had been performed but the repair did not keep this from happening to my vehicle.

I was pulling out of my driveway and started to hear a loud clunking noise. I pulled the car back in and it has sat the past few days. I took it to my mechanic and was told that the whole front end and frame are rusted and needs to be replaced. I researched online and am now aware of all the issues that involve rust on these models. I am scared to even drive the car in the shape that it is in. I will call the recall hotline but according to what I have read I don't expect much help from Ford. I will never purchase another Ford and am sorry to say that as consumers we should expect these companies to stand behind their cheaply made products.

The right front sub-frame is dangerously rusted through, and my mechanic says it's not safe to drive as it may collapse an any moment. I took it to the Ford dealership in north canton, ohio this summer (approximately June or July) and they said the VIN number wasn't on the recall list, so they refused to fix it. The situation is such that I have a vehicle that is unsafe to drive, and Ford motor CO. Will not fix it. As of now, I am afraid to use this vehicle. The question why has Ford recalled and repaired most of these rusted sub-frame problems, but not mine?.

Seems we own a Ford Escape 2003 which needs a cross brace for the sub frame. The reason for the recall is that the sub frame corrodes and the brace will keep the two sides from breaking apart and splitting them into two halfs. That is because it can rust and break. The top of the sub frame of the Ford Escape is rusted and looks very unsafe. Ford would not replace the whole sub frame because it does not effect where they can attach the brace. Problem solved Ford will not cover the top of the sub frame only the bottom where the brace is installed. Question 1: would you or the owner of the Ford corp have his daughter and/or his grand daughter drive down rte. 495 doing 65 mph with a rusted-out top sub frame? question 2: I have a brand new Ford Escape 2014. How long are the iron frame parts of the car good? should I sell it at 5 years or 6? I know that 10 years is too long.

This vehicle is part of the Ford recall 14s02 (nhtsb #14v165000 ). I had the recall directed cross-brace installed in June 2014 (3 months ago). I was turning a corner at about 5-10 mph, heard a pop in the right front of the car and then heard a scraping sound and had difficulty steering. I had the vehicle towed to the dealership who found that the cross-brace had failed because the subframe gave way. I was told that the brace was only to provide an envelope of safety if the subframe failed but it was not meant to prevent frame failure or correct frame weakness. I was also told that the subframe repair was not covered as part of the recall and that the repair would cost about $2000. I don't think that a quality vehicle would have a frame failure after only 10 years. I think this is a design flaw and that similar to Toyota, Ford is trying to say they put in a fix but not really fix the real problem. I believe that my frame was severely weakened before the cross-brace was installed and that the subframe should have been replaced instead of the patch fix designed in the recall which Ford admitted to me was only to help prevent injuries, not to fix a known design problem. You would think the mechanics would want to protect customers from potentially lethal structural failures. Maybe they do but management is only concerned with profits. Failing to stand behind the quality of their product will cost Ford; they certainly have lost me.

On June 9 2014, I took my Escape to the Ford dealer to have recall 14s02 performed. We had recently purchased the car and had gotten the recall notice. The service writer called me to say that "the car wasn't safe to drive" because of the rust spots that had eaten through the engine cradle. He warned me that if this went unrepaired, the frame could collapse under the weight of the engine. He reassured me that he was working with Ford to replace the engine cradle as part of the recall. He took pictures (twice) of the car and submitted them and a request to Ford for the repair. On July 13 2014, more than a month later, the service writer let me know that Ford had rejected the repair claim, saying that "they didn't think the rust was significant, it was surface rust, and the car was actually safe to drive. " the dealer installed a bracket across the bottom of the rusty cradle. I understand that the bracket is part of the recall. I picked the car up on July 14 2014 and was told that it was safe and not to worry about the rust. We subsequently spent over $1,500 making other repairs to the car, believing it was a good investment. Less than 2 months later, on September 5 2014, my daughter experienced a catastrophic failure of the engine cradle, bending the drive axle on the passenger side and rendering the car unable to drive. The service writer had been correct, it was unsafe to drive and it did fail. We had the car towed to the nearest dealer. On September 9 2014, I was told that Ford had again rejected the claim to repair the (broken) engine cradle. This time, the reason given was "they had already done the recall" that was meant to address the cradle damage from rust. I have appealed the rejection through Ford customer care and through the special services group and they continue to reject the repair. I would like Ford to repair the vehicle at their expense.

Tl-the contact owns a 2003 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 14v165000 (suspension) however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Ne.

Driving vehicle and heard a loud pop and sudden loss of steering. Limped the vehicle home and took to dealer who contacted Ford for further instructions. They installed a cross brace that does not fix the problem. Ford will not do anything to the subframe because it has not fully detached. There is no steering control at all over 15mph and in their eyes it is safe to drive. Service manager at the local dealership drove the vehicle and experienced for himself that there is no control over the vehicle. The recall has not fixed the problem at all.

My Escape is part of the hhtsa 14v-165 recall. Ford dealer inspected suspension/sub frame area on 6/11/2014 and determined it was bad. Hole size was approx. 3inx6in. Service man said he was only authorized to put on cross brace but also said he would talk to rep about replacing sub frame. He and I both took pictures. I did not feel safe after seeing the flimsy cross brace installed due to the fact that where it bolts on was where a majority of rust is. He even said he wouldn't want to be driving vehicle. After 3 1/2 weeks still can not get an answer if they will replace the bad part. If subframe breaks the cross brace area will not be strong enough to support the weight of vehicle.

Ii have taken my car to a Ford dealer three weeks ago and they had to order the part. I'm still waiting for them to call me for my repairs. Mike castrucci st. Rt. 28 milford,ohio45150.

The contact owns a 2003 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign id number: 14v165000 (suspension) and stated that the parts were not available. The dealer did not give a specific date when the parts would become available. The manufacturer could not provide an estimated date for when the contact's vehicle would receive the recall repairs. The contact had not experienced a failure.

Tl * the contact owns a 2003 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving 65 mph, she heard a loud popping sound and lost control of the vehicle. The contact mentioned that the vehicle went across four lanes, rolled over twice, landed into incoming traffic and none of the air bags deployed. A police report was filed. The driver sustained three broken vertebrae, and lacerations to her head. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 68,000.

On may 2 2013, my daughter lost the ability to steer the vehicle while driving at 35 mph on a busy city street. The vehicle made a left turn in front of oncoming traffic and eventually came to a stop in the entrance driveway of a fast food restaurant. It was towed to the local Ford dealership, where it was determined that the subframe had failed due to corrossion which caused the right front passenger tire to become partially detached from the vehicle. It appears the failure may be related to the vehicle air conditioning discharging condensate on the affected part. The Ford dealer advised they had seen 1 other vehicle recently with the same issue. I have asked for a factory representative to investigate the failure but so far my request has not been honored.

Left work and driving on a back road at 15 mph and was approaching a stop sign, applied the brakes and heard a loud snap/pop. The right side of the vehicle instantly slammed down/dropped to the road; steering locked; I had no control over the vehicle; slid a few feet and stopped. The passanger tire was pinned between the ground and the vehicle. The axle was hanging and the sub frame was visible. It was clear that the subframe had literally snapped at a weld joint without warning. Weld joint snapped on subframe. This vehicle is only 9yrs w/70k miles and mostly garaged; a major safety concern. This would have worse at high rate of speed, if not fatal. Vehicle then towed to a Ford dealership. I requested to have a Ford rep review the case. The dealership told me I had to call Ford. After calling, they then told me I had to request this through the dealership, but gave me a case number. The dealership then informed me that Ford were not interested in reviewing the vehicle and wouldn¿t do anything and that I had call Ford. I called Ford back who escalated my case and an acct mgr called me back who explained there was nothing they could do at this time. Over 1100 in repairs are required due to a faulty frame. I asked repeatedly that this particular subframe failure be investigated as a quality/mfg problem and I requested an investigation and informed the company of several other cases that log the same ¿exact� description and failure of the subframe. The company told me "keep my receipt". I stressed my dissatisfaction with how this was handled, but nothing could be done at this time. Ford should at a min. Issue a service bulletin to have the sub frame inspected to all of the Escape owners, so failures can be avoided before they happen. This is from a very dissatisfied customer and will choose no longer to purchase any Ford products, based on this experience.

Tl-the contact owns a 2003 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while having the vehicle maintenance the mechanic informed the contact that the sub frame rusted. The vehicle was repaired and the manufacturer was not notified. The approximate failure mileage was 110,000. St.

The contact owns a 2003 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 70 mph, a loud noise emitted from the rear exterior on the driver's side. The vehicle was taken independent mechanic where an unknown repair was performed. After the vehicle was repaired there was a slight reduction in noise. The manufacturer was notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 145,920.

Tl the contact owns a 2003 Ford Escape. While driving approximately 25 mph, the contact noticed a loud snap and a knocking sound coming from the front end of the vehicle. A few days later the contact noticed that the steering wheel became uncontrollable and continued to pull to one side. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. The mechanic stated that the a frame was corroded and detached from the vehicle, causing damage to the abs and the tie rod. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a complaint was filed. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 45,000. Kmj.

When I recently had my routine maintenance check on my vehicle I was horrified when my mechanic informed me that the front sub frame was rusted from the inside out! can you imagine my utter shock when my mechanic advised me that this vehicle is prohibited to be driven since catastrophic outcomes would be likely? how very fortunate nothing fatal took place while being in this vehicle; because based on the condition of the sub frame it could have been my reality to suffer detrimental consequences. My young children are in this SUV every single day and to think their lives were at risk just by being a passenger has sickened me beyond words. I had no other choice but to get it repaired ASAP, so I informed the customer relationship center of Ford motor company as instructed by their website and all they could do was apologize for any inconvenience. This frightening situation goes far beyond from being an inconvenience it could have been a major life threatening issue. I was not asking Ford for a new vehicle, I simply was asking for assistance towards a major expense that was not caused by my lack of protecting my major investment with routine maintenance checks but by Ford having defective sub-frames installed in their vehicles. My mechanic has never seen such a structural defect as this ever before! Ford has already manufactured vehicles that involved major recalls for the exact same problem, so quite naturally other Ford models could suffer the same dangerous consequences with regards to the front sub frame . I believe an investigation on this horrific issue is deemed a necessity due to the history of Ford's sub frames. This has been very devastating to me and I can't imagine allowing another consumer to endure this major fear. Your attention to this is appreciated.

While driving 55 mph the knuckle separation off the suspension caused accident.