Body problems of the 2004 Ford Escape - part 1

The body panel around the rear driver side shock mount has almost completely rusted away. Driving one day, I started to hear a loud clunking noise from the rear driver side. It started to get louder the more I drove it. Upon inspection, I found the body panel had completely rusted around the shock mount tower, which is only now connected to the rear floor panel. Without the support of the rest of the body panel, the metal is slowing ripping away where it is connected to the floor if it is driven. The vehicle is completely unsafe to drive now as the rear shock could rip away from the vehicle at any moment. There have been many complaints of this happening on the rear passenger side, which I also had on this vehicle. Roughly 5 years ago, I had an independent auto body shop repair rust on the passenger side shock mount/body panel where it had rusted through. I noticed a hole in the body panel when changing the rear shocks, but it was not large enough or bad enough at that point to create a safety issue. So, I had time to safety get it to an auto body shop for repair before it got bad. This same issue has now happened on the driver side and I am left with a car that is unsafe to drive. When the other side was repaired, there was no sign of rust or concern on the other side. So, it has completely rusted through in that 5-year time frame. I inquired about repairing this with an auto body shop, and I was told that the rust is too significant to repair safely and cost effectively. It would require extensive metal repair on the body and frame underneath it. This absolutely could have put myself, my passengers, and other drivers at risk if the rear shock and mount had unexpectedly ripped away from the body of the vehicle. It could have ripped through the rear body of the car or come in contact with the rear wheel while driving, causing a significant risk of losing control of the vehicle.

The whole underbody is rusting away especially the frame, couldn't even get regular maintence done since the rust so bad. We always washed the underbody after it snowed and that didn't stop the rust from eating away the SUV. I see there is a recall for my year but when I do a VIN check it says no recall open for my vehicle. I had to get a window put in had 4 different companies come out till I could get some one willing to put it in since they where scared of the pinch wheel from being so rusty. The frame is so bad you can see through it, I scared it going to break and leave me stranded or worse in a car accident!.

As with all other postings the rear passenger wheel well has completely rusted out. And the car started making very loud clunking noises. I do not know the exact moment the wheel well completely degraded. The repair shop said it is not repairable. So we are just now out a car. I just spent way too long chatting with someone from Ford who gave me a postal address to send a complaint to. I think everyone who has had the issue should send a complaint. Mail: Ford motor company customer relationship center, p. O. Box 6248, dearborn, mi 48126, I am also considering hiring a lawyer. I think this is just wrong. My son is a college student and left without a car when this is obviously an inferior product and I can not believe this is the service that Ford wants to provide. If you would like to be a part of the lawsuit please contact me at susieamacmillan@gmail. Com. This is insane that they have admitted the issue, recalled the front end, came up with an inferior solution and now are going to just say there is no recall. This is a dangerous issue. They at the very least should buy peoples Escapes for the value they would be worth.

~tl the contact owns a 2004 Ford Escape. While driving 65 mph on the highway, the rear driver's side tire fractured and detached from the wheel without warning. The vehicle spun out of control and became difficult to maneuver. The vehicle was unable to be driven due to the faulty tire. A police officer assisted with moving the vehicle off the road and towing the vehicle to a facility. An appointment was made with quick lane at apple Ford Lincoln (8800 stanford blvd, columbia, MD 21045, (410) 290-1100) for diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 120,000.

Recently purchased car, check engine light came on. Diagnostics scan shows 2nd cylinder misfire, ignition coil faulty. Went online to check common issues with this model. . It is a common issue with most 04 Escapes. Lots of complaints for wheel well rust. . Upon inspection, mine too is corroded and the shock is coming through the floor board in the hatch. I heard noises while driving but hadn't inspected it until now, as I just bought this vehicle. The corroded spots were concealed under the carpet. Unsafe to drive. My photos are too large to upload.

Tl the contact owns a 2004 Ford Escape. While driving approximately 10 mph, the steering wheel failed due to severe rust and corrosion of the subframe. The contact attempted to replace the control arms and noticed that a huge chunk on the subframe was rotted and corroded with a large hole near the front passenger side of the subframe. The contact stated that the steering wheel was approximately 40 degrees off balance. In addition, the steering wheel was adjusted while turning left or right to prevent independently intrusive steering due to the steering imbalance. The contact was unable to make repairs to the vehicle due to the damage associated with the mount of the subframe that had partially detached from the vehicle. The contact concluded that any replacement measures in relation to the failure would be faulty. Champion Ford Volvo (2502 west 26th street, erie, pennsylvania 16506, (814) 878-2500) was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that the vehicle was inspected in 2014 per NHTSA campaign number: 14v165000 (structure), in which the crossbrace was applied to the vehicle for preventative subfame damage in July of 2014. The failure mileage was approximately 128,000.

When hitting a bump in the road, car pulls sidewavs. Got checked out. They found excessive corrosion on engine cradle and steering components were loose and affected by excessive corrosion on engine cradle. Stabilizer rod is almost ready to fall off. They advised us not to drive the car until all components are repaired. Steering is erratic and tires squeal when turned left or right. There is a recall for 386,000 of these vehicles in road salt states. We live in one of them, michigan. When Ford put the car on the rack, they said something is seriously wrong: that the wheels were bowed out. Bought car from Ford after a 3-year lease was over. No problems til now. The car is now 14 years old, mileage is apprx. 128,000.

I am a mother of three children whom I use my Ford to drive to school, I also depend on it to get me to work three weeks ago I was on my way to work my children present in car when we heard a loud bang from the back of my SUV I pulled off to the side of the road immediately to check out the vehicle nothing seemed to be wrong so I resumed driving from that day when I drove the car there was a clanking sound in the cabin it sounded like one of my doors wasn't shut all the way when they were all shut. I had my father inspect my Ford and he discovered the problem. The suvs right rear shock had popped threw the plastic casing in the rear of my SUV due to the entire mount and wheel well has completely rusted away. I can't aford to get it fixed and it is not safe to drive. I need help. Thank you.

Passenger side rear wheel well rusting away. Shock tower mount is in tremendous jeopardy. I have looked at dozens of similar model year Escapes this weekend, including one I own, and they are all fine. A review of the internet shows I am not alone though. Thousands of reports of the same issue. What to do?.

Rear passenger inner fender well rusted out, causing the shock mount and shock to come disconnected. The shock now has nothing to connect to.

The rear passenger side suspension has completely broken off and hangs freely. Had it inspected at a local garage and was informed this was an extremely common problem for this type of vehicle, and that a safety recall should've been put in place due to the routine failures of this part. I'm now forced to drive a dangerous vehicle to get to work and respond to emergencies.

Catastrophic failure of the front sub-frame engine cradle assembly. It completely rusted apart on the passenger side causing the lower control arm to come loose. My daughter was driving when it came loose causing the Escape to run off the road. Thankfully there was plenty of shoulder on the rural road and no one was hurt. Had this been in traffic, an accident would have been inevitable. Called Ford customer service - no help, there is nothing they can do. The car has been garage kept, well maintained with on 70k miles. Nothing else is rusted. This is clearly a defective part. More disturbing is that there was a recall 14s04 back in 2014. All that was done was to add reinforcement cross brace if rust was present. This did not address the defective part, nor, did the Ford dealer notify us of the rusting part which was destine to fail. Based on this type of product support and concern for customer safety, we will be looking elsewhere for vehicles in the future.

We had noticed we was getting water inside our Escape bad it was standing water in floor board so we looked at the inner and outer wheel housing and it was rusted very bad the mechanic said it was not safe for us to drive. The passenger side was the worst. They had to weld in pieces to truck and floor boards now mind you we have an 11 year old that rides right where this was rusted the worst :( when we noticed this we was in kansas city missouri and had to drive home to carrollton. Missouri . I will have a repair invoice this week cause it is in the shop now getting fixed and they told us at the shop they have had to redo a lot of these but has never been this bad please help someone is gonna get hurt bad. Also this is a very expensive repair so please help with this. If you send me somewhere to send pics I will get them from the shop because they took some. Thank you for taking time to read this.

The contact owns a 2004 Ford Escape. While driving 35 mph, the vehicle began to shake violently without warning. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the subframe was cracked and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the frame fractured and needed to be replaced. The VIN was included in NHTSA campaign number: 14v165000 (structure). The contact was informed that the damage was too extensive to be remedied per the recall. The manufacturer stated that due to the age and mileage of the vehicle, assistance would be denied. The failure mileage was unknown.

I was driving to work on a smooth roadway and all of a sudden my rear end started to clunk and bang. I was so startled that I had to pull over in heavy morning traffic and had to miss work and take it to a mechanic where I was told the rear shock assemblies had snapped from the vehicle. After due diligence I found there was a recall issued for the front end for the same make and model because of mounts separating from the auto due to salt and corrosion. When I contacted Ford I was told there was no recall for that situation, but I did find a large amount of complaints from individuals with the same issue in their same year and model Escapes. The mechanic told me at the least it will be 1800 to fix, but since there is no metal to weld to it will require a full rebuild of the body, mounts, and frame in that area. . Read more...

My 2004 Ford Escape has major rust issues that has affected the structural integrity of the vehicle. The vehicle is not driveable unless the rust is repaired. I just filed a complaint with Ford (case #cas12002459). Currently there are no recalls on the vehicle and as a consumer I am turning to the NHTSA for support in having Ford make the ncessary repairs yo my vehicle.

Passenger rear wheel well has completely rusted out and shock and mount have rusted and broken off of frame. While driving the vehicle on a village street, hit a rough patch of road by a manhole and heard a terrifying noise, then it sounded like the back of the car was going to fall off. Upon parking and inspecting the vehicle, the broken piece was pressed against the rear tire, and had rubbed some of the rubber off in the short time it was driven afterward. Research shows that frame corrosion seems to be a common problem with the vehicle, and there was a recall for corrosion on the front end. It seems that it should be for the entire frame, and rectified before accidents and injuries occur. My vehicle falls under those date and state parameters, yet the VIN # is not included for some unknown reason. Front recall: Ford motor company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2001-2004 Escape vehicles manufactured October 22, 1999, through January 23, 2004, originally sold, or currently registered in, connecticut, delaware, illinois, indiana, iowa, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, west virginia, wisconsin and the district of columbia. These vehicles may experience excessive corrosion at the forward attachment of the lower control arm. Consequence: a separation of the lower control arm can result in a significant loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash. Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will install a newly designed reinforcement cross-brace, free of charge. The recall began on may 30, 2014. Owners may contact Ford at 1-800-392-3673. Ford¿s number for this recall is 14s02.

Rear structural body, joints, massive rust and corrosion.

Structural excessive rust and corrosion rear wheels.

The contact owns a 2004 Ford Escape. While driving 30 mph, the contact lost control of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the subframe for the steering was deteriorating. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired per NHTSA campaign number: 14v165000 (structure); however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 101,000.

Airbag light blinks or continuously stays on. . . Also rear passenger shock has broken away from wheel well causing unsafe driving conditions. I just had this vehicle financed back in February 2016.

The contact owns a 2004 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at 70 mph, the front passenger side tire and frame fractured and caused sparks to emit from the vehicle. The vehicle was coasted to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact had received notification for NHTSA campaign number: 14v165000 (structure). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was not available.

Vehicle steering has become unstable and wobbly. Took it to the shop to check on the alignment, and was told the entire subframe has corroded. I found a recall for this issue, but apparently my VIN was not included in the recall, even though it has the same issue.

I heard rattling from the back of my car like a tin thermos rolling around. I looked at the back and was inspecting my vehichle. Once I took out the spare tire cover I discovered a huge hole in the right rear wheel well. I called my dealer about the issue and brought the car in as soon as possible to be serviced. I have looked this up online to see if there is a recall for an issue like this and I am finding that many Ford Escape owners from 2005-2006 are having the same issue. This issue is a safety hazard. I am currently unable to drive my car as my dealer is not comfortable letting use drive it, and their body shop was unable to repair it saying that it was to compromised and would be liability.

Passenger side rear inner wheel well and strut mount rusted out. Hole the size of a grapefruit. Apparently this is a known issue with this make, model, and year of vehicle. Complaints regarding this exact issue all over the internet yet no safety recall regarding the problem. My strut has not yet protruded and broken through the mount but will shortly if not addressed.

The contact owns a 2004 Ford Escape. When the vehicle was moved from a parking spot, there was evidence of fragments of corroded metal underneath the vehicle. The contact stated that the passenger and driver side rear wheel wells were corroded. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be inspected. The contact was informed that there was extreme corrosion to the fuel tank, the fuel tank straps, and the entire rear subframe of the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 111,000.

Passenger side rear wheel well rusted. Shock mount is now completely disconnected.

The wheel well on the right rear side of car completely rusted out causing my shock to be free in my car. Ford will not fix it and it is a serious issue. A quick search will reveal at least 96 other complaints of the exact same issue in the exact same area of the vehicle.

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.

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.

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.

Tl- the contact owns a 2004 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at 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 approximate failure mileage was 144,000. Jo.

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.

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 NHTSA 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.