general 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!.

In an attempt t improve the safety and drivability of m 2004 Ford Escape I went to have my shocks, struts, control arms, sway bar end links and ball joints and steering arms replaced. Upon the installation I was informed that the rust on the sub frame is at a critical level and in danger of catastrophic failure. I did some research and found that the recall on the sub frame existed. However my local dealership denied that this recall existed for my vehicle. I was able to get the majority of the parts installed but there is issues with the threads inside the subframe that the hardware attaching the suspension components to the vehicle. I am reading that the "fix" for this recall is installing a support brace but do not fee that is an acceptable repair as the wheels may literally fall off of the car taking the front suspension with them as they go.

College age daughter received a car from grandparents, 2004 for Escape garaged its entire life. Received at 88,000 miles. Over the past few days, noticed a banging in trunk area. Rear passenger wheel well and shock tower mounting area has rusted out and the shock is "floating" in place. Car currently only has 109,000 miles on it! if this is such a problem as we have seen, this is clearly a manufacturing defect, and something this detrimental should be issued a recall!!! currently trying to weigh options as the rest of the vehicle runs great, engine is strong, but the cost to repair (if we can find someone who will) almost equals the current value of the car! now I have a commuting college student with only a part time job who will need a car! shame on you Ford for not stepping up to acknowledge this defect! we are also looking at potential lawsuits because as mentioned this car was previously enclosed and stored in a garage all its life and was only driven by her grandmother to run out to local stores, etc. Shame!.

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.

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.

Vehicle was u able to control,constant issues with transmission and idle kept getting stuck,speed up on its own and was unable stop without throwing car in park while driving.

I was driving on a city street,began having trouble steering and heard a loud noise from the front passenger side. Almost like a flat tire. Took the car to the dealer and was told the right front sub frame was rusted through. Was told that the recall had already been closed and there was nothing they could do. Mileage is at 95000. Wrote to customer care for further assistance and was told again that there was nothing they will do. Nhtsa safety recall 14v-165.

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.

The rear suspension mount is completely rusted out and the vehicle is undriveable and not safe to put 2 children in and drive around as the suspension mount is just dangling around underneath and I can see the back speaker! why has Ford not included all Escape vehicles from 2004 in their recall? this is a clear safety issue !.

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.

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.

Strut mount passenger side rear rusted right out.

Rear structural body, joints, massive rust and corrosion.

Structural excessive rust and corrosion rear wheels.

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.

The right rear suspension system disintegrated requiring $1,300 for body shop repair. This apparently occurs regularly on this type of vehicle.

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.

Right rear wheel well is totally rusted through, left side slightly started rusting, causing shocks to break free from frame.

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.

My rear shock mount tower is rusted out and baning it is ready to come up through the interior.

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.

Right rear fender well rusted away showing inside of trunk liner and making loud banging noises.

Ford's 14s02 recall was to deal with excessive rust on a subframe unit. If the recall inspection of the subframe did not result in characteristics warranting replacement, Ford instructed dealers to install a cross brace. Approximately 13 months after our 2004 Ford Escape had the cross brace installed the subframe unit failed while we were driving. The car violently jerked to the side and if there had been another car or any obstacle on that side of our vehicle we would have hit it. I contacted Ford several times and on each occasion was told Ford would not cover the cost of the repairs because they had already installed the cross brace - which was not the part that failed and was not the part for which the recall was initiated. The repair cost over $800. At the time of the incident the Escape had fewer than 60,000 miles. During each on my calls to Ford, and after being told Ford would not cover the repair costs, I asked to speak with a supervisor. Each time I was told they could have a supervisor call me 1 business day later, but they would not give me a time when I could expect the call so I had to be available at any time throughout the day. To summarize, the band-aid Ford put on to deal with the subframe problem (the cross brace) did not fail. The part for which the recall was initiated did fail even with the cross brace. Ford is denying coverage for the repair costs.

Wheel well rusted through to interior of car, shock dislocated from wheel well. We just moved to raleigh from michigan. . Read more...

I have 2004 Ford Escape the rear shock towers rusted out I think Ford shoud recall for fix at there cost others have that issue to I think it a safety issue and it needs to be fixed.

The contact owns a 2004 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the rear passenger side shock tower completely rusted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 111,200.