Frame Rust problems of the 2005 Ford Escape

As I was driving there was a really loud clunking on the rear. I figured it was potentially a broken shock. In the passenger rear wheel well where the shock bolts to the frame was copletely rusted out. When I was hitting bumps it wasnt even attached to the frame. There was no way of repair. I am so greatful I was safe. And didnt get into an accident. One wrong bump. And the whole shock wouldve went through the trunk and could have caused a very serious accident.

2005 Ford Escape. Consumer writes in regards to rusted subframe. The consumer stated the passenger side strut tower was also rusted. The manufacturer was notified and denied any responsibility for the failure.

First problem was rear passenger tirewell rotted and shock broke through. Had this this replaced by auto body shop. Now driving car on city street heard a thud and car stopped. Tow truck driver told me it was the sub frame that had rusted causing the wheel to fall off. He has seen this many times. Common problems with this his car. On way to local mechanic to see quote to fix.

Rear frame rusted through as well as passenger side shock tower,rusted so bad can see through to outside in 2 spots which allows exhaust fumes into interior of vehicle ,could cause exphixiation to occupants as well as loss of control due to rear of vehicle giving way and breaking in two on a roadway,damage wasn't visible until it totally busted through while driving! Ford should recall due to safety as the 2004 was.

Vehicles subframe rusted and broke at passengers front control arm while driving on a secondary roadway in a city during normal conditions. Car is a 2005 with only 55000 miles. Virtually no rust anywhere else on body. I found the exact problem at the identical location on 2002-2004 under a recall and believe that the 2005 should be included as well.

Driving down the road and truck starting making a loud knocking noise in the back. When we got home, we looked underneath and found major rusting in passenger wheel well. Shock completely rusted free and bouncing up to hit the plastic inside the vehicle. Took it to body shop mechanic and upon inspection, he showed us that the frame itself is rusted through and vehicle cannot legally be fixed and is technically not even safe to drive. Less than 133,000 miles and bought used 2 years ago, we are very frustrated with the quality of this vehicle. Searched online and found that this is a common problem with this truck and should have be recalled. They recalled years 2001-2004 for the same issues, but did not include the 2005. Shame on Ford motor company for such poor workmanship! please help!!!.

The contact owns a 2005 Ford Escape. The contact noticed that the subframe was rusted, causing both front tires to lean. The contact heard an abnormal noise coming from the tires. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it diagnosed that the subframe needed to be replaced. The contact called van bortel Ford at 585-586-4415 and was referred to the manufacturer. The manufacturer stated that there was no recall for the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 150,000.

Began hearing terrible noise from rear passenger wheel well. Investigation revealed the entire wheel well and frame were rusted out. After replacing the wheel well and shock mount tower, still experiencing problems due to frame being rusted out. No longer able to drive the vehicle for safety reasons and it is headed to the scrap yard.

Despite many, many owner complaints, Ford has never been made to recall the 2005 Ford Escape. There are rust issues in the rear of the car that could lead to unsafe operation. One example is shock absorbers that could come loose due to excessive rust on the frame. Ford has issued such a recall for previous model years, so they are well aware of the problem, but they never made any repairs to the 2005 Escape models. I contacted them and they referred me to you (they were quite hateful). Please help. I am on disability and we cannot afford the cost of these repairs and we believe Ford should be made to take responsibility. Thank you.

The contact owns a 2005 Ford Escape. While driving approximately 25 mph, the vehicle shut down without warning. The vehicle was towed to a mechanic. It was diagnosed that the subframe was rusted. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was excluded from NHTSA campaign number: 14v165000 (structure). The manufacturer was notified. The approximate failure mileage was 187,000.

The contact owns a 2005 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while having the vehicle exhaust serviced at an independent mechanic, the mechanic would not lift the vehicle to do the exhaust servicing stating that the frame was rusted and there was a chance the frame would fracture. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacture was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 99,000.

Rust frame on wheel wells and other frame issues . . .

The contact owns a 2005 Ford Escape. The contact heard an unusual noise near the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the frame was rusted out. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The dealer stated that the vehicle was not safe to drive. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 109,475.

The frame of the vehicle has rusted and the suspension broke free while it was being driven. Ford has recalled up the model year of 2004 because of frame rust through in the northern states . In speaking with the repair shop he said he has seen a number of these problems. I called Ford customer service and was told my car has no known issues.

Tl- the contact owns a 2005 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, a loud bang noise was heard from the rear end of the vehicle. The contact parked and observed that the rear driver side tire well was rusted. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the rear frame was severely rusted. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not included in the NHTSA campaign number: 14v165000(structure). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 86,719. Jo.

The contact owns a 2005 Ford Escape. While driving at various speeds, there was a loud abnormal noise coming from the rear of the vehicle. The contact observed that the rear passenger side tire well was rusted and there was a hole that led from the outside of the vehicle to the inside. The failure recurred continuously. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the entire frame was rusted and the rear passenger side of was severely rusted. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

I discovered that my rear passenger wheel well has completely rusted through. It is also rusting the frame of my Ford Escape. Rust seems to be a common problem with the Escape and there was a recall on the 01-04 models. Not sure why 05 is being ignored. This is a very very dangerous situation. My shock does not appear to even be connected at this point. There is nothing that I did to cause this problem. I took pictures and can send them to the proper person. I took it to a body shop and they told me the car is very dangerous to drive. I really have no choice at this point. If something terrible was to happen then I guess my next step would be to talk to a lawyer. I hope that this matter is looked into on the 2005 Ford Escape and the proper recall is placed immediately. I am not sure what is causing the rust and corrosion issue on the Escapes, but I can assure you that the 2005 models are just as damaged as the 2001-2004 models. I am very nervous to drive my car, but I also have to go to work to make a living and pay for the car. I hope this message gets to the right person and I hope immediate action is taken. A wreck, injury, or fatality can be prevented if something is done about this now. Please contact me for pictures of my wheel well and rust on the car. I hope to hear from someone soon.

Tl * the contact owns a 2005 Ford Escape. While driving 55 mph, the rear of the vehicle began to shake. A local mechanic stated that the subframe was rusted and had detached from the fender. The manufacturer was not notified. The approximate failure mileage was 121,000.

The contact owns a 2005 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the rear passenger wheel weld rusted through the frame. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 73,600.

(case# 652370) (Ford Escape 2005 sub-frame defect) I wish to report an extremely unsafe condition that has occurred with my 2005 Ford Escape. The past several months, while driving the vehicle, I have noticed a loud metal-sounding banging noise whenever the car goes over even a slight bump/crack in the road. I have taken the vehicle into our local Ford dealership twice to have the problem checked out. First time, Ford replaced the links (?), which did not resolve the problem. The second time, I pointed out to service technician that the rear wheel well was rusted through. Service technician removed interior covering to further inspect damage, and discovered the shock absorber was sticking up into the vehicle. Service technician referred vehicle to their (Ford dealership) body shop, who's technician informed me that the sub-frame is rusted out and would cost at least $6000 to repair. I declined their repair offer, and brought the vehicle home. Upon further research (vehicle safety and recall websites), I was shocked to discover that many other owners of 2005 Ford Escapes are experiencing and reporting this same problem, and are frustrated and angry that a recall has not been issued by Ford. These vehicles are only nine years old, are now totally worthless, and are extremely unsafe to drive. I have been forced to find alternative transportation, which is a major inconvenience and expense for me.

The front sub frame is rusting out, could break & cause vehical to lose control. There is a recall to replace sub frame for 2001 thru 2004, my veh. Manufat. Date is 12/2004, I called the dealer & Ford motor corp. They stated my car did not fall under the recall, I have the exact problem as the cars under the recall, they need to extend the year to cover there mistake. I ask Ford motor customer relations for assistance they said there was none,.

Tl- the contact owns a 2005 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 mph, a loud banging noise was heard from the rear passenger side of the vehicle. The contact discovered that the panel that attached the rear passenger side shock absorber was rusted and became separated from the frame of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed the defect as a rusted frame but no repairs were performed. The manufacturer was notified but no solution was offered. The failure mileage was 129,000. Kmj.

The contact owns a 2005 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, there was a loud abnormal noise coming from the rear passenger side of vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing, who stated that the sub frame had rusted out and detached from the fender. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 110,000.

Extreme rusting of the frame on the rear passenger side wheel well above shocks.

The contact owns a 2005 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the sub frame was rusted and detached from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who stated that a new sub frame was needed to repair the vehicle. The manufacturer was not notified. The approximate failure mileage was 90,000.

While driving my vehicle home from work, I heard a clanging sound coming from the rear passenger side. Thinking the shock needed to be replaced, I drove it until the end of the week and made an appointment to get it serviced. While the technician was checking out my car he noticed the inner wheel house and shock were completely rusted. The shock was detached from the vehicle and the frame is rusted and cracked. He recommended me to take it to a body shop to see if it could even be fixed. I then took it to a very reputable body shop in my town and they have never seen anything like this before. They work on all make and models of different years and said this is not normal wear and tear to a vehicle. They said underneath the vehicle is made to sustain any type of condition and this vehicle was poorly made. There is barely anything holding the back end of the vehicle together and for this reason I was told the vehicle is unsafe to drive because if I am in any sort of accident there will be no protection to me and the vehicle will probably be split in two. Due to the location of the defect who knows how long my vehicle has been dangerous to drive and it makes me sick to think about what could have happened if I was in an accident and I have had my two young children in my backseat. The estimate from the body shop was over $13,000 to fix. I have had this vehicle since 2005 and it has been a great, reliable car until all this has happened. It has not been in any accidents or had any other major repairs.

There was banging in the right rear. The shock mount rusted off the inner fender . The inner fender has severe rust and part of the frame is rusted through. The inner fender had to be replaced. A portion of the frame had to be replaced. A new shock was needed. The floor in the rear of the car had to be repaired from the shock hitting into it. All in all $1,373. 55 in repair. I have pictures. I contacted a local Ford dealer who explained that the car is 8 years old and we have salt on the road in winter. I also contacted Ford customer service who explained there were no recalls for such an incedent. After looking on line I found numerous similar experiences which leads me to believe this is not caused by normal use. The affected parts must not have been properly treated or coated or sealed or something.

The contact owns a 2005 Ford Escape. The contact stated that he was driving 40 mph over a road bump when the rear passenger's side of the vehicle collapsed and the tire penetrated through the frame and into the interior cabin of the vehicle. The contact exited the vehicle and noticed that the frame was rusted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection but was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was 169,447.