Rear Suspension Shock Absorber problems of the 2005 Ford Escape - part 2

Right rear shock absorber upper mount detached from the wheel well because of extreme corrosion and perforation of wheel well sheet metal.

While driving begin to experience a loud rattling sound, from the rear passenger side. Became very loud with the movement of the vehicle. Sounded as if small pieces had fallen off the back tire. As soon as I got home I looked and there was a large rusted out tear in the wheel well, located right above the mount for the shock absorber. I did contact my service advisor at village Ford in dearborn michigan. I took the vehicle up to be checked, he sent me over to their body shop. . I was told this was definitely a "safety issue" and he had seen this before on other Ford Escapes. This is a flaw in the body.

My wife had been complaining about a loud slapping coming from the right rear of the vehicle. I took it for a drive. I discovered that the passenger side rear wheel well is completely rusted out and the shock absorber was just bouncing loose creating a horrible noise and also noticed shock breaking thru the interior of the vehicle. Noticed on line that others have similar or exact problem. Years 2001 thru 2004 just recalled. What about 2005's. There's nothing else wrong with the vehicle and only 82,000 miles. Very disappointed and puts my family at risk and in a bind for a safe vehicle to drive.

Severe rust out of right rear wheel well, top of shock absorber mount rusted free from the car. Appears to be a major safety issue that the rear suspension could come down onto the tire or loose control of the rear of car while driving. After checking online to see if anyone else may have a similar issue I find hundreds of same problems. We have maintained this car with service and cleaning above and beyond normal and this has happened. I feel this is a manufacture flaw and should be taken care of by Ford motor company.

This is a 2005 Ford Escape with the same problem reported by hundreds of other people on facebook, Ford forums, this agencies own website etc. The rear right inner wheel well has totally disintegrated leaving the top of the shock absorber unconnected to anything. Ford have not carried out a recall for this dangerous situation though apparently the parts involved were modified on newer vehicles to prevent this happening. The problem appears worse in northern states with bad winters where salty water becomes trapped inside the waterproofing sealant and the wheel well accelerating the rusting process. Updated 04/16/14.

The contact owns a 2005 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 mph, a sudden banging noise was heard from the rear of the vehicle. The contact discovered that the rear passenger's side wheel housing panel was rusted and caused the shock absorber to become detached from the vehicle. The contact indicated that the vehicle was diagnosed by the dealer but not repaired. The manufacturer was notified and no solution was offered. The failure mileage was 77,000.

While driving at moderate speed on residential roadway, a loud rattling sound was heard coming from the rear passenger wheel well and rear trunk area. After closer inspection of the wheel well it was observed that the portion of the vehicle where the rear passenger shock absorber was mounted to the vehicle had completely rusted through. Rather than been designed to mount to the frame of the vehicle it appears that it was designed to attach to the sheet metal wheel well. Due to the complete rust-through of the wheel well the rear passenger upper shock mount had become completely detached from the vehicle and anytime the vehicle went over the smallest bump or crack in the road, a loud banging would occur as the unattached shock would impact against the vehicle wheel well.

My wife and I were driving down the street and hit a bump and heard a very loud noise in the back right rear of the vehcile (rattled very loud). When we got home, I checked all inside the car, nothing was loose, I checked under the check thinking a shock absorber had broken and noticed the passenger side inner wheel well was completely broken through. The following week I took the care to a body shop and the man told me he had seen a lot of this problem on 2005 Ford Escapes where the shock absorber had been hitting on the wheel well until it finally burst through. He further stated that he had only seen it on the passenger side. He checked all the other wheel wells and they are fine. The entire wheel well would have to be replaced and with no guarantee of how long that will hold. He said to get it fixed as soon as possible. There is no rust on the vehicle and this is the only problem we have had with any body/suspension on the car that we have owned since 2006.

Loud thumping noise occurs over any size bump. On inspection repair shop found rear right wheel well rusted out and no mount existing for the shock absorber. No other wheel well has this problem. Definite design flaw that could lead to loss of control.

A loud, startling bang occurred. The right rear shock absorber mount had rusted out, leaving the vehicle with no right rear shock absorber. There is also a gaping hole produced that exposes the interior of the vehicle to dangerous accelerated road debris.

The contact owns a 2005 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds he heard a loud noise coming from the rear of the vehicle. The contact inspected his vehicle by removing the rear passenger tire. The contact discovered that the shock absorber mounting plate was rusted and had detached from the body of the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and offered no assistance. The failure and current mileages were approximately 184,180. Updated 04/30/lj the consumer stated after he filed the complaint, the vehicle was taken to a local body shop, where it was deemed unsafe to drive, in its current condition. The body shop repaired the affected area.

The rear passenger wheel well corroded completely through the metal and encompasses the entire upper shock absorber mounting point. Nothing is holding the upper shock absorber attachment in place.

My daughters 2005 Escape started making a pounding noise when going over bumps. Not being a mechanic I thought it was a shock absorber. After a closer inspection I saw the top shock mount was rusting away from the frame. I could actually move it slightly by hand. The structural damage is a hole on the inside of the storage area inside the vehicle. After checking the driver side upper shock mount there is also a hole in the body in the rear storage compartment right next to the gasoline filler neck tube. This is a potential tragedy waiting to happen. Please do something to remedy this unheard of problem before someone gets hurt. This type of damage surely took a few years to progress this bad. Saw a lot of owners of same vehicle with similar complaints.

Right rear shock absorber mount is rusting prematurely making the vehicle unsafe to drive.