Hatchback/liftgate Support Device problems of the 2010 Ford Escape

The vehicle was stationary - the lift gate traps water inside and has caused the lift gate to rust out so badly that it has caused me to replace the lift gate latch actuator motor and assembly on the lift gate 5 times since I purchased this vehicle in may 2010. My service dog has gotten stuck in the vehicle due to the lift gate motor becoming broken. I was unable to open the liftgate and had to take down the seats. In the event this was an emergency my service animal would've died. My service animal is too large to ride up front and she rides in the back. On occasion when my lift gate was not working, I had to rent a vehicle. In order to fix the recent issue with the gate, the shop that I took my car to had to pry open the gate and replace the motor assembly. This issue will continue until the lift gate is replaced and no longer holds water. This is a common safety issue with the Ford Escapes. Additionally, the front passenger side door also holds a lot of water. The mileage indicated is for the most recent repair, but it has happened multiple times prior to this date.

One day closed the rear hatch glass and the hinge holding the glass in place fell apart due to corrosion. Now the window is barely hanging on only with the help of the latch locking it in place. Not a sufficient amount of anti-corrosive used on the metal to protect it. Now have to drive around with it barely hanging on until the replaces parts I ordered come in because they could only be found on the internet. Also too the weatherstripping around the window is not plush enough I think to protect the inside from water damage which also lead to the whole liftgate failing to open anymore. I feel Ford should take responsibility for the poor craftsmanship they did when first building the car. And I know I'm not the only one with this problem but I'm sure others fail to report it to the proper agency.

Right after the warranty went out the vehicle starting slamming from 1st into 2nd upon acceleration. The idle is very rough and quite loud, the engine makes a funny noise and I take extremely good care of my vehicle, getting all of the scheduled oil changes on time, replacing the air filter, etc. I also explained to them that the vehicle wasn't idling properly and that the engine used to be quiet. The windshield is extremely thin as well, a small pebble hit my windshield causing a 8 inch crack in a matter of minutes to where it was beyond getting it fixed. Then liftgate started giving me problems. When you press the button, it would make the sound, but sometimes open, then on may 17, 2013 it just quit working all together. On may 18, 2013, I took it to reynolds Ford for a scheduled oil change right before a trip to mexico and upon telling them about it, they wanted $250 just to look at it before parts and labor. Now, the rear blinker doesn't work and you can't replace it due to the fact that you can't get the liftgate to open in order to remove the rear taillight assembly. So, when you are trying to make a left turn, vehicles behind you don't know you are turning and almost hit you (safety hazard). You also can't change a flat tire since you can get to the jack, which is in the rear compartment accessed through the liftgate. This is a serious problem as there is no manual release for the hatch to get it open period, once the latch doesn't work, it just doesn't work.

Liftgate would not open. I was told it was not covered and I had to pay $278. 00 to the dealer. Now I see there is a service bulletin covering this problem, for this year car; but my VIN was not covered, according to Ford the day I had it repaired.