Adaptive Cruise Control problems of the 2022 Ford Escape

Timeline of events: •~March 2024 – ongoing: intermittent system alerts begin appearing at random. Includes: •awd temporarily disabled •auto hold system fault •park aid fault •drive mode not available •hill start assistnot available •service advancetrac •pre-collision assist not available •power steering loss •cruise control not working •blis acting erratic •squeaky brakes and “locked up” feel when glitch occurs •4/11/first major cluster of alerts appears. All systems shut off at once. Power steering was lost, difficult to turn. •4/17/vehicle brought in for oil change. Brakes, tires, battery all checked and are in good condition. •4/21/alerts occur again while driving. Same issues appear and disappear at random. •4/22/vehicle returned to dealership. Intermittent issues discussed. No clear resolution found. •4/25/alerts triggered again. Becoming more frequent. Safety systems failing during normal driving.

I was driving down the interstate and came up on a wreck. When traffic started to move again my transmission wouldnt engage. The active cruise had quit working about 10 minutes prior.

While driving on a divided highway in the right-most lane with adaptative cruise control and lane-centering turned on, the steering wheel jerked to the right harder and faster than the driver could react, causing the wheels to collide with a concrete curb that led up to a pedestrian walk way next to the highway. We have not had issues otherwise with the lane-centering. And on a 12-mile diagnostic drive, the dealership did not observe the behavior.

The adaptive cruz/lane keeping system turned off without sufficient warning. I was driving for about 10 miles on the freeway and the lane assistance was working fine. Then at a moment of distraction it turned off right as the road turned. My vehicle continued going straight causing my vehicle to hit another vehicle in the next lane. I believe when active cruz and lane assistance turns off a very loud warning alarm tone should go off. Both vehicles I have driven with these features have minimal warning that the systems stopped working. The flashing light on the instrument cluster is not enough!!! when you have been relying on the vehicle to drive itself for a while, and it suddenly stops working, the warning needs to be much stronger, louder and really alert the driver of the system failure.

On February 15, 2023 the cruise control on my 2022 Ford Escape was set for 46 mph. Everything was fine for several minutes. Then the "set speed" light jumped to 80 and the car accelerated until I stepped on the brake pedal to turn off the light and resume lower speed. This repeated several more times with the cruise control set to various speeds. Sometimes the "set speed" jumped to 75 and other times to 80. Although this situation could have caused a serious accident if I had been following closely behind another car, I was driving a safe distance behind others and accidents were avoided. I will stop using cruise control until this problem can be fixed.

The right rear brake area screeches loudly when I back up, even if I am not applying the brake. It happens at different times of the day, not just when I start the car. I have taken it in to be repaired twice and they tell me this is normal because the brakes charge the battery and this is the design. They said it happens when the brakes are wet in the morning. I park my car in the garage and every morning it screeches and does not appear to be a moisture issue. My car is new and began happening shortly after I brought it home. I think I am going to call and insist they replace them, as they are not able to repair them. I am concerned there is something wrong. Also, I don't use the adaptive cruise control, as it has accelerated and frightened me, as it tends to act on its own and may go over the speed limit. When I brake it will turn off, I just don't trust it. I think the controls aren't like other speed controls I have used and I maybe not be used to using them. I'm not sure. I had to put a tint on the front windows and a strip on the top of the windshield because it was clear and the sun came in so bright and would reflect off the dash, I was unable to see. The windshield is close to the steering wheel. When I bought the car the hood and door on the driver's side were not properly aligned. Again, they said this is normal. I had to have them repaired. I have never had so many problems with a new car. I am going to try to get the brakes fixed somehow and get something else.

I used to drive my Ford Escape just perfectly and I was happy. I liked it. One day in December 2022, I drove my car normally and perfectly during the day. Then, after work, I went to do my shopping. After I finished shopping, I drove my car again. I changed the cruise control settings. After less than a mile, I was tuning left at low and normal speed less than 10mph. Suddenly, I found the car accelerated on its own and I lost the control of the wheel. I did not feel the pedals under my feet, no resistance. Every thing was out of my control. Then, the car hit a tree. Fortunately, no injury, I had a pain lasted for weeks, but no injury. There are huge smokes, but no fire. The car was declared as a total loss, and I lost a lot of money. After that I was curious what happened to me. I found complaints about Ford Escape, in which the drivers stating the same experience as mine. The accelerated on its own after adjusting the cruise control. That’s inspired me to complain and warn other driver about the safety of this car. I don’t know the main reason the car accelerated, but I hope it will be investigated. However, I found that Ford has a recall in the last week of November (a week before my accident) related to fuel injection. I searched again and I found that the problems on car’s computer, fuel injector or ecu could lead to uncontrolled amount of fuel passing to the engine and may cause acceleration or burn. I am very lucky that the acceleration didn’t hit people or the car burnt from speed and heat. Again, I don’t know what happened, but I hope it will be investigated to safe lives of others. Photos can be supported upon request. The car is now with the insurance company.