Table 1 shows one common electronic stability control related problems of the 2005 Ford Escape Hybrid.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Electronic Stability Control problems |
I was about 115 miles into a 130 mile trip, doing 70 mph on the interstate, when out of no where my vehicle jerked very hard and then started making loud sounds like parts falling out. All of the cars behide me had to slam on breaks and avoid hitting me. No lights or warnings had come on until after this happened. I steered the car off of the interstate and down the ramp into a store parking lot. The car was not running hot. Looked under car and oil was coming out all over the ground. A man looked and said it looked like the coolant system messed up and it through a rod in the motor block. I got the car one month ago and it was doing great. By looking up on type car there is others having problems like this and recalls on the coolant system. But no one on my VIN. Recall 14v526000.
The vehicle was parked and would not start. I received warnings on the dash and the information panel stating to slow to a stop and service the brakes. I was able to start the vehicle after disconnecting the battery and everything operated normally. After getting home and running diagnostics everything came back normal. Later that day the vehicle would not start again with the same warnings and it was more and more difficult to get the vehicle working again. I also noticed that the 12v battery seemed to be leaking so I inspected and cleaned it. The next day (Monday) I brought the vehicle to the Ford dealer and explained the problems including the leaking battery. The dealer replaced the 12 v battery under warranty and said my problems should be fixed but they would check for fault codes. The dealer found additional problems with the abs brake system but could not immediately diagnose the cause. The car was left for another day and eventually I was told that it was most likely the hydraulic control unit (hcu) with was approximately a $4500 part. I have read stories online that this is a fairly common problem with this model year Escape Hybrid and Ford is aware of the issue but not doing anything to correct it other than making the owners buy $4500 replacement parts.