Engine Shut Off Without Warning problems of the 2006 Ford Escape Hybrid

The vehicle hesitates when accelerating after coming from a stop, it is not transmission, it is like it is not getting fuel. The vehicle suddenly without warning or reason shuts off all power while driving. The red triangle with exclamation light comes on with a warning to stop safely now on the dashboard and you are stranded. This has happened both while accelerating from a stop and while driving both freeway and surface street speeds, suddenly. I am afraid not only to not only drive the vehicle but having anyone in the car with me, especially making a left turn. It is not a safe vehicle. It has left me stranded on a dark street around 9pm, cutting off on the freeway leaving me no choice but to coast off the side of the freeway. Again it just shut down again while driving straight @ 40 mph, while driving on the surface streets, this time it was early evening but once again left alone stranded until the tow truck comes. The dealer can find nothing wrong with the vehicle and indicated there are no recalls that would address this problem. But I can see through the complaints there is an obvious problem with this vehicle, which is an extreme safety issue that is not being addressed.

I was driving on an interstate highway and the engine shut down. The dash showed a warning stating something to the effect of 'stop safely now'. I steered the car to the shoulder of the road and tried to restart it and nothing happened. I waited a few minutes and the car started. It has run fine since then. This problem occurred a number of years ago with this same vehicle. I would be driving down the highway and the car would just stop. After a few minutes it would start again. Sometimes it would happen twice within an hour and then there would be no incidences for weeks to months and then it would happen again. A mechanic replaced an electrical component and it appeared that the problem was fixed until the incident above. I am the sole driver of the car and the original owner.

2006 Ford Escape Hybrid. Consumer writes in regards to vehicle "can shut off without warning" incident. The consumer stated a warning light in the shape of a wrench appeared on the dashboard. The vehicle was flat-bedded to the dealer. It was determined, the throttle body needed to be replaced.

While traveling on an interstate hwy at 70 mph and passing a semi, the engine shut off and the stop safely now warning came on. There was no warning, I lost speed and barely moved out of the way of the truck. This failure almost cost me and my passenger our lives. The car started again about half an hour later but only ran long enough to limp to a gas station. We called aaa, had the car towed to a dealership where they diagnosed it as either the ignition switch or the pcm. . . I have two sons who are top mechanics. This is not the problem. They believe a wiring harness for the hybrid battery is defective, and that there was a letter sent to all hybrid owners. I took this letter to the local dealership when I received it. They said it didn't pertain to my vehicle and did not perform the required maint. Really? this is a serious safety hazard. How many accidents, deaths, or near misses must happen before Ford reacts and actually owns up? fyi blogging is out there for us all!.

Driving on the interstate and the car shuts down displaying a stop safely now error. . . . Apparently a faulty pump. The same pump that we've already replaced 3 times. . . . . Not only is this annoying but it's a huge safety problem. The vehicle loses all power!.

While driving on highway at high speed (55mph), entire powertrain (gas engine and hybrid motor) completely shutdown with no warning leading to an abrupt loss of power and control of the vehicle, and was unable to completely pull off the road safely. The dashboard information center just displayed "stop safely now. " there was no warning of this at all. Vehicle would not restart. After sitting for one hour, vehicle restarted and drove perfectly for another 3 days, then the same thing happened again on local streets, leaving the car in a very dangerous position in the middle of the street. Brought into shop and they could not find anything wrong with it. I am almost afraid to drive this vehicle anymore.

August 2011 - had driven approximately 200 miles TN into va when stop safely now message appears. Pulled over, waited a few minutes and started the engine. No help available locally as it was small town late Saturday. Decided to continue trip home - drove slowly in right lane for last 200 miles. No recurrance the rest of the way. My mechanic could find nothing wrong upon return home. Did not occur again until June 9, 2012 - about 150 miles from home. Same scenario - stopped for a minute then went on. Happened again on June 20, 2012. After stop and go traffic then running at 70 mph when message appears, this time the engine shut down immediatly and I barely got onto the shoulder with traffic speeding by about 2 feet off my right. Tried to start again but message that the engine was dangerously heated appeared. After sitting for about 10 minutes, it started, I turned on the heat (despite 90+ outside temp) and got off at next exit and parked for about an hour. Started up and drove home. No other occurance since. My mechanic tells me now that I need a coolant pump based on the stored service code. Will cost over $700 part and labor. Just hope it fixes it. It is extremely dangerous when the engine shuts down with only seconds of warning. In the area I live, I wouldn't always be able to even get onto a shoulder safely.