Ford / Escape Hybrid / 2009
2009 Ford Escape Hybrid problems
Owners have filed 194 complaints about the 2009 Ford Escape Hybrid with NHTSA. Steering accounts for 36.1% of them — far more than any other system, ahead of engine at 12.4%.
Complaints194
Crashes7
Fires4
Injuries1
Deaths0
What owners report breaking
Steering 36.1% · 70
Engine 12.4% · 24
Service brakes 10.8% · 21
Vehicle speed control 8.8% · 17
Power train 7.7% · 15
Electrical system 5.7% · 11
Service brakes, hydraulic 4.6% · 9
Fuel/propulsion system 4.6% · 9
Severity
Of those complaints, 7 describe a crash, 4 describe a fire and 1 report an injury.
Reading the numbers
Across the 7 model years of the Ford Escape Hybrid in this data, 2009 draws comparatively few complaints; 2008 is the outlier year.
Filings have fallen off, 5 in the last three years against 8 in the three before. That is normal as a generation leaves the road.
The median odometer reading at the time of complaint was 86,500 miles.
In owners' own words
The contact owns a 2009 Ford Escape Hybrid. The contact stated that after his wife started the vehicle, it was discovered that the power steering assist had malfunctioned, and the steering wheel was very difficult to turn in either direction. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 59,746. Steering · reported at 59,746 miles
Two times on 2/1 the power steering quite working for a few seconds while driving on a mountain freeway. The safe issue occurred two other times in the past few weeks. The power steering is working find and all of a sudden it stops and it's very difficult to get the vehicle to turn. Very scary for my wife is the one that drive this car. Last night when it happened she had two children in the car with her. Steering · reported at 116,617 miles
Total power steering failure on start up when backing out of driveway. The power steering has been intermittent since then. Seems most likely to fail when cold. So far it has started working once warmed up and restarted. The vehicle is very hard to control when the power steering is not working. I'm concerned it will fail while driving and cause an accident. I plan on taking it to the dealership today. Steering · reported at 96,700 miles
Verbatim from NHTSA filings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
Safety recalls
Checking NHTSA for open recalls…