Problems with 2002 Ford Escape SUSPENSION

I was driving my 2002 ford escape at 25 mph on a suburban side street. suddenly there was a loud clunk sound on the right front of the car with the front dropping and the car grinding to a stop. inspection revealed the right front wheel was basically broken off with that side of the car sitting on the ground. further inspection revealed that the lower front suspension a-frame pulled loose from the engine cradle due to rust on the crossmember. *tr

My vehicle began to make unknown noises when driving, and steering control became very loose. i promptly took the car to my mechanic. i was told the subframe was so badly rotted that the passenger wheel control arm had separated from the subframe and can not be reattached without replacing the subframe. the vehicle is now no longer safe to drive. *tr

The subframe was so badly rusted that the control arm separated from the subframe. i found several complaints of the same thing happening to other people with ford escapes. and it always seems to happen at the right front passenger area. this is a very dangerous flaw, and one that could cause serious injury or death if the failure happens at high speed. i think the ford ranger frames were recalled for a similar rusting issue, perhaps the two are related. thank you for your time and prompt attention. *tr

Was approaching a stop sign and the tire fell sideways. called for a tow truck and the garage called and said the subframe was so badly rusted that the control arm separated from the subframe. i find this hard to believe that a vehicle with such little mileage could rust so bad. ford should seriously look into this issue because if your traveling @ a high speed and the control arm separates you can have a major accident and cause injuries or even death. *tr

While driving through a parking lot my 2002 ford escape suddenly made a clunking sound then suddenly stopped. i could not steer the car to the side or move it forward or backward. i exited the car and looked at the drivers side tire and it seemed fine . i then went over to the passenger side and saw that my wheel was completely turned in the opposite direction. i figured that i probably broke a tie rod. i called aaa to have the auto towed to a local service station. when the tow driver arrived he took a look at my escape and said that my subframe was rusted so bad that it had separated in two. by doing that my wheel axle had completely separated from the transmission. his opinion was that if i was driving on a highway and this had happened it probably would have caused a major auto collision and maybe even causing my escape to roll over. this to me seems to be a very dangerous flaw in the design and construction of the subframe and i am very fortunate this did not happen on the highway. it could have caused major damage and even death to innocent people. *tr

Driving 15mph down home street and heard a clunk. put in reverse to get back to driveway and right front wheel was sideways and dragging. after calling local garage was informed it was the subframe that holds the control arm that was rusted through. able to maneuver car onto front lawn where it still sits. *tr

Ford escape was making sharp jerking motions like the front wheels were going to fall off. it happend right after i took the escape in to ford dealer to get the abs and engine cover recalls. they said they did not casue the problem. i took to local mech in town and he said issue is the control arm bolt is seperated from the subframe and is rusted away so it is making the wheel wobble out of alignment causing the jerking motion. wondering if recall is on ford escape for subframe issue where control arm bolt is attached . seen many same issues when searching the internet. *tr

To start off the idle control valve needed to be replaced because when you push the clutch in it dies and you loose all power , another is the bushing in the control arm slipped out of the arm mount so i had to replace it and another that just happened is the gas tank strap and support pan broke and plastic gas tank hit the ground on one end and the other is grinding on the drive shaft. and the ford dealership wont fix anything cause it ain't considered powertrain. *tr

I was driving my 2002 ford escape and coming to a stop at an intersection when i heard a loud popping sound. after i stopped, i released the brake and rolled forward a few feet before re-applying the brakes and the sound repeated. i was able to drive it across the highway to a ford dealership for repairs. upon inspection the following morning it was determined that the subframe assembly had rusted out completely on the passenger side and had caused the lower control arm to become loose thus bending it and making it unusable. i am thankful that this happened at a very slow speed and fear that if other folks have this happen at highway speed it could be a very bad outcome ! this allowed my passenger side tire to pull outward hence pulling the control arm loose. it was a very expensive fix and the warranty i had purchased at the time of buying the vehicle was no avail. i contacted ford and was told that if there is no recall then there is no problem !! sorry but it was a very expensive fix and i believe ford should make good on this. how many injuries are required before someone takes notice ?? the repair bill was $ 1160.96. i had only owned the vehicle for 7 months at that time. it still has many payments to be made before it is paid off. it would appear that the air conditioning drain runs down this area causing it perhaps ? just an observation from a running vehicle identical to mine. any help would be appreciated on this matter and hopefully it gets resolved before any fatalities happen if they haven't already !! thank you ! *tr

My car had a loud squeak and creak while driving that continually got louder over the past week... i took it to my mechanic and he discovered the sub frame assembly on the front passenger side has completely rotted away. this attaches to the control arm, and ford has no recall. he is a certified mechanic and says this part should never have rotted. he advised to check with ford for recall, however ford denies any recall with this part.. so no action from ford about a rotted frame! vehicle is now unable to be driven due to safety concerns of control arm becoming unattached. *tr

Lower control arm ripped off under cradle & ripped passenger side drive shaft off the transmission - the wheel fell off the car. it appears under cradle rusted from inside. i shudder at the thought of that happening when my wife was on the freeway, instead of coming to a stop. this vehicle was always kept in the garage. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford escape. the contact stated that while driving 30 mph the lower control arm detached from the vehicle and the front passenger side wheel pointed sideways, causing the driver to loose control of the vehicle. the vehicle was towed to the dealer, who stated that the failure was due to corrosion. as a result, the front subframe assembly and the lower control arms needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure, but offered no assistance because the vehicle was not included in any recalls. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileages were 78,000. updated 11/22/11*lj updated 03/13/12

Front knocking noise. has been present since we first bought the car new. many mechanics, including the ford dealer, could not find the problem. brakes, transmission, and struts were checked or replaced. the knocking persisted. on 8/15/08, the ball joint failed as my wife was traveling at 45 mph around a corner causing the driver side wheel to flop at a 90 degree angle. steering was impossible. luckily, my wife was able to get the car stopped safely without out any life threatening consequences. ford escape 2002 xlt. *tr

No events leading to this... it just started about 2 yrs ago summer of 08. clunking noise in the front of car. can be felt by the steering wheel (which also has the squeaking problem). occurs only when the temperature outside is warm. went to the ford dealer several times complaining of this... never was able to recreate the problem. finally had both left and right arm assembly link, bolt, hex for front suspension replaced june 09. on sept 09 noise returned and had everything tightened, lubed. problem went away until again the weather warmed up then is now back worse than ever. not only when turning the wheel but when driving straight. *tr

In april 2007, i took my 2002 ford escape because of constant clicking noise that i heard coming from the left front side of the car for about 3 months. i was told that it was my sway bar end link, but the right side. the left end link had been replaced in april 2006, so i had to pay for the right end link to be replaced. the clicking noise persists. now, the dealer is saying that it is the right lower control arm that is making the noise and i must have done something to it, even though it is the same noise and started only 2 days after being serviced. also, the car has stalled twice. the front brake rotors have been replaced twice and needs a third replacement. the transmission has been replaced. the air bag light comes on intermittently and remains on for months at a time; started in 2004. the windows and door locks have been serviced for intermittently not working three times before the problem was resolved.

Tl*- the contact stated that on 01/05/06 while driving her 2002 ford escape at 10 mph. the vehicle made a loud noise. when she tried to stop the vehicle she applied the brakes, but the vehicle didn't come to an immediate stop. the contact stated that the brake pedal had to be pushed to the floor. the vehicle continued to make a loud noise that sounded like the something loose. the contact did take the vehicle to her mechanic, but before reaching the mechanic her abs light turned on. the contact stated that the mechanic told her that the reluctor ring had failed and that the vehicle needed the left front axle assembly replaced. *jb updated 03/19/07. *jb

Dt*: the contact stated while parked in the driveway for one day, the vehicle caught on fire. the fire extinguished itself. the vehicle was driven to the dealer who replaced the abs module and a wiring harness. updated 01/17/07. *jb the consumer stated the abs light illuminated and stayed on until the abs module was replaced. the right front wheel bearing was replaced.

Vehicle had a sound when being driven. consumer took the vehicle to dealer to see where the sound was coming from. dealer discovered that front wheel bearings, brakes, and rotors needed to be replaced. *ak

Both of the front bearing have had to be replaced in my 2002 ford escape. i bought the vehicle with only 15,000 miles. it now only has 48,000 miles. i believe there is a defect in the bearings. my vehicle also tries to stall while i'm driving. i did not realize this was such a problem. i believe this should be addressed by ford.*ak

While driving at any speed, the engine was rumbling. the dealer could not duplicate or correct the problem. *ak there was uncontrollable jumping and or kicking. the dealer replaced one defective part and was told that the rumbling noise would need to be investigated by ford engineers. ford did not know what was causing the noise, but say it was not dangerous. the vehicle would shake at certain speeds and cd's would get stuck in the cd player. *sc the rotors were replaced because they were out of round, the stabilizer end links were replaced *jb

I have a 2002 ford escape. at 15,000 miles my engine blew. two weeks earlier my sister who also has a 2002 ford escape lost her engine at 35,000 miles. since then the car has been back for three rounds of repairs to the engine, the ball bearings, the power steering, and the coolant. this car is dangerous!*ak

2002 ford escape. while making low speed turns, clicking nosie coming from front end wheel well area. clicking nosie sounds like rotatining parts are binding. frequency of the clicking sound is directly related to vehicle speed (the slower the speed, the longer the time between each sucessive click). the sound occurs with either right or left turns, but is much more noticable while turning left. this clicking is not a healthy sound and i am worried about a failure of the affected parts.*ak

My 2002 ford escape was less than two months old and had less than 1000 miles when i returned to the dealer for repair. i hear a loud continuous clicking noise when i turn the steering wheel to the right. ford has issued a special service message (#16016) describing this problem with 2001-2002 escapes. they have no solution and dealer will not attempt to repair car. i am concerned for my daughter and my safety when driving the car. ford needs a recall to repair these cars.*ak

There is a roaring sound and a grinding in front left side. *ak

The suv vibrates at 50 plus mph. dealer attempting to correct, unable to pin point problem. considering the lemon law at this time. dt