Problems with 2005 Ford Escape SUSPENSION

One day i noticed that some of the undercoating in the rear right when was gone, upon further inspection i noticed that there was hole in the wheel well. after researching online, i learned that this is a common problem. although my problem is not as serious as some of the stories i read, i still feel that it is safety issue and an accident waiting to happen. as time goes by the rust will continue to grow and i'm afraid of the consequences. i called ford to voice my concern, but they said that they are not doing anything to repair the problem. just like everyone, i want people to be aware of the issue and hopefully ford will realized that this is a safety issue. *tr

We started to notice a "clunky" noise coming from the right rear wheel hub. upon inspection, the right rear wheel hub is over 50% rusted out. the left rear wheel hub is intact. we can not drive vehicle fearing a structural failure will result in an accident or injury. after researching this issue on the internet, it seems to be a common problem for this model, and other ford models. *tr

I have a 2005 ford escape took it to a shop today because of the banging from the suspension. when the mechanic put the car on the lift he saw that the entire wheel well around the shock absorber was rusted completely out. the extra stress on the shock absorber caused the bolt on the top to break off. the stress also caused the rear break line to fray almost to the point of breaking completely. this car is no longer safe to drive. i am just happy that my break line didn't break while i was on the road. i do not really know what options i have with the car since it is the only car i own and i have no other way to get to and from work. *tr

Passenger side rear wheel well (hidden area only) rusted out at the shock mount causing the shock to punch into the interior. expensive repair. sad part is that the rest of the vehicle is in very good shape, never suspected such a rusting issue like that. i see it is a common flaw of this vehicle. poor engineering of a critical mounting point. fortunately no injuries in this case, but could easily have caused panic resulting in an serious accident. very surprised this is not a ford recall item with an available manufactured reinforcing part.

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford escape. while traveling at an unknown speed, a loud noise emitted from the rear of the vehicle. upon further inspection, the contact noticed that the inner rear fender and the rear shocks deteriorated without warning. the contact stated that the parts were rusted and could fracture at any moment. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 135,000.

While driving into work my wife heard a loud bang from the rear end. once i inspected it, the whole passenger rear shock mount has rusted completely off, sending the top of the shock through the fender inside cover. inspecting the drivers side, it's rusted all the way around the shock mount, only being held on by the bottom weld. it seems like there's a real thick membrane smeared under fender well. otherwise, the vehicle is in real good shape. i can't believe the poor engineering that went into this vehicle. oh yeah, we just paid it off in march through ford motor credit. it'll cost more to fix the problem then what i could get out of it. i can't believe how a ford dealer could possibly not see this before it was sold to us. *tr

I had been hearing a large clunk on my passenger side in the back. at first i thought it was my shovel hitting. however, i finally really took a look at the entire back and wheel and notice it completely rotted under and even broke through my trunk. i took it to 3 different shops and was told it was the suspension/shock that has rusted and rotted away. it wasn't suppose to do that. i have a welder pricing it out because both other garages said they couldn't fix. i feel completely unsafe driving thinking the car could go flat out anytime. the car is in really good condition otherwise, and from the sound of it this is a common problem among 2004 and 2005 escapes. if this keeps happening someone is going to get hurt. and it should be fords responsibility to fix. *tr

While driving down the road going approx. 40 mph, i heard a loud noise from by back passenger side tired. i immediately pulled over to see what caused the noise. upon inspection, i noticed the wheel well that supports the back shock was completely rusted. the shock had broke through the rusted wheel well and was pressed up against the inside interior of my car. the rest of my wheel wells are in fine condition. when i researched this problem online, there are many, many customers that have had this exact problem with 2005 ford escapes. it is only the rear passenger side. this needs to be researched and corrected before someone gets hurt. *tr

I was driving home from school when i started to hear a loud cluncking noise from the rear passenger side. i came to find out that it was completely rusted out and that's what was making all of that noise. i have only had this car for 6 months and i have no idea what i am going to do if this is a problem no one can fix! i've been reading and a lot of people with the 2003-2007 escapes are having the same issue! this needs to be fixed!! *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford escape. while driving at 35 mph over a pothole, an abnormal noise emitted from the rear of the vehicle. the contact merged to the side of the road and noticed that the rear passenger side shock was fractured and rusted. the failure recurred multiple times. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 100,400.

Have found the right rear strut mount almost rusted away and the left side is on its way. i hear there is a recall for 2001-2004 for this and from all the complaints i see on-line this should include 2005-2006 and unless they did something to actually stop this, even later years should be included. if a person hits a chuck hole this could cause a bad accident., i see a lot of people can't even drive their vehicles. i have owned many older,vehicles including a 1995 ford taurus i traded in on this escape that didn't have this problem. *tr

The rear passenger side wheel well rusted out where the shock attaches. the shock assembly is now just loose and rattling. looking online, many many people are experiencing the same failure on 2004, 2005, and 2006 escapes. this makes the vehicle unsafe to drive. *tr

While driving on the highway, we hit a bump in the road and almost immediately there was a loud banging noise. upon inspection, i found that the rear right wheel well was completely rusted out. the shock strut is now loose and banging against the car's frame, the tire and the interior of the rear cargo area. i've been researching this online and notice that this is a rather common problem with other ford escapes in the midwest. it is always the same complaint, rusted out wheel well on the rear passenger side. someone need to investigate ford because this is too common an issue and is clearly a design flaw. repair for this issue can run up to $2,000. *tr

While driving the car, whenever we would hit a bump of any kind the passenger side rear of the car made a horrible rattling/banging noise. i took it to the dealer and they told and showed me where the part that connected the shock to the wheel well had pretty much rusted away and was no longer safe to drive. the service writers and the body man all said this is a very common issue with this year and model. they conjectured that since we get snow in pittsburgh the roads are salted. since the roads are slanted to the right to help drainage, that side is bathed in salt water. however i am also developing rust on the outside edge of the body panel on the opposite side. why then is this not happening to other model years? since it is not drivable i have had to schedule the repairs. at the time of the repairs i am going to have the car completely gone over by the dealers mechanics and body man to validate the condition and document any further required repairs. this is a total engineering screwup by ford and they should be required to recall all of this model and year and either repair them at no cost to the owner or reimburse the owners who already had to have the repairs done. do people have to die before action is taken? is no one held accountable for their actions in today's society? *tr

I was driving and began to hear a loud noise i stopped and looked, the fender well had fallen half way off. it was rusted all the way through. i had to call a tow truck and still cannot use my car because i cant afford to replace this part. shouldn't ford be responsible for this it is a flaw in the body. *tr

Driving down street and ran over rough spot in pavement and heard a thump from the back of the vehicle. next day drove over railroad tracks and there was a loud banging noise. i checked under vehicle at right rear wheel opening (passenger side) to find most of the wheel well rusted and gone from the shock mount location to the rear most part of the wheel well. the bucket or bracket that mounts the top of the shock absorber to the wheel well and chassis is just floating in mid air. when i look through the side compartment in the back of the vehicle i can see the top of the tire and the pavement and shock absorber. *tr

Passenger side rear fender completely rusted through causing total detachment of shock absorber mount tower originally part of body/frame.

The right rear wheel well and shock mount is completely rusted out. when i bought the vehicle used, i drove it and heard a slight clunking somewhere in the rear end of the vehicle. i thought maybe the shocks were bad. i continued to drive it, hoping to replace the shocks. recently the noise became very loud and disturbing. i looked at the shock area and discovered the whole area on the right rear wheel well and shock mount are rusted through and breaking apart. the left side is fine. i am afraid to drive it this way and believe it is an unsafe condition. i looked up the problem on the internet and found a multitude of the same problem with other owners of 2005 ford escapes. to my knowledge, ford will only fix 2001-2004 escapes, but not 2005. why not? it clearly is a defect in material and workmanship. it has rusted prematurely and causes a hazardous safety situation. if this was an isolated incident, i would understand. but from what i have learned, it has happened to all 2005 ford escapes. *tr

Passenger side rear wheel well has rusted through compromising the connection to the strut. *tr

Had rear shocks replaced on my 2005 ford escape and was told that mounts for the shocks are rusted out. the shocks are detached from the frame due to poor design by ford. the car is not safe to drive as the shock bounces into the rear interior when moving. there is a recall from 2001 - 2004 escapes but not 2005! for the exact same problem! *tr

Passenger rear top strut/shock mount rusted out. makes vehicle kind of useless. been told this seems to b a common problem.

The right rear shock plunged through the right rear wheel well (rusted away) and rattles at low speeds. steering pulls to left and shakes.

Driving less than 30mph-hit a manhole cover and heard very loud bang in back of car. discovered inside rear passenger side wheel well completely disintegrated. shock barely holding on. still waiting on estimate to fix. based on the other over 100 complaints of the same nature, not going to bother calling ford. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford escape. the contact stated that the rear passenger side wheel well was corroded and deteriorated. also, the contact mentioned that the shock mount fractured. the contact stated that the failure caused the shock mount to puncture the trunk. the contact stated that there was a loud noise each time the vehicle drove over a bump due to the failure. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. the technician performed an alignment and the failure recurred. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 113,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford escape. the contact stated that while driving at 50 mph, the shock absorber detached and fractured through the rear passenger side of the trunk. the vehicle veered to the right causing the contact to lose control of the vehicle without warning. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 160,000.

The right rear wheel well has rusted out. the strut is no longer attached to the vehicle. when driving there is a knocking sound. when investigated at the repair shop, this was the diagnosis. *tr

The vehicle's rear passenger wheel well rusted out completely. this allowed the rear shock to become dangerously loose and produced a loud banging noise. had the shock come loose there would have been a substantial loss of steering. car is now unsafe to drive. *tr

While traveling approximately 35 mph, the rear passenger side shock punctured through a completely rusted out rear wheel well on my 2005 ford escape. the car is undrivable and the auto repair/body shop quoted me $3,000.00 to repair this. i contacted ford and they stated that only the 2001-2004 models are covered under a recall for this exact same problem. i have researched this problem and have read hundreds of people with the same problem. . *tr

We noticed a noise coming from the back right rear side of our ford escape especially when you would go over small bumps in the road. a quick look underneath, we noticed a lot of rust. we called the ford dealership to get it in to be checked out and upon us describing the problem, they said it is most likely the right rear shock mount. a couple of days later, we received a call and found out that is the problem along with an estimate to repair it (15 hours and $1,200.00 approx.). the dealership said that this is a very common problem that they see in escapes from years 2005-07. we reached out to ford because this is not only a major safety issue but the vehicle will not pass our state inspection. we were told that there is no recall at this time nor would they help assist with any of the repairs, at this time. they told us to hold on to our receipt and if there is a recall, that they would reimburse us. very disappointed. *tr

The passenger side rear shock tower completely rusted away making the vehicle unsafe to drive.the rest of the vehicle is spotless and we keep it very clean.this is a manufacturing defect. *tr

This car has 80000miles on it and is totally rusted out in the rear passenger wheel well and shock tower. i have been quoted 5000 to fix the car to meet safety standards. i can see the tire all the way thru the metal.

We noticed a rattling/banging noise coming from the right rear of vehicle, my wife rode in the rear seat and could feel the shock mount hitting against the back of the interior trim panel. looking into the wheel well, we could see where the wheel housing had completely rusted out, revealing the interior. the upper shock mount can be wiggled by hand. today 12/31/2014, i went to see my "friends" at our local ford dealership, the service writer said i was in "luck" as he remembered researching the same issue for another customer. he found a diagram with the replacement panel & wheel house, part# 7l82-7827886-a, with a list price of $150, then we went to talk to another "friend" in parts, he said that the price had recently increased and now listed at $700. they offered to have me talk to another "friend" in sales, but i informed them my wife refused to buy another ford, and if we were to buy a new vehicle it would be a toyota. with that said, my "friends" suggested to unload (trade) it at a toyota dealer. they also informed me our 2005 ford escape was "unsafe" to drive. i went to our local body shop to get his recommendation. he said, they had just done one, in 10/2014 for just under $900 and he got the part from my "friends" at the dealership for $120. in apparent disbelief he called our "friends" and they confirmed the price increase. we searched online and found many 7l82-7827886-a for $20-$180, after ordering from several different vendors, each vendor cancelled the orders for various reasons; unavailable, part number change and is more expensive, due to the size and fragile nature we are unable to ship, not available,etc. what is ford's objective with this price increase ? ? ? there was clearly a defect in manufacturing, craftsmanship, and/or materials, that created this severe defect in safety of the 2005 ford escape ! ! ! *js

I had my car inspected today and had them look at an issue of a banging sound i was hearing in the back passenger side area. the mechanic found extensive rust and rot in the rear passenger side wheel well and the strut was almost ready to come off. the mechanic commented he has seen this issue several times with this model. i see that ford recalled 2001 to 2005 model years, but not the 2005. from doing research there are numerous complaints from 2005 owners. i keep my car washed and always make sure to wash salt off in the winter. my mechanic recommended that i not drive the car because it was unsafe because the strut was ready to come off and could cause the tire to bend outward. how can ford not recall this year with all the obvious complaints concerning this issue? my daughter drives this car and imagine her going 65 on the highway and the tire bends! an investigation needs to be conducted for this model year since this has been ongoing issues with rust and rot in the wheel wells with previous model years. the issue was never corrected a,no continued past model year 2004. *tr

Beautiful, well-maintained 05 ford escape - rare 5 speed manual, 4 cyl, awd. always garaged and cleaned. opened plastic bin in rear compartment, passenger side, to store tools. noticed small cracks and daylight in wheel well. just below and behind shock mount. applied light pressure. entire section pushed through. completely rusted away. held in place only by rubberized undercoating. 119k. based on all these complaints, same location, same event, i consider myself lucky it didn't fail while i was driving. i'm going to show the dealer tomorrow. curious what his reaction will be. my guess is sympathy but nothing to do about it without ford supporting the dealer. *tr

Rattling, banging, right rear shock mount is rusted loose, completely corroded away from wheel house. *js

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford escape. while driving at various speeds, a loud noise emitted from the rear of the vehicle. the contact discovered that the shocks were corroded through to the wheel well. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 135,000.

I was traveling at 60 mph on a highway interchange. i hydroplaned, lost control of my vehicle, and hit a guard rail with the front driver's side head on. my vehicle bounced off the guard rail, traveled backwards, and hit the guardrail on the other side of the road on the driver's side rear. the car spun 90 degrees and came to a rest with the passenger side against the guard rail, opposing highway traffic flow. the airbags did not deploy, despite a 60-mph collision. the suspension, wheel, and shock fell off in the collision. *tr

I've recently started noticing a lot of creaking and popping in the structure / suspension of my 2005 ford escape. i took a flashlight and crawled underneath the vehicle to inspect, and immediately noticed a large amount of rust/rot in my front subframe of my vehicle. i see ford has a recall for 2001 to 2004 models, but this needs to be expanded to cover all years of this chassis design, as my 2005 shows significant rot. the recall should also cover rear wheel well rust/rot (including shock mounts), as this area is also heavily rusted. definite design flaws and poor quality of materials used on the frame/subframe. a 2005 should not be rusting out this bad, even in the "salt belt". nothing has broken from rust yet, however judging by the rate of decay, it's not going to last much longer. ford should expand this recall immediately. *tr

Back right passenger wheel well rusted through. shock is holding on by a thread. makes loud banging noise when any bump is hit. i was told vehicle is unsafe to drive by local mechanic. *tr

While driving a loud thud was heard from the rear of the vehicle, while driving a continued banging was heard, upon inspection we noticed the inner wheelhousing or inner fender had a large diameter hole where the shock mounted to it, the hole is large roughly 10 inches across and upon searching i have noticed this is a design flaw and road salt combined to cause this, numerous complaints online but no action from anyone on this issue, it seems a possible loss of control while loaded could result in a crash. *tr

My problem is the rear passenger side shock mount broken off and has been pushed up into the rear hatch wheel well into the interior of the vehicle. *tr

Heard thumping noise on passenger side rear. took it to check it out and wheel well completely rusted out and unsafe to drive. *tr

My vehicle has severe corrosion in the driver side rear wheel house. the corrosion has allowed the left rear shock absorber to fail to effectively dampen the suspension movement (its purpose). the problem is very prevalent on ford escapes, mercury mariners, and mazda tributes. for nhtsa to determine if this is truly a safety issue, your will need to secure a 01 - 06 escape, remove one rear shock absorber (worse case for the failure of my vehicle) and drive the vehicle on a rough road. please hang on tight when doing so. the failure of the body around the mounting point of a critical component of a suspension system puts the general population at risk as they share the roads with the escape/mariner/tribute drivers. this is a safety issue that results in failure of state safety inspections and cannot be ignored by the government agency which is charged with preventing manufacturer safety defects from endangering people on public roads. this defect is very well document on the internet .remember...to protect and serve! me and others on the road....not ford motor company. *tr

Like i see many other times. 2005 ford escape, rear passenger suspension is rusted and almost detached. this vehicle was garage kept and well maintained. *tr

I was driving my 2005 ford escape when i started hearing a banging noise coming from the passenger side rear of my vehicle. after a few days the banging got louder and my escape seemed to be hitting hard in the back like my shock wasn't working. which my husband had changed them about 3 or 4 months prior so i thought that was odd. after driving her today and the banging getting worse i had my husband look at my back fender wall. when we did we seen it completely rusted out. i can touch the inside of my car. but the worst part of this is that is what holds my shock in place and it is all gone. i came inside frustrated and decided i would see if there are parts to fix it before my shock decides it is going to go for a free ride and destroy everything under there. to my surprise i have not found a fix nor a recall but i did find numerous people having the same issue. this is a safety hazard and no one seems to care. i am very surprised that no one has made ford recall the escapes and fix this issue. can you imagine if i was on the freeway going 70 mph when this broke and the damage it could do to not only my escape but my family, myself, and other drivers if i lost control of it because my shock is no longer attached to my suv? i am very disappointed in ford and everyone else that is in charge of recalling vehicles. they have put my family, me, and all the other drivers on the road in danger and no one seems to care. maybe i should buy a toyota because at least they recall their vehicles and fix them when they have an issue. ford does not seem to care about anyone's safety. *tr

Severe rust right rear shock tower unsafe to drive. *tr

The passenger side rear wheel well is completely rusted out. the strut is no longer connected to the body of the car.

The passenger side rear wheel well on this escape is completely rotted. a large piece of the body in the wheel well has broken away (around 8x8) with the shock attached. the large piece of metal has been bouncing in and out of the indoor storage compartment. i now have no shock absorption on that wheel. i have noticed numerous other people that share this problem with this vehicle. ford has refused to assist them with their problem. i will be taking this vehicle to a local ford dealership with the demand that this be fixed at a reasonable price, considering the large number of people that this effects. *tr

2005 escape. load banging in rh rear over even very small bumps. found shock tower in wheel well had rusted away. top of shock not connected to anything; moving around freely. loud banging noise is from the top of shock hitting the body while driving. undriveable, shock could punch through the body. local frame shop has repaired six 2005's in the past year. cost will be $1200, however, part is not available. vehicle parked until the part can be obtained and fixed. *tr

Severe rusted out rear wheel wells causing the passenger rear shock to break. called ford and they stated no recall for 2005 just thru 2004 and they could not do anything. still owe money on this vehicle and not sure what it is going to cost for large repair. needs to be recalled. look up this google and you will find tons of this. *tr