Problems with 2004 Ford Escape SUSPENSION

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. while driving approximately 20 mph over a speed bump, an abnormal noise came from the rear of the vehicle without warning. the failure recurred on several occasions while driving at various speeds. the vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the rear passenger shock tower had excessive rust and fractures, and had begun to detach from the vehicle. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 97,911.

Changed the rear shocks after a week with the new shocks in i noticed a noise when going over bumps the shock mount is rusted out and the car is now unable to be driven until it is fixed and from what i have been reading most shops will not touch it because of a liability issue, not to mention if i find a garage that will fix it the cost is going to be more than the value of the vehicle! why has this not been recalled yet? very very dangerous!

Driving down the road when i heard a loud bang. maybe hit a small pothole. upon investigation, the entire sheet metal section where the rear strut mounts to the body was rusted through. all other wheel wells do not have this problem. clearly a production problem with the underbody coating. many other formal safety complaints talk about this particular wheel well. this vehicle was manufactured in kansas city assembly in 10/03. this should be investigated as a safety recall item as it can impact stability in cornering.

My wife was going to the store and hit a small bump in the road at approx. 35mph. when she returned home she said there was a rattle in the rear of her car/truck. i took a look and the top of the shock and the shock housing was completely broken away from the suspension of the car/truck. the entire wheel well broke away from the car/truck. can not drive our car/truck in this condition. glad she was not hurt. could have got caught in rear wheel. i see a lot of these cars/trucks with same problem. ford needs to repair my ride!!!!

The right rear (passenger rear) wheel well has corroded so bad that the strut mounts are beginning to fail. all other wheel wells have not corroded at all.

The right rear passenger wheel well rusted out, causing the sudden dislocation/breaking of the shock mount which in turned caused damage to my tire, and wore through the interior of the car. the damage is extensive and upon researching the issue, it appears that this exact thing has happened (only on the right rear side of the vehicle) to thousands of 2004/2005/2006 escapes. this has been a known issue since at least 20011/2012 and is a dangerous defect that is usually not cost effective to fix, based on the mileage of the cars at the time of the problem. because the left rear does not experience this issue, it must be a defect in manufacturing and ford really needs to step up and offer a recall to fix it as well as reimbursing owners who've experienced the problem and chosen to do repairs to a vehicle in otherwise great running order.

Rear passenger wheel well where the shock mounts to the body is completely rusted out and detached from the upper body of the vehicle. i was traveling on the interstate at about 65mph when this piece broke loose from the rest of the body. this is very dangerous, and almost caused me a serious accident on a busy highway. there are hundreds of other complaints filed just in this database alone with the same exact issue, rust/corrosion of the rear passenger wheel well where the shock mounts to the body. the ford dealership that i had my vehicle towed to told us that they have recently seen 4 or 5 other escapes that have the same exact issue. please investigate, this is a serious safety concern.

Going 20 mph down side road and hit pot hole. the part that you mount the rear shock to came apart do to rust and knocked a hole in rear wheel housing. car is unrivalled and insurance will not cover do to it being a time related thing. there was no rust in wheel well or holes before. very very disappointed. i insurance said it's a flaw in the design of ford. they have no recalls in past or present.

The right rear wheel well rusted out and separated from vehicle body. created suspension problem and hazardous driving condition. this is apparently a known issue with several ford products according to the repair shop that has not been addressed by ford.

Rear passenger wheel well rusted shock came off. ford won't fix it. driving with one rear shock.

Right rear wheel well completely rusted out and shock mount which was bolted to it fell and is hanging next to and on the wheel along with a ball of sharp twisted metal from the wheel well. heard noises from back of car past month or so but thought it was something in the cargo compartment. then went over pothole and loud bang like the exhaust pipe fell and was dragging. then a burning rubber smell. the metal piece is about to pierce the tire and the shock itself is hanging and banging against tire. car is undrivable and may be unfixable in that the fix would be worth more than the car. i of course can not get another car right now due to financial reasons so without a car now because of this. the other wheel wells seem fine, no rust. though there is a few rust spots on the bottom of the running boards and one of the doors (which there should not be in this day and age any rust) to have this immense amount of rust only in one well tells me something is wrong with the design or the paint job at the factory. if a tire blows out it could kill someone traveling at highway speeds in an suv . this is a defect, not aging. needs to be a recall. though the car is 11 i have less than 90,000 on it. i should not have to trash the car due to body rot at 90,000. if this was due to aging or weather all the wheel wells would be like this.

Clunking noise and rough ride. found passenger side rear wheel well extremely rusted out and shock essentially detached from vehicle. the rest of the vehicle has no rust aside from small surface rust on non-painted pieces. searched online to find this problem is extremely common with these escapes, yet no recall has been issued despite the obvious defect and safety concerns. *tr

The rear passenger side wheel housing where the shock mount is located rusted and there is a big hole. looking online there are multiple complaints about the exact same issue. thank god i brought it into my mechanic before it tore my tire apart. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. while driving at an unknown speed, a rattling noise was heard near the rear of the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to a dealer. the technician diagnosed that the rear wheel on the passenger side was rusted around the shocks and control arms. the contact was made aware of nhtsa campaign number: 14v165000 (structure). the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 90,000. updated 7/7/15*cn updated 10/05/2017*cn

End of march 2015 owner of service station declared my vehicle unsafe to drive. underneath bar that goes between the front tires was rusted and snapped. fortunately the vehicle was in the drive way when the bar snapped. the vehicle was in forward motion in the driveway when bar snapped. driving the vehicle you felt unsafe.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. while driving approximately 35 mph, the steering wheel turned independently with a loud abnormal noise. the vehicle was towed to the dealer who stated that the passenger side control arm separated and the entire frame would need to be replaced. the failure occurred after the vehicle was serviced under nhtsa campaign number: 14v165000 (structure). the vehicle had not been repaired. the manufacturer was notified. the approximate failure mileage was 128,000.

The car started to ride rough over small bumps and a thumping sound could be heard from the right rear wheel well. thinking i needed new shocks i inspected the wheel well and was horrified to see that the wheel well holding the shock was completely rusted away. there is a hole where the steel used to be. this is only on the right rear wheel well as far as i can see. a local auto body shop will not fix it because of the safety liability and warned me not to drive the car. the car is unsafe and i am at a loss as to what to do with it. after doing some searching i have found many ford escapes with the same exact problem. apparently this is a design defect that ford knows about and should be responsible for. had i driven the car a little longer i could have been in a catastrophic crash! ford needs to fix this or replace my car. *tr

While driving on a rough road i noticed a rattling in the rear compartment that i had never heard before. when i investigated i found the right rear wheel well had disintegrated from rust damage and the shock is now floating basically freely which is causing the noise. i am concerned for the safety and handling of the vehicle at this point. this seems to be a very common issue with escapes and always the right rear wheel well. why has ford not issued a recall? this is clearly a systematic failure. *tr

I was driving my 2004 escape when i heard a rattling on the rear passenger side of vehicle. a mechanic told me that the entire shock tower has rusted out and there is a whole in the wheel well. i just got off the phone with ford on 2/23/15 and told them of this problem and they never heard of such a thing. i told them it amazing that i can find alot of complaints about this and you know thing. also told them that the left side shock tower looks good. so why is the right side rusted out. she couldn't explain it. she says she will take the complaint and it will also go to nhtsa. well it seem there should be a recall on this. your complaints seem to be very similar. i don't have money to get this fixed. because the brake lines went in my vehicle and the master cylinder cost me $860. to get fixed. which i think was in a recall that you had but ford company doesn't have that recall. so keep receipts ford says to get reimbursed if stuff gets recalled. please recall the shock tower on passenger side for rusting out and driver side is ok. something is very wrong. ford company needs to deal with this even though the claim they never heard of this problem. *tr

2nd escape i've owned that has had the rear right wheel well rust out, shock breaks loose. ford saying it has never heard of it, and yet every dealer and body shop i've talked to knows all about it. this should be a recall, faulty part. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the rear passenger side shock detached from the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the sub frame was rusted and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 80,000.

Hit a bump and vehicle started making a rattling noise on every little bump.found passenger side rear shock mount had broken through body-rust all around wheel well.checked drivers side-ok. have always washed on regular basis.has to be some manufacturing defect. *tr

Another case of a 2004 ford escape with extensive right rear wheel well rust putting the strut in danger of coming through the body. i'm currently trying to figure out how and where to get it repaired. this seems to be a flaw in the design of the product. while one would hope ford would step up i'm not seeing anything on their part so far. *js

I heard a loud thump in right rear of my vehicle. upon inspection the entire right rear wheel is rotted out and is not safe to drive. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated that while driving at approximately 40 mph, the rear house panel structure fractured. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 105,000.

While driving to my home went over a small dip in road and suv made a very load clunking noise in right rear section of vehicle and started handling poorly got it to my parents home which is only few minutes from incident,father looked at and found right rear strut mount and wheel tub rusted out under a thick layer of sound deadening material applied at factory making it nearly impossible to see until it breaks free, father has been a mechanic all his life and tried to get pieces at local salvage yards to repair but found all in a 50 mile radius at salvage yards from years 2001-2007 to be in as bad or worse condition and is currently looking for parts on line out of the rustbelt ,i believe if it had happened on a twisty road it could have been a bigger problem fortunately it was a fairly level straight road i can only assume there isn't an investigation on these is that most people don't now where to go to file a complaint i only new to go here because my father told me too,as he believes it to be a major design flaw that may or could lead to injuries *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated that the rear shock detached from the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to dealer where it was diagnosed that the vehicle could not be repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 180,000. updated 6/3/15*cn updated 9/27/2017*cn

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated that the rear passenger wheel well shock was completely corroded and fractured off the vehicle. the failure recurred on multiple occasions. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 140,000.

Problem with right passenger side wheel well rusted out. vehicle is unsafe to drive and pictures can be provided. when discussing with mechanic said this is a problem with all escapes. just had the vehicle over a year and was never seen when purchasing. who would of thought of checking wheel wells. shock is barely hanging on and was told if driven can flip over. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated that the rear passenger side shock mount was rusted and fractured. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 162,000.

Right rear wheel well rotted out where shock attaches to the body. seems through research that this is problem with most owners in the mid west. contacted local ford dealer and informed to contact you as well as ford motor company. the took pictures to forward on to the engineering department at ford. *tr

Driving and sounds like a square bowling ball is rolling around in back. look to find a rusty mess from shock mount going through wheel well. asked around and seems to be common problem. thank goodness i wasn't far from home. very dangerous, why is this not recalled yet! *tr

I had to avoid a bicyclist and ran up over the curb at a speed of about 35, i noticed right away upon driving away that there was a great rattle in the right side rear suspension. i had it looked at by my insurance company, they told me the upper strut mount broke off. because of the rust noone will fix it. the car otherwise is in perfect shape, no other rust present on the car. this obviously is a defect in the ford product, ford will not return my calls! *tr

A few weeks ago i was driving slowly down a dirt road and i started to hear a bumping noise towards the back of my car, only when i when over bumps. i figured it was just gear in my trunk making the noise and i was going to take a look at it later, but it didn't seem like anything to be concerned about. yesterday i finally got all my ignition coils fixed after some trouble with the mechanics doing it wrong originally. when i left he told me i may have a suspension problem, but that it is not likely to be a problem aside from the annoyingness of it. when i got home i decided to have a look around my car and after discovering that it did not have to do with my trunk i looked under the wheel well and saw that the suspension mount had completely rusted off and had bouncing around as i drove. it was completely detached, and after goodling this i saw that many other people have this same exact problem and that it is very unsafe, and most likely to expensive to fix. i had been driving with this serious problem for a few weeks with no idea of the danger that it could cause. there is no recall on it but i feel that with the amount of people with this problem and the severity of it, ford needs to do something about this. *tr

I was driving the vehicle when i started hearing a loud thumping noise coming from the rear of the vehicle. upon inspection i discovered there was rust inside the rear passenger wheel well and that the shock mount was unattached from the vehicle. *tr

We recently took our 2004 ford escape to get it looked at because every time we hit a bump there was a loud thud sound in the back right. we found out that the rear right wheel well of our 2004 ford escape is completely rusted out. the corrosion has caused a major suspension problem and it's been deemed undrivable. what's worse is that no mechanic or body shop will attempt to fix the issue because it would be considered a liability issue if anything were to happen they would be at fault. the rest of the vehicle is in perfect condition, but because of one awful defect all we can do is sell it for parts. *tr

Noticed a burning rubber smell. found that rear shock tower had rusted through and shock was rubbing on tire. *tr

Loud rattle then grinding noise. when i pulled over i had to remove the shock mount which was jammed between the car and my tire. the shock has now popped through the plastic. this is my only form of transportation and the dealer said there was no recall. the other side is rusted out as well. in addition, when damp out, the #5 plug is missing causing damage to the converter. total estimated tune up repair close to $400. during the past year tyrod, brakes & rotors, wheel bearing, brake hoses, power steering, radio stays on when car is shut off unless fuse is pulled. fuel pump was replaced at 70000 in 2011. have to take the loss. ford should refund for this defect. the mound is not rusted, just the wheel wells it is attached to. *tr

While driving heard a loud clunking noise coming from the passenger side rear wheel well. arrived home to inspect the area of concern. found that the passenger side rear shock mount had completely separated from the wheel well due to extensive rusting. this allowed the shock to travel upward striking the plastic interior trim panel. this vehicle was garage kept until two years ago. it also passed state inspection requirements nine months ago. i am not a mechanical engineer. however, i do not believe a critical suspension component should be attached to sheet metal that is prone to rust. i have taken the time and made the effort to inspect several other vehicle manufacturers and find that their suspension system is connected to a solid component of the frame. obviously this is an engineered design flaw of a critical safety component that possibly could result in unsafe handling at highway speed. with only one rear shock attached to the vehicle an uncontrollable rear sway could occur resulting in a possible roll over. given the number of reported complaints of the same nature, which given known statistics is a small percentage of actual cases, i do request a recall to be made. *tr

The right rear shock tower rusted through and the shock has come through the plastic moulding. the car drives but is unstable and unsafe. *tr

On a trip to upper peninsula, michigan this past week we experienced a failure of the front subframe crossbrace, a near catastrophic event as the piece broke. we were in grayling, michigan and were stopped near an independent service provider who showed us the damage and attempted to find a used part. the one he found had the exact same rust and break as ours and thus he ordered a new one from ford. in the meantime we were forced to rent a car and continue on to our vacation destination. after we returned home i learned that there had been a recall of these vehicles for just such a failure. i took the car and the broken crossbrace to mike castrucci ford in alexandria, ky where the warranty officer informed me that our escape was not part of the factory recall. she was able to tell me why and was very helpful although clear that nothing could be done. the argument was presented that the failed part in the recall was made by a particular manufacturer and used in certain plants or vehicles. i get the point but i have a car that failed in exactly the same way due to excessive rust and presented the same risk of catastrophic failure that we narrowly avoided by luck. the repair replacement cost over $1000 plus labor. i believe vehicles like mine should be part of the recall. our front wheel could have totally collapsed while we were traveling at high speed. *tr

The right rear wheel well is rusting out so that the shock to break loose. i was told it's unsafe by several mechanics/body shops to drive. this is the only car that i have to transport my three children and it's not going to be a cheap fix. this needs to be recalled before someone gets injured or worse!!! *tr

Noticed loud rattle, knocking in rear of truck. stopped to have mechanic look at it. discovered severe erosion in rear wheel well and shock mechanism completely separated from vehicle. appears to be very common for 2004-05 escapes. *tr

After investigating a loud noise. i found out that my right rear shock tower was rusted out and making the noise. after researching the problem i found out that there are many people out there with the same problem. this is a very costly fix that fords should have do do as a recall. this is also dangerous. if this part breaks while driving it could cause a accident or worse. please consider this problem and as a safety issue. recall this problem with fords. the car is undrivable. *tr

i have a 2004 ford escape . i received a recall notice for a corrosion issue with the sub frame where it connects to the lower control arms . i haven't had an issue with it yet and was planning on getting the recall work done within the next couple of weeks . on 8/02/2014 when i pulled in my driveway i heard a loud clunking noise coming from the rearof my escape . when i look in the right rear wheel well i could see an 8 inch area around the shock mount had rusted completely through the shock mount was no longer attached to the vehicle . i'm sure this could have caused a accident had i been driving down the road when it happened . i did a google search and found an endless list of people with the same issue . i called my local ford dealer and was told they could do the recall work on the front of the vehicle but there was not a recall for the rear wheel well /shock mount . i can not believe there is not a recall yet for such a serious and common problem . please look into this situation . i work for ford and this makes me sick , they should not have to be forced into implementing a recall for such a serious problem . ford should issue a recall on their own before someone is hurt or dies from this problem . this is a control item and ford should be held accountable ! *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated that while driving at unknown speed, there was an unusual sound that came from the rear of the vehicle. the contact was able to maneuver the vehicle to the side of the road and observed that the rear wheel control arms had become detached due to corrosion. the contact did not notify a dealer or an independent mechanic however, she contacted the manufacturer and was told that there were no safety recalls in regard to the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 113,000.

While my son was driving he heard a loud clunking noise came from back of the car. he stop , pull over and take a look to see what happening and when he look in to the rear wheel well he see it was damaged badly . he made appointment to take car to ford dealer to check it out . they checked it and told him that the shock mount had rusted completely through the shock mount and no longer attach to the car, they told him that he should not drive it because it could cause bad accident and very dangerous . he asked them about the corrosion recall which i got a letter from ford but they said the recall is for a corrosion with the sub frame where it connect to the lower control arm and nothing about the problem my car having . they told him it will cost about $3000 to have it repair . i am very upset about this , the car only 10 years old . i check on line to see anyone has the same problem with 2004 ford escape with the same issue i could not believed that there are numerous complaint about same issue and it caught my eyes that most people had this problem at the same period of 10 years . i want to see the government should force ford to have a recall before someone get killed or hurt . ford should stand behind their quality if they are trying to hide this problem they should be punish to the extend of the law. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated while driving various speeds he heard an abnormal sound coming from the right rear passenger side of the vehicle. the contact discovered that right rear wheel well was covered with rust causing the shocks to fail. an independent mechanic discovered that the shock absorber needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 110,000.

Driving down the road wirht my 2 young kids and all sudden go over the train tracks and the rear strut broke from the shock mount and came right up thru the vehicle i have found thousands of complaints on this issue, ford needs to step up luck i gained control of vehicle with a 1 mont old baby and a 3 year old this is searious matter! someone is going to die because of this it needs to be fixed! *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford escape. the contact stated that while driving at a unknown speed, there was an abnormal noise coming from the passenger side of the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the rear passenger and the driver side sub frame and the suspension was rusted and corroded. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 123,000.