Problems with 2008 Ford Escape ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Car burned down to the frame. turned the car on it started to smell like something was burning. smoke and fire started coming out of the a/c vents. the contact left the vehicle immediately and it went up in flames. after speaking with the police and firemen and they had a chance to look at the remains of the car once the fire was put out, the best conclusion they could come up with as to what happened was some sort of electrical fuse malfunction. updated 12/20/10 * bf the fire originated within the passenger compartment and then advanced into the engine compartment. the exact cause of the fire could not be determined. updated 12/27/10

The tire pressure monitor light comes on and the message center says "tire pressure monitor fault". at the same time the door ajar light and brake lights came on. the volume on the stereo automatically goes down or stops working or can't change stations when i get the tire pressure message or reboots along with the air conditioner blowing hot air. the doors don't automatically lock, when they do lock, the ac comes back on. as it got worse the dash has a mind of its own, somedays it doesn't light up other days it stays on all night. sometimes when i ride over a speed bump it will fix the problem, but it always comes back. *tr

Tccf transmission cooler condenser failure- july 16,2008 repaired; -leaking -slipping on shifting-had very little transmission oil on dip stick when repaired at dealership under the 36,000 limited warranty--after 4 days july 20, 2008 wife was rear ended by a dwi traveling at estimated more than 75 to 80 mph(my wife traveling on a state highway at normal regulated speed of 50 mph) -damages of over $13,500 to our car-all shop and repairs done by ford dealership , our only shop and service place for this escape 2008. on february 9, 2010(at 21,000 miles later the 2nd tccf-leaking fluid seen in snow-dealership after contact with ford.com replaced and repaired under good will customer plan of the dealership. they also replaced on our complaint of a "clacking" type noise , a steering right front assembly at no cost to us) there evidently a tsb on it. in addition we have a heating-cooling flow of air from our heat and air vents problem-temperatures not as we regulate them.. the dealership had replaced a actuator in behind dash(have record of that along with all service dates on ford ownership home page-believe it about on previous service for oil change) on completion of recent repairs and our vehicle returned to us on february 18, 2010 we advised the service manager of the continuing air-heat regulator problem-advised they would reexamine it on next service or at our convenience. the dealership has stood behind the ford, we must admit that-but our inconvenience and the so many that have seen by others on the internet seem to warrant a recall as to all three related problems--some of which seem to be related to the same tcc problems. *tr

Defect in vehicle wiring harness - my car has been at the dealership for repairs since 01/30/2010. the dealership stated my vehicle was not safe to drive due to the wires corroding and causing mechanical failures on this vehicle. the dealership had ordered the new wiring system as an emergency "order" on 01/30/2010 but due to this being such an overwhelming issue ford cant keep up with the demand for the replacement parts ! this is a 2008 ford escape 4x4, i should not being experiencing any problems with a new vehicle that only has 46 thousand miles on it. of course nothing is covered under warranty when your wires corrode and catch fire. the damages so far are around $800.00. my son and i both smelled something burning from the truck but couldn't locate the source of the smell. once in the ford dealership i was told it was the wiring that had corroded due to road salt and that this is a very common occurrence and that they are hoping for a recall due to the volume. unfortunately for me this will be all out of pocket expenses. being told that this is a "notorious" issue does not ease my mind when the safety of myself and my children were at risk !! *tr

Starting in the fall of 2009 when the weather got colder, the throttle became unresponsive and harder to depress, requiring a greater effort to press down the pedal to un-stick and only then would the throttle pedal depress beyond the idle position. therefore, the vehicle continues to lurch forward creating a sudden, dangerous condition. the problem has been persistent and continues to get worse. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 ford escape. while driving flames erupted from the instrument control panel. the fire department extinguished the flames. the fire inspector concluded that the failure was caused by an electrical failure. the vehicle was completely destroyed. the failure and current mileages were under 10,000.

The battery drains while the vehicle is off. it takes about 2 days for the battery to be completely dead. i brought the car to the ford dealership. the mechanics couldn't figure out where the drain was coming from so they flew in an engineer from the ford factory. he had them remove each fuse & put them back in 3 at a time. then wait 2 days to see if there was a drain on that electrical line. after over 3 months of my car in the shop, they replaced the smart junction box thinking that would solve it. it didn't. the ford customer service rep i was dealing with basically told me that there's nothing else they can do. i told her that i bought the car brand new 2 yrs ago but she didn't care at all. i posted my problem on the internet & had 2 other people from across the country email me with the same exact problem. ford is not taking responsibility for their faulty product. i've been a loyal ford customer for the last 15 years. i'm also in the military & need my car for my duties. i've taken excellent care of the vehicle from the day i bought it. ford has completely abandoned me with this problem. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 ford escape. while the vehicle was parked, as she turn the ignition off she heard a clicking noise. she believes the clicking noise was coming from the air conditioner. she also stated that white partials were all over her seats and interior. the vehicle was taken to two authorized dealers and she was told that the noise was normal. the vehicle had not been repaired. the failure mileage was 100 and the current mileage was 1,400.

All these items have been fixed by capitol city ford indianapolis and mace ford terre haute, in. i am still having problems with the throttle thrust and electrical problems. currently my car will not start. other mechanics said it was the starter, its not the starter its electrical sensors. the vehicle speeds up sometimes when the car is not being excelerated. suspension, heater speed control stop working when they worked on the electrical and they refuse to fix it. there is more. i don't have my documentation, but i will submit it later. the car is at the shop - being looked and worked on - its still not starting - so we don't have transportation!! i cant afford another hit from ford when they are not even fixing the problem.

Tl*the contact owns a 2008 ford escape. while backing out of a parking space at low speeds, the parking sensors failed. the alarm did not sound loud enough to alert the driver. the backup sensor failure occurs continuously when driving in reverse. there were no warnings prior to this failure. the vehicle was taken to the authorized dealer and they stated that the speakers were located in the interior rear of the vehicle, which may cause the alarm not to sound as loudly. the technician stated that the speakers could be relocated to the interior front of the vehicle at the contact's expense. the vehicle has not been repaired for the malfunction. the contact was concerned of the safety risk involved. the failure mileage was 50 and current mileage was 2,200. updated 11-19-08 *bf the consumer stated the problem has been fixed. updated 11/19/08. *jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2008 ford escape. while backing out of a parking space at low speeds, the back-up sensor alarm did not sound. the contact was unaware of obstacles in the rear of the vehicle due to the low sound of the alarm. there were no prior warnings. the vehicle was taken to the authorized dealer and they stated that the back-up sensor speakers were installed and designed by the manufacturer, located at the rear of the vehicle. the technician stated that the speakers could be repositioned to the front of the vehicle at the contact's expense. the vehicle has not been repaired. the contact was concerned of the safety risk involved. the failure mileage was 50 and current mileage was 2,200.

Total hybrid / gasoline system failure while vehicle is being driven. *tr

About 2 months after i purchased my escape, the tire pressure monitor light came on and the message center said "tire pressure monitor fault". at the same time the door ajar light and brake lights came on. i took it to the dealer and they couldn't find a thing wrong with it. it happened again, this time the volume on the stereo automatically goes down when i get the tire pressure message along with the air conditioner blowing hot air. it just got worse. i took it to the dealer this time and they kept my car for 3 weeks. they consulted fords engineers and were in constant contact with ford (who had no idea what was wrong with it). they finally decided to replace the whole computer. it didn't fail it happened again. but this time the car would just constantly beep, the most annoying thing in the world, and the doors don't automatically lock. as it got worse the dash has a mind of its own, somedays it doesn't light up other days it stays on all night. thankfully it hasn't drained my battery. it has been to the dealer 4 times already and i have contacted an attorney to help me with a lemon law case. the dealer has no clue what is going on. the advisor said that i was the only escape in the nation with this problem, but looking on the website mine is not the only one, there is at least one other one. my car is still doing this even more frequently. i have another two weeks before we hear from ford about a repurchase. it's unfortunate, because i really love my escape if it wasn't for this one major problem. *tr

Why driving the tire pressure indicator light will come on in the dash and the computer will state ?tire pressure sensor fault.? i have had it into the dealer four times and they have replaced the sensors and still having the same issue. the dealership has told me it has to do with a cell phone charger plugged into the cigarette lighter and setting off the tire pressure indicator on the dash, as well as sending a false signal to the computer. they state there is a ford bulletin out on it but i can find anything on it. *jb updated 01-15-08. *kb updated *jb