I feel a bit guilty that it didn't occur to me to write this review sooner - all I can say is I'm sorry. The truth be told, the Ford Escape Hybrid is a very scary vehicle and I am very fearful for those who drive it. But, if I'm anything, I'm fair, so let me tell you a little about the car before I tell you why I'm afraid of it.

The Ford Escape Hybrid is a 4-door, compact SUV. The hybrid version includes gas/electric engine technology. The Escape Hybrid was added to Ford's line-up of available vehicles in 2005. Its main competitors include the Chevrolet Equinox, Honda CR-V, Hyundai Santa Fe, Saturn Vue and Toyota RAV4.

The hybrid is built off of the standard Escape platform and appears nearly identical except for the Atkinson-Cycle 2.3-liter 4-cylinder engine combined with a 50-kilowatt electric motor. The estimated combined power output for the electric motor and gasoline engine is 155 horsepower. The vehicle is offered with front wheel drive and All Wheel Drive. Here are a few specs for those who enjoy cars by the numbers:

Invoice (in 2006): $25,049 - $26,528
Miles Per Gallon:
City: 33 MPG - 36 MPG
Highway: 29 MPG - 31 MPG
Fuel Tank: 15.0 gal.
Front Suspension: strut
Rear Suspension: multi-link
Steering: rack & pinion
Brakes: 4 wheel disc
Vented Disc Brakes: front
Wheels: 16.0" silver alloy
Front Tires: P235/70TR16.0BSW AS
Spare Tire and Wheel: compact steel
Seating Capacity: 5
Exterior Length: 174.9"
Exterior Width: 70.1"
Exterior Height: 70.4"
Wheelbase: 103"
Front Tread: 61"
Rear Tread: 61"
Turning Radius: 18.3'
Acceleration: zero to 60 mph in 11.8 seconds
Torque: 124 pound-feet @ 4,250 rpm
Interior Cargo Volume: 65.5 cu.ft. w/Seats Folded

I purchased a 2006 Escape Hybrid AWD in June of 2006. Standard amenities on the Escape include air conditioning, 16-inch alloy wheels, a power driver seat, cruise control and an in-dash CD changer. I purchased the premium package that was new in 2006. It included monochromatic exterior paint, heated leather seats, reverse-sensing system, and an 110V A/C outlet.

The Escape Hybrid power plant consists of a 2.3-liter gasoline engine and two electric motor/generators. The transmission (identified as a CVT by Ford) is interesting because there is no rotating belt as is in a conventional CVT. Instead, the motors work in concert with the gas engine through a planetary gear set to provide seamless power and maximum efficiency. At first I found this confusing because there is no "passing gear" when you stomp on the gas pedal. Fuel mileage is rated at 36 city and 31 highway on the 2WD model and 33/29 on the AWD but I found it very difficult to achieve anything over 25 MPG.

The car is said to hold five passengers. The front bucket seats were very roomy and comfortable and I say that as a larger lady. My eight-year-old daughter was very comfortable in the back seat. She was even comfortable with two of her friends. The three backless booster seats fit back there very nicely. But there is no way it could hold three car seats. I'm also skeptical that three adults would be really comfortable, but I think they could squeeze in for a short jaunt.

Even though I got the AWD version, I don't think the Escape was well suited to off-road driving, due to its light-duty AWD system and unibody construction. It really wasn't that rugged. But that was OK with me - I'm not really the off-road type anyway.

The Escape has earned high marks in government crash testing (which is good because being able to survive a crash is really important with this SUV as we'll soon see.) The Escape earned a perfect five stars for the driver in frontal impacts and four stars for the front passenger. In side-impact crash tests, it received five stars for both front- and rear-seat occupants. Unfortunately the Escape only earned an "Acceptable" rating (the second-highest) in the frontal offset crash test conducted by the IIHS. When equipped with side airbags, the Escape merits a "Good" rating (the highest) from the IIHS for side-impact protection.

Ford uses an interesting source for additional power: the brakes. In a conventional vehicle when you brake, the energy is lost as heat. The Escape Hybrid uses regenerative braking technology which captures this energy. The energy is sent to the battery pack where it is stored for use when needed. Effectively, braking saves you money at the fuel pump. Whenever you brake you are recharging the battery pack. I thought this was the coolest feature.

At first we really enjoyed the car. Mine was silver gray and as I mentioned, we had the AWD with all the bells and whistles like leather heated seats and in-dash CD player. I also got an aftermarket video player installed so my daughter could watch movies with her headphones while I listened to the music of my choice.

I live in the DC area so I was able to obtain the Special Clean Fuel tags so I could use HOV lanes even when I was alone. But over and above everything else, the car was just plain fun to drive. It was everything I wanted, fun, economic, comfortable, spacious, and green.

Life was good.

Then, one day my daughter and I were out doing errands. While I was driving my parking brake light and ABS warning light displayed at the same time. Alarmed, I tried to pull over to the side of the road so I could check my owner's manual. When I tapped the brakes, there was no brake pressure. I pushed the petal to the floor - still no pressure. Luckily we were moving very slowly so I was able to stop on the side of the road. A few minutes later I had very minimal brake pressure. It wasn't enough to feel safe driving home, but I was very close to my dealership so we inched our way there. The dealer gave me a loaner and said they would look into it. The next afternoon my service manager called me. He said it was just a computer glitch. They rebooted the on-board computer and everything was fine. I could pick up my car.

About six weeks later the same thing happened. Fate was with me again because I was close to the dealership again. I got another loaner car and waited. The next afternoon the service manager called me. He gave me a different reason for the brake problem - which I now forget. But he was sure the car was fixed and I could pick it up.

This happened several more times. On one occasion the dealership didn't believe that I had lost my brakes. By the time the mechanic got around to the test drive, the breaks had returned. I gave the dealership permission to let their hybrid specialist take the car home and drive it for a few days. A couple of days later I got a call from my service manager. He said that the mechanic almost didn't make it into work that morning because he didn't have any breaks. A few days later they told me it was fixed.

Finally, the service folks were at their wits end. They decided to call the design engineers at Ford headquarters to see if they could help them resolve the issue. They kept the car for several days, supposedly working with the design engineers in Detroit. Finally, I was assured the problem was fixed. They were sure they had gotten to the root cause.

At first, everything seemed fine. Two and a half months went by and the car was fine. My daughter and I decided to take a trip to New Jersey to see family. One night, around midnight we were driving on Rt. 80 in a thunder storm. If you are not familiar with Rt. 80, this is a major truck route into New York City. At that time of night we were surrounded by tracker trailer trucks going at least 65 MPH. I was in the center lane. Without warning my parking brake light and ABS warning light displayed at the same time. I held my breath and tapped the brake pedal.

NOTHING!

A cold sweat broke out on my forehead. I glanced in the review mirror. My daughter was asleep and an 18 wheeler was barreling down on me and the right lane was full of trucks. I decided to maintain my speed until the right lane was clear and pray I didn't have to stop. About 45 seconds to a minute later (this felt like a life-time) I was clear to move right. I was able to slow down enough to move to the shoulder and we were able to coast to a safe stop where I could safely start breathing again.

We were not near enough to family to call them so I had AAA tow us to the nearest Ford Dealership. The truck driver wasn't supposed to take us anywhere, but he took pity on us and dropped us at a near-by hotel.

The local Ford dealer refused to help me. He said that warranty issues had to be handled by the dealership that sold the car. He did take the car for a test drive and found the car to have adequate brake pressure. He wanted me to pick up the car immediately. I called Ford Headquarters in Detroit. They provided absolutely no help. They said I should drive the car back to Virginia so my dealer could look at it. When I asked if they would be willing to put their family in the car and drive 200 miles the response was, "This isn't a question of what I would do."

Finally I rented a car to get back to Virginia. A lawyer helped me and Ford ultimately bought the car back under the lemon law. Ford picked up the car from the dealership in New Jersey. I never drove it again. Typically, Ford does not reimburse for rental cars, but they made an exception in my case. Thankfully, my only loses were the hotel room and vacation time. I drove the car for a total of 14 months.

If this were the only case of brake problems associated with Ford Escape Hybrid, it would be horrible, but I could understand. Let's face it, things happen with complex systems. But unfortunately, this is not the only case. I checked the website for the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) within the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) - it can be found here: http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/complaints/index.cfm. Several customers have filed complaints for 2005, 2006, and 2007 Escape Hybrids. At the end of the review, I will include a sampling of search results. There are also several websites and forums where owners complain about losing their brakes in much the same way I did.

I don't understand why Ford hasn't addressed this issue more publicly. It's clear to me that it's justa matter of time before there is a deadly accident. The shame of this is that the Escape Hybrid is a great, fun car. Before I became afraid of driving in the thing, I loved owning it. But now... until Ford gets to the root causes and publicly fixes the problem I refuse to even ride in an Escape Hybrid.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Make : FORD
Model : ESCAPE HEV
Year : 2006
Manufacturer : FORD MOTOR COMPANY
ODI ID Number : 10174426
Date of Failure: November 18, 2006
VIN : 1FMCU95H76K...
Component: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
Summary: BRAKES FAILED FOR THE SECOND TIME. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN IN FOR THE BRAKE REPAIR AFTER THE FIRST TIME ABOUT 4 WEEKS AGO BUT WAS TOLD BY THE FORD DEALERSHIP THAT THERE WASN'T ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE BRAKES. AFTER THE SECOND TIME THEY NOW HAVE TO ORDER PARTS WHICH ARE ON BACK ORDER IN ORDER TO MAKE THE REPAIR. *NM

Make : FORD
Model : ESCAPE HEV
Year : 2006
Manufacturer : FORD MOTOR COMPANY
ODI ID Number : 10162414
Date of Failure: July 3, 2006
VIN : 1FMCU95H16K...
Component: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK
Summary: NORMAL CITY DRIVING INITIATED FAILURE OF BRAKES TO HAVE PRESSURE. IMMEDIATELY BRAKE AND ABS LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. BRAKES MAY BE APPLIED, BUT RELEASE AFTER APPLICATION. INITIALLY, WHEN BROUGHT INTO FORD DEALERSHIP 11 DAYS AGO, PROBLEM WAS DIAGNOSED TO BE ELECTRONIC, BUT AFTER REPLACEMENT OF ELECTRONIC CONTROL SYSTEM FOR BRAKES, THE PRESSURE FAILS TO RESUME. *JB

Make : FORD
Model : ESCAPE HEV
Year : 2007
Manufacturer : FORD MOTOR COMPANY
ODI ID Number : 10199559
Date of Failure: July 27, 2007
VIN : 1FMCU59H67K...
Component: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK:CONTROL UNIT/MODULE
Summary: WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 20-25 MILES PER HOUR BOTH BRAKES LIGHTS CAME ON - THE ABS LIGHT AND THE BRAKE LIGHT. WHEN I TRIED THE BRAKES, I HAD NONE. I WAS ABLE TO PULL OFF THE ROAD AND STOP THE CAR WITH THE EMERGENCY BRAKE. I SHUT OFF THE CAR AND RE-STARTED IT AND THE BRAKES WORKED. I DROVE IT TO THE NEAREST DEALERSHIP WHO HAD THE VEHICLE FROM A FRIDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH TUESDAY AFTERNOON. THEY TOLD ME THEY REPLACED THE SOLENOID VALVE BLOCK. WHEN I PICKED UP THE CAR THEY COULD NOT GUARANTEE THIS WOULD NOT HAPPEN AGAIN. FROM RESEARCH I HAVE FOUND THAT OTHER ESCAPE HEVS HAVE ALSO HAD A COMPLETE LOSS OF BRAKES -THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE FROM AND THE FORD CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP CENTER. THEY TOLD ME SOMEONE WOULD GET IN TOUCH WITH ME IN 2-5 DAYS. NO ONE CONTACTED ME AND AFTER 8 DAYS I CALLED THEM BACK. THEY OFFERED ME AN EXTENDED WARRANTY. THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE: I DON'T FEEL THE CAR IS SAFE AND I FEEL THERE IS A STRONG LIKELIHOOD THIS WILL HAPPEN AGAIN. I HAVE NO CONFIDENCE IN EITHER THE VEHICLE OR FORD. *JB

Make : FORD
Model : ESCAPE HEV
Year : 2007
Manufacturer : FORD MOTOR COMPANY
ODI ID Number : 10199487
Date of Failure: August 11, 2007
VIN : 1FMCU59H47K...
Component: SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRIC
Summary: COMPLETE BRAKE FAILURE ON 2007 FORD HYBRID. *TR

Make : FORD
Model : ESCAPE HYBRID
Year : 2005
Manufacturer : FORD MOTOR COMPANY
ODI ID Number : 10181021
Date of Failure: January 27, 2007
VIN : 1FMCU95H45K...
Component: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK:ABS WARNING LIGHT
Summary: COMPLETE BRAKE FAILURE. FIRST TIME IT OCCURRED WAS ON THE INTERSTATE - 65 MILES AN HOUR AND THE BRAKE LIGHT AND THE ABS LIGHT CAME ON AND THERE WAS A BEEP. THERE WERE THEN NO BRAKES AT ALL. LUCKILY, I WAS ABLE TO GET TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND COAST TO A STOP. TURNED OFF THE TRUCK AND STARTED IT AGAIN AND IT HAD BRAKES. ON THIS LAST INCIDENT, THE SAME THING IN THE SAME ORDER HAPPENED. THANKFULLY, MY WIFE WAS ABLE TO GET THE VEHICLE TO COAST TO A STOP WITHOUT HITTING ANYONE OR ANYTHING. THIS PROBLEM IS VERY DANGEROUS. IT IS INTERMITTENT THUS MAKING IT HARD TO DIAGNOSE. *JB

Make : FORD
Model : ESCAPE HEV
Year : 2005
Manufacturer : FORD MOTOR COMPANY
ODI ID Number : 10204195
Date of Failure: August 26, 2007
VIN : 1FMCU96H05K...
Component: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
Summary: THE BRAKES HAVE COMPLETELY STOPPED WORKING (EXCEPT FOR THE EMERGENCY BRAKE) 3 TIMES IN ONE MONTH, 4 TIMES IN TWO YEARS. *TR

Amount Paid (US$): 29ish
Condition: New
Model Year: 2006
Model and Options: Escape Hybrid AWD