2005 Ford Escape Body Problems
- 351
- Owner complaint records in our dataset
Records are owner complaints, not a measured failure rate.
Owner complaint recordsComplaint records reflect reports in our dataset and do not measure how frequently the problem occurs across all vehicles.
Among these 351 stored complaint records:
- 2 indicate a crash
- 0 indicate injury
- 0 indicate fire
What owners report
- wheel well · 80 records
- passenger side · 36 records
- rear passenger · 31 records
- rear wheel · 28 records
- completely rusted · 21 records
- right rear · 20 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 100–150k mi | 157 |
| 60–100k mi | 81 |
| 150–400k mi | 66 |
| 30–60k mi | 12 |
| 1–30k mi | 3 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Body · Suspension
Thumping sound from right rear of cargo deck. Upon interior inspection, no loose items in cargo area, no loose panels, and jack was not loose. Upon exterior inspection noticed rusted out portion of wheel well. Can see into interior (back of interior panel, carpeting, etc.). Seems that thumping is due to wheel or suspension parts being improperly supported due to corrosion of/in area of wheel well. Specifically,…
ODI 10547335
Body · Suspension
The right rear passenger wheel well is totally defective and unseen corrosion can weaken or destroy the shock absorber tower. Drivers are not aware of any issues until the shock breaks free of the wheel well and jams into the body. This issue occurs because awd suvs have the right rear wheel that always spins in snow and ice, which in turn over sprays the right rear well with corrosive material. *tr
ODI 10593132
Body · Wheels
The right rear inner wheel well rotted leaving the rear shock support unsecured making the vehicle unsafe to drive. After researching on the internet, found that this was a common issue for this year and make vehicle. Does not appear that ford wants to take any responsibility for the faulty manufacturing and/or materials. *tr
ODI 10546087
Body
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford escape. The contact stated that the vehicle made a rattling noise while driving. The contact inspected the vehicle and found that the rear passenger's side wheel well, struts and shocks were separated due to severe corrosion. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer and was not repaired. The manufacturer was made of the failure. The failure and current mileage was 115,000.
ODI 10544543
Body · Steering · Suspension
This safety issue requires immediate attention by both the nhtsa and ford: 61 nhtsa complaints filed to date: '04- 16; '05- 45. Vehicle taken to ford dealership for service. Service notified that a forward lower ball joint was failing, no other defects were noted in the detailed visual inspection. It was replaced two days later. The following day of the repair, on a daily commute between tol to dtw, the right rear…
ODI 10543596
Body · Steering · Suspension
After a recent road trip, i heard a clunking noise coming from the rear passenger side of vehicle. Checked items in cargo area, spare tire, jack and even checked to make sure back seat was secure. Clunking noise was the shock hitting the underside of vehicle. The shock assembly was no longer attached, it was rusted under the wheel well around the shock assembly. So with every bump in the road, it was clanking…
ODI 10549947
Body · Suspension
The right rear wheel well has rusted out. This makes it a huge safety factor because at anytime the shocks can break free and bust upward into my truck. I took my 2005 ford escape to my mechanic and he said that in the last 2 months he had seen 4-5 2005 ford escapes with the same problem. It is all the same right rear wheel well. There is a facebook page with 195000 members following it so i know that i am not…
ODI 10546307
Body · Suspension · Wheels
As we are driving along we hear a very loud banging coming from the rear of the vehicle.when we get out to inspect the area we find the rear pasenger side wheel well is extremely rusted thru and chunks of the well are actually falling out. We took the car to the ford dealer and they said it cannot be repaired!!!! By the ford dealer....then we took it to several auto body shops that said they cannot fix this! Several…
ODI 10537868
Body · Steering · Suspension
The right rear upper shock mount completely rusted thru the trunk area&was protruding up about a foot into trunk area-very glad i wasn't going fast when this happened!!most likely would have lost control of vehicle!!!!!!!!!this is one of fords best ideas ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!very thin sheet metal with a thicker piece welded to it to support 1 side of a vehicle.yeah,that is common sense at the finest!!!!!…
ODI 10536656
Body · Manifold/Header/Muffler/Tail Pipe
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford escape. The contact stated that there was extensive rust and corrosion on the rear wheel wells and the frame, which caused the exhaust manifold to rust prematurely. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and a dealer where it was diagnosed that the rear wheel wells, the frame and the exhaust manifold needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The…
ODI 10779916
Body · Suspension
2005 ford escape...the right rear fender well has rusted out around the shock mount, ready or close to breaking free. First body shop wouldn't even quote a repair. Googled issue and found 100's of other owners of 2005's with same condition...photos on facebook matched my cars situation exactly. Why no recall? *tr
ODI 10554714
Body · Suspension
The right rear shock mount has rusted out, and now bangs against the wheel housing. *tr
ODI 10532647
Body · Suspension · Wheels
The wheel well rusted out and the shock broke loose and was banging around. Basically the whole wheel well is rusted out and will not hold the shock any more. I called the local ford dealer to see if there was a recall. I was told there was no recall. When i searched online i found many with the same experience, and even a facebook page. I'm disappointed that ford isn't taking care of this. *tr
ODI 10531845
Body
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford escape. The contact stated that upon inspection it was found that the driver's side rear suspension tower was completely rusted and rendered the vehicle inoperable. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the failure was confirmed and the contact was informed that the part was no longer manufactured. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted about the failure. The…
ODI 10542038
Body · Suspension
While driving on interstate, hit a bump and heard loud sound on right rear side of vehicle. After i stopped to inspect, found that the right rear strut had no support as the right rear inner panel was corroded all the way through with very thin metal around the entire area. Luckily the strut did not come up through interior. Seems very unsafe and likely to cause accident if driven. This appears to a manufacturers…
ODI 10524228
Body
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford escape. The contact stated that rear passenger's side wheel well exhibited extensive rust. The vehicle was taken to a dealer for diagnosis and the contact was informed that the entire rear panel would need to be replaced. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the diagnosis was confirmed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle had not been repaired.…
Crash reported
ODI 10523990
Body
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford escape. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 mph, he heard a loud thump from the rear passenger's side of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer, who stated that the failure was contributed to rust corrosion near the rear end of the frame. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage…
ODI 10523963
Body · Wheels
I had been hearing some loud noises from the back end of my car for a week or so, we had thought the spare tire and equipment hadn't been put back properly so we re-adjusted it and thought we had fixed the problem. A few days later the sound started back up. Then it got really loud and there was a loud pop. Upon further investigation, we found out the entire wheel well had rusted out in a perfect circle around the…
ODI 10532832
Body · Suspension
While driving my vehicle home from work, i heard a clanging sound coming from the rear passenger side. Thinking the shock needed to be replaced, i drove it until the end of the week and made an appointment to get it serviced. While the technician was checking out my car he noticed the inner wheel house and shock were completely rusted. The shock was detached from the vehicle and the frame is rusted and cracked. He…
ODI 10524781
Body · Suspension
We were driving our escape on city roads when all of a sudden we heard a banging noise coming from the right rear side of the vehicle. After inspecting what was causing the noise, we found that the shock had completely went through the interior of the car. We can see the pavement from the inside of our trunk. We have been noticing an enormous amount of similar complaints for this problem and would like to know why…
ODI 10649964
Body · Suspension
Right rear wheel housing rusts completely through allowing the shock to detach from the vehicle. After an online search this is a very common incident. After contacting the local ford dealer, there is a back-order on the right rear wheel housing with no expected date of delivery. This is the only wheel housing on the vehicle that is rusting out and causing issues. The only time you start to realize that there is an…
ODI 10522139
Body
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford escape. The contact stated that the rear passenger side wheel well was extremely rusted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 80,000 and the current mileage was 100,000.
ODI 10596686
Body · Suspension
The first notice was that the whole base cover was rotting then once that was worn through you were able to see that the frame that connects the shock, tire and wheel well was so corroded its breaking by pieces. To date 5/29/2014 the shock with pipe attached had to be taken off. No answers to recall or being fixed by ford this prices to fix or locate parts are expensive and most of the repair shops say it is going…
ODI 10594778
Body · Suspension
While traveling in virginia last summer on i-81, the body end of the rear passenger side shock-absorber came loose from the frame. We stopped shortly after we felt and heard something that was clearly abnormal and a mechanic told us the car was so rusted in that wheel well that the top of the shock had nothing to hold to. We were on a long trip, so we had the shock cut out until we got home. None of the other…
ODI 10631238
Body
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford escape. The contact stated that while driving 25 mph, the contact heard a rattling and clicking sound. Upon further inspection, the contact found that the passenger rear wheel well was severely corroded. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed her not to drive the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle had not been…
ODI 10514009