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
I've been told the rear shock mount has rusted out on this unibody constructed vechicle. When i drive the car, and if i hit any sort of a bump in the road, huge sound from the back as if the rear end of the car is going to fall off. I understand many others have had similar problem. Cost to fix, if possible is about $4000. Car is worth about the same amount. I was told by auto body guy that a recall on this may…
ODI 10810933
Body
You know what's wrong without me telling you. Tell me nobody has gone online and seen complaint after complaint and photo after photo of rusted fender wells? What exactly are you guys getting payed for by letting ford get away with this. This vehicle only has 100,000 miles on it and it's to dangerous to drive!
ODI 10785523
Body · Suspension
2005 ford escape, have had a lot of clunking in back of car, and the rear right wheel well is falling/rusting apart (other wheel wells are not, just rear passenger side) right where shock absorber is mounted. Large rusted out hole in wheel well, and if i press around the wheel well, the black coating crumbles revealing crumbling rust behind it. Many other 2005 escape owners with same issue. I have no money to fix…
ODI 10781321
Body · Suspension
Wheel well rotted out causing shock to break loose and create unsafe vehicle. I was driving down the street when it finally let go and saw debris fall all over road and heard a loud bang from passenger side rear of car.
ODI 10782272
Body
Heard a loud thump from rear right side of the escort while driving 35 miles an hour on a city street. Took it to the shop, they said the right rear strut was rusted through, it is un fixable and to look for a new car. They also said it is a common thing to happen to the 2005 ford escape. No recall, ford does not care.
ODI 10779150
Body
Passenger rear wheel well rusting thru. Was replacing a tire and the auto shop would not replace the tire without fixing the rusted thru wheel well as they were concerned it was a safety issue and that the wheel well could fall apart and the shock/strut could detach.
ODI 10778892
Body
My 2005 escape was parked on 9/28/2015 when i noticed a large piece of metal resting on top of the tire. Looking closer, i noticed the underside of the right rear fender well has rusted out, you can see into the interior storage compartment. The rust crack continues up and around the upper shock mount allowing it to move/flex. The piece of metal that fell off was undercoated along with the rest of the wheel well,…
ODI 10779007
Body · Suspension
Rear right shock mount rusting through . K-frame rotted through right front side
ODI 10776595
Body · Suspension
Right rear shock mount completely rusted out, bought car brand new, only 60,000 miles on it . Come to find out all ford escapes this year are having the same issue. This is a serious problem because this is a suspension and handling issue, car was very difficult to drive and keep in lane. The problem has it's own facebook page, 2004-2006 ford escape. Very poor engineering design mounting shock to sheetmetal.
ODI 10819939
Body
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford escape. While driving at various speeds, a loud noise was heard from the rear of the vehicle. The contact discovered that the rear driver side tire well was rusted. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the rear frame was severely rusted. The vehicle was not repaired. The vin was not included in the nhtsa campaign number: 14v165000 (structure).…
ODI 10761326
Body · Suspension · Unknown Or Other
Was driving along city street when i went over a small bump, heard a loud thud! The wheel well on back passenger side was rusted away where the strut connects. Or where it was once connected... 155,673 miles, this is my only vehicle and unsafe to drive my family in.
ODI 10807245
Body · Suspension
Why is it that nhtsa is ignoring all the complaints about the ford escape vehicles from 2003 to 2007 in regards to the right rear fender well and shock mounts that are rusting out in which this is a safety issue where as the shock could hit the inner wheel of the right rear tire? No recalls from ford or nhtsa on this issue, but you can clearly see from the attached video that there is a major concern for safety of…
ODI 10749009
Body · Suspension · Wheels
Ford escape 2005 passenger rear tire wheel well rusted away where the shock absorber mount bolts onto frame and now the shock absorber mount has nothing to bolt onto anymore. Shock absorber mount is not attached to frame anymore and now hits the frame of the suv make very loud knocking sounds.
ODI 10750032
Body · Suspension
I was driving along the highway on my way to work and hit a bump in the road. Immediately after that i heard a rattling noise in the rear passenger side quarter pane on every subsequent bump. When i was able to properly examine it i realized that the metal that connects the shock tower to the wheel well had almost completely rusted away. In august of 2012, with 154,523 miles on the car, i replaced the rear shock…
ODI 10748882
Body · Suspension
When traveling at 40mph, a thumping noise could be heard in the rear of 2005 ford escape. Upon visual inspection, the passenger side rear wheel well was completely corroded, exposing the interior of the car. The mount of the shock suspension is corroded so badly that the shock is nowhere attached to the body and is what causes the thumping sound as it pushes up into the car interior. No other wheel wells on the car…
ODI 10763490
Body · Suspension
The passenger side rear wheel well is rusted through so badly that the shock mount is banging in the interior panel and is about to break lose from the frame. When i bought the vehicle a month ago it still had the original undercoating on it, it was rusting from behind the undercoat. I now have to pay my mechanic to fix this safety hazard because ford, knowing that this problem exists and is extensive, will not…
ODI 10747173
Body · Suspension
Right rear shock tower mount is completed rusted away causing the shock to travel up into the wheel well
ODI 10873419
Body · Suspension
I heard a load banging noise coming from the rear of my truck. After stopping to look at it my passenger side rear wheel well and strut were completely crumbled and my strut was no longer attached. I know my vehicle is 10 years old, but the mechanic i took it to said he has never seen anything like that ever on a car that old. He has been a mechanic for 40 years. After researching a little it seems there are…
ODI 10744824
Body · Suspension
In july of 2015 i brought my 2005 ford escape to the dealer because of very loud noise in the rear while driving. Noise was the same whether on a street or the highway. The mechanic found the passenger side rear wheel well was completely rusted out. I have a friend with the very same make, model, year and is now going through the exact same issue. There are other areas of rust on the body that seems to me to be…
ODI 10826119
Body
Passenger rear shock tower broke away from the body of car, due to rust.
ODI 10734090
Body
Entire body is rusted. Huge gaping hole now present on top of right rear wheel. Whatever is left of the shocks is connected to nothing. A quick search turns up thousands of complaints and surprisingly no recall for this dangerous safety issue. The rust has now spread all over the body. This car now rides on air. It's a serious hazard and unfortunately according to ford i have to swallow the loss. Unless they get the…
ODI 10732034
Body · Suspension · Wheels
Our 2005 ford escape in just a matter of weeks developed a basketball-sized hole over the right rear wheel well. It completely rusted through the wheel well, and the you can see through the opening to the shock and the tire from inside the vehicle. In addition, the shock is no longer attached to the frame, which makes this vehicle unsafe for the road. We will not allow our son to drive this truck any longer, and are…
ODI 10747306
Body · Suspension
Inside the right rear wheel well where the strut/shock mounts has totally rusted away
ODI 10731907
Body
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford escape. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was discovered that the rear passenger side inner wheel well and the strut housing were extremely corroded. The mechanic stated that the vehicle was unsafe to operate. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 92,000.
ODI 10730669
Body · Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford escape. While driving at 35 mph, the contact heard an abnormal noise coming from the rear of the vehicle. In addition, the contact stated that the rear of the vehicle failed to stay in position and veered left or right. The engine warning light illuminated intermittently. The contact noticed that there was corrosion around the rear passenger shocks and wheel house area. The vehicle…
ODI 10735701