Ford Recalls 500,000 Escape SUVs

Owners of 2001-04 model year Ford Escape SUVs will be getting recall notices soon to tackle corroded antilock brake connectors that can lead to engine fires. The recall affects 444,880 Escapes in the U.S. and 75,000 in Mexico, Canada and Europe. 

Ford said there have been roughly 50 engine fires due to this problem. That is an astonishing number of actual reports before a recall has been issued. 

Owners can bring their vehicles into a dealer to have them inspected for corrosion and to replace the connector and the ABS module, if necessary. Corrosion can be caused when water, brake fluid, road salt or other contaminants enter the connector. This can lead to the ABS warning light illuminating, smoke, or the connector melting.

For more information, owners can call Ford at (800) 392-3673.

[Ford Recalls 500,000 Escapes, AOL]

Comments

No Mercury Mariner stablemates?

What a clever and ironic name for this SUV:) My wife owns a 2005 so hopefully she'll never have to make an Escape!

The Mercury Mariner didn't come out until the 2005 model year.

Ford is recalling the Escape, shouldn't Mazda also be recalling the Tribute? Except for the nameplate they are the exact same vehicle.

"The Mercury Mariner didn't come out until the 2005 model year."
Yes,you are right.It was late 04 for the 05 model year.So,Ford dodged a bullet there...although I cant imagine they sold many 05 Mariners.
And yes,the Tribute should also get a recall,but maybe Ford is letting the Mazda network handle that announcement on its own.
What is it with Fords and wiring and fires?
Their alternator plugs melt and catch fire,their ignition switches catch between off/on and burn up,their headlight switches short and overheat the harness plug and burn,their cruise control switch lets brake fluid inside and short and catch fire...
The Fords of the 1960s,1970s and early 80s didnt suffer from all these maladys,maybe Ford hired an arsonist in the middle 80s....??

Heard of the Ford Pinto, or Ford Crown Victoria? Those cars liked to burst into flames when rear-ended. Ford should make a car called the Inferno, at least it would be appropriately named...

Pinto.. LOL (F)ire (O)n (R)ear (D)enting... J/K... Out of curiosity, how would ABS Brake connectors cause a potential fire?

What is it with Fords and fires? After all these years, have they learned nothing in testing? Pinto, Crown Vic, F150 (cruise ctrl Mod that is powered all the time even with the key turned off), Thunderbird (faulty ignition switches) .... Have you driven a Ford lately? If not, no wonder. American car companies have so much catching up to do ...

What is it with Fords and fires? After all these years, have they learned nothing in testing? Pinto, Crown Vic, F150 (cruise ctrl Mod that is powered all the time even with the key turned off), Thunderbird (faulty ignition switches) .... Have you driven a Ford lately? If not, no wonder. American car companies have so much catching up to do ...

No Tributes or Mariners are named in the recall notice.

The connectors themselves start to melt, letting off smoke. I believe that is what they're calling fires. I think that's also why the 50 reported incidents weren't so serious.

Thanks for the explanation Dave. I would have thought the wire circuit would be fused to prevent shorts from causing problems. Maybe that could be a low cost fix??

Thats just another good example of why you should never buy a Ford. DCX isn't doing much better. GM is the best off as far as recalls, and mostly everything else.

Seeing as us foreign-car fans get chided when one of those cars is recalled because something potentially could go wrong it's always nice to rub it in when Ford has another embarassing mishap. Why is it that it takes serious issues to cause Ford to issue a recall, yet domestic-car fans come out of the woodworks to complain about the unfair treatment Japanese-brand cars get when they are recalled to prevent something from even happening in the first place. Why can't the domestics be pro-active in their recalls, versus reactive?

Quality is Job 1, eh?

Oh, no! Another Recall? I am now very scared for the future of Ford Motor Company.

It seems like Ford needs to find another source for their electrical connectors, that seems to be a common thread in their recalls. The connector doesn't seal tightly, moisture or contaminants get in and corrode the electric contacts. This causes a high resistance in the ciruit, which then causes overheating and melting of the plastic connector body. Then the electrical contacts actually touch, short out, and start a fire. Upgrade the connectors and add more fuses to protect against circuit overloads and they could prevent all these recalls.

When you select the lowest bidding parts contractor, you tend to get what you pay for. I stil lthink a simple fuse would be an easy fix for this under-engineered part. It's not Ford's design that's problem rather the department that holds the purse string IMO.

"When you select the lowest bidding parts contractor"

Well said. This is responsible for so much that is wrong with American society. I live in Boston, where the Big Dig is example #1 of this philosophy. It's really pathetic, and companies that operate in this way deserve to fail.

didn't Toyota recall 500,000+ vehicles last year?

btw, the pinto wasn't the only "exploding" car in that era.

Ford had better invest in its electrical systems development. Nothing will chase away repeat customers like aggravating, expensive electrical problems. My 92 Cougar had a melting headlight connector with lights going out on the freeway. My 97 Taurus has been in the shop four times since January for speedometer wiring and module failures (speedometer sensor circuit also controls transmission and led to its demise and replacement). My 98 Escort’s license light socket shorted and nearly started a fire. Very inconvenient, frustrating, and costly to have your car out of service for these recurring problems. The basic mechanicals are sound in Fords, but they cheaped out on the wiring. Brilliant.
I’m done with Fords.

Now who's talkin'!! You've been criticizing Japanese vehicles on irrational, but now look who has quality issues!! It's your beloved Ford.

My mom's 2003 Escape just caught fire last month. It was about 5am, luckily she parked in the driveway instead of the garage. What happens is once the connector gets corroded, moisture gets on the ABS pins & shorts the battery to ground & the vehicle battery explodes.