Excessive rust/corrosion in right rear wheel well. Shock absorber affected and pushing through wheel well into interior of car.

- Cleveland , OH, USA

Noticed clanking noise coming from passenger side rear. Thought strut mount was failing. Removed inside panel to reveal wheel well seriously rusted out. Was informed by mechanic that this could lead to suspension failure. Checked online and found significant number of like vehicles affected by the same problem. Will probably cost $1500 to repair. Noticed Ford used what look like several thin layers of metal sandwiched together and that the rusting began from within.

- Parma, OH, USA

Rear passenger side wheel well rusted out completely. Shock went thru the body into the trunk of my car. Been told by multiple shops they wouldn't do anything because of liability reasons. Ford acts like they've never heard of this problem but if you google the issue 1000's of the same issue will show.

- Milan, MI, USA

The contact owns 2005 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle would exhibit an abnormal noise when driving over a road bump. The vehicle was taken to an independent dealer, who stated that the rear passenger side shock mount was covered with rust. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the defect. The approximate failure mileage was 122,000. Updated 3/24/15

- Cogan Staten, PA, USA

Rear passenger side, shock separation from vehicle/frame. Rusted so bad there are holes in wheel well.

- Greenfield, MA, USA

The contact owns a 2005 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving 40 mph over a road bump, there was a loud noise heard from the vehicle. The contact discovered that the rear passenger side shock tower was fractured and the tire separated from the wheel well due to severe corrosion. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure and current mileage was 111,000.

- Nanticoke , PA, USA

I have a 2005 Ford Escape. Noticed a rattling and banging sound thought I had a broken shock or strut. After better inspection noticed that the rear passenger side wheel well has corroded so bad that the strut/shock mount was no longer attached to the SUV and is banging on the inner plastic. Not safe to drive, very costly to fix. Needs to be a recall !!!

- Wellsville , NY, USA

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 to happen again. I financed this vehicle and was not told of the defect and by reporting a complaint regarding the car dealership I was advised to let the finance company know of the incident because the dealership didn't want to do anything to take the car back now I'm stuck owning for something that is a road hazard that I have to drive because I can not get another vehicle. Ford has always been my car of chose but this is crazy and how come they are not made to take these vehicles and do something about these life of death problems. I sent pictures to Ford's website and fb page and still no response as I see their are several others that have the same issues what are we the consumer suppose to do you all say take a mechanic they would not have seen these problems because of the masking. For those that cant afford to keep purchasing waiting or driving these vehicles waiting on the time when its an accident death or crash we have to put in these complaints.

- Detroit, MI, USA

As I sit here and read all these reports on Ford Escape passenger side rear wheel well issues, I wonder how long or what is it going to take for Ford to realize this is a major safety problem which needs taken care of.

- Sistersville, WV, USA

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.

- Westwood, MA, USA

While driving down to the bay on a fishing trip I kept hearing something banging in the back of my 2005 Escape. I stopped and found that the right rear fenderwell had rusted an nd the shock mount was loose from the rest of the body which caused it to hit against the inside plastic. This should be repaired by Ford as the rest of the vehicle is in excellent condition. I will never buy another Ford if they can't recall this major safety hazard.

- Augusta, WV, USA

I recently noticed a thumping noise coming from the rear when traveling down the road, I had my mechanic look into it and they noticed extreme corrosion on the rear passenger side wheel well. My mechanic indicated that he had never seen extreme corrosion of this magnitude on a vehicle of this age. The other 3 wheel wells are in good shape, but the rear passenger side one is rusted out. The shock mount is corroded and is unable to adequately support my shock. They advised that I take it into a collision shop which I did. The collision shop took pictures and quoted me a price on the repairs, I was told that they have recently seen this same issue with the Ford Escape from there customer base. I also researched and found that Ford has issued recalls on the 2001-2004 Ford Escapes for a rust issue stemming from the front of the vehicle. There is a recent trend of consumer complaints that have spiked over the past year in regards to the same issue in the same spot for 2005 Ford Escapes.

- Saint Clair, MI, USA

My son noticed that sound insulation in the right rear wheel well was gone and the wheel well was severly rusted to the point the upper shock mount was close to separating from the body. I checked with a the body shop of a local Ford dealer who said he has seen and repaired a ton of 2005 Escapes. He hasn't seen this specific problem with other model years (e.g. 2001 - 2004. Didn't ask about 2006 or 2007 model years). The Ford body shop person said the sound insulation/undercoating held in moisture and that is why the area is so badly rusted. The body shop of a Ford dealer bowling green, oh said the repair would be $1,200 - $1,400 and will take three days. I called a Ford dealer on the West side of cleveland who confirmed the amount and length of time.

- Bay Village, OH, USA

While driving over rail road tracks a loud thud was heard in the right rear wheel well. The first assumption was the tire blew, but upon inspection the tire was fine. The vehicle was driven for a few more days and the thud would continue to be heard getting worse and worse, especially when hitting bumps. The vehicle was taken to a Goodyear auto service center where I was informed that the right rear wheel well was severely rusted and the upper shock mount had separated from the body. The thumping we heard was the chunk of metal and shock mount that was separated from the body but still attached to the top of the shock hitting the rest of the wheel well that was still there. The service tech told me that he was very surprised that this area of the car was rusted so badly and it appeared that it wasn't undercoated properly to prevent the rust. The service tech informed me he couldn't fix it and recommended a welding shop (friess welding). The welding shop was able to cut out the rusted wheel well (they referred to it as a fender well, I don't know if there is a difference in the name), repair the upper shock mount, put on a new shock (the old shock was bent to badly from when it separated from the car), and properly undercoat it. They informed me that this was common on 05 and 06 Ford Escapes and they had repaired quite a few for the same thing. They also informed me that Ford recently had a recall for 01-04 Ford Escapes for a similar issue only on the front of the car. They thought that Ford should do a recall on 05-06 for the back. I don't know if this will help to have a recall done but what the welding shop was telling me seems to be true after doing some research on the internet. I will keep all of my receipts and the pictures that I took and hope a recall is eventually done. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Tallmadge, OH, USA

The right rear passenger wheelhouse panel is totally corroded. The 'panel' holding the rear right suspension cracked, nothing holding the suspension. I have seen numerous complaints in the website. This should be treated as a manufacturer's defect as it is the same problem in which the Ford Windstar was recalled for.

- Chicago, IL, USA

The rear passenger side wheel well on my 2005 Ford Escape has completely rusted through, freeing the shock mount. Vehicle has just over 100000 miles and is not able to be driven in its current condition.

- Shelby, OH, USA

Rear passenger side wheelhouse rusted out breaking the rear shock mount causing steering issues. This is a known problem with Ford for this model year. The wheelhouse is simple sheet metal that rusted out, the shock mount has no reinforcement and is simply attached to a cup in the wheel well. When it gave free the vehicle swerved to the right.

- Fairport , NY, USA

While driving on main road hit some uneven road repairs and started to hear a metal on metal sound. I thought it was the rear passenger door so stopped to check but it was locked. Drove home and noise seemed to get progressively worse. I started to check shocks and tires and saw a crack in the right rear wheel well through the rust proofing.I moved it away from the fender and saw a hole into the side of my car by the top of the shock. I took it to a body shop and was told this is an issue with Ford Escape and the repair is expensive. I will be contacting a dealer for help and parts if they are available.

- Parma, OH, USA

Rear strut assembly at frame attachment rusted through and busted into rear storage area. Frame completely disintegrated.

- Pisgah, IA, USA

I was driving my vehicle down a rural road at about 35 mph and hit a pot hole in the road. Upon inspection after the incident, my husband noticed the rear strut mount for the shock on the passenger side had become detached. There was some rust present in that wheel well around the strut housing. The supporting metal cracked the entire way around the strut housing, detaching it from the rest of the vehicle. The opposite wheel well and strut mount are in perfect condition with the factory undercoating still in tact. There is no undercoating present on the passenger side in the same area. We were told by a mechanic and auto body specialist that the car is unsafe to drive and is only cosmetically repairable, not structurally repairable.

- Brockway, PA, USA