I noticed the smell of exhaust fumes in the vehicle and a few weeks later heard load banging noise coming from rear cargo area. I look and saw the rear wheel well was rusted threw into the cargo area and the rear shock mounts were rusted off.

- Franklin, WI, USA

The rear end rusted out on my 2005 Ford Escape with only 120000miles on it. Sent pictures to Ford they said by have not seen this issue in the past.

- Imlay City, MI, USA

The left rear shock mount rusted and pushed up into the inside rear cargo area. Gas filler tube mount broke also.

- Lyons, NY, USA

I was driving and I heard this loud banging. I looked at my wheel well and it was all rusted out and my shock is coming up now through my rear panel. I have looked at all the wheel wells and the other are not rusted at all but this one is. It is unsafe to drive it now because when up to speed and you hit a bump the all rear end pulls sometimes almost into another lane.

- Flushing, MI, USA

The rear passenger shock tower on my 2005 Ford Escape is rusted through. My shock is rattling around, bound to make it's way into the interior of my car.

- Allen Park, MI, USA

Right rear wheel house is rusted so bad the shock is about to come loose and cause loss of control or could rub the tire and cause it to rupture. I have been advised by a mechanic that it is unsafe to drive.

- Gahanna, OH, USA

The right passenger rear wheel well rusted out. Noticed a thumping sound driving at 35mph. Took everything out of the back and tested further. Still noticed the sound at different speeds and road conditions. A few days later noticed the rear wheel rusted out and the shock had detached. Stopped at Liberty Ford, brunswick, oh and they did not even examine it. Service area said they have never heard of this. Called ganley Ford West cleveland, oh and they reported this is becoming a problem. Referred me to their body shop. Approx cost $1,200. Called some other shops locally and was advised "trade it, not worth fixing, or $2,500." Was able to get repaired for $435 after further research.

- Brunswick, OH, USA

The right rear body panel in the wheel well completely rusted through causing the top of the shock to detach from the body and almost penetrate into the inside of the passenger cabin.

- Petersburg, MI, USA

Original owner of a garage kept, 2005 Ford Escape with 105K miles. I noticed a loud banging sound coming from the right rear wheel well which was very loud inside the car. I had the service tech replacing the tires on my other Ford vehicle take a look and he said the wheel well was rusting away and the shock mount was falling away from the frame of the car. This is a serious and dangerous hazard which needs to be fixed asap. Every service tech I show says they've never seen anything like it. The undercoating was sprayed directly on to the vehicle and no other method of protection in the wheel well was used by Ford on this make/model. My vehicle was top of the line, loaded, when purchased. I'm concerned for the safety of my family and myself. Ford needs to address this problem asap and take responsibility for the poor design.

- Tinley Park, IL, USA

The contact owns a 2005 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 mph, a sudden bang was heard from the rear end of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the rear wheel housing panel was perforated due to rust and needed to be replaced. The manufacture was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure and current mileage was 86,000.

- Crown Point , IN, USA

While driving begin to experience a loud rattling sound, from the rear passenger side. Became very loud with the movement of the vehicle. Sounded as if small pieces had fallen off the back tire. As soon as I got home I looked and there was a large rusted out tear in the wheel well, located right above the mount for the shock absorber. I did contact my service advisor at village Ford in dearborn Michigan. I took the vehicle up to be checked, he sent me over to their body shop.. I was told this was definitely a "safety issue" and he had seen this before on other Ford Escapes. This is a flaw in the body.

- Dearborn Heights, MI, USA

I was hearing a bad clunking noise from the back so I took it to a certified mechanic and he looked and said he has never seen anything like it my entire wheel well is rusted through - he wont even touch it - he said it is extremely unsafe and told me its gotta be a recall being that its an 05 because vehicles aren't made to rust like that - so I call Ford and they say "nothing we can do for you and your complaint has been noted" well im on disability with children so I cant afford thousands of dollars in repairs nor can I go without a vehicle or drive my kids in an unsafe vehicle, I just lost my husband and I just don't know what to do - Ford rep didn't even give me a glimpse of care - does someone have to die in one of their poorly constructed vehicles before anyone will do anything - come on back up your products - and then people wonder why people buy foreign.

- Massillon, OH, USA

The passenger rear wheel well has excessive rust which has caused the shock to come through the inside of the vehicle. I have researched this problem and it appears that others with the same model have had the same issue. I do have pictures.

- Hinsdale, NY, USA

As I was driving home from work I started hearing a thumping sound from the right rear when I would hit a bump at first I thought maybe the back door wasn't closed all the way, so when I got home and parked my vehicle I checked the door and it was closed all the way. After I saw the door was closed all the way I decided to look at the right rear wheel since that is where the noise was coming from. When I looked into the right rear wheel well that is when I discovered that it had rusted out and I could see that the top shock mount is almost completely rusted away, so now I have to leave it sit until I can afford to have it repaired. After my discovery I went online and searched and I found out that this is a common problem with the 2005 Ford Escape. I would appreciate it if this matter was investigated and a recall is issued, since this is a major safety issue.

- Kankakee, IL, USA

The contact owns a 2005 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, a sudden banging noise was heard from the rear end of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic where it was confirmed that the rear wheel housing panel was perforated due to rust and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure and current mileage was 165,000.

- New Hartford, CT, USA

Driving under normal conditions, heard a loud banging sound.was getting worse and looked at rear passenger tire side. Noticed the entire shock mount rusted and broken loose from undercarriage. Very dangerous if traveling at higher speed. Have owned over 20 cars and never had this happen. What is going on Ford"??"

- Stow, OH, USA

The right/passenger rear wheel well has become so corroded with rust that the shock has come free from the metal, and slamming hard. The state of the metal reminds me of a butterfinger candy bar, that flakes off in layers. I have read many reports in the last couple days about similar situations as this, all with the right rear wheel well. The left/driver rear side has no similar rusting, nor do the front wheel wells (as far as I can see/tell). The undercoating has been hiding the rust apparently, and it has been flaking off heavily in the last couple of weeks.

- Euclid, OH, USA

I heard a sound in the rear which was like the metal touching. My boyfriend said it sounded like the shocks going. I took to the garage to have inspected and they refused to and showed me the inner wheel wells. They were rusted on both rear sides. The vehicle body was separated. I took it to an auto body repair shop and they can fix it but we can't find the repair parts. I put the numbers for the parts in the Ford.com and apparently the numbers do not match what they have. This is disappointing to me, I do not have a job, do not have the money to purchase another vehicle, but I do have the resources to get it fixed. I also sent an E-mail to Ford but haven't heard anything as of yet. Thank you

- Lewis Run, PA, USA

Severe rust out of right rear wheel well, top of shock absorber mount rusted free from the car. Appears to be a major safety issue that the rear suspension could come down onto the tire or loose control of the rear of car while driving. After checking online to see if anyone else may have a similar issue I find hundreds of same problems. We have maintained this car with service and cleaning above and beyond normal and this has happened. I feel this is a manufacture flaw and should be taken care of by Ford Motor Company.

- Pioneer, OH, USA

It started off as light rattling from the rear passenger side wheel area. As the week progressed, the rattling got louder and louder and occurred more frequently. At that point, my daughter was afraid to drive the vehicle. When we inspected the area where the noise came from, we noticed that the inside of the wheel well was thoroughly rusted out and we could see through it, into the interior of the car. Also, the shock was no longer attached to the frame. The damage is so extensive that we are afraid to drive the vehicle to a repair shop.

- Springfield, PA, USA