The rear shock tower has rusted out and broken away from the frame which was conformed at a local body shop. The passenger side went first then the driver side went about a year later. There was no warning that this was happening until it broke while driving which made us lose control of the car. When we took it to a repair shop and said it was 2006 escape they responded what side did the shock tower break on this was before we told them it was a shock tower they said it's always that part on a escape I personally know 2 other people who have had the same problem all different years of escapes.

- Dearborn Heights, MI, USA

Both rear shocks, mounts, wheel wells, entire length of body door panels passenger seats are just absolutely rusted beyond repair. I've gone to a couple different shops and each one said that there is nothing they can do to fix the issue. Now the vehicle when ridden in just bounces horribly wearing out bearing springs and tires are being worn out. There is only 110759 miles on it and bought this for my wife/ kids cause I've had 3 other escapes in the past so since I work on the road this is prefect sized for then not to big or too small. I've had so many issues this last year with repairs parts and now worried about safety issues.

- Danville, WV, USA

This 2006 Ford Escape Hybrid, and all first and second generation (2001-2012) Escape models, were designed and built with a significant, known defect in the mating area and materials used for the rear floor pan, rear sub-assembly/rails, and rear inner fender liners/upper shock absorber mounts, all made of pressed steel. The design of the components renders them subject to trapping road debris/salt/contaminants, and the inferior steel used oxidizes quickly, resulting in perforated areas of substantial rust. In our 2006 model, the right rear inner fender liner was completely replaced, and the rear subassembly/rails were welded, in 2013 with new Ford parts. By May, 2018, it had to be repaired and welded again. As of May, 2013, five years almost to the day, it has again rusted and separated. As this hybrid Escape carries a 600 pound battery between the rails in the rear of the vehicle, this is a substantial, dangerous defect affecting potentially millions of cars manufactured over a decade. The current status of the oxidation, corrosion, rot and decay affecting our Ford Escape has rendered it incapable of being repaired per the auto mechanic shop we visited first, followed by the body shop we visited next. Both indicated that the poor design combined with the steel used contributed to the dangerous vehicle it has become.

- Akron, OH, USA

Well to put it lightly my rear axial the whole rear end is a mess this did not happen from normal were there is not that many miles I am very confident that if I was mot train on how to control a car if it were to go out of control at a high speed this would be a whole different story just thank how many are still on the road this year 2006 escape is a ticking time ??'?

- Louisville, KY, USA

About a week after i bought this car and i bought it used but the abs light came on i took it to have it check out and was told the complete suspendtion system front and back was shot and that it all had to be fix i don't have the money for that i am a disabled veteran and i am scraping by as it

- Louisville, KY, USA

THE REAR SHOCK MOUNT RUSTS OUT NOT LONG AFTER MANUFACTURE AND WE THE CONSUMER ARE LEFT WITH THE PILE OF POOP. FORD IS HIGHLY AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM, AND AS I TRANSPORT MY CHILDREN DAILY I WONDER IF THIS WILL BE THE DAY WE DIE. UPON THE SHOCK MOUNT RUSTING OUT, HOPE YOURE RELIGIOUS AND GOD IS YOUR CO PILOT BECAUSE AS THAT POINT THE SPRING IS WHAT YOU'RE LEFT WITH! ITS SO HORSE [XXX] FORD LEAVES THIS TO THE LITTLE GUY (THE CONSUMERS) TO RECTIFY THEIR PROBLEM DUE TO THEIR INFERIOR MANUFACTURING. I WAS GOING OVER THE I280 BRIDGE IN OREGON OHIO WHEN IT DECIDED IT WAS TIME TO FAIL. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Toledo, OH, USA

The contact owns a 2006 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon the depression of the accelerator pedal, the front passenger-??s side subframe collapsed without warning. Due to the failure, the contact had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic where it was discovered that severe corrosion on the passenger-??s side subframe had caused the collapse. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer had been notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired and remained in the possession of the independent mechanic. The failure mileage was approximately 72,000.

- Auburn, NY, USA

Right rear shock mount broke loose and started to enter the passenger compartment.

- Marshall, MN, USA

Rear wheel wells where the shock mounts is rusted through causing ride and control issues. I noticed clunking while driving caused by the rust and lack of shock stability. I talked to other owners and found this is a common issue. Being that my vehicle is not rusty and is cared for regularly this is bad and I am no longer going to invest my money into it. This is a safety concern and I feel with as common as the issue seems it should be taken care of by Ford as the shock being loose coming into the interior is another safety concern, and the wear and tear from the tire ride causes premature tire wear not to mention wear and snapping the break line causing the brakes to fail.

- Lansing, MI, USA

Heard a banging noise as I was driving that sounded from trunk. Nothing in trunk, rear passenger wheel well the shock tower had fallen through the wheel well which appeared to have rusted out.

- Harrisburg, PA, USA

Right rear wheel well totally rusted out, no repair shop will fix. Loud knocking when driving, can not drive afraid wheel will fall off.

- Racine, WI, USA

On my 2006 Ford Escape I almost died on highway because the subframe on passenger side of the Ford broke. Upon looking up information I noticed that their was a recall for Ford Escapes 00 _04 but that Escape is the same frame and structure. I never owned a car that the frame was suppose to brake like that. I hope nobody ever gets hurt but this.problem should be addresses because that car is very popular.

- Waterbury, CT, USA

The contact owns a 2006 Ford Escape. While driving 35 mph, the rear passenger shock mount fractured and caused the brake hose to rupture. The contact stated that all of the brake fluid leaked out of the hose. Preston Ford in burton, Ohio was made aware of the failure and stated that there were no recalls on the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 113,000.

- Painesville, OH, USA

Driving home from work, began to hear thumping sound from right rear. Thought it might be an issue with the tire. Got progressively louder and more frequent until I stopped and inspected. Found the right rear strut to be nearly detached from the vehicle assembly.

- East Setauket, NY, USA

Our 2006 Ford Escape began making a rattling noise in the rear passenger side whenever we hit a bump. I initially thought it was a loose panel until I looked under the rear-passenger wheel well and noticed the massive amounts of rust and corrosion around the shock absorber. After doing some research, it appears that this is a fairly widespread issue that Ford has done little to remedy. It has since become a consistent issue anytime we are driving, there is at least a rattle--even on smooth roads. While we have tried to reduce the amount of driving as much as we can, making only necessary trips and completely eliminating any extraneous use of this car, the damage only seems to be getting worse, and at an alarmingly fast pace. This is our only vehicle and we are not in a position to buy a new car right now. If there was a recall on a similar issue for 2001-2004 models, why hasn't there been a recall on later years? the vehicle is a liability on the road--we cringe every time we have to take it out (again, it is our only vehicle) and we don't know which bump is going to completely ruin the car. An investigation into this widespread corrosion issue needs to be performed and all necessary steps need to be taken to ensure that the safety of everyone on the road is maximized despite shoddy construction of this vehicle.

- Austintown, OH, USA

The rear passenger wheel well is completely rotted around the connection for the shock absorber. No body shop will repair as it is too costly and too much of a liability they claim. Driving along and suddenly the car got loud in the back. Shock absorber had come through the interior of the automobile. Car has rust on back "trunk" door and a on the edge of the wheel well exterior on the same side, but remaining parts of the car have very little or no rust. But when you look inside the wheel well you see all the rust around the shock absorber. Google search shows I am not alone with this issue - others report same issue with passenger side rear and people are considering sueing Ford. 2001-2004 Escapes had a corrosion recall on the front suspension, but there is nothing for years 2005 and newer. This is should be looked at.

- New Haven,, CT, USA

The lower control arm has separated from the subframe due to corrosion. This is the exact problem that led to a recall of 400,000 Ford Escapes (model years 2001-2004) just 3 years ago.

- Brookfield, WI, USA

My daughter was alerted to a problem when loud banging noises started recently when driving under normal driving conditions. Upon inspection by a mechanic, he discovered that the passenger side and driver side rear wheel wells body parts and shock absorber mounts have significant rust damage. Our vehicle is well maintained according to the manufacture's schedule and as recommended by the Ford dealership service department. I do not understand how we could not have been made aware of a potential issue before during previous tire replacements, shock replacements, and other services that would have had the opportunity to see the problem. The passenger side rear wheel well is so bad that the dealership service department indicated that it is not repairable and referred us to their body shop. The attached pictures show that the interior of the cabin is now exposed. I also have an audio recording of the noise inside the vehicle when driving under normal conditions. My daughter was also cautioned by the mechanic about an imminent failure of the suspension. This is a safety hazard that has been widely reported on the internet. There was a recall by Ford for 2001-2004 for the same issue on the same model. I contacted Ford Motor Company customer service line and they indicated there was no recall for our vehicle. Based on our experience and the issues reported by others with the same problem for later model years, there should be a recall and action by Ford to repair these later year models such as ours as well.

- Leawood, KS, USA

The right rear shock tower is rusting away and is about to break away from the frame I read online that Ford recalled almost 400,00 vehicles with this problem, but I never received a notice. The car is not safe to drive.

- Glenside, PA, USA

While driving my vehicle on a highway, I could here a loud clunking sound coming from the rear. After investigating, it was visibly noticeable that the shock tower on the rear passenger side rusted completely off the vehicle. This allowed the wheel to bounce freely and the shock to jam up into the wheel well repeatedly. The vehicle is unsafe to drive.

- Barberton, OH, USA