The passenger side rear shock assembly totally rusted away from the frame. The car has only 133,000 miles on it and is stored inside. Body shop says they have seen many of the same issues on Ford Escapes. Checked with three mechanics-Car-X, Strange Garage, Walter's Garage. All three verified that they have seen this problem over and over with the Ford Escape. Loved the car but this shouldn't happen on a low mileage car that is stored inside. I have replaced the transmission twice-once Ford paid for it and the second time I did.

We first noticed a squeaking and banging noise in the back sometime around Christmas. Upon inspection, my husband realized that the rear passenger wheel well was rusting away, and the shock was detaching. The well is now completely gone, and the shock has created a large hole and been forced up into the cabin. We have two small children, one of whom requires routine care at Children's Hospital, which is an hour or so away from us. This vehicle is not safe to drive that far. We would happily trade it in if it were not worth far less than what we owe (this vehicle loan was intended to help repair our credit after a bad couple of years from a job loss). Our next step is to take it to the dealership for a repair estimate, though Ford should be recalling all vehicles affected by this problem.