The wipers became slow and erratic, then stopped when headlights were turned on. The lights also were affected as they became dim or out depending on the selection of Hi, Low or Driving. The wipers could have failed during a storm, or the headlights could have become inoperative with no warning. The problem was reproduced at the dealer and inspected as well. There was no indication that there was a problem until the wipers and lights were operated. There could have been more systems that were failing we did not notice as the problem was all of the grounding wires were on painted surfaces. There are several Service Bulletins on this car and the Ford Focus in the same model year range. I have correspondence from the dealer that indicates the problem. Although our car did not fall under these bulletins, I feel this should be a recall since any electric component could fail with no warning by the design of these cars.

- Mchenry, IL, USA

Torque converter, transmission, warning lights on Thursday, 12/3/20, my daughter returned home and explained that she noticed a whining sound as she turned into our neighborhood. About 2 hours later she started the car for me and I could not distinguish any sounds to be concerned with and told her she would be fine to drive it to her volleyball practice'I said''it doesn't sound like anything that will cause it to die on the side of the road.' Within 10 minutes after leaving called to say the car was losing power and barely moving on a busy city street. She had to coast across oncoming traffic with no power to get to a street where she could wait for me. Ultimately where she was stranded was a dangerous spot to be for other cars turning onto the street because of a wall blocking their view of her vehicle until they made the turn. When I arrived I confirmed that the car was not driveable. Shifting in and out of gears barely generated any movement. It took 20 minutes driving on a residential street at about 3 mph to reach a parking lot (it took one minute to get the car over a slight hump turning into the parking lot) where I left the vehicle overnight until I could have it towed to a Ford dealership. Ford diagnosed the following 'suspect torqueconverter internal failure sent metal through thepump (whine) and through out the rest of thetransmission.' Two repair options new transmission for $5,809.18 or overhaul for $5,181.57. This is a common issue and is dangerous enough to warrant a thorough investigation. Vehicles should not go from running fine to complete failure while driving on busy roadways. Replacing a torque converter is one thing but a failure of a torque converter causing a $5,000+ repair job is another thing. Warning light after failure may also need to be investigated. This vehicle has a record of regular routine maintenance.

- Plano, TX, USA

The car keep giving me a message that is overheating, then the ac start blowing hot air but the car is not hot. Within 3 minutes the messaging away the ac start working like nothing happened. Also the transmission seems not to change at all when this is happening to the car.

- Chicago, IL, USA

Engine light keeps on and off with not a reason and when I bring the car for an oils change into the dealer they are saying that is not important and it is going off when the oil is changed. I also notice that the car is very short after the gently breakdown. The other issue is the unexpected acceleration itself, even if I do not use the accelerator pedal. This happens anywhere anyhow and when the vehicle is in motion.

- Dover Plains, NY, USA

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. While driving 5 mph, the headlights are dim and the vehicle crashed into a large landscaping stone. The air bags failed to deploy. A police report was not filed and there were no injuries. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 8,000. Updated 06/21/16

- Duncansville, PA, USA

After 3 visits to the dealership beginning in October 2015 complaining that the dashboard lights including radio will brighten and dim on an erratic basis. The Ford dealership identified the problem as a defective sun load sensor cv6Z19E663A and ordered the part under warranty on 1/18/16 at the time I was told that the part would be available in a couple of days. 4 weeks passed no part filed complaint with Ford case # cas-8813513 now it is 6+ weeks still no part. I consider the erratic dimming and brightening of the dashboard lights when the headlights are on as a safety issue as the erratic behavior causes a distraction. The inability of Ford to provide a replacement part on a prompt basis under warranty when the part in question continues to be used in current production vehicles does not make sense to me.

- Chester, NY, USA

As recommended in low visibility situations (fog, dust storm, snow, etc.) to pull off the side of the road and turn off all your lights, my 2014 Ford Escape with daylight running lights (drl) are unable to be turned off even when the vehicle is in park and the parking brake set during the day or night, thereby causing a safety hazard. The only way to turn off the drls is to turn off the vehicle, which then produces another hazard since you cannot keep the ac or heater running as needed. I have notified both Ford corporate and my local dealership multiple times with no results or corrective action plan.

- Tempe, AZ, USA

2014 Ford Escape manufactured between 03/2013 & 12/2013 have a body control module software/hardware bug in which the interior instrument panel dimmer does not retain its manual dimmer settings. After 20-30 minutes with the vehicle powered off, the instrument cluster dimmer setting reverts to maximum brightness automatically. More than an inconvenience, this bug is potentially dangerous. If a driver perceives the instrument cluster to be too bright, the driver must manually dim the instrument panel every time it is dark enough that the exterior lights are required to drive. Ford has fixed the bug in vehicles manufactured after 12/1/2014 but has not provided a fix for the problem and the 4/2014 dealer notice instructs the dealer not to attempt a repair. "4791 - 2014 Escape 2014 Focus - illumination dimmer setting reverts back to bright some 2014 Escape vehicles built on or before 12/01/2013 and 2014 Focus vehicles built on or before 12/08/2013 may exhibit the illumination dimmer setting reverting back to bright after a key cycle. Engineering is currently investigating this condition through the quicker service fix (qsf) process. Until a new service procedure and/or parts are available, do not attempt repair. Monitor oasis for updates." The fix has obviously been found as vehicles manufactured after 12/1/2013 do not have the problem, but it appears that Ford has no intention of providing a remedy for the owners of the affected vehicles.

- Independence, KY, USA

The 2014 Ford Escape has a software/hardware bug in which the interior instrument panel dimmer does not retain its manual dimmer settings. After 20-30 minutes with the vehicle powered off, the instrument cluster dimmer setting reverts to maximum brightness automatically. More than an inconvenience, this bug is potentially dangerous. If a driver perceives the instrument cluster to be too bright, the driver must manually dim the instrument panel every time it is dark enough that the exterior lights are required to drive. Ford will not acknowledge the design bug at this time because they do not think it bothers enough customers. I am filing this complaint because if a driver happens to become tired of dimming the instrument panel each night or if they simply forget to dim them one time, they could become unwittingly distracted by the interior brightness and cause a traffic incident. I believe this is a legitimate safety concern and would like to see Ford be encouraged to address it.

- Dallas, TX, USA

The dash lights will not dim automatically as described in the manual as well as from Ford technicians. They are on full bright all the time. An analogy would be like having an oncoming car having its headlights on high beam at night and therefore be blinding. There is a manual override to adjust but this must be done every time the car is started. I talked to a Ford rep and was told, "nothing is perfect, deal with it". the local service department has no knowledge on how to repair it as Ford has yet to issue an advisory. I would think Ford would want its sophisticated cars to work correctly. We will see.

- Oklahoma City, OK, USA

Update on ODI number 10567429. Ford case # [xxx]. Ford will not, at my expense, allow the dealer to install either Ford oem daytime running lights (drl) in my new vehicle or an after market product. They say any such install by dealer or others will void my extended new car warranty. I was in Maine last week & in a snow squall at noon & was almost killed by a logging truck who could not see my vehicle because of poor visibility. Can Ford be pressured to allow this install without penalty & at no cost to them"??" information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Upton, MA, USA

7/12/13 we purchased new 2014 Ford Escape titanium which did not have daytime running lights (drl) a safety feature. The dealer, herb chambers, westborough, MA., said at my expense Ford would install drl when I came in for service on 12/11/2013. This was not the case. Ford will only install drl on fleet Escape vehicles but not on personal Escapes. Ford customer service has assigned a case # (cas-3967188-C7S8M6) to my concerns and are adamant. They won't upgrade my new car & if I install drl (aftermarket item) they will void my extended new car warranty. They refuse to explain why there is this policy which prevents adding a safety feature, at the owners expense, to their Escapes sold for personal use. Their practice is discriminatory & decreases vehicle crash avoidance parameters.

- Upton, MA, USA