The contact owns a 2005 Ford Escape hybrid. While driving at any speed, the contact would experience a sporadic loss of brake control. The ABS and the brake warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The mechanic stated that the master cylinder failed. The vehicle was repaired however the warning lights continued to illuminated. The mechanic then stated the hydraulic control unit would also have to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 200,000.

- Memphis, TN, USA

First, sporadic loss of brake control; very brief; then, ABS and brakes lights came on. Dash said "service brake system." Brought it to local dealer, who said it needs a new master cylinder & hcu.

- Asbury Park, NJ, USA

Driving down the highway with my family, a car swerved into our lane cutting us off. We hit the brakes, the ABS and brake light came on and the brakes only worked when we slammed on them! had to have the car towed as it was not drivable. Mechanic said it needed a new ABS control module. Ordered that part twice. Took car to car computer specialist - said car was could not be reprogrammed. Bill is now over $2,000 and it has been over 2 weeks. Mechanic called Ford (lots of complaints online about this issue). They said they could try to reprogram it, but it could take up to 10 hours and may not work. Ford said the last problem they saw like this didn't work and the owner had to trade in for a new car! not only could this incident have seriously harmed my family, but now I'm out of a car and $2,000!

- Pace, FL, USA

I was stopped at a drive thru line my car made a noise I don't know how to describe accurately with words. I looked down and my ABS and brake light were on and the brake service needed was on the dash display. I put the car in park and turned the car off then on. All the same warnings were still there. I pulled forward slowly and when braking I still didn't stop in a reasonable time and almost completely missed the drive thru window. Needless to say a drive home at 10-15mph still felt like I was in danger of hitting someone because I could not judge stopping distance even with my foot applying full pressure on the brakes. From all the information I have found on line this seems a very apparent case of something Ford should be making a recall issue of high importance. I am hoping my reporting it here may help in preventing something very dangerous from happening in the future.

- Hickory Hills, IL, USA

When the vehicle is warmed up and decelerating below 40mph they gasoline engine will shut off as the regenerative braking charges the hybrid high voltage battery. On a rare occasion during this braking, the gasoline engine will turn back on giving a brief surge which requires pressing the brake harder. It has done this since I bought the vehicle.

- North Reading, MA, USA

The brakes failed on the car. At first it locked and then the pedal went all the way to the floor. I didn't hit them again and coasted to a stop finally putting on the parking brake. Then I had the car towed. This happened again about five weeks later and this time it was exactly the same but, I hit the brakes a third time and the car stopped. After the first incident, the mechanic tried to recreate the problem and could not. This same thing happened a few years ago and we replaced -- at great expense -- the hydraulic control unit. I think this is a defect in this car.

- Fort Myers, FL, USA

While driving, the braking power was lost and the ABS and brake indicators appeared. This has happened several times over the course of the past month. Fortunately I have not been on the highway, but there have been some near misses...accidents narrowly averted. This blog (blog.yagelski.com/2010/01/my-Ford-escape-hybrid-brake-repair.html) by ken yagelski details his similar saga, and he ended up paying over $7,000 in repair costs. I cannot afford that kind of bill, and I don't feel I should have to pay it when it is a known design flaw. Please help!

- Portland, OR, USA

While coming up to a stop sign I started to press my brake and while coming to a stop the brakes stopped working allowing my vehicle to lunge forward a few feet without any brakes before the brakes kicked back in bringing my car to a stop. Also while idling around a parking lot my ABS started engaging causing my vehicle to start jerking forward, I wasn't even touching the brakes.

- West Fargo, ND, USA

Upon start-up brake warning light on and "service brakes system" message. Brake needed to be pushed very hard to have any effect. Codes C1473 and C1525 come up. Very expensive computer component replacements needed.

- Patchogue, NY, USA

I was driving my daughter home and pulling to a stop sign the brake and ABS light as well as the service notification showed up and it became very difficult to brake. After taking it to the dealership I was informed that the hcu and control module assembly were defective.

- Akron, OH, USA

I pressed on the brake peddle. It was very loose and depressed easily about 1 inch, then stopped abruptly and held firm without slowing the car at all. After pressing down harder without being able to budge the brakes, I lifted and reapplied the brakes. This time they worked. The same thing happened again a coupe days later. I took it in to the Ford dealer and they told me the ABS module and master cylinder needed to be replaced. From my research, faulty master cylinder and ABS module are common for this vehicle.

- Pensacola Beach, FL, USA

The contact owns a 2005 Ford Escape hybrid. The contact stated that the brakes failed. The contact had to use the emergency brake to stop the vehicle. The contact took the vehicle to a mechanic and was told that the ABS control module failed and needed to be replaced. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage and current mileages were 98,000.

- Palm Harbor, FL, USA

For about a month, my check brake system light would come on along with the ABS and the red brake lights when I would start my car. Most of the time, I could turn the car off and wait for the electronics to turn off then start the car again and they wouldn't come on again. The lights came on a few times while driving and the brakes seem to have given out. I had to really push down all the way to get the car to slow down. I took it in but since it was random, they couldn't reproduce it or find anything wrong. Last week, the lights came on and wouldn't go off at all. I made an appointment at the dealership and took it in a few days later. The lights didn't come on. The dealership called to say I needed a new hydraulic control unit (hcu). The price was $4500. This was on top of the two diagnostic fees of $125 each I had already paid. Altogether I had to pay $4750 and my feh has 150,700 miles on it.

- Hamilton, VA, USA

The contact owns a 2005 Ford Escape hybrid. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 mph, the ABS warning light illuminated and the brakes would not respond. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 109,000.

- Lakewood, CO, USA

I was driving on a road where the speed limit was about 45 mph and I was going about 30 mph when all of a sudden a red light came on with the ABS warning message on it and the car turned off. I tried to hit the brakes but the pedal went all the way to the ground and I could not stop the car. Fortunately, a car was not in front of me and I came to a complete stop and put my hazard blinkers on. After waiting a few minutes I restarted the car and it started as normal and the brakes worked as normal. The next day I took the car to the shop to get the brakes checked out and they could not find anything wrong with the brakes. Thankfully, the problem has not happened again. I am very fortunate that a car was not in front of me because I would have surely hit it.

- Raleigh, NC, USA

The contact owns a 2005 Ford Escape hybrid. The contact stated that while driving 30 mph, the ABS and brake warning lamps illuminated. The contact then attempted to engage the brakes and the brake pedal abnormally traveled to the floorboard. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The technician was unable to diagnose the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the problem. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 102,000 and the current mileage was 102,500. Updated 02/26/13 updated 03/1/2013

- Houston , TX, USA

On several occasions, I was getting ready to stop and noticed that the brake pad "stuck." The pad wouldn't depress and I was unable to stop. After additional effort, I was able to get the vehicle to slow down and stop, but I was already at a reduced speed since I was coming to a stop. I thought my car mat had jammed my brakes, so I thought nothing of it until it happened again. I took my vehicle to the Ford dealer where I made the purchase. They kept my vehicle for a week to "reproduce" the problem, which they did. I was then told that the parts alone would cost $3,000, but that the engineers at Ford corporate suggested that the mechanics perform an electro-mechanical brake bleed, which seemed to fix the problem, but it did not. Three weeks later, the brakes failed again. This time the dealership kept my vehicle for two weeks, but were unable to reproduce the failure. I was told that the only way to fix the problem was to completely replace the braking system. I actually called Ford hq about this issue. The person with whom I spoke offered no real resolution, and she seemed unaware of things. Ford is very aware of the problems with the hybrid braking system. This is a dangerous situation that is a design flaw--not a mechanical failure covered by a warranty. There is a difference, and Ford needs to be held responsible. Hybrids are very expensive, and therefore the manufacturers of these vehicles should be forced to take responsibility for design flaws that are as dangerous as brake failure. It's just a matter of time before my brakes fail and I end up in a terrible crash, either killing myself or someone else. Even if I spent $7,000 on a new system, it's going to fail again because it has the same design flaw of the current braking system. This is why Ford needs to redesign this braking system and recall affected vehicles before someone gets killed.

- Marrero, LA, USA

I bought this 2005 Ford Escape hybrid from driver's world in Virginia beach, va, and found serious problems with the brakes the minute I drove off the lot. Immediately after the first stop sign leaving the used car dealership, I gently pressed the brakes to slow down and felt as though the ABS was locking up preventing me from even slowing down. When I let off of the brakes and pressed them again, I was able to brake just fine. I figured it may have been a fluke, so I continued driving for 2 hours from Virginia beach to midlothian. I stopped at a stop light in midlothian when the brake light and the ABS light both came on at the same time, and the vehicle began to roll. I pressed the brakes as hard as I could and the vehicle stopped rolling. I continued to drive for 2 miles in this condition of having to press the brakes extremely hard to get the vehicle to slow down. When I arrived at my destination, I turned the car off and back on, and the problem had gone away. I took the car back to driver's world 36 hours later. Driver's world kept the vehicle for two and a half weeks and claimed that they were unable to reproduce the problem. Therefore, even though the vehicle is under their 30day/1000mile warranty they will not make any repairs or give a refund. I picked the vehicle up from driver's world, and at the first stop light I came to the brake light came on. I took it back to driver's world, and they were able to find error codes C1471 and C1472, but they did not know what they meant so they told me to take the vehicle to Ford's service department. On the way to Ford's service department there was one occasion when I pressed the brakes and felt again that the ABS was locking up preventing me from even slowing down. I let off of the brake and pressed it again, and I stopped just fine. At this time Ford still has the vehicle and is attempting to reproduce the problem.

- Virginia Beach, VA, USA

My brakes have a very hard pedal from time to time. Requiring me to pump the brakes to stop. My Ford dealer tells me it is the master cylinder and it will cost $3000 to repair. They also state that they are not sure this will fix the problem. (remember this is a hybrid and brakes are different) second issue is the electric drive train does not allow the engine to shut down under 30 mph like it is supposed to due under 30 mph. At times this requires extra breaking because the engine does not idle down like it should. Ford seems to be aware of these problems. I found several complaints on the web describing the same problems. It seems Ford has done very little to assist the customers, or to correct the problem.

- Lake Placid, FL, USA