The rear passenger wheel well has corroded very severely. The shock absorber is pushing into the interior wheel cover, causing it to become dislodged. I was driving on a city street, about 35 mph, when I hear a loud scraping sound coming from the right rear side of my escape. I noticed that the interior wheel cover was dislodged and moving around. I pulled over into a local park to examine what was causing the very loud scraping sound. I could see that the right rear wheel well area was very rusted and flaky. I drove home about 10-15 mph, all the time the vehicle was making a very loud bumping and scraping sound. I consulted a Ford mechanic and was told that the vehicle could not be driven safely. Ford needs to recall the many hundreds of Ford escapes that have rusted out passenger side wheel wells, that can cause sudden loss of steering control when the shock absorber pushes into the car and the vehicle collapses onto the right rear wheel.

- Pleasant Lake, MI, USA

The contact owns a 2005 Ford Escape hybrid. While driving 25 mph, the contact heard an abnormal noise coming from the rear passenger side wheel well. The contact pulled the vehicle over to the side of the road and discovered the shock leaning against the wheel and a hole where the mounted bracket was located. The contact called loveland Ford (999 E eisenhower blvd, loveland, co 80537, (970) 744-7101) and was informed that the warranty had expired. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 162,000.

- Bellviue, CO, USA

While driving the car on city roads my daughter notice that the car would pull to the right whike sking while driving. She also noticed increase RPM. The symptoma kept getting worse until we took it to les schwab for detailed inpecrion.

- Saint Helens, OR, USA

Right rear shock mount area rusted out and cracked. Holes and cracks in right rear shock mount wheel well area. Lots of noise and metal shifting from that area.

- Peabody, MA, USA

Shock tower on back passenger side rusting out. Learned of this from dealership 2 weeks ago.

- Grosse Pte. Wds., MI, USA

Drivers side rear suddenly began banging when going over bumps. Rear strut mount completely rusted out so the strut is loose and banging on the inside of the trunk. Vehicle is unsafe to drive. There is no surface rust on the vehicle and there was no indication that this would take place. Manufacturer did not attach the strut securely - only surface mounted on the inside of the wheel well.

- Watertown, WI, USA

My well maintained 2005 Escape hybrid developed a rattling sound on July 26, 2016. At first the rattle in the right rear happened only on bumps in the road. I thought it was my car jack coming loose in its compartment. I checked that and the jack was all secured, not rattling. I continued driving home and the rattle became a banging sound, and the right rear inside wheel area started to rattle and move towards the interior as I drove. When I got home I looked around the right rear wheel well area and was shocked to see how extremely rusted it is. The other wheel wells show very little rust. I looked up the problem on a Ford owners website and found that many many other people have had this same problem. It is a safety issue because some people report that the rusted out shock absorber mount breaks loose and the vehicle body collapses onto the wheel, sending the car out of control. I can't believe that there isn't a recall on this common problem in the '05 Escape hybrid vehicles. I cannot drive my well maintained car because of the mechanical banging, the high potential for loss of control, causing an accident and personal injury. I'm attaching photos of the right rear wheel well and the right front wheel well to show that there is a definite defect in the right rear. Please give this complaint your immediate attention, and alert other Ford escape owners of this imminently very dangerous situation.

- Pleasant Lake, MI, USA

Vehicle has 95,000 miles on it and the entire back passenger rear well is completely rusted out, so much so that the shock is pushing up into the inside of the vehicle. The rest of the wheel wells are fine and show very little wear and the vehicle runs just fine. When doing some research on this issue, it appears that a multitude of people are encountering this very same issue with just that same specific spot. My fear is that this makes this very unsafe to drive in the event I hit a large bump or pot hole.

- Hugo, MN, USA

We noticed a clunking noise coming from the rear end of the vehicle. Upon inspection, we discovered the rear passenger wheel well was completely rusted out and the strut is barely attached. The rust holes are so large, that insulation is showing, and the strut is hitting the plastic piece going into the trunk space. The vehicle was deemed unsafe to drive by a mechanic. While researching this issue, I have found multiple online forums about this problem. It is always the same area (rear passenger side) and is causing safety hazards, such as ruptured tires and unstable steering. This is a safety issue that Ford needs to recall!

- Waunakee, WI, USA

Heard rattling sound over right rear tire. Upon inspection the shock mount had completely cracked due to rust, making the vehicle dangerous to operate. When I looked it up online I saw that many others report this exact same defect in the same location.

- New Haven, MI, USA

The right rear wheel well/shock mount became badly corroded, resulting in the rear shock absorber and suspension being connected to a thin piece of metal, and the top of the shock absorber hitting against a plastic interior body panel. Had the thin piece of metal corroded entirely, a severe accident probably would have resulted. Various online sites report this same problem on the same year and model vehicle (2005 Ford escape), but no recalls, as they have been for other Ford vehicles and other years of the escape that have experienced this severe problem.

- Portage, MI, USA

The passenger side wheel well rusted through and now the shock mount rusted off.

- Northampton, PA, USA

Vehicle developed loud banging noise in rear of vehicle. Upon inspection it was discovered that severe corrosion has occurred in the right rear wheel well, separating the top of the right rear shock assembly from the body of the vehicle, affecting handling of the car. After searching this issue on the web, it was also discovered that this corrosion is a widespread and ongoing problem with these cars, and a known issue to Ford Motor Corp. Who has to date declined to take any action to rectify this major structural and safety issue.

- Denville, NJ, USA

Over a few days I heard a banging sound in the car that I could not identify. My daughter looked under the rear passenger wheel well and noticed the shock was knocking against the rusted wheel well. The next day I went to a funeral and the shock pierced through the trunk. I called my body shop/mechanic and told him what the issue was. He said he had another Ford escape 2005 in his shop with the same exact issue. He said it was a manufacturer defect. Ford didn't do a recall on the 2005 models even though they recalled prior years. I had tried to contact rizza Ford about the issue but received no response. In searching the internet I realized there are at least 300+ complaints written about this exact issue and Ford's handling of it. My mechanic had to practically rebuild/weld the wheel well. I can't believe that Ford can be allowed to get away with ripping so many people off, especially with it being such a safety issue. This was a very expensive problem to fix and I didn't have enough money to get a different car. After this, I don't think I'll ever buy a Ford again. Why would I go with a company that can't even stand behind their own product and has no issues putting their customers safety at risk.

- Lansing, IL, USA

The contact owns a 2005 Ford Escape hybrid. While driving at an unknown speed, the contact heard a loud banging noise coming from the rear passenger wheel area. The vehicle was inspected by an independent mechanic. The technician discovered that the rear passenger side wheel well and shock tower were corroded. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 69,000.

- Westland, MI, USA

Right rear well corroded extensively. 4 inch hole exposing high voltage battery in trunk to water, salt, snow. Dealer states that vehicle is unsafe to drive due to risk of collapse of struts and risk of explosion/fire from high voltage battery exposure. Quotes more than $4000 to repair this vehicle with only 59,510 miles. Rear bumper and rear suspension both compromised. Rear bumper has no support on right side risking passenger injury in accident. Rear shock strut collapsing. Request investigation and recall action.

- Ann Arbor, MI, USA

While driving on city streets, we heard a hollow thumping sound coming from the rear passenger-side wheel well whenever we went over a small bump. After externally inspecting the wheel well, we discovered that it was extremely rusted, and appeared to be in danger of completely disintegrating. Medium-sized pieces were flaking off with only a slight tug. An identical issue caused the recall of Ford escape models from the years 2001-2004, but Ford representatives to which I have spoken have indicated that they are not considering a recall for the 2005 model year. This is an extremely dangerous situation, and could cause crashes if shock or axle supports fail at highway speeds. This is clearly a design flaw, since this model is less than 10 years old with only 111,000 miles. Others have indicated that Ford is aware of this problem, but refuses to address the safety concerns.

- Eden Prairie, MN, USA

Right rear shock became detached from underbody of car creating hazardous condition due to advanced rust through.

- Chesterfield, MO, USA

Driving hit a small bump then started to hear a banging in back passenger wheel. Pull over to look the hole shock tower was rusted out.

- Tuxedo, NY, USA

Wheel house rotted out shock/spring broke thru wheel house hitting on hybrid battery.

- Grafton, WI, USA