While driving at a normal speed, the electrical panel has started displaying "stop safely now" and the engine shuts down. This was happening sporadically but has since started happening more consistently. It happened while traveling on the highway on 3/22/2013, which is a very serious safety concern when a vehicle shuts down in the middle of a busy highway. Once I pull over and restart the car, everything appears normal until the next time it happens. On 3/23/2013 it happened twice in less than 5 miles.

- Philadelphia, PA, USA

I was driving from la to pasadena and all of sudden my SUV slows down and there's a triangle warning sign. We were fortunate that the freeway was not crowded and easily pulled over. My friend is hearing and was able to call a tow for me. We had to tow the SUV back to the Ford dealership in santa monica. They did a great job and said it was the coolant or water pump that was defective. They replaced it. It seems to occur only on road trips. I had an engine light come on when I was driving from bay area to la. I was fortunate that I made it to the same sm dealership/repair shop and they were able to diagnose it. They said they had to make some adjustment and the light went off. I know it affected the gas because I had to refuel three or four time when I normally have to do one and half time! as a deaf person, it is scary to be having these issues especially on the freeways.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

While coming to a stop I felt the steering wheel get tight and I noticed that the vehicle had lost it's power steering. I then noticed the wrench light had illuminated. This is a very dangerous defect if this were to happen going around a curve or making a turn if could cause an accident.

- Jersey City, NJ, USA

The auto had just had the pump that cools the hybrid engine replaced at a cost of $590 when we noticed that there was a jerking in the steering wheel when stopped. The wheel would jerk to the right and left and make a "clucking" noise. Once the car was moving the jerking seemed to stop. But then we found that when we started the car there might be no power steering or power forward. The car would have to be forcibly steered to the side and the engine turned off. Starting the engine again, the car had power steering and engine power. This began to happen nearly every time the car was started, and the jerking of the wheel every time the car was stopped at a traffic signal or stop. While the problem has yet to cause a dangerous situation the potential is certainly there should the same circumstances occur while driving. Having reviewed the web sites for problems with the 2008 escape there are literally dozens of similar complaints. One site lists nearly one hundred complaints exactly like mine and in some there have been accidents and potential injury. Ford is stonewalling everyone on this even when the mileage is less than 50, 000 miles. Often they say they know nothing of the problem and refuse to offer assistance in meeting charges that range upward to $1700. Given the information that I now have I consider this to be very dangerous and am hesitant to drive the car. The lack of concern by Ford seems to me to be a serious matter and one that should concern NHTSA.

- Taos, NM, USA

A problem that surfaced again after experiences many times since the above mentioned incident date: A wrench sign was coming on the dashboard frequently, and sometimes disappeared itself without doing anything.similar sign or indication for oil change was also experienced even after a scheduled oil change was done with the dealer. When the problem was reported in early period, I (the customer) was advised to disregard, because the mechanic forgot to reset after the oil service, when Ford customer service was notified today (11/7/12), it was acknowledged as a service issue, which I do not agree. Since the problem existed when the vehicle was new in early stages after the purchase, my concern is that this is a manufacturing defect with battery door which malfunctions, and does not allow ventilation on & off. The battery was down, all controls disappeared and the car was locked in position about two years ago (approximate June 2010). That time a major service was performed, which required a month long period to fix it. (safecar reference 365127). Unfortunately, I never heard back from your office on this past issue and complaint. Since both problems have to do with battery and monitoring devices, I would like to inform for safety of all using this model. Please let me know your findings on battery vent door functioning. Thanks

- Hightstown, NJ, USA

Does someone have to die before Ford recalls these cars to fix the hybrid cooling system in these vehicles. I have fixed the problem once myself (two years ago) and now it is happening again. These cars shut down on the highway with out warning because of something going on with the hybrid system. This time my wife was in the passing lane when it happened. One day someone is going to die from this problem because it only happens when you are traveling at higher speeds (on a highway) the red triangle light comes on and automatically shuts down the car. Some family will be killed because of this and Ford will be caught knowing about the problem and doing nothing to fix it.

- Owasso, OK, USA

I am the owner of a 2008 Ford Escape hybrid with approx. 50K miles. As with many complaints related to Escape hybrid, I was driving on the interstate in perfect weather conditions at approx. 70mph when without any warning, the engine shut down and the master vehicle electrical hazard warning lamp lit up. Steering and braking were normal but I had to coast to the shoulder across several lanes of busy highway traffic to stop. It was terrifying. I gathered myself and my three terrified children and started the car again with no problem. The same incident occurred three more times before I was able to make it to my destination, but I was anticipating the issue and stayed in the right hand lane. This issue is being reported time and again yet no action is being taken to address this obvious defect. What is Ford and NHTSA waiting for? this is an extremely dangerous issue! please, before someone is injured or dies.

- Washington, DC, USA

Vehicle gave "stop safely now" readout on display and red triangle light on dash. Power dropped off and I had to pull of the road. I was traveling from la to santa cruz in the evening. Happened four more times on the same drive. Just happened again coming back from palm springs also in the evening. Took me seven hours to drive 140 miles. Car stopped over twenty times.

- Venice, CA, USA

We were driving up I-95 from fl to va when the car suddenly gave a loud warning tone and displayed the message stop safely now. The car lost all power as we quickly tried to cross several lanes of traffic to reach the shoulder. Upon examination of the car we started it up again with no consequence and continued on our trip. About 30 minutes later it happened again. After reading the owner's manual I discovered the warning message involved a component of the hybrid system. I decided to try shutting off the econ switch (which activates battery) and all ac/ electrical components. This worked beautifully for 100+ miles until at nightfall the headlights kicked on and our troubles returned. Since it was Sunday night we decided to stay overnight where we were and get it checked by the nearest Ford in the morning. The diagnostics ($95) revealed it was the motor electronic cooling pump at fault which this dealer did not carry. We cautiously continued using the no electrical method and were able to successfully reach our destination 400miles away with no more incidents, where we then took it to our home dealer for repair. A very dangerous condition which upon research I'm learning is happening to many other Escape hybrid owners.

- Virginia Beach, VA, USA

Please issue an immediate recall for the motor electronics cooling system pump on all 2005-2008 Ford Escape hybrids. This is a known issue to Ford and the subject of tsb 08-24-5. this part failure is extremely dangerous. While the cited complaints form an alarming picture of the mecs pump failure issue, this list is by no means exhaustive. A search of complaints for the 2005-2007 Escape hybrids returns additional horrifying incidents involving this part failure. It is appalling that with so many reports of high-speed engine shutdowns and near-miss accidents that this issue does not even having a pending defects investigation. Please right this wrong before someone is seriously injured or killed.

- Elm Grove, WI, USA

While driving on interstate 75 in Florida, the gas engine shutdown and a warning light/message appeared "stop safely now". our vehicle immediately began to decelerate, running only on the electric motor, as we tried to cross two lanes of traffic "safely". we pulled onto the shoulder, and turned the car off. We were able to restart the vehicle without getting the error message. We experienced this same sudden engine shutdown and feh warning 5-6 times over the course of our road trip from Wisconsin to Florida and back. Upon return to Wisconsin, we had the car checked out by our Ford dealer, and they informed us it was a faulty motor electronics coolant pump (part #5M6Z-8C419-a). Ford has issued a technical service bulletin about this problem (tsb 08-24-5), but has not yet issued a recall. Since the unexpected deceleration of a vehicle traveling at high speeds constitutes a serious safety issue (as many Ford Escape hybrid owners on edmunds.com can attest, townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.F0ff5B5), I am strongly urging you to compel Ford to issue a recall on this part.

- Elm Grove, WI, USA

Veh shows a caution sign (exclamation in triangle) with a warning (pull vehicle over safely and turn off engine). Veh loses all acceleration and I must pull over immediately to avoid an accident. Happens every time we drive on the freeway only, never on a side street or in stop and go. I pull vehicle over and turn off engine for approx 2 or 3 minutes, and it starts right up. Some times it will happen multiple times within a 20 to 30 minute time period, sometimes only once in several hours of driving. Dealer has no idea why and requires a tow immediately when it happens to determine cause. Cannot tow when on the way to dr, out of town, or other.

- Auburn, WA, USA

The night of January 27, 2012, as I was driving through traffic near my home, the brakes on my 2008 Ford Escape hybrid failed, my dashboard readout indicating my regenerative brakes have disengaged. I carefully returned the quarter mile or so home, and took my vehicle to the nearby fairfield (California) Ford dealership early Saturday morning, both in order to avoid other drivers, and have my brakes repaired. To their credit, they took my vehicle without an appointment. Over the next few days, the service department contacted me to inform me that two of the computer systems on my vehicle had failed: One controlling the regenerative brakes, the second controlling the fans used to cool the hybrid vehicle's batteries. In a moment of candor, Ford service representative[xxx] informed me the unusual failure was the brake-related failure, as the Ford of fairfield service department was replacing the fan-related computer part, "all the time." My concerns are similarly two-fold: First, the thought that my regenerative breaks simply disengaged is disturbing enough, as it put me and my children in immediate harm. Almost more than that, though, is the fact that the computer part controlling the cooling of my hybrid's batteries appears to fail "all the time." Since there was no indication on the part of my vehicle's performance informing me that the hybrid battery cooling fan was not operating properly, there is simply no knowing when my vehicle could have caught fire in a manner similar to that affecting some volts manufactured by Chevrolet. I am interested in making sure similar failures to not impact other owners of Ford Escape hybrids. Should you need any additional information, my daytime phone number is [xxx]. thank you for your attention to this matter, and I look forward to hearing from you. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Fairfield, CA, USA

While driving on the freeway at 65 mph the power cut out and a warning was displayed on the dash to pull over safely. I was able to restart the car and continue driving, but it happened again. I had to have the car towed to Ford. The Ford dealer had to replace the throttle body and motor assembly. This is very dangerous.

- Pacoima, CA, USA

I was traveling on the expressway in the left hand lane doing about 70 mph when the engine shutdown and a stop now safely message appeared on dashboard. I was able to pull over turned off the vehicle was able to restart and continue to my destination. This again happened on the way home the same day there was no problem found at the times I pulled over and both times was able to continue. I had no ability to accelerate and fortunately was able to pull over, this was a scary.

- Middle Village, NY, USA

Driving on the highway and ABS and emergency brake lights came on, along with message "system brake failure" and "regen brakes disabled". at this time, the brakes almost feel totally out (1/2 pressed) or very touchy (full press). Took it to a Ford dealership and they said they needed to replace ABS module ($2500) which we agreed to. A few days after it was replaced, same thing happened (lights, messages and brakes issues). We took it back, and by the time it was to the dealership the lights, messages and brakes were back to normal. They couldn't find an issues. A few days later, it happened again while in a traffic jam (very scary!!!) took it immediately to a dealership to have them check the codes. Took the codes to the original dealership and they took my escape for 2 days, saying they reset the codes and it was a computer issue. 5 days later it happened again in our downtown (very scary). No one seems to know what is going on. I have contacted Ford and they are not familiar with this issue however I have seen other mentions about this online.

- Madison, WI, USA

1. I was driving on the freeway at 71-73mph when a red triangle with an exclamation mark appeard, my engine shut off, and a "stop vehicle safely" message came across the dash. This happened 3 times in one hour. Each time, the engine shut off, and I had to pull over. The car would start back up perfectly. I was able to get the car to a shop by keeping it under 60mph on the freeway. 3. the shop says I need a motor electronics cooling pump and a PCM reprogramming.

- Saint Clair Shores, MI, USA

I own 2008 model of Ford Escape hybrid. On the incident day, the controls and battery failed suddenly without prior indications or warning signs. Signal lights and door locks failed to operate. In that condition I took the vehicle to a nearest Ford dealer on the day. Since two weeks, the problems have not been identified. I've been told of computer and control malfunctions, and that parts are being replaced one at a time every 2 or 3 days. I fear even after the vehicle gets fixed that similar failures may occur, and there may be risks to drive on highways in future.

- East Windsor, NJ, USA

Driving on a highway when I suddenly lost all power. The dashboard of the vehicle showed a symbol of an exclamation point surrounded by a triangle. Moreover, the dash stated "stop safely now." At this time we had been traveling in a work zone that was one lane, and surrounded by concrete barriers, with no shoulder. A tractor trailer was following closely, so when I all of a sudden went from 65 to no power whatsoever, I was almost hit. Furthermore, I had to block traffic to turn off my vehicle and to restart it. My 2008 Ford Escape hybrid repeated this same occurrence many times. Since the first incident, this has happened numerous times, unfortunately all occurring on highways where I was traveling at significant speeds. I have spent a lot of money that has not resolved this recurring problem, which is a significant safety hazard. Ford has not posted any recalls, but the blogs have shown that many others have suffered from this occurrence. Please step in and advice Ford that although the "limp home mode" may be for the safety of the vehicle, it is not safe for me.

- Richmondville, NY, USA

While driving at 35 mph everything shut off, electrical and mechanical. No warning at all! had to pull off road and hit the emergency brakes to come to a stop. Brought the vehicle to Ford for service and they found that the Ford motorcraft battery that was installed when the vehicle was manufactured had leaked battery acid onto the main wiring harness and corroded it. $1,600. To replace it. My Escape hybrid was two months out of warranty, although the mileage was not and Ford wouldn't do anything to help even though it was their equipment that failed and the battery had obviously been leaking for more than two months for this to happen.

- Port Saint Lucie, FL, USA