On April 10, 2007 Ford announced that it was recalling over half a million Escapes, model years 2001 to 2004, because of a faulty anti-lock braking system (ABS) module. Missing or cracked seals on the ABS connector allow debris like road salt to enter the housing, causing corrosion of the unit. But the real danger is that brake fluid could also leak into the housing and, sparked by the continuous electrical current, could cause a fire.
The company announced that there have been at least 50 fires in connection with the problem, though no injuries or deaths have yet been identified.
However that was almost not the case. In November 2006, ConsumerAffairs.com printed an article describing the harrowing story of one North Carolina family. The mother describes waking up to a large boom and then fire alarms at five o’clock in the morning. After getting the family safely outside, she saw the garage door had popped open and her 2001 Ford Escape was on fire.
Luckily everyone got out of the home uninjured, but there was extensive damage to the family garage and home. The vehicle itself was completely destroyed. “The car had not been driven in two days,” the woman wrote.
It was stories like this that prompted the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to open an investigation into the Ford Escape as well as its “twin,” the Mazda Tribute. At that time there were eight complaints to the NHTSA about the fire hazard. Five were similar to the story above: the vehicles were unattended and not running, but spontaneously caught fire. Two other reports specifically stated that smoke or fire was coming from the ABS module, but that was not confirmed officially until this recall.
A similar problem plagued Ford two years ago when the company recalled over five million vehicles due to a cracked cruise control switch, again which could catch fire.
This latest vehicle recall involves about 444,880 Ford Escapes and Mazda Tributes in the US, and an additional 75,000 – 82,000 vehicles in Canada, Mexico, and Europe. The company plans to fix or replace ABS modules and connectors as necessary to prevent contaminants from leaking into the module, Ford said.