Hello all.

I am posting this hopefully to raise awareness and help prevent a serious potential safety issue for fellow Escape owners.

It may be prudent to carefully inspect or simply change your rubber brake hoses if you have an aging Escape to prevent possible injury or death. (I was also told by the Firestone Auto Center where I took my Escape after this incident that rubber brake hose failure is common in the Taurus as well.

I recently had a catastrophic failure of my front rubber brake hoses. I filed the following report with the NHSTA and also sent a similar report to Ford Motor Company.

Subject Vehicle: 2003 Ford Escape Limited AWD V6
Mileage: 165,878

Here is the report I filed:

The front brake line hoses blew out (R & L) while driving in the city. The parking brake was ineffective in slowing the vehicle as it was traveling down hill. With no means of slowing, the vehicle was turned into a parking lot in an attempt to get on level ground where it was more controllable and could be stopped more easily. The parking lot was not large enough to slow the vehicle and a choice had to be made to crash into a building or drive off the edge of the parking lot to another lot that was approximately 4 feet lower. The 2nd option was chosen. Once the vehicle had landed with great force, it was directed uphill where it eventually came to a stop and put into park. Unfortunately, extensive damage was done to the frame and underside of the vehicle including oil pan, exhaust system, engine mounts, radiator support frame and under body engine and transmission mounting points. I was told by the tow truck driver, the Firestone auto center and found in other research that Ford Escapes are known for rubber brake line failures. I have had vehicles much older than this and have never had a rubber brake line dry rot and rupture like these. This seems to be a known issue and should be addressed before more damage is done and more people injured or worse. We were lucky. This could have been much worse. Safety issues like this need to be addressed with an immediate recall.

I am not certain of the entire damage yet as the Escape is being inspected right now. So far all brake hoses, oil pan, alignment must be addressed. There is also an issue with a broken rear motor mount - but the radiator brace, front motor mount and entire engine/transmission is shifted rearward by approx 1/2 inch. This may result in scrapping an otherwise great little SUV.

I hope this information is helpful.

 

Dude, I'm very glad you are not hurt, but it's 2003 with 165k on it, what do you expect? Lifetime service is only rated at 100k and even at that, it's rubber, it flexes, it fatigues. It happens. thats why they are a common replacement across all vehicles. And with the roads the last time I drove through MI, I'm surprised they lasted this long. Are there safety inspections in MI? Did it ever cross your mind to downshift? Hit the E-Brake? Not to be rude but this is in no way Ford's fault.

 

Thanks for the reply Archion.

I know the roads are not that great here in MI and no we do not have mandatory safety inspections.

As stated in the complaint, the ebrake did not slow the vehicle in time and yes it was downshifted. I have owned much older cars with many more miles than this and never had a brake hose failure.

My last high mileage vehicle was an '89 Chevy Sportside with 286K. I put all the miles on in MI with no brake hose issues. I have an '03 Suburban with 155K with no brake hose issues and a Freestyle with 112K. I have never had to replace a brake hose - nor did I know of anyone who had, including my neighbor who has 2 Excursions with over 290K.

In the case of the Escape, I thought this was just a fluke event. What put me over the top on this was when several mechanics stated this was common in Escapes and Taurus.

Perhaps the 100k mile design life is the issue, but I don't remember any documentation to the effect that this was designed to be a throw away after 100K nor did I see anything in the owners manual maintenance schedule (that goes out well over 200K) to indicate brake lines to be a regular replacement part.

It does mention such items as cabin air filters, belts, brake pads, axle lube, coolant etc. Perhaps it should include brake hoses. I would think a safety item such as this to be pretty important over say an in cabin filter......

All I am saying is this component should be looked at more closely regardless of any vehicle being driven. If there is a propensity for this type of catastrophic failure on any specific model, it should be spot lighted. After all, I think we would all live with a clogged cabin air filter. I dare say this is not the case when it comes to a brake system failure.

 

So wait, BOTH front brake hoses blew out at the same time?

There has got to be more to this story, I could see one line failing but not two at the exact same time.

 

I've heard of plenty of F-series steel brake lines rusting through (including my old 97), but I've not heard of rubber lines in the Escape or Taurus having significant problems.

I'm equally skeptical that BOTH sides might blow out at the same time. Seems pretty implausible...

 

That was my thoughts, I've been selling and installing automotive, primarily undercar parts for many, many moons now, and while brake hoses are a common fatigue issue after lots and lots of flex, both at the same time.... something else it up. If they were bad enough to both blow, they could have been caught as part of a routine maintenance check as there is no safety inspection.

 

I don't intend to badger a specific nameplate - I love my Escape. I think it is more important to make people aware that it is important to keep a closer eye on a component that perhaps we take for granted since it is not a normal wear component with a suggested mileage replacement schedule such as a spark plug or accessory belts or a filter. (I know I did before this incident.)

However I will state the following to address the previous two comments:

I cannot be 100% certain that both hoses blew at the exact same time or if one blew and the other blew on impact. However, I assure you that they were both blown when the Escape came to a stop. A mechanic that witnessed the event came over to help. We used a set of vice grips to pinch off the driver side line so we could get enough brake pressure to move the Escape out of the way.

When I applied the brakes, the pedal did not firm up and it was noticed that the passenger side was shooting out fluid so we used another set of vice grips to pinch it off - then we were able to move the Escape out of the way until the wrecker arrived.

Because of the coincidence of both lines being compromised, my mind raced to fowl play but closer inspection of the hoses showed cracking/dry rot near the steel coupling where the fluid was escaping. I would say this is an indicator of a sub-standard run of rubber brake hose. I have been around long enough and have owned enough vehicles with high mileage and never had any issue with the rubber brake hoses before.

Again - what motivated me to file the complaint and start this post was the comments made by various unassociated mechanics I talked to who had indicated this to be common with the Escape and Taurus. This includes a highly reputable local Firestone Auto Center, an independent mechanic, the local ASE Certified auto repair shop in my home town, the tow truck driver who claimed to have towed several Escapes with brake hose failures and follow up research on the Edmunds website and others.

As I stated before - if this gets people to pay attention to a component that is not generally thought of as a normal wear component and prevents potential accidents and injuries, that is a good thing - be it an Escape, Cadillac, Lincoln, Toyota or whatever.

 

Who does the maintenance on the vehicle? Sounds like someone is very negligent in performing the maintenance. The parking brake should rather easily lock the rear brakes with only moderate pressure on the pedal, and by your testimony the brake was ineffective.

As far as the maintenance, the maintenance guide that was in the vehicle's glove box when delivered new gives the maintenance requirements of the items you are complaining about:

On page 9 it states that parking brake operation must be checked every six months. Being a 2003 vehicle, that means it should have been checked at least 21 times up until now. I don't see how the parking brake could suddenly not work if it had been inspected as required by the manufacturer.

On page 12 at the 15,000 mile maintenance interval, and at each succeeding 15k miles, the manufacturer requires the brake lines and hoses to be inspected, along with other brake components. Again, whoever you are paying to do the maintenance seems negligent, as I find it hard to believe that 15k ago all of the hoses were fine, then completely deteriorated to the point of multiple failure.

I work at a very large Ford dealership not far from you and have not seen an abnormal amount of failure in the Escape brake hoses that you are claiming. Considering the huge number of theses vehicles that are on the road, I would think I would see many of these each month if the failure rate was as high as you are claiming. As others stated, it is far more common to see rusted out hard lines in the region due to road salt.

If I were you I would definitely be having a talk with my "mechanic" that has been supposedly performing the required checks, and some people would probably refer you to a lawyer as you or some other innocent person could have been killed. At the least, I would be looking for him/her to cover the cost of damages.

 

Reactions from both sides so far...

Old and high mileage ... so expected. Poor mechanical inspection.
vs
First time I've ever had a brake hose fail. Hundreds of thousands of miles...

I have an 85 Ranger, so 28 years old, with about 75k miles. No failure to date. And an 87 Sable with 249k miles, so 26 years and 250k miles ... age and miles ... both lived in CA for 5-8 years, so had lots of solar exposure. No failure to date, and inspection shows no cracking or checking. I had a 1962 T-bird convertible and 30+ years on had the original brake hoses, and a 68 Montego with its originals that had lived in KS for years, original when sold in 91.
However.
My wife's 97 T-bird went in for an oil change, and was inspected. Every rubber seal used in the front suspension had crumbled and exposed the ball joints, upper & lower, to road dirt and splash, along with both sway bar links. All had failed. In 16 years with about 70k miles. Neither the Ranger nor Sable have had any suspension parts or seals failed...
So, which is it? The compounds specified and used by the parts suppliers? The condition of the roads? Ozone and ultra violet light waves{ie atmosphere/smog & sun}?
A possibility to consider is that the suppliers were 'smart', and left out something that prevents parts from aging and failing. The suppliers for particular models used compounds that passed the tests, but had an internal failing occurring over time.
Brake hose failure is NOT very common. They are NOT a 'wear item' that is generally replaced at a specified mileage/time interval. A warning of possible consequences makes perfect sense, especially for that particular model year.
I do NOT expect them to fail without warning, and this particular set could have been damaged if the calipers had hung from the hose, stressing that part, which I suspect is the root cause. Failure by some dis-interested mechanic doing a brake job, stressing the hoses in original ways... Use of vice-grips or pliers of any sort on brake hoses is absolutely a bad thing, same with fuel lines, and should be done only in an emergency, and the hose replaced ASAP. Crushing the hose wall is exactly the same as running a tire without air. Damage occurs the first time, and gets worse later.
So to me it is either bad rubber compound sneaking past the inspectors or poor mechanic procedures. Not normal 'age' effects.
tom

 

I noticed an ATF leak on my driveway the day after a oil change at the dealer. Just goes to show you how good a dealer inspection is.

Since you work at a dealership, what is the proper ATF level?

 

My 01 blew the pass side to years ago in a panic stop no bad thing happened. After looking at the line it was dry rotted and cracked.I replaced all 4 lines

 

What happened to the rear HYDRAULIC brakes? Even with a massive failure of the front hydraulic circuit, the rears should still have worked.

I'm assuming the earlier Escapes use the usual front/rear brake circuit split, rather than a dual-diagonal system.

 

That's true but from what I've read, it isn't like you have 50% braking power but much less than that.

 

Bill,

There are several issues with trans leaks on the '09 Escapes, including incorrect dipsticks and misbuilt half shafts, so I would have someone check into those.

But to answer your question, the level should be in the crosshatched area with the transmission HOT, not just warm. You need to drive quite a while to get it to the 185-200 degree sump temp that Ford wants it at. Just driving around the block won't cut it. Most quick lube places add fluid thinking the fluid is low when in reality the temp isn't high enough. When the fluid warms fully and expands, it floods parts of the trans that are supposed to be relatively empty, and the fluid foams and purges from the vent or dipstick tube.

On the subject of oil changes and inspections, most dealerships don't use the regular techs to change oil as they won't pay us fairly to do it. Not sure about yours, but at most large dealerships, including ours, doing oil changes is an entry level position, and requires no mechanic's license or previous experience. If you get hired in and had auto shop in high school, you get to change oil. If you get hired in and have no automotive knowledge, you become a porter/valet or clean new cars for delivery. It is the lowest level at the dealership. I must say though that our guys do a good job, and if they don't they get reassigned, which just happened to one of them a couple weeks ago (he is now our newest porter.)

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I have a 2004 escape, all 4 lines were cracked which i noticed and kinda scared me enough to replace all 4 lines. I only had 50,000 miles on it as well.