Hybrid Ford Escape, Mercury Mariner Recalls Issued Over Coolant Pump Failure

More than 70,000 hybrid Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner vehicles appear to contain problems with the coolant pump, which may cause the hybrid electronics to overheat and shut down the powertrain, resulting in a stall-like condition that could increase the risk of an accident. 

The Ford Hybrid recall (PDF) was announced by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on September 11, after the manufacturer learned that the Motor Electronics Coolant Pump (MECP) may fail and cause the electronics cooling system to overheat. As a result of this failure, drivers may lose motive power.

Although Ford has not received any accidents or injury reports in connection with the problem, this may pose a serious auto accident risk.

In the event the vehicles experience increased temperatures within the electronics cooling system, the vehicle’s braking and steering systems will continue to operate normally, but a sudden loss of power will create a stall-like scenario. Drivers may experience audible and visual warnings from the dash light icons.

An internal investigation by Ford Motor Company was able to determine the vehicles were overheating due to the MEC pumps being built with motor brushes that experience a high wear rate, causing the brushes to wear prematurely and cause a faster decrease in pump function. The motor brushes were supplied to Ford Motor CO. by Robert Bosch LLC of Plymouth, Michigan.

The Ford Hybrid recall includes model year 2005 through 2008 Ford Escape hybrid electric vehicles manufactured from October 13, 2003 to June 20, 2008 and 2006 through 2008 Mercury Mariner hybrid electric vehicles manufactured from June 10, 2005 to June 20, 2008. All years and models are being recalled due to potential hybrid electronics overheating. The recall affects 70,209 vehicles in all.

This is not Ford’s first electronics recall this year. In May, the automaker recalled nearly 700,000 Escape SUV’s and C-MAX hybrid vehicles due to software problems preventing the front and side curtain air bags from deploying in a crash. Unlike other recalls, where only percentages of the vehicles being recalled are anticipated to be faulty, Ford anticipated all vehicles to contain the air bag defects.

Ford has started notifying owners and dealers and will inspect and replace the original Motor Electronics Coolant Pump with an improved brushless pump free of charge. The recall is anticipated to begin on October 27, 2014. Customers with recalled vehicles or further questions should contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332 and reference the recall number 14S19.