Ford recalling nearly 700k Escape CUVs, C-Max hybrids over two separate safety issues

Fri, 09 May 2014

Poor Escape. Ever since its launch in 2012, Ford's small CUV has been the subject of many, many, many recalls. And today, The Detroit News is reporting that Ford is adding two more recalls to the 2013-14 model year Escape's permanent record, one of them also involves the C-Max hybrid hatchback.

The first recall, covering 692,500 Escape and C-Max vehicles, is due to a software glitch that could cause the airbags – specifically, the safety canopy – to not deploy in a timely fashion during rollover crashes. According to the News, Ford says no crashes or injuries have been reported in relation to this problem.

The second recall, covering 692,700 Escapes, is related to the door handles. The News reports that the exterior door handles could open while the vehicle is in motion, and could also fail to latch properly. Once again, no crashes or injuries have occurred because of this. The National Highway Safety Traffic Administration has not issued an official notice on either recall as of this writing.

If that math doesn't seem to add up, it's important to note that all of the Escapes involved in the airbag recall are also included in the door handle issue. Might as well just fix 'em all at once, right?

The Detroit News reports that, in the airbag recall, dealers will reprogram the vehicles' restraint control modules. For the second recall, dealers will inspect all four of the Escapes' door handles and reposition them if needed.

By Steven J. Ewing