Ford Escape Hybrid Recall

Ford is placing a recall on all Escape Hybrids built between July 28, 2005, through April 21, 2006, at Ford's Kansas City, Mo plant. After a handful of complaints, Ford investigated and found an issue with the drive-train shaft.

Source: RECALL: 6,164 Escape hybrid SUVs with drive-train problems: South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Ford Motor Co. will recall 6,164 Escape hybrid sport-utility vehicles for inspections because a drive-train shaft may fracture, a U.S. agency said.

Ford will replace the shafts if necessary, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said today in Washington.

The intermediate shaft may not have been properly heat-treated, and a fracture may result in the SUV rolling after the gearshift is placed in ``park,'' the agency said on its Web site.

Ford received a ``handful'' of reports about the problem and then began examining it, said Kristen Kinley, a spokeswoman for Dearborn, Michigan-based Ford.

``There have been no reports of injuries or accidents,'' she said.

The recall covers only the four-wheel-drive version of the gasoline-electric 2006 Escape. It's expected to begin on or before Oct. 23, the safety agency said.

The SUVs in question were produced from July 28, 2005, through April 21, 2006, at Ford's Kansas City, Mo., assembly plant, the company said in a statement. Ford, the second-largest U.S. automaker, said it identified 14 reports of the problem through its internal database.