FYI from:
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-f...ck=1&cset=true


Ford Motor Co. will recall 6,164 Escape hybrid sport utility vehicles from model year 2006 for inspections because a drivetrain shaft may fracture, a U.S. agency said.

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

Ford received a handful of reports about the problem and then began examining it, said Kristen Kinley, a spokeswoman for Dearborn, Mich.-based Ford. "There have been no reports of injuries or accidents," she said.

2005 Ford Escape Hybrid - Titanium Green, 4WD, Appearance Pkg, Leather, Nav System

Mariner hybrids weren't affected? Possibly it covers 2wd models only???

You've got it Walt - 2WD only. It's recall 06S44. My dealer contact informed me that owners will be notified in late October.

If it only affected the vehicle rolling after it was put in park then the parking brake being set would prevent that. No danger of it snapping at highway speeds? Or under heavy acceleration trying to get onto the highway?

I'm kinda curious as to how an inspection would reveal whether the shaft was properly heat treated. Don't they keep track of what parts go into which vehicle by VIN? They should be able to recall only those that have the defective part. I don't think someone shining a flashlight under my car is going to be able to reveal the absense of heat treatment.

I'm not looking forward to leaving my car at the dealership for a day or more. Hope the recall includes an alignment if they do have to remove and/or replace the shaft.

"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."

No manufacturer identifies and tracks each of the thousands of parts that go into every vehicle. It would be an overwhelming task with minimal overall benefit. There may be a few very specific/critical parts that are tracked, but by no means every one. However, knowing when a suspect part was built by a supplier and when that batch was delivered to the asembly plant, they can then normally identify the vehicle build range (and go a little beyond it each way) that would would contain the suspect parts.

I'm guessing that the dealer will be able to identify whether or not the shaft has been properly heat treated by the date code or some other unmistakeable identifying mark on the part. When it comes to a recall there's absolutely no guesswork or judgement call involved!

There is very likely an individual serial number or date code on the driveshaft. They are looking with the flashlight for that. As for whether it can break under load.... I don't see where it says it can't. They give the example of it braking while in park, that doesn't eliminate other examples.

The letter Ford sent to their dealers specifies 2WD vehicles only. I've read it myself. Ford's letter even specifically states the Mariner Hybrid is not affected by this (the Mariner Hybrid is only available as a 4WD) and 4WD Escapes HYbrids are also specifically excluded.

You must be right. The story is different on another newspaper website.

The recall covers 6,164 front-wheel drive Escape Hybrids built from July 28, 2005, through April 21. Ford built about 20,000 Escape Hybrids in the 2006 model year, said Kristen Kinley, a Ford spokeswoman.

The recall does not affect the Escape’s sister vehicle, the Mercury Mariner, also made at Claycomo.

Mariners are produced only as all-wheel-drive vehicles, Kinley said.

Without knowing all of the details of the situation, the potential failure under other conditions would make sense. But the recall is addressing the safety aspect of the breakage - and the FMVSS standards have specific performance requirements for the "PARK" position holding the vehicle stationary.