2008 Ford Escape Hybird shutting down while driving while raining or wet

Hello,

I have the above mentioned vehicle and have had 5 incidents of the vehicle shutting down on me while I am driving. A warning light (triangle with !) come on, and a message that says “Stop Safely Now”, at which point the car shuts down and runs only on electric battery power for a short period of time to allow you to pull over. I have figured out that it only happens when it is either raining outside, or I have just gotten a car wash with undercarriage spray down.

I have had the throttle body replaced as well as the master air flow cleaned out, neither of which have fixed the issue. This is becoming a safety issue, since it has happened twice now on the highway going around 65 mph.

If anyone is having or has had a similar issue, were you able to get it fixed?

Thanks for the help!

are there any forums for Ford hybrirds, something is getting wet maybe that needs to stay dry but i wish i had more info to give to you. is there a local shop that knows somethhing about your Ford?

I’ve read some forums, and my next best guess would be one of the batteries. I’ve been taking it to the Ford dealership, since it is still under warranty, but I don’t think they know exactly what it is either :-/

The Hybrid System Shutdown Indicator will come on for a multitude of reasons… You are going to have to have the codes pulled from all modules (Not just the PCM) Could be HV wiring safety interupt circuit. Could be main harness connection at the transaxle not sealing well. Could be anything. Need to know the informational codes as well as the component codes. If the concern is really due to water saturation, the sooner you get it examined/fixed the better.

I don’t know anything about your make/model, but if this was a standard econobox with a gasoline engine, the first place I’d look is the high voltage part of the ignition system. Check for faulty spark plug wires or ignition coils. Water – even just a few drops – getting on the high voltage wiring will short it out straight away. Eventually the engine heat evaporates it, then the car will go again.

also go to repairpal to get more ideas

I recently bought this same year and model and have just experienced this twice in one month. I live in San Diego and it hasn’t rained the entire two months I’ve owned this vehicle. Haven’t brought it in to the shop yet for the runaround. I bought an extended warranty.

Hello everyone. I just wanted to update you on what the problem turned out to be.

It turns out that whatever was protecting the main electrical cords under the hood had worn away, and water was coming into direct contact with the exposed wiring.

They were not going to cover it, even though I had purchased an extended warranty on the car and should have been covered. My good ol’ dad came to the rescue and managed to get them to do the repairs for free.

Not a single problem since then (knock on wood!).

Thank you everyone for your feedback and suggestions!

@Cutman, I hope they find your issue much faster than they found mine, and that it’s an easy fix!!