2.2

hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
71,522 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

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problem #20

May 102023

Escape

  • 219,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was initially taken to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the fuel sensor was defective; and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure returned soon after repair. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed and informed the contact that the VIN was not under recall. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 219,000.

- Platteville, WI, USA

problem #19

Feb 142012

Escape 4-cyl

  • 70,000 miles
While trying to accelerate onto the highway the vehicles gas pedal freezes. I was unable to get the vehicle to accelerate. I continually tapped on the pedal and eventually had to go under the vehicle hood to tug on throttle cable. This freed the stuck pedal. I called the Ford Motor Co. And reported this incident in 2012. They said that it was not an issue and to continue driving the vehicle. Over the past year or so I have had intermittent issues only when the vehicle is first started. It has recently become a bigger issue as of 12/8/14 as my wife was driving the vehicle while merging into highway traffic and the vehicle again would not accelerate. I met her tugged on the throttle cable and the pedal became free again. I drove to the nearest gas station to check again under the hood and as I left the same issue occurred, a stuck pedal. While driving I had to hold one foot on the brake and one on the gas to keep the pedal from locking in the closed position. This is not a safe form of driving and believe there in a design issue with Ford Motor Co. Throttle. The Ford company again said their engineers says this is not an issue and to take the vehicle to the dealer at my expense. This is a safety issue as the vehicle is unable to accelerate in traffic. Does someone have to die before this gets fixed. I do not want it to be me! thank you

- Albemarle, NC, USA

problem #18

Oct 222014

Escape 4-cyl

  • 60,328 miles
After years (since early on in the ownership of the vehicle purchased new from the dealer) of intermittent problems with my gas pedal sticking (mostly in colder weather), the most recent incident was by far the worst and, like many other 2008 Ford Escape owners with the same issue, I am very lucky that it occurred in an area where I was not in immediate danger from other cars. I was stopped at a stop sign and when I pressed the gas pedal to move forward the pedal started to respond then fell to the floor with no further response. There was no power to move forward and no warning lights came on. I lifted the pedal to make sure that it was not stuck on anything and it just fell limply back to the floor. I manipulated the arm under the pedal with my hand until it loosened up and the pedal was able to engage again. I then drove to my destination without further incident. This is not the first time this has happened and if my car does not become part of the "customer satisfaction program, " I am sure that it will not be the last. The NHTSA investigation of alleged throttle body failures in 2005-2012 Ford Escape vehicles sharing the same or substantially similar part, did not result in enough vehicles being included in the resulting Ford "customer satisfaction program, " which only included cars from 2009-2012, when it should have included many more cars. The complaint forums are filled with many complaints regarding the same issue from at least 2008 Ford Escape owners. To not include everyone from the initial investigation is doing a disservice and it will be sad day when the rest of the car owners are included only because somebody has died!

- Menlo Park, CA, USA

problem #17

Mar 242014

Escape

  • 108,000 miles
For the last couple of days, whenever I put my car in reverse and begin to back up, I lose my steering ability. The only way I can get my steering wheel to work again is if I turn my car off and then turn it back on again. Well, today, it happened again, but this time I tried multiple times to turn my car off and turn it back on and my power steering would not kick back in. I have read through many complaints on here as well as other sites and see that a lot of people are having the same issue with their 2008 Escape. I have seen that it can cost over $1400 to get it fixed!! I do not have that kind of money right now!! the fact that there was no warning light to tell me that something in the power steering was going is ridiculous!! in the past 2 years I have had to replace the transmission, get a new battery, get brakes, tires, new gas tank, new sensor for the heating control, and the list continues. This car is only 6 years old and just past 100,000 miles!!! I should not have had to replace all these things already!! I am not about to put another $1400+ in this vehicle especially since it seems to be an ongoing problem with many other Escapes. Time to do a recall people or you can gladly take this car back!!

- Franklin, PA, USA

problem #16

Feb 022012

Escape 4-cyl

  • 85,125 miles
At outdoor temperatures below 20 degrees F the fuel tank is nearly impossible to fill. At 0 degrees F it will take over 30 minutes to fill. I am concerned that at some point it will not take any fuel at all.

- Northville, MI, USA

problem #15

Feb 142014

Escape 4-cyl

  • 100,250 miles
The gas peddle sticks and raves up and other times the vehicle dies when starting from a stop position. The incident has happen multiple times and seems to be more when the vehicle is cold. So far there has not been a accident and mechanics are giving me multiple answers but cannot fix the issue. There is not a recall on the VIN number for my car but the issue is going to cause an accident for my car and me.

- Pauline, SC, USA

problem #14

Oct 162013

Escape 4-cyl

  • 101,000 miles
When the temperature outside gets cold, the gas pedal on my '08 Escape will stick in place and will not press down. If I jiggle it or jam it down hard I am able to make the vehicle accelerate. The issue is very prominent when it's cold out and the car hasn't been ran for a while. The gas pedal will jam both when stopped and when attempting to accelerate at higher speeds. It can be dangerous in parking lot situations when trying to slowly maneuver out of a space or around blind corners, and the gas pedal sticks, causing the car to lurch forward without much control. It's also dangerous when driving since you may be trying to accelerate from a stop but are unable to due to the gas pedal sticking. This can cause unsuspecting drivers to slam on their brakes, as they were assuming that you were going to move forward in traffic but the car is unable to advance. It has proven to be very dangerous in snowy situations and unplowed roads and driveways. When attempting to accelerate, the pedal will stick and then suddenly lurch forward, causing the car to slide around. Trying to drive up a snowy slope from a stop is nearly impossible, since the sudden acceleration causes you to spin out in the snow rather than allowing you to advance slowly. I have read that cleaning the throttle body is an effective fix for this issue but haven't yet tried it.

- Lorain, OH, USA

problem #13

Jan 292014

Escape 4-cyl

  • 67,410 miles
On 1 -28- 2014 I tried to mash gas pedal down it wouldn't do anything I kept pressing on it I went down and accelerated almost hit fence got end lane tried give it gas it was really sluggish almost get hit bytruck then it started working sluggish. On 1-29 14 it did it again but this time I couldn't get it to press down without pressing really hard on pedal when I stopped at stop light it would not press down. Had sit for about five minutes almost got hit in back end after pressing hard on pedal it finally went down but I had press hard on pedal. This is a serious situation. U have no warning. Please make Ford recall this. Im terrified. Its dangerous for me my son and other drivers.

- Monticello, KY, USA

problem #12

Jan 022014

Escape 4-cyl

  • 48,000 miles
While stopped at intersections while driving the vehicle will stall out or when accelerating from through the intersection it will stall out.

- Mogadore, OH, USA

problem #11

Jun 012013

Escape

  • 77,000 miles
Accelerator pedal sticks upon attempting to accelerate. This problem has been on and off for the last six months, but has worsened. Last incident (12/14/13) pedal completely stuck to floor. Contacted dealer and was advised of a $70 diagnostic fee and deductible. Prior to this incident from August 2011 to August 2013 experienced three incidents of steering column locking, column did not respond to keys, keys would not unlock doors manually or with clicker, and ignition switch would not turn when key is inserted. Dealer replaced steering column (2011), but problem returned on two separate occasions within two years. On last two visits to dealer regarding ignition problem - dealer could not verify problem existed and deemed the battery as problem. Dealer replaced my newly installed battery (less than a year old) with their battery without my consent and required me to pay for unapproved battery - which I had them to remove, and reinstall my original battery that worked fine. Called on Ford dealer on 12/16/13 regarding incident of pedal sticking, and received head wrenching response. Was informed that my car was not on the list for recalls eventhough Ford just paid a hefty $17+ million fine for not recalling these Ford for sticking gas pedals!

- Downey, CA, USA

problem #10

Dec 142013

Escape 4-cyl

  • 42,000 miles
The accelerator would not move at all on my 2008 Ford Escape. Before the accelerator would hesitate a little bit and than go. This is an issue that Ford need to fix asap.

- Macomb , MI, USA

problem #9

Nov 142012

Escape 4-cyl

  • 63,000 miles
It was approximately 45 degrees outside and I was driving down a road at the posted speed limit of 50 mph and took my foot off of the throttle. I attempted to get back up to speed and the throttle was locked shut and I could not accelerate at all. This happened repeatedly until the engine warmed up. It has continued intermittently since that time and yesterday was so severe, I could not move from a stop sign. I went to the dealership and they wanted to charge me a total of $385 to replace the throttle body. Now I see that there was a recall and I am feeling very ripped off. Ford should pay for this manufacturing/design problem.

- Sedro Woolley, WA, USA

problem #8

Aug 012012

Escape 4-cyl

  • 68,000 miles
The gas pedal sticks. I have been told it is most likely the throttle body. It is getting progressively worse and I fear it may lead to an accident if it is not repaired.

- Chaska, MN, USA

problem #7

Jul 192013

Escape 6-cyl

  • 92,000 miles
Driving home, came to a stop (red light) when it was time to go I pressed on the gas pedal and my truck wouldn't moved, then I let go of pedal and did it again and my truck jolted and started moving. As I was driving and trying to increase speed my truck would shift..if I tried to pass 30 mph it felt like it was decreasing. Every time I came to a full stop it kept repeating the same situation, press gas pedal and no movement. It was pretty scary because here in California there are fast drivers and I was afraid that if my car wouldn't go any faster I would be hit, and I had my son and nephew in the car. This is very disappointing, never did I ever have issues with Ford til now and what makes it worse there are no warnings it just happens. Now its costing more then $300 dollars to fix this. But who is to say that after I spend all that money this wont happen again. I should be driving a vehicle that hasn't been recalled and the dealer should have contacted me about this and fixed it.

- Long Beach, CA, USA

problem #6

Jan 022011

Escape

  • 58,000 miles
A binding throttle body causes the accelerator pedal to stick, which results in a sudden and unexpected stall in traffic. Fortunately no one was heart.

- Shoreline, WA, USA

problem #5

Sep 152009

Escape

  • 40,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape. While driving at any speed, the contact noticed that when he applied pressure to the gas pedal it remained stuck. The dealer was advised and was aware of the problem and recommended that the fuel system be cleaned once every 20,000 miles. The contact did not inform the manufacturer. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer, where they flushed the fuel system. The current mileage was approximately 80,000. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000. The VIN was unavailable.

- Fenton, MI, USA

problem #4

Apr 202010

Escape

  • 72,000 miles
My wife was driving our 2008 Ford Escape XLT when the accelerator became hard to press. She attempted to vary the amount of pressure on the accelerator but it was still hard to press. She then pressed harder on the accelerator and it dropped to the fire wall and did not return to its normal position. She was able to safely pull off of the highway without incident. I came out to the location where she was, I got into the car and I had to use the tip of my shoe several times to pull the accelerator up before it would stay in its normal position. I was able to get the accelerator to work normally after this. This particular problem has occurred one other time while driving. However, a similar problem to this occurs several times while driving. When the accelerator becomes hard to press I tap on the accelerator (before applying normal press) and I am able to accelerate normally.

- Harrison Township, MI, USA

problem #3

Feb 202008

Escape

  • 26,512 miles
My 2008 Escape has been to dealer for repair for major issues. 1) I had a problem with the steering wheel 2) I had a problem with the gas pedal getting stuck, 3) I had a problem with the leak of transmission fluid I thank god that the this happen to the car while its under warranty, so the dealer replace the parts for free. I just cant understand with so many complaints with all the same problems the government has not done anything about it. So many unhappy customers has to spend extra money in hard times to get there car repair. I called Ford and they just told me that they will noted in my account. What will that do for me nothing!

- Bushkill, PA, USA

problem #2

Jan 302010

Escape

  • 13,000 miles
Gas pedal failed, leaving the car with no throttle control.

- Mountville, PA, USA

problem #1

Oct 112008

Escape

  • 19,821 miles
Saturday night October 11th. Vehicle was driven to a shopping center very close to my home and upon coming out of the store the accelerator (or pedal) fell to the floor. Aaa was called and they were able to temporary repair to the pedal, we drove the vehicle back to our home and we did not use the vehicle until we took it to the Ford dealership, and after analyze it, it was found that it was a "defective cable assembly" and a part had to be ordered and is at the Ford dealership will be repair tomorrow. This is severe and safety situation if we were on the road at the moment that happened it could have resulted in a dead or very serious injuries to us and others.

- Bay Point, CA, USA