In watching the news about Ford SUV's catching on fire, one of the warning signs was a brake light going out or the cruise control light on the dash. I have a 2002 Escape, and recently have replaced two brake lights going out. I only have 40000 miles, yet I did not see a recall on this car concerning this. Has this happened to any Escapes model year 2002 ??

- Celebration, FL, USA

Airbag lights continuosly flash. Was told by Ford service dept at dealer that this could possibly mean that the seatbelts and airbags will not work. Cost to fix is $609

- Hightstown, NJ, USA

Problems with 2002 Ford Escape XLS would not start. The consumer stated it would take three tries before the vehicle would start. The consumer was told by the dealer they could not find any technical signals.

- Roosevelt, NY, USA

2002 Ford Escape XLT stalling (2 times) and hesitating and engine skipping. Complained about engine problems for 2 years. Engine stalled at 40 mph and told the dealership my SUV was now a safety hazard when the motor cuts off without warning at 40 mph. They replaced what they said was Ford's latest part for this problem and I have since had another cut off at 10 mph. There seems to be little effort and no concern from Ford about my vehicles safety problem. You would think Ford has learned a lesson for ignoring safety problems!!! when I bout my SUV I was led to believe I was Ford most important customer and they would stand behind what they sale. For sure I am not a valuable customer and they are not standing behind what I thought was an outstanding product.

- Woodbridge, VA, USA

2002 Ford Escape was parked in driveway at my residence following returning rentla movies at approximately 11:30 pm on 6/30/2004. At approximately 6:00 am on 7/1/2004, I was awakened by the car alarm. Looking at the car from the balcony outside the bedroom window, I could see thick dark smoke coming from under the hood. I took the car keys and manually unlocked the vehicle to get the hood release. As soon as the door was unlocked, the alarm silenced. I then opened the hood and as soon as I did the wiring harness on the driver's side firewall burst into flame. I ran into the garage and got a fire extinguisher and put out the fire. After the fire was out, I could hear a strong electrical hum. At that point I went back the garage and got tools to remove the positive battery terminal. As soon as terminal was removed the sound ceased. The car was later towed to stepp brothers Lincoln Mercury where it remains as of today. Stepp brother has ordered a new wiring harness in order to diagnose the problem and it is still on back order. Phone interview update (Nov. 7, 05) Ford did the repair under warranty and kept the old parts; they said the fire was due to an ABS sensor shorted out. Mr. Evermon also said that he had to fill the master cylinder three times since he purchsed the vehicle.

- Anchorage, AK, USA

Ford Escape engines may stall at certain speeds. The consumer's vehicle has stalled three times in the last two years. The consumer contacted the manufacturer about recall related to stalling. The manufacturer explained to the consumer that her vehicle was not included in the recall.

- Cincinnati, OH, USA

Battery light is coming on and staying for up to 60 to 120 seconds and then turns off. Had mechanic test for error codes but no codes are being written. This has happened over and over and more so in cooler weather but is now occurring in warm temperatures. Engine has stalled previously as well. 2002 Ford Escape XLT 2wd.

- Suwanee, GA, USA

Model: 2002 Ford excape XLT.engine stall without warning around 40 miles per hour. Power steering and brake failed to fundtion.the latest one happened on 3/31/2004. The last one was in late 2002. I purchased this vehicle from Michigan (village Ford at dearborn), and use it in Texas currently.

- San Antonio, TX, USA

While driving the (crs) light appeared on the dashboard and remained on. The driver drove the vehicle to the dealer for an inspection. The mechanic replaced a sensor in the modular. The problem still continued.

- Willow Spring, NC, USA

The brake light came on while driving. This occurred because the brake master cylinder had a slow leak that progressed. The dealership indicated the leak may be due to a bad cylinder cap. The cap was replaced. Also at 100 miles the steering wheel became loose and felt like it was going to separate from it's linkage. A screw in the steering wheel had became loose and needed to be tightened. The dealership tightened the screw and put a punch mark into the side of the screw to make it stay in place but the problem recurred. The master parts were not working the steering wheel was loose after 50 miles. The master cylinder had a slow leak, which worsened over time and tightening did not fix. The consumer found the back light behind the gear selector and odometer went out, the airbag light had come on, the check engine light had come on, the radio did not start, the vehicle stalled, and the seat belts were inoperative.

- Homer, AK, USA

My vehicle has suddenly and without warning stalled while driving. Loss ofpower steering, brakes, etc. I nearly hit another vehicle as I could not control the car. This happend at speeds arount 30 mph as early as 6000 miles on the car. It has happened a few times at slow speeds or while backing out of the driveway but was not as scary as the ones that happened while travelling on a busy road at 30 mph. First time I brought the car to the dealer they updated the PCM and reset the relay switch. This was supposed to fix the problem. The stalling happened a few more times but then again at high speeds at 37000 miles. Brought car to dealer again and they updated the PCM(again) and now say I need a new iac valve. They are not even sure this will correct the sudden engine stalling. I read through the hundreds of complaints on the NHTSA website and discovered this is a very common problem. There is something very wrong with the computer and needs to be replaced/recalled immediately.

- Renton, WA, USA

I bought a new 2002 Ford Escape XLT 4X4. 4 months after receiving it from the factory, it lost power and died suddenly while driving. I put the car in park and restarted it. I took the car to a Ford dealership and they "reprogrammed and reset the relay switch" saying that would correct the problem. Then last week, I was travelling 30 mph on a busy road when the exact same thing occurred. The engine stopped and I lost all power, including power steering. This was very dangerous as I was going around a curve and nearly went into the oncoming lanes and I was in the middle of the road just around a curve, where a car could come around the corner and not be able to stop in time before hitting me. Luckily I was able to coast for a few feet and then restart the car again. I returned to the same Ford dealership again and they "reprogrammed the computer again" I have had new cars before and have never had this happen or heard of this happening. I do not feel it is safe to have a car's engine just stop while driving at 30 mph on a road. I feel there is something defective with the computer that came with the vehicle and the computer needs to be recalled.

- Renton, WA, USA

The 2002 for ecape that I have owned for 16 months has a defect in the engine that has made it unoporable and the computer system that is supposed to warn you of engine trouble never worked.

- Richmond Heights, OH, USA

My husband and I purchased a 2002 Ford Escape on 07/04/02. There was a little over 500 mile on the vehicle at date of purchase. Since then, we have had the SUV at the dealership for repairs 6 times for problem relating to what seems to be electrical. #1 there was a short in the headlamp assembly, #2 short in the heater wiring causing an arch sound and foul odor. #3 vehicle got stuck in park, #3 & #4, vehicle was stranded with the vehicle not starting and #6 became stuck in park for the second time.

- Lexington, NC, USA

Consumer states that the safety system light keeps indicating that the seat belts and airbags don't work.

- Kingsland, GA, USA

While driving the vehicle shut down. The dashboard lights flashed erratically and consumer lost functionality of the steering and braking.

- Robesonia, PA, USA

I own a 2002 Ford Escape XLT that stalled today for the first time at 8900 miles. I have read a lot of emails on Escape-central.com on the exact same problem. Why isn't Ford aggressively doing something to fix it? I was traveling on a very busy street under construction with no turn off when it happened. I almost was rear ended and it could have been a very bad accident.

- N Las Vegas, NV, USA

My 2002 Ford Escape purchased at john elway Ford in boulder, co stalled on me. I've previously have had electrical problems that have not been fixed after being brought in numerous times. After the vehicle stalled, it would make an extremely loud noise and it would not shut back down. The service people have done nothing to help this situation. I've also spoke with the manger dave and nothing is being done. I bought the truck brand new and it has less than 30,000 miles on it. I spend alot of money on it every month and it should not be breaking down already!

- Westminster, CO, USA

The check engine/oil light illuminated, and the vehicle lost power steering. The dealership indicated the main computer was the cause of the problem.

- Saint Thomas, VI, USA

Ford Escape XLT midnight edition 2002 stalled while driving on a clear day. Luckily there was roadwork so I could pull over easily although braking and steering was almost impossible. One week later car didn't start and garage told me that the battery had burst, they replaced battery.

- Kennesaw, GA, USA