The contact owns a 2002 Ford Escape. The contact stated that when starting the vehicle, it would stall without warning. He was able to restart the vehicle and drive in reverse at speeds as low as 5 mph; yet, the vehicle would accelerate while driving in reverse. When the contact previously experienced the failure he was able to stop the vehicle by depressing the brake pedal. The vehicle was taken to a local repair facility where it was diagnosed with defective idle control valves. The mechanic replaced the idle control valves and jumper harness and reprogrammed the central computer. The failure did not persist after the vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was unknown and the current mileage was 104,946.

- Northville, MI, USA

The accelerator on my 2002 Ford Escape V6 stuck and would not release. Upon trying to manually "pull" the accelerator free, the vehicle continued to accelerate faster. Speeds reached 70 mph and the brakes would not slow the vehicle. I shifted the vehicle into neutral, and slowly applied the parking brake to slow the vehicle. The engine kept racing at 6000 RPM's. upon finding a safe place to pull off the side of the road, I turned off the ignition and drifted to the side road. I had the vehicle towed to the local Ford dealership. They are not admitting to any problems/issues. I called Ford Motor Co. As well to no avail, even though there are numerous reports of this occurring on the internet. I am convinced that if my wife was driving with the children, she would have crashed the vehicle.

- Camp Hill, PA, USA

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Escape. While driving at 55 mph, the vehicle independently accelerated. The contact moved switched to neutral gear and moved the vehicle off the roadway. He was able to stop the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where the contact was awaiting a diagnosis of the failure. The failure and current mileages were 64,111. Updated 07/29/10 the consumer stated the cruise control cable became stuck. The consumer has since traded the vehicle. Updated 09/07/10

- Auroa, CO, USA

2002 Ford Escape was recalled for several reasons. Something with the power train, the cruise control, the ABS system..... finally it caught on fire. The engine was melted. Fire and police department got there. Contacted Ford and they just said we will record your call on your profile. Don't understand how lives and property have been lost and Ford doesn't do anything about it.

- Sam Antonio, TX, USA

While driving on a highway at normal speed with small kids in their carseats the accelerator pedal went limp and the engine revved up to full acceleration. After moments of terror and temporary loss of control, the car was brought to the side of the road and shut down by fighting the engine power with the foot brakes and hand emergency brake. It's a miracle there was no crash. At my expense the Ford dealership replaced the cruise control cable and/or cruise control cable housing. The service manager said, "looking at the part, I can see why it goes to full acceleration when that part fails" to me, that is a major safety concern and design failure. I noticed other similar incidents (oid id # 10199728 and 10128545). I lodged a complaint with the Ford Motor Company and, not surprisingly, was told there's nothing they can or will do to compensate me. Now I'm trapped owning an unsafe car. Please investigate and remedy this problem before someone gets hurt.

- Arlington, VA, USA

The contact owned a 2002 Ford Escape which was purchased in October 2001. The vehicle was parked in the driveway and he smelled something burning from inside the house. He later heard a loud explosion from outside and upon further investigation he saw flames coming from under the hood on the driver's side of the vehicle. He was successful and extinguishing some of the fire. The police and fire department were called and had to use excessive force to open the hood and extinguished the remainder of the fire. The sheriff stated the fire originated from the master cylinder. The failure and current mileages were less than 100,000. Updated 1/5/09 the consumer stated the vehicle was a total loss. Updated 01/09/09.

- Fan Marcos, TX, USA

The vehicle in question a 2002 Ford Escape XL, threw a rod at about 47,000 miles due to a problem that became a recall concern ( Ford recall id# 42319 December 7, 2004), I was sent a recall notice 2 months after the replacement by a used ( 43,000 miles), engine which my extended warranty company chose over a remanufactured engine that I wanted. It also threw a rod after the accelerator stuck, ( the recall item) 40,000 miles later. Because the warranty had expired, no repairs were covered and I ended up paying repairs, rental cost and losing wages because I couldn't get to my next assignment.

- Tucson, AZ, USA

Unintended acceleration - 2002 Ford Escape XLT: Driving on interstate accelerated for a hill and car continued to accelerate after foot removed from pedal. Car continued to accelerate and gain speed up hill, hill peaked and speed exceeded 80 miles per hour. Further acceleration down hill - transmission placed in neutral, and able to be stopped on side of freeway. Engine continued to rev; turned off, and then revved when turned back on. Cruise control was not being used at any time. Dealer inspected and found and replaced defective cruise control cable.

- Cincinnati, OH, USA

Our 2002 Ford Escape caught on fire while parked in the garage. It appears that the fire originated in or around the ABS module. Thankfully there were no initial serious injuries, though we incurred smoke damage and the inconvenience of a non functioning vehicle.

- Demotte, IN, USA

On March 13th 2007 my car was parked in the driveway and smoke was coming out of the bottom of the Escape and the hood. It smelled like an electrical fire- I investigated where the smell was and it all looked fine- I turned on the Escape and then the brake lights and ABS light came on along with the engine check light. I looked up on the internet and saw that several complaints on the brake system catching on fire.

- Columbus, OH, USA

- the contact stated that the 2002 Ford Escape XLT had acceleration problems when trying to come to a complete stop. The throttle kicked off and the rpms went up to 4 she then would have to wait until the rpms went back to normal. When this happened it was very difficult to get the vehicle to stop completely. The contact has had 2 failures with the vehicle. When she put the vehicle in neutral the engine sounded like it was revving at a much higher rate. The contact stated that this was a leased vehicle that she will be returning in 2 months. The vehicle was at a dealership now for a diagnostic testing on what could be causing this problem. She contacted the manufacturer and was given a case # 1331070467. The current mileage was 64000. Updated 03/07/07.

- Akron, OH, USA

This is to report another suspected 2002 Ford Escape ABS control module fire. The vehicle fire occurred Jan. 9, 2007 at client's home. The vehicle is a 2002 Ford Escape XLT, and is currently stored at insurance auto auctions (iaa), 1710 starita road, charlotte, nc 28206-1286, phone: 704-596-5854, fax: 704-596-7492, stock number: 2799576. The house and car are insured by state farm, which has retained me as its subrogation counsel. The fire occurred while the car was parked in the garage in the "key off" position. Larry helton for Ford has already examined the vehicle and the scene on January 17, 2007. No one was injured, but the property damages could exceed $50,000.

- Charlotte, NC, USA

At first start up of morning, while driving the idle kicks up to 2000 RPM's. when I stop the car and put it in neutral, that's where I notice the tach revving to 2000. After driving for 3 to 5 miles, it finally goes to normal. If I shut off car, and restart it, its fine. I had the car to the dealer several times to no avail, the put a recorder device in the car and when I noticed the problem, I was to push the button. They sent the box to Ford, who in turn said it was supposed to do that. I am at a standstill right now, with no fix in site. The vehicle is harder to stop in the mornings due to the increased idle. This started right before the 3 year bumper to bumper warranty expired. It is continuing to happen to date. Thank you.

- Pittsburgh, PA, USA

If you could please forward me any other resources where I can seek a resolution I would greatly appreciate it. On 7-14-05 our Ford Escape V6 XLT (VIN: [xxx]) was taken to galpin Ford (van nuys, ca) for repairs. The problem was that while stopped the vehicle suddenly accelerated, resulting in the accelerator being stuck and the vehicle moving forward. The vehicle had to be put in park in order to avoid a collision. The vehicle was then taken in on 7-14-05 where tech's diagnosed the problem w/ an "stp sensor malfunction", resulting in the sensor being replaced. According to [xxx] (svc. Advisor) he related that this may be a problem on newer Ford Escapes, but not on our specific vehicle. He said to contact Ford corporate to seek reimbursement. On 7-17-05 I contacted corporate explaining them of the problem. Although, they admitted it was a safety issue, they stated there was no recall for our specific model and year. They said at this time they could not assist with the matter. As stated before I am seeking assistance in this matter due to Ford's poor history for automotive safety. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Glendale, CA, USA

7/5/2005. I was in baltimore, md in my 2002 Ford Escape. Trafic was moderately heavy. I started to change lanes and noticed a car in the lane so I pulled back into my lane at which point, the throttle on my vehicle stuck open. The engine was racing and attempts to brake were useless. I threw the moving vehicle into park where it continued to move. I then tried to shift to neutral in hoipes of regaining braking, but I hit reverse first, at which point my car rapidly reversed into another vehicle. Damage to the vehicles was limited as I hit a 3500 Chevy Silverado truck, however, it was one of the most unnerving experiences I have ever had. The police were called as the other vehicle belongs to the city of baltimore department of public works. No traffic report was written by the police officer, however, the baltimore city employee (darell powers) did fill out an accident report for the city. My vehicle was towed to carmax in white marsh md, where they told me the cause was the cruise control cable had frayed, causing it to butterfly and hold open the throttle. The Escape has 53,002 miles on it, and cruise control is rarely used. I do have the replaced part and the bill I paid for $291. One other note, ihad to have the engine replaced on this same car 45 days after I purchased it last July. Carmax paid for the replacement cost, close to $4,000 and the mechanic who serviced it this time insists this is not related.

- Germantown, MD, USA

As I was putting up to a red light, I applied the brakes and my automoblie would not slow down. It sped up resulting in me crashing into the car in front of me. When I applied the brakes the car did not slow down at all it sped up to at least 20 to 30 mph. I had recieved a recall for this exact thing happening. Ford service manager jason preat has informed that there is nothing wrong with the accelerator cable (what the car has the recall for) and that is not why my car crashed. But I know what happen and Ford is responsible for this accident, my loss wages, and other various expends. This car has done this in the past and I thought that I had imaged it. It was never as serve as the last time. The service manager jason preat has denied that the recall on my veichile is the cause of this accident and has told me I would be spinning my wheels to get Ford to own up to this.

- Lake Worth, FL, USA

The vehicle accelerated uncontrollably into a cement wall while the driver's foot was still on the brake pedal. Both frontal air bags deploy. The vehicle was towed to a dealer for inspection. The cause has not been determined at this time.

- Roselle Park, NJ, USA

While driving. The accelerator pedal sticks. Consumer cannot make a smooth acceleration from a complete stop. The problem was intermittent, you have to depress the pedal so far until it gives, then the vehicle surges forward, and the tires spin. Took the vehicle in for the repair. Was told the throttle body has to be replaced.

- Larsen, WI, USA

Vehicle suddenly surged forward. Vehicle is currently at the police garage waiting to be investigated. The consumer was pulling into his driveway, put the vehicle in park and pulled up the emergency brake. The consumer exited the vehicle to retrieve her mail and got back into the vehicle. The consumer put the emergency brake down and proceed to shift the vehicle into drive. When the vehicle was shifted into drive the vehicle accelerated suddenly and could not be stopped, not even by applying the brake. The vehicle went through a garage wall, through a utility room and came out the back of the house and hit a small tree. The air bag did not deploy. The car was totaled.

- Cranston, RI, USA

Consumer slowly pulled into the garage with foot on the brakes and stopped. She put the vehicle in park, and suddenly vehicle accelerated forward, causing it to crash into the back of the garage, damaging the refrigerator and the back of the garage, and knocking the garage 4-5 inches off the foundation. Consumer was not injured but shook up. Consumer and husband called the insurance company and the dealer. The insurance representative was suppose to come to the house to look at the vehicle.

- Moline, IL, USA