The engine stalled while I was driving on the express way. With no power I coasted (luckily) to the shoulder. The same thing happened to my wife in the same vehicle the previous Monday. It was towed to a mechanics garage where it was diagnosed with a throttle body problem. He cleaned it, test drove it and sent her on her way. Obviously there is still a problem.

- Lapeer, MI, USA

I pulled out of my driveway and around the corner when the car would no longer accelerate and a wrench warning light appeared on dashboard. I pulled to side and checked the owner's manual to find out the wrench meant something was wrong with the throttle/powertrain. I turned the car off then back on. The wrench disappeared and I was able to drive it home. When I got home, I called our usual Ford service guy and was told it could have been something lodged in the air filter but that if it happened again to call them. I was able to drive it to work and run some errands however I felt like it was jerking. Then later that afternoon, while driving approximately 40 mph on a main road, it happened again. Once again, I was able to pull to the side somewhat (it was a long right hand turn lane). I turned off the car and back on, the wrench went away so I tried to move forward and it happened again just after a few feet. I turned the car off and one again and this time the wrench disappeared however the check engine warning light came on and that's when I knew I could not trust driving this car any longer. I called Ford, called a tow truck and it is at the dealer now. We were informed it was a bad throttle body. I had done some online research after it happened that morning and found out there were many, many instances just like mine so when it happened again in the afternoon, I pretty much knew that was going to be the outcome. We were told by the dealer that they've been having an issue getting the part lately so it'll be another 5 days before they'll receive it and it'll cost $488+tax because it's not covered under warranty.

- Mckinney, TX, USA

I was driving on the highway when the motor in the Escape just died, I was forced to move from the left lane of the highway to the right with almost no power. No accident occurred I took the truck to the Ford dealership and they say that part is on national backorder Ford is making 4000 of the throttle bodies in order to keep with the demand.

- Arlington, VA, USA

While driving at roughly 25-30 mph vehicle stopped accelerating and coasted regardless of pressure to gas pedal. I was in a busy intersection and was unable to get out of the way. Wrench light came on when vehicle stopped accelerating. I coasted to a driveway (no shoulder) and shut off the engine and restarted the vehicle. At this time, the engine light was on with no wrench light. Car accelerated fine so I continued home. In the span of 5 miles, this same incident occurred 4 times. Turning the car off and on would temporarily fix the issue, but the engine light never left. In route, I stayed on roads with shoulder allowances or frequent turnoffs, where possible. The following day, I took the vehicle to a mechanic who ran diagnostic and determined it was the throttle actuator control system. Currently having trouble finding the part to fix the issue, because of its current high demand. I'm told it could be a month.

- Little Rock, AR, USA

I purchased a 2010 Ford Escape limited in October 2010. In just two and half of years of having the vehicle and under 50,000 miles, I had to replace the throttle body costing me $385 (after talking the service guy down to that price). The incident occurred on April 24, 2013 while driving home from work for lunch. I was driving on a busy road when my car's speed started to slow down automatically. I tried to press the gas but it would not accelerate although the engine was still on. There were no lights on indicating a problem, so I pulled into the first place I could, turned off the car and turned it back on. It started right back up so I didn't think anything of it and pulled back out onto the street. It happened two more times on my way home before I saw the first mechanic shop and turned in. By the third time the (wrench) light came on. Since I was still under the powertrain warranty the mechanic told me it was best to go to the closest Ford location. After looking at my car they told me the throttle body needed to be replaced and due to what type of part it was, the repair was not covered under my warranty so I had to pay the full amount. This does not seem normal given that the car is only a few years old and less than 50,000 miles. I am fearful that more problems are to come...

- Auburn, AL, USA

As I was driving my 2010 Ford Escape on the highway, it started to buckle and it eventually turned off by itself. The only thing that was remaining on was my radio. I had no steering, and the gas pedal did not even work. On a busy highway, I had to some how pull over, put the car in park, and, had to restart it. I did notice a wrench symbol on my dashboard that lighted up. Didn't know what it meant, so, I went ahead and got my manual out. The symbol has stated that it was "the throttle/powertrain" and I needed to see a dealer as soon as possible. This incident has happened before, I just did not keep track of it. This time it was more worse than the others. On June 1st 2013 it actually did it twice in one day. Thankfully the second time around I was in the clear and pulled over into an office complex. Had to do the same thing over again. Please check into this defect. It is really dangerous, scary, and its an accident waiting to happen. Luckily for me, that this did not happen. As of June 3rd 2013 the dealer replaced my throttle auto body. I am hoping that this doesn't happen to anybody else. It can cause serious damage to another person, if, they are not careful, and, don't know what to do. Thank god, I had my husband with me when this happened. The other times, I was actually by myself and scared out of my mind. I was in the middle of the road and on a busy bridge when my truck completely stalled on me. I could have killed somebody or myself. My total bill for this part to be replaced was $455. I am hoping you can check into this problem for other drivers as well. One day this is going to happen to somebody, and, it will cause a very serious accident.

- Myrtle Beach , SC, USA

I was driving down 128 (a major highway), when my car 'appeared' to downshift all on it's own. The 'wrench' appeared on the dashboard and I managed to coast into a rest area before the car eventually stalled. I was able to restart the vehicle and at first it seemed like everything was fine again. I attempted to drive it home, but 4-5 minutes in the same thing happened. It hesitated, light came one, car stalled, I dangerously coasted into the breakdown lane. This happened 3 times before I then decided to get it towed since it was stalling in dangerous places and I didn't think I would make it home. I had it towed to a mechanic that night. Next day I was told it's the etb, but it's not covered. I was also told that this part is not in stock since there are so many being sold. This appears to be a good candidate for a recall, since it sounds like something common and can result in serious injury or worse. This is my 5th Ford, I've had the Explorer, mustang, Ford 250, Ford 150 and now the Escape. As a loyal consumer I would expect the manufacturer to do the proper thing and make this more than tsb since it's a definite danger. I'm just happy my kids were not in the car at the time.

- Weymouth, MA, USA

As vehicle was proceeding forward from a stop onto a four lane road with the speed limit of 35 mph, it rolled forward and no power was provided. No warning lights prior to this. The throttle control / power train light came on and we were only able to go approximately 20 -30 yards onto the shoulder attempting to go around the corner and up a hill the vehicle was unable to do this we rolled back to the shoulder then turned the car off restarted and the check engine light appeared and were able to get the car up the hill and home. Car was towed to Ford dealership where it was diagnosed as a failed throttle body which was then replaced.

- Florissant, MO, USA

I have been a Ford owner for years, and this is the first complaint I am filing. My 2010 Ford Escape suddenly lost all power and I had to pull it to the side of the road. It restarted and resumed driving normally. The next day I took it to the dealer and was told it was the electronic throttle body. Since I was on the interstate outside a major city, I feel this is a real safety hazard. I had no ability to power the vehicle other than its own momentum. I really want to see this part recalled!

- Killeen , TX, USA

I was driving and my vehicle just stopped working at least I was able to coast to the side of the road. The part is not in stock at any Ford dealer and has been back ordered so to me that means it is a regular problem on this vehicle. I need to know if other cars had this problem.

- Stone Mountain, GA, USA

Traveling in the left lane at 70mph down I696 in oakland county Michigan, vehicle went dead. "wrench" light came on. I pulled over to the right shoulder. Car was running, however no power. I turned the car off and re-started. It ran fine after that. One month later the same issue occurred. This time traveling 45mph down the road, vehicle went dead, I pulled over, re-started. Travelled another 100ft, same issue. Tried again, this time went about 200ft, died. The wrench light and amber engine light came on. This time the engine light remained on and the Escape was towed to the Ford dealer on May 18, 2013. As of May 31, 2013, the throttle body has been on back order. Vehicle sits in their lot awaiting part.

- Commerce, MI, USA

While I was driving, the car started stalling : the speed indicator started coming down and even pressing on the accelerator, there was no pick up and the wrench sign lit up indicating the power train defect.I moved the car to the shoulder and waited for some assistance. I mechanic friend of mine came after about 45 min. He started the car and the wrench sign was no longer there. Rode the car for about 10 miles to get to my house. Ran some errands (about 20 round trip miles) later and the car rode fine. On 5/30/2013 morning (today) on my way to work, the truck stalled again with the lit up wrench sign. Pulled on to the shoulder, turned off engine and got the truck towed to the closest Ford dealer - bob davidson Ford, , parkville, Maryland 21234 (410-661-6400). They performed diagnostics for a fee of $123 and said that the throttle body assembly need to be replaced. The service dept indicated that they were out of these parts and is backordered. They were not sure when they will get the part. I drove the SUV home with no further problems. I called Ford Motor Co. Customer relations and complained. They issued a claim number cas[xxx]. I am unable to rent a car as I don't know how long it would be until they get the part to fix. I searched and found that this had been a recurring problem for the Escape 2010. Ford should be responsible to repair this problem, I asked the customer service representative "is Ford waiting until people get killed to fix this dangerous defect?". it is quite dangerous if it happens while driving in the express way at 55-60 mph in an inside lane. God help the Escape owners. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Freeland, MD, USA

When I'm driving my car, it will suddenly stop accelerating as though someone threw the car into neutral. When this happens, the wrench light comes on and I have to coast over to a safe area to turn the car off and turn it back on. This happened on the freeway at speeds over 70mph, on streets, after a red light, turning corners. Over and over again this happens and it started happening at about 50-thousand miles and has gotten worse. Today this happened more than six times in a twenty mile radius.

- Pickerington, OH, USA

Monkey wrench warning light illuminates on the dash accompanied by a loss of functionality of the gas pedal. I was able to coast to the side of the road since the car did not respond at all to any pressure on the gas pedal. Turned the car off. Restarted the car after a few moments, light was off and car functioned normally. 2nd incident happened 5/22 on the freeway at 65 mph. Again, I was lucky enough to be able to coast to the emergency lane. Turned the car off, waited, back on and continued driving. 3rd incident happened a mile further down the road. I was already in the slow lane so again it was easy to maneuver into the emergency lane. Mechanic indicates the throttle body is faulty and needs to be replaced.

- Danville , CA, USA

Vehicle decelerated to 10 mph, "wrench" service light appeared. I pulled over, put vehicle into park, at which time it began shuddering. Turned off engine, waited a few moments, and turned ignition. Vehicle restarted with some effort. Incident has re-occurred 7 times since then, now with "engine" service light on. Mechanic has identified issue as worn throttle body, on 2-week back order as of May 10, 2013. Time for a recall, Ford.

- Houston, TX, USA

As I was driving down the road the car just lost acceleration and the wrench light came on. I was able to get off the road and shut off the engine. I restarted the car and was able to drive home. Just today we had the same thing happen again. Ford dealer tells me there was no code so they can't order the part. However, they believe the throttle body is bad but need the code to be sure. From what I have read it sounds like they know what it is but are unwilling to fix this. They tell to just restart and keep going sooner or later it will to start and they can fix it. I am going on vacation tomorrow just what I need is this to fail at the wrong time. Does someone need to die before something is done. Sure seems Toyota wasn't given this much leeway a couple of years ago.

- North Chesterfield, VA, USA

While driving the car suddenly started to sputter, shutter and lurch forward while losing speed and making a strange noise. The "wrench" light displayed which identifies a power train/throttle problem. Pulled over to the side of the road, turned off engine, restarted and all appeared fine, wrench light turned off and drove rest of way home. Researched online and there are hundreds and hundreds of complains regarding this problem which appears to be tied to the throttle body or electric system that controls the throttle input between the gas pedal and the throttle body. This is a very dangerous and scary problem and I'm very concerned it will occur again soon. Based on online reports this is a well known problem that Ford appears to be well aware of but will not cover expense to fix.

- Fullerton, CA, USA

2010 Ford Escape - several instances of dramatic loss of power resulting in 'limp mode' due to throttle body sticking closed. This requires restarting the car and has been occurring more frequently since first incident. Vehicle is currently at a Ford dealership to be repaired; however, dealership states that the throttle body cannot be replaced due to the part being on backorder 'indefinitely.' Dealership acknowledged that this is a known problem with late model Escapes, but was unable to offer any suggestion or time frame for repair.

- Wilmington, NC, USA

As I was slowing down to turn, the entire system died and there was no power. Luckily, I was able to pull over and the vehicle started up again. This happened four times in the past year: May 2012, Sept. 2013, March 2013, and again on May 15 2013. Each time I took it to the dealership and was told there was no problem found. After doing some research on line, I discovered many people have experienced the same problem. Very dangerous and am afraid to drive it. Read that replacing the throttle might help. Is there a recall or what should I do?

- Huntington Beach, CA, USA

When driving the car, car de-accelerated, idle was very rough, despite pressing on accelerator unable to make car advance. This has happened twice and is very unnerving and unsafe. After putting the car in park and turning it off, the car seemed to reset itself. Our mechanic said it was a throttle body problem. Ford Motor Co. Refused to do anything about it unless it came out of my pocket. This is so dangerous and these cars should be recalled and fixed. I will not drive this car until it is fixed. I feel like I could get killed in this car.

- Bolingbrook, IL, USA