2001 Ford Escape problems

What is wrong

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2001-2008 Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner vehicles manufactured March 31, 2001, to September 1, 2009. The affected vehicles are equipped with either a 2.3L or 3.0L engine and have had their CD4E transmission replaced with remanufactured one that was rebuilt between June 11, 2015 through July 15, 2015. These service repair part transmissions have a shift lever bolt that may not be properly tightened. As a result, the shift control lever could disengage from the transmission without warning.

Risk

If the shift lever disengages from the transmission, a driver may be unable to shift gear positions and the indicated shift position may not represent the gear position the vehicle is in. Should a disengagement occur while the vehicle is being driven, when the driver goes to stop and park the vehicle, the gear selection indicator may show that the transmission is in the "PARK" position, but the vehicle transmission may not actually be in the "PARK" gear position. If the vehicle is not in the "PARK" position there is a risk the vehicle will roll away as the driver and other occupants exit the vehicle or anytime thereafter. A vehicle rollaway increases the risk of injury to exiting occupants and bystanders.

Remedy

Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the transmissions and either tighten the manual shift lever bolt or replace the manual shift lever assembly. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on October 23, 2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15S28.

Recall number 15V606000 · Recall details

What is wrong

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2001-2004 Escape vehicles manufactured October 22, 1999, through January 23, 2004, originally sold, or currently registered in, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia. These vehicles may experience excessive corrosion at the forward attachment of the lower control arm.

Risk

A separation of the lower control arm can result in a significant loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Ford will notify owners, and dealers will install a newly designed reinforcement cross-brace, free of charge. The recall began on May 30, 2014. Owners may contact Ford at 1‑800‑392‑3673. Ford's number for this recall is 14S02.

Recall number 14V165000 · Recall details

What is wrong

Ford Motor Company is recalling certain model year 2001 through 2004 Escape vehicles equipped with 3.0L V6 engines and speed control manufactured from October 22, 1999, through January 23, 2004. Inadequate clearance between the engine cover and the speed control cable connector could result in a stuck throttle when the accelerator pedal is fully or almost-fully depressed. This risk exists regardless of whether or not speed control (cruise control) is used.

Risk

A stuck throttle may result in very high vehicle speeds and make it difficult to stop or slow the vehicle, which could cause a crash, serious injury or death.

Remedy

Ford will notify owners, and dealers will repair the vehicles by increasing the engine cover clearance, free of charge. The safety recall began August 3, 2012. Remedy parts are expected to be available in mid-August 2012. Until then dealers will disconnect the speed control cable as an interim remedy, if parts are not available at the time of an owner's service appointment. Owners may contact Ford at 1‑866‑436‑7332.

Recall number 12V353000 · Recall details

What is wrong

Ford is recalling certain model year 2001-2002 escape vehicles manufactured from october 22, 1999, through july 19, 2002, equipped with a brake master cylinder reservoir cap that could leak brake fluid. If brake fluid leaks from the cap, it could come in contact with the antilock brake system (ABS) module wiring harness connector.

Risk

Corrosion can develop in the electrical connector leading to melting, smoke or a fire.

Remedy

Dealers will replace the brake master cylinder reservoir cap and the ABS electrical system will be modified. An interim letter was mailed on january 20, 2012. Due to a parts delay, however, the remedy may not be available currently. If parts are not available, ford will instruct owners to park their vehicles outside until such time as parts become available. Owners may contact the ford motor company customer relationship center at 1‑866‑436‑7332. This recall campaign is related to 07v‑156.

Recall number 12V005000 · Recall details

What is wrong

On certain sport utility vehicles equipped with antilock brakes (ABS), the ABS module connector may have missing or dislodged wire seals. This condition could allow contamination to enter the module connector, creating a potential for an electrical short.

Risk

An electrical short might cause an ABS malfunction that would illuminate the ABS warning light, and in some cases, the module may overheat resulting in burning odor, smoke, and/or fire. This condition could occur either when the vehicle ignition switch is in the off position or while the vehicle is being operated.

Remedy

Dealers will inspect the wire harness connector to the ABS module for missing or dislodged wire seals, and repair or replace the harness connector as appropriate. The dealer will also inspect the connector on the ABS module and replace it if it is found to be corroded or damaged. The recall began on april 23, 2007. Owners may contact ford at 1‑800‑392‑3673.

Recall number 07V156000 · Recall details

What is wrong

Certain 2004-2005 sport utility vehicles and certain 2001-2003 sport utiity vehicle having rear liftgate components serviced with 2004 equivalent components fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 206, 'door locks and door retention components.' the rear liftgate latching system does not meet the inertia load requirement in one direction.

Risk

If the liftgate is left unlocked, there is the potential that it may open during a crash.

Remedy

Dealers will replace the rear liftgate latch release rod, the release rod attachment clip and the door handle return spring. The recall began on march 31, 2005. Owners should contact ford at 1‑800‑392‑3673.

Recall number 04V602000 · Recall details

What is wrong

On certain sport utility vehicles equipped with 3.0l v6 engines, during deceleration, the engine can stall.

Risk

Should the engine stall, a vehicle crash could occur.

Remedy

Dealers will reprogram the power control module (PCM) with the appropriate calibration. Owner notification began on april 21, 2004. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact ford at 1‑800‑392‑3673.

Recall number 04V165000 · Recall details

What is wrong

On certain sport utility vehicles, a post within the safety belt buckle covers could fracture, which could affect latch function, resulting in either a "no latch" or "partial latch" condition. In the "partial latch" condition, the buckle tongue can be inserted into the buckle and appear to be engaged, but will release from the buckle without the push button being depressed when a relatively low load is applied, such as when an occupant moves slightly in the seat.

Risk

In the event of a crash, the seat occupant may not be properly restrained, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy

Dealers will have the driver and front passenger safety belt buckle cover removed and replaced with a newly designed service buckle cover. Owner notification began on february 2, 2004. Owners should contact ford at 1‑800‑392‑3673.

Recall number 03V507000 · Recall details

What is wrong

Vehicle description: sport utility vehicles. The windshield wiper linkage can disengage due to a broken ball socket.

Risk

This condition will likely result in sudden and complete loss of the windshield wiper function, or of the wiper function on the driver side only, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the wiper module.

Recall number 00V387002 · Recall details

What is wrong

Vehicle description: sport utility vehicles. The o-ring seals in the fuel line connector at the outlet end of the fuel filter were damaged when the line was connected to the filter during vehicle assembly. In some cases, this damage could result in a fuel odor, or possibly in fuel dripping from the connection.

Risk

Fuel leakage, in the presence of an ignition source, could result in a fire.

Remedy

Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the fuel line. Owner notification began september 27, 2000. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact ford at 1‑800‑392‑3673.

Recall number 00V277001 · Recall details

What is wrong

Vehicle description: some 4x2 sport utility vehicles not equipped with an antilock braking system may have inadvertently been built with 4x4 rear hubs instead of 4x2 hubs. If the incorrect hubs are installed on a 4x2 vehicle, the rear wheels can loosen, or in some cases, separate from the vehicle.

Risk

This condition could cause loss of control of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Dealers will inspect the rear hubs and, if necessary, replace them. Owner notification began september 25, 2000. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact ford at 1‑800‑392‑3673.

Recall number 00V260001 · Recall details

What is wrong

Vehicle description: sport utility vehicles equipped with speed control. The speed control cable can have a cracked or missing speed control cable servo cap locating tab. The locating tab could enter the servo clutch cavity and interfere with the speed control servo clutch. Also, water could enter those units that contain a cracked or missing servo cap locating tab, eventually causing corrosion that could interfere with the function of the speed control.

Risk

If either of these conditions occurs and the speed control is used, the speed control could prevent the throttle from returning to idle, resulting in a stuck throttle. A stuck throttle could result in a crash.

Remedy

Dealers will inspect the speed control cables. Vehicles with speed control cables from cavities 3 and 4 will have the cable the speed control servo replaced.

Recall number 00V210001 · Recall details

What is wrong

Vehicle description: sport utility vehicles. These vehicles may have a mis-assembled or incorrectly manufactured nut that attaches the steering wheel assembly to the steering column. The nut could be upside down in the steering wheel assembly, which could overstress the steering column shaft when the nut is tightened. In addition, some of the nuts may have been cracked during manufacture resulting in the nut fracturing when it is tightened during vehicle assembly.

Risk

Either of these conditions can lead to the steering wheel becoming loose or separating from the steering column, resulting in loss of steering control.

Remedy

Dealers will inspect and replace the steering wheel retention armature and, if necessary, the steering column to correct this condition.

Recall number 00V223001 · Recall details

In a letter dated July 25, 2012 Ford Motor Company (Ford) submitted a Defect Information Report (DIR), the federal safety agency Recall No. 12V‑353 to the federal safety agency identifying a safety defect involving inadequate clearance between the engine cover and the speed control cable connector, which could result in a stuck throttle condition.The vehicles involved are model year (MY) 2001 through MY 2004 Ford Escape vehicles equipped with 3.0L V6 engines and speed (cruise) control.A redesigned engine cover was implemented in production beginning in MY 2005, which provided additional clearance of the speed control cable to the engine cover.Similarly on July 26, 2012 Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) on behalf of Mazda Motor Corporation of Hiroshima, Japan submitted a DIR to the federal safety agency, the federal safety agency Recall No. 12V‑357, identifying the safety defect described above in MY 2001 through MY 2006 and MY 2008 Mazda Tribute vehicles (no Tribute vehicles were produced in MY 2007) equipped with 3.0L V6 engines and speed control.Unlike the Ford Escape recall scope, the Mazda Tribute scope is broader as Mazda Tribute vehicles incorporated a similar engine cover design as related to the clearance to the speed control cable in MYs 2001 through 2006 and MY 2008.The failure report summary above reflects reports identified by ODI in review of data submitted to the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) and reports submitted to Ford and to Mazda.ODI identified 44 reports likely related to the safety defect described in the DIRs; 39 involving Ford Escape vehicles and 5 involving Mazda Tribute vehicles. This Preliminary Evaluation is closed.The ODI report cited above can be reviewed at www-odi.the federal safety agency.dot.gov/owners/Searchreference under the following identification (ODI) numbers: 10116267, 10128545, 10128681, 10137520, 10153327, 10165007, 10199728, 10234846, 10335779, 10466261, and 10468307.

PE12019

On November 18, 2010, the federal safety agency's Recall Management Division (RMD) opened an audit query (AQ10-001) to investigate recall remedy completion by rental car companies on safety recall campaigns.It was expected to provide the agency an indication of how completely and how quickly rental car fleets perform necessary recall-related remedies on the vehicles owned and then rented/leased for use on the roadways.RMD queried three (3) major motor vehicle manufacturers (Ford, Chrysler, and General Motors) and requested data regarding completion figures for fifteen (15) discreet safety recalls.Analysis of this data demonstrated that rental car recalls completion was neither complete nor consistent.The rental car companies representing the largest market share in the industry were then queried as to their respective policies for the rental, lease, and sale of vehicles with open recalls.The data and responses from the manufacturers and the rental car companies can be found in the document repository by accessing the ?Associated Documents link above.In December 2015, Congress enacted the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act.One section of the Act prohibits rental car companies from renting, leasing, or selling motor vehicles subject to open safety recalls.With the passage of the FAST Act and its prohibition, there is no continuing need for the agency to investigate rental car recall completions.Accordingly, this investigation is closed.The agency reserves the right to open any future investigations, including audits of individual recalls, or groups of recalls, or rental car companies, to examine more closely safety recalls performance and completion issues in this area.

AQ10001

Ford and Mazda recalled model year (MY) 2001 through 2004 Ford Escape (07V‑156) and Mazda Tribute (07V‑157) vehicles due to non-crash fires or non-fire thermal events originating in the engine compartment at or near the ABS control module.Approximately 545,700 vehicles were subject to the initial safety recalls and approximately 424,700 vehicles were serviced under those campaigns. The campaigns addressed potentially damaged, missing or misplaced seals in the ABS control module wiring harness electrical connector that could allow brake fluid to enter the connector, possibly resulting in corrosion, short-circuit, melting, smoke and/or fire.Since the recall, the agency is aware of 260 subject vehicles that have reportedly experienced non-crash fires or non-fire thermal events originating at or near the ABS control module in vehicles some time after being serviced under the campaign. The post-recall repair incident rates for MY 2001 and 2002 subject vehicles are 90.9 and 126.7 (normalized per 100,000 vehicles serviced under the recall campaigns), respectively.These rates are much higher than the post-recall repair incident rate for MY 2003 and 2004 subject vehicles, which are 5.0 and 3.7 per 100K, respectively.Similarly, the post-recall repair key-off fire incident rates in the MY 2001 and 2002 subject vehicles is 54.3 per 100K, compared to 0.5 per 100K for the MY 2003 and 2004 subject vehicles.The agency is aware of 12 key-off fire incidents, all involving MY 2001 and 2002 subject vehicles, where the vehicle was parked inside a structure when the fire started.In five of those incidents, the fire spread from the vehicle to the structure itself.Ford has identified the brake master cylinder reservoir cap in certain MY 2001 and 2002 subject vehicles as a potential source for brake fluid leaks that could affect ABS module connector integrity.The reservoir caps used on the MY 2003 and 2004 subject vehicles are reportedly an improved design from those used on the earlier models.By letter dated January 4, 2012, Ford notified the agency that it would conduct another safety recall (identified by NTHSA Recall No. 12V‑005 and Ford Recall No. 11S24) of certain MY 2001 and 2002 Ford Escape vehicles to perform a more thorough remedy to address the risk of fire originating at the ABS control module.In addition to double-checking the ABS control module wiring harness electrical connector weather seal (which should have been addressed under the previous recall campaign), Ford will replace brake master cylinder reservoir caps to address the leaking cap problem and reduce the risk of brake fluid entering the subject electrical connector.Ford will also modify the electrical system such that the ABS control module is de-energized when the ignition key is switched off to further reduce the risk of an unattended vehicle fire in units that may have sustained some small loss of connector integrity that may not be evident upon visual examination.Similarly, Mazda notified the agency by letter dated January 19, 2012, that it would also conduct a safety recall (identified by NTHSA Recall No. 12V‑016 and Mazda Recall No. 6712A) of certain MY 2001 and 2002 Mazda Tribute vehicles.Ford estimates repair parts will be available beginning the second quarter of 2012. Until recall repairs are made both Ford and Mazda are advising owners of affected vehicles to reduce the safety concern by parking their vehicles outdoors away from structures to prevent a potential fire from spreading.Accordingly, this investigation is closed.

EA10002

In letters dated march 30, 2007, ford motor company (ford) and mazda north american operations (mazda) notified the agency that they will conduct recalls 07v‑156 and 07v‑157, respectively, to remedy a safety defect that may result in fire in a wiring connector used in certain model year (my) 2001-2004 ford escape and mazda tribute vehicles equipped with ABS.the recall campaign prescribes an inspection of the subject components, which shall be repaired or replaced only if necessary.if the subject vehicle passes the visual inspection then the recall instructs the technician to apply electrical grease (ford part number xg-12) to the ABS module connector and verify system operation.to date, approximately 388,500 subject vehicles (71.7% of the total recall population) have been serviced under the recall campaign, the vast majority of which (373,985) passed the visual inspection and received only the electrical grease applied to the ABS module connector. The agency is aware of at least 86 unique subject vehicles that have reportedly experienced non-crash fire incidents originating in the engine compartment at or near the ABS control module some time after the vehicle was serviced under the subject recall.the manufacturer has provided some information that indicates certain vehicles were improperly serviced under the subject recall as evidenced by the factory wire tie-wrap not being removed from the wiring harness (which indicates a proper inspection could not have been performed) and by incorrect grease being applied, incorrect amounts of grease, and even instances where no grease was applied to the ABS module connector.also, there remain some questions regarding the severity of the reported fire incidents.the manufacturer contends that most reported fires were actually non-fire thermal events with damage limited to the subject components and that most vehicles are repaired and returned to service.however, the trend appears to be ongoing with 5 reported incidents having occurred in the past 6 months.accordingly, this recall query has been upgraded to an engineering analysis to further assess the effectiveness of the recall remedy.

RQ09002

The office of defects investigation (odi) received a defect petition dated march 5, 2009 alleging that the petitioner never received the recall remedy for 07v‑156 and that, as a result, the petitioner's my2003 ford escape caught fire at the ABS control module.in response to odi follow-up, the manufacturer verified that the petitioner's vehicle had in fact received service related to safety recall 07v156 - a fact later corroborated by the petitioner.circumstances of the fire experienced in the petitioner's remedied vehicle indicate that the remedy was ineffective.additional review by odi identified an additional 6 similar (alleged to have originated in the engine compartment at or near the ABS control module ) non-crash fire incidents in subject vehicles known to have received the recall remedy.accordingly, a recall query (rq09-002) has been opened to assess the effectiveness of the recall remedy.

DP09003

In letters dated march 30, 2007, ford and mazda notified the federal safety agency that they will conduct safety recalls to remedy a safety defect that may result in fire in a wiring connector used in certain model year (my) 2001-2004 ford escape and mazda tribute sport utility vehicles equipped with ABS.recall 07v‑156 involves approximately 446,450 my 2001-2004 escape vehicles manufactured from october 22, 1999 through january 23, 2004.recall 07v‑157 involves approximately 95,300 my 2001-2004 tribute vehicles manufactured from april 17, 2000 through december 19, 2003. According to the manufacturers, the electrical wiring connectors to the ABS electronic control module were manufactured with wire seals missing or improperly installed in some wiring harnesses used in the recall populations.this may allow environmental contaminants such as water or brake fluid to enter the ABS electrical connector interface and cause corrosion of the electrical terminals.such corrosion may result in an illuminated ABS telltale, an open circuit, and/or an engine compartment fire originating at the electrical connector.to remedy the defect, the manufacturers will inspect the connectors for seal integrity.if a seal integrity issue is identified the vehicle will be repaired as necessary.all vehicles will have dielectric grease applied to the connectors to further reduce the possibility of contaminants entering the electrical connectors. To date, odi is aware of 120 non-crash related fire incidents alleged to have originated in the engine compartment at or near the ABS electronic control module in the subject vehicles, which represent approximately 80 percent of the recall population.of the 120 alleged fires, 6 are alleged to have occurred when the vehicle was parked inside a garage structure.in 4 incidents, complainants alleged the structure or adjoining structure(s) suffered smoke damage, while in 2 incidents, the alleged fires caused more extensive damage totaling approximately $50,000 each.there are no known injuries or fatalities related to the alleged defect.based on the ford and mazda recalls, this investigation is closed.

PE06048

Summary:the petitioner alleges that after having the recall remedy performed on her model year (my) 2001 ford escape, it continued to exhibit an intermittent stall condition.consequently, she petitioned the agency to examine the adequacy of the recall remedy for safety recall 04v‑165.on april 5, 2004, ford motor company (ford) notified the agency that it would conduct a recall of 321,903 my 2001 through 2002 and certain 2003 my escape vehicles equipped with 3.0l engines manufactured between january 21, 2000 and september 11, 2002 at the kansas city assembly plant.these vehicles exhibited an intermittent engine stall during decelerations at vehicle speeds below 40 MPH due to an excessively rich fuel-air mixture in the engine.as a remedy, ford dealers are instructed to reprogram the powertrain control module (PCM) to a revised calibration to prevent the stalling condition. In its july 23, 2004 response to the office of defects investigation?s (odi) july 1, 2004 information request letter, ford states that as of june 30, 2004 the recall remedy has been completed on 174,014 vehicles.additionally, only a small number of vehicle owners (less than .1%) who have had the remedy performed on their vehicles have had additional deceleration stalling issues.ford also states that the PCM has to ?learn? The new program and that any subsequent stalling would be temporary.to verify ford?s claim, odi conducted a random survey of 20 complainants who had the remedy performed on their vehicles and who experienced a subsequent stalling event.odi found that most of them had isolated stalling problems, supporting ford?s allegation that the PCM must ?learn? The new program.in addition, in a phone conversation with odi, the petitioner stated that a ford engineer found a faulty ignition switch as the cause of the stalling in her vehicle.thus, there is no evidence at this time to suggest the recall remedy is inadequate.for the foregoing reasons, further expenditure of the agency?s investigative resources on the issue raised by the petitioner does not appear to be warranted and the petition is denied.

RP04002

This investigation was opened on july 14, 2003 based on 4 reports alleging the driver's safety belt buckle failed to latch or remain latched.mazda notified odi that it transferred engineering responsibility to ford when the vehicle design was brought to the united states for production in ford's assembly plants.ford determined that the safety belt buckle is subject to lateral flexing during use that could allow a portion of the buckle cable stalk convolute tubing that extends into the buckle assembly to contact the molded plastic anti-rattle post on the upper buckle cover.this contact may cause the post to fatigue and fracture, allowing the backside of the latch to wedge below the broken edge of the post.in this orientation, the broken post may hinder the intended rotation of the latch during insertion of the latch plate resulting in a no-latch or false-latch condition.ford's supplier autoliv, inc. Provided buckle covers without the anti-rattle post beginning in october 2000.recall scope:the affected vehicles are 2001 model year ford escape and mazda tribute built at the claycomo (kansas city), missouri assembly plant through may 31, 2001.recall remedy:ford-lincoln-mercury and mazda dealers, respectively, will replace both driver and front passenger safety belt buckle covers with newly designed service buckle covers.accordingly, this investigation is closed.

PE03030

Ford's and mazda's letters to the federal safety agency dated april 5 and april 9, 2004, state that they will recall model year 2001-03 ford escape and mazda tribute vehicles with the v6 engine built thru september 11, 2002.dealers will adjust engine calibration in the programmable control module (PCM), which in its current setting, can cause the engine to shut down if the vehicle is decelerating at speeds below 40 MPH. The engine shuts down due to excessively rich air-fuel mixtures being sent to the engine.when the engine shuts down, drivers may notice a loss of power assist for their steering and brakes. The majority of the complainants have indicated to the agency that the stall is intermittent and can happen more than once.

EA02027

PE01043

There is no summary currently available

RQ01001