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2002 Ford Escape engine complaints

Page 4 of 12: complaints 71 to 100 of 330, newest first, as owners wrote them.

See the summary of 2002 Ford Escape engine problems: which part fails, at what mileage and related recalls.

Filed Nov 17, 2008 · Engine · 64,430 miles · NY

I recently had $2,900 worth of repairs done to my 2002 ford escape xlt in july. My vehicle was bucking and almost stalled when I pulled into the nearest service center. The check engine light was on. The mechanic diagnosed the problem as clogged cat converters. The car has three sets of them. This is the effect of the cause which he believed was faulty oxygen sensors as well as bad spark plugs. At the end of sept the car was not running well and I went to another mechanic who said the egr valve was blown and their was broken bolts where the mechanic was replacing the exhaust system. I was furious and proceeded to return to the merrick bellmore service center. He told me if the problem was on his end that he will take care of it and then diagnosed that the cats where clogged again. He didn't properly diagnose the cause of the cats getting clogged the first time. The mechanic has since replaced three sets of cat converters and he has a bill for $1600 and has had my car at his shop for two months now. The shop is "trying" to get ford to pay for the exhaust parts. After numerous attempts to speak with the owners of this service station to no avail (the clerks tell me 5 different set of names as to who is the owner) all I want is my car back and let this service station "eat" this current bill due to the fact that on the bill that I paid in july the warranty on parts is one year or $12,000 miles. I am frustrated, angry and don't know where to turn.

Filed Aug 12, 2008 · Engine, Transmission · 89,999 miles · SD

My family and I were driving along the insterstate with cruise controll set at 75 MPH. We were going up a small hill and about to go into the passing lane. The car sounded like the transmission slipped in over drive and the rpms went through the roof. We were able to coast to the side of the road. We turned the vehicle off for serveral minutes and then turned it back on. The oil pressure light flickered on and off and the engine made a horrible screeching noise. We checked the oil and it was full. The car had to be towed to the mechanic were he then informed us that the car needed a new engine. He stated the the catalytic convereted had gone out causing the engine to fail. The car also will need a new transmission. The total cost to fix this is around $8000.00. I contacted ford today to tell them what had happened and they stated that there was nothing they could do since the car had not been serviced at a ford service station consistantly since the car was first purchased and that they have had no other similiar complaints with this vechile. After researching online I have found many similar complaints where ever one has seemed to contact ford and they say the same things to them. I also have had some smaller problems with this vehicle like the engine light going on and the emergency break light going on and brought them in to the shop and have had to replace the sensors. Right now I am not able to replace the vehicle due to finicial reasons.

Filed Aug 8, 2008 · Engine · 980,000 miles · IN

2002 ford escape stalls when backing up, going forward going down the road. Going around a corner. Went to ford dealer and they had the vehicle for a week and found nothing. I can't drive this vehicle because it's unsafe. This is my only vehicle.

Filed Jul 16, 2008 · Engine · 80,000 miles · KY

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford escape. While driving 45 MPH, the vehicle shut off without warning. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and drive home. The dealer test drove the vehicle, but could not diagnose the cause of the failure. The manufacturer stated that if the dealer was unable to diagnose the cause of the failure, they could not assist. The failure and current mileages were 80,000.

Filed Jun 26, 2008 · Engine · NC · fire

I own a ford 2002 escape. While visiting my mother on 06/25/08, I had parked my car in her drive and turned the ignition off. The keys were in the ignition. I had been at my mothers for aprx. 30-40 mins when I heard a loud explosion. I ran to the door and looked out and my vehicle was in flames. The fire dept. Seems to think that it was electrical. After researching this online, I see that this has happened with several ford vehicles. My car is totaled.

Filed Jun 9, 2008 · Engine · 112,653 miles · PA · fire

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford escape. The dealer performed a recall repair on the vehicle to prevent it from catching fire. Two months after the repair, the vehicle caught fire in the contact's driveway after it had been parked for two minutes. Ford stated that they are not responsible for any damages. The recall number was unknown. The failure mileage was 112,653.

Filed Feb 20, 2008 · Acceleration, Electrical · 62,000 miles · CA

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford escape. While driving 60 MPH, the accelerator pedal went down to the floor and would not release. The contact was able to place the vehicle into second gear. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and they stated that the cruise control cable failed and jammed the throttle cover. The transmission became damaged when the contact shifted into reverse gear. The manufacturer may not be able to assist. On november 25, 2007, the vehicle was taken to the dealer due to reverse. The dealer cleaned the throttle body, flushed the injectors, and cleaned the upper intake gasket and spark plugs. The fuel filters, coil boots, and ignitions wires were replaced. The current and failure mileages were 62,000. The consumer stated the battery light comes on while driving, replace fuel filter, and A/C is not blowing cold. Updated 03/31/08

Filed Dec 31, 2007 · Brakes, Engine · 130,000 miles · MI · fire

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford escape. The vehicle caught fire after it had been parked for nine hours. Prior to parking the vehicle, the ABS warning indicator light illuminated. The fire was extinguished by using snow. No repairs were made. There was no property damage. The contact has pictures. The vehicle was inspected in march of 2007, but not repaired for the federal safety agency campaign id number 07v156000 (service brakes, hydraulic:antilock:control unit/module). The current and failure mileages were 130,000.

Filed Dec 17, 2007 · Engine · 130,000 miles · MI · fire

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford escape. The engine failed to idle in 20 degree weather. The ABS module caught fire. There were no injuries. A fire report was filed. The contact reported the fire to ford motor company and they advised him to file a complaint. The current and failure mileages were 130,000.

Filed Dec 14, 2007 · Engine · 90,000 miles · WA

We have a 2002 ford escape xlt we bought new in sept of 2002. It has 90,000 miles on it. Last week my husband was coming home when it lost power and would not go over 50 miles an hour there was also a whirring sound. He got home and to our mechanic. There was a hole in the egs valve (?) which it turns out was caused by the catalytic converter getting clogged, building up pressured and causing it to blow. Based upon my research on the net, this is fairly common. I am wondering if there is anything being done towards a recall. Our dealer is trying to get a new cc from the east coast (we are in the seattle area) but it may take up to 2 weeks.

Filed Aug 2, 2007 · Engine · 89,000 miles · OH · fire

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford escape. The contact heard a popping sound when she turned off the vehicle. She then noticed flames coming from under the passenger side bumper. The dealer and manufacturer have not inspected the vehicle. As of august 2, 2007, the cause of the failure has yet to be determined. The current and failure mileages were 89,000.

Filed Jul 25, 2007 · Engine · 67,000 miles · WA

(1) approximately 100 miles of highway driving LED up to (2) a loss of power at all speeds with excessive rpms for given speed followed by a flashing check engine light, followed by considerable engine and cabin vibration. (3) ford diagnosed the problem as a rare internal engine failure in cylinder #4. No remedy has been provided. The engine can be replaced for about $6,000.

Filed Jun 29, 2007 · Engine · 65,000 miles · FL · fire

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford escape. The contact stated that he is experiencing that same failure as noted in the federal safety agency action # pe06048. He took the vehicle to the dealer to be inspected and they found nothing wrong with the vehicle. The vehicle caught fire under the hood. The contact disconnected the battery before the fire could spread. The current and failure mileages were 65,000.

Filed May 4, 2007 · Engine · 4,800 miles · CT

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford escape. When the vehicle was repaired under recall # 07v156000 (service brakes, hydraulic:antilock:control unit/module), the dealer stated that the oil pan gasket leaked and needed to be replaced. The dealer stated that the contact would be responsible for the cost to replace the oil pan. The contact is aware of the safety risk involved. The current mileage is 5,360 and failure mileage was 4,800.

Filed Apr 23, 2007 · Engine · 120,000 miles · VA

Replaced cracked catalytic converter asy 5l8z*5g232* catalytic at 121,000 miles. Cracked in 2 places. Ford told me it was 2nd ford escape in 2 weeks with same problem with cracks in same location. Bill cost $1126.91 to repair.

Filed Apr 19, 2007 · Brakes, Engine · 70,678 miles · PA

I took my 2002 ford escape to a ford dealer to see if the recent recall of the ABS module connector affected my car only to find out that I had an oil leak from the master cylinder which was dropping onto the ABS module. Maybe this is why the cars are catching fire to begin with. If I hadn't taken my car in to be checked the oil probably would have caused a fire. I had to replace the master cylinder and my car only has 70k miles on it. I have never replaced one on any car I have ever owned and I have driven them over 150kmiles. It cost me 278 dollars..this car also had to have the rotors replaced when I replaced the brakes at 42k. The fuel pump was replaced at 34614 miles,the coolant recovery tank was replaced at the same time as the light was on. At 51k miles ck engine light came on. #4 coil had to be replaced at a cost of 282.17. At 70k the engine light came on. The gas cap failed and had to be replaced . This coast 97 dollars because it had to go on a diagnostic machine to find the problem. I was going to buy a ford escape hybrid but now I will never buy another ford.

Filed Dec 27, 2006 · Engine · 44,546 miles · NE

Vehicle would stall at any given time, whether going down the interstate or during city driving. Steering would be very difficult and brakes were inoperable. This occurred about two months after we had purchased our 2002 ford escape with 42,000 miles on it. After the fourth "stall", we had the vehicle towed to the dealership where we purchased it. They connected a "black box" underneath the dash and had us drive the vehicle to see if it happened again, which it did a couple days later. They towed it back to the garage. Apparently our problem was something to do with, I believe, our harmonic balance or something like that. According to the technician, whatever was not working properly, it caused the engine to not know which cylinders on the engine was firing and that is what caused the engine to shut off. They fixed the problem and we now have 73,000 miles on the vehicle and had no other stalling problems. The work order reads as follows: diag, eec test, no codes present, found sticky ng, r&r iac, retest all okay at this time; also, while they were performing the maintenance they also discovered that our power steering rack was leaking, which was covered by our extended warranty. The power steering rack was replaced. The mileage on the vehicle at the time of repairs was 44,546. I'm very thankful for the folks at our dealership in omaha. They gave us a rental car while diagnosing our problems and stuck with it until they found the problem(s). The extended warranty we had purchased covered all repair costs.

Filed Nov 7, 2006 · Engine · 50,000 miles · AR · fire

Dt*: the contact stated while driving 70 MPH on an interstate, smoke was observed to be coming from behind the vehicle and flames were coming from under the hood. There was nothing unusual about the way the vehicle was operating before the fire started. The type of fire was classified as fuel. The service dealer was notified who determined that a rod shot threw the engine and made a large hole that caused the fire in the motor. The service dealer was willing to repair the motor if the contact would make a co-payment. The manufacturer was not alerted. A police report was taken. This occurred in state of arkansas.

Filed Nov 3, 2006 · Engine · 92,000 miles · MI · fire

I have a 2002, ford escape with 92,000 miles on it. There has been no major problems with ethe vehicle leading up to the failure that I am describing in this statement. On october 31, 2006 I was driving east-bound on m59, just east of schoenherr road in sterling heights, mi. I was approx.15 miles from my home in auburn hills, mi and had approx. 10 minutes left untile I would have reached my destination. This was the first time that I had driven the vehicle all day. It was approx. 47 degrees farenheit and about 3:35pm. It was not raining, but a little windy. Upon making a stop just past the trafic light (due to heavy traffic dlays), I noticed smoke coming out of the engine compartment from under the hood. Within a minute of noticing the smoke outside, smoke started coming through the dash of my vehicle and into the interior cab. I rolled down the windows and made it into a parking lot, wher I had to evacuate the vehicle. Upon putting out the fire and inspecting the vehicle, the fire department was unable to determine the cause of the fire. The insurance adjustor looked at the vehicle today and we are still awaiting the insurance company's opinion as to the cause of the fire and what they will be willing to do about it.

Filed Oct 19, 2006 · Electrical, Engine · 32,000 miles · NJ

Dt*: the contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle stalled. It was maneuvered off the road and restarted however, the vehicle would not accelerate past 20 MPH and stalled again when the brake pedal was depressed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who determined the PCM, six ignition coils and six spark plugs needed to be replaced.

Filed Sep 20, 2006 · Engine · 59,538 miles · CA

Dt*: the contact stated the oil light illuminated intermittently during normal braking situations. The vehicle was taken to a service dealer, who determined that the vehicle lost oil pressure due to scoring in the cam journals. The manufacturer recommended a complete replacement of the engine.

Filed Sep 14, 2006 · Engine · 84,000 miles · AL

Dt*: the contact stated the check engine light illuminated. The dealership determined the vehicle misfired on cylinder #1 and the engine needed to be replaced.

Filed Aug 25, 2006 · Engine, Transmission · FL

For the past 3 months, while decelerating to stop, my vehicle will cut off, also occurring when I decelerate in busy traffic. On one instance while pulling across a highway, my vehicle stalled and I was almost hit in the side by an oncoming car because I could not get the car started again.

Filed Jun 8, 2006 · Electrical, Engine · 80,000 miles · NY · fire

Dt*: the contact stated during the night, the vehicle alarm sounded. When the vehicle was approached, it was noticed that smoke was coming from under the hood. The police and fire department were alerted to the scene. A police report was filed. The fire department determined it occurred in the engine compartment and it was an electrical fire. The vehicle was operating normal prior to the fire. The vehicle is currently at a local dealership awaiting further inspection. The manufacturer has been alerted.

Filed Aug 23, 2005 · Engine · 50,000 miles · PA · fire

Dt: ford 2002 escape caught on fire. The fire was coming from the front driver's side dash engine compartment. This happened on july 27, 2005. The fire department and police department responded to the scene. The fire was contained in the vehicle. The walls in the garage had heavy smoke damage. They had to cut the garage door to get in. The consumer can't sleep in the house due to the smoke damage. *ak *jb *sc phone interview update (november 7, 2005): drove the vehicle for two hours. The vehicle was parked in the town house garage for an hour before it caught fire. The vehicle was totaled. The heaviest damage was at the drive side firewall area. The yellow engine warning light was on three weeks ago; the dealer said bring the vehicle in when the next oil change is due.

Filed Aug 3, 2005 · Engine · 48,285 miles · VA

Dt: vehicle lost power in the middle of traffic, thought it was fuel injectors. Put fuel injector cleaner and better gas but a couple of weeks later. The mechanic said the the idle air control motor was*ak bad. The mechanic did replace it and have the part. The vehicle started doing this around june 1, 2005. Have not contacted dealer.

Filed Jun 20, 2005 · Electrical, Engine · 60,000 miles · WI

On several occasions, my 2002 ford escape has stalled out in the middle of intersections, on the freeway, and at many inopportune times!!!!! I have been quite scared to drive my SUV any more. It starts to chug like it is not getting any fuel, the check engine light will come on, and the SUV will immediately die. I lose my power steering, my brakes, my everything! And almost get hit. I have taken my escape in for service several times, but they claim that it is just a glitch in the computer, and reset it. Then they told me that they could never get it do what I was saying, so I had to come in right when it was doing it, or they wouldn't be able to help. In the mean time, I have stalled out several more times, gone in, and no one can figure out what is wrong. I have heard from several people that this is happening with many ford escapes, and I am scared that the situation will escalate to me being in an accident, or my SUV starting on fire when it gets so warm.

Filed Mar 8, 2005 · Engine · CA

The engine light in the consumer's 2002 ford escape illuminated. *nm the error code read p0401. Ford released at least four technical service bulletins covering this issue. The main problem was with the egr/dpfe pressure sensor. After the replacement part was installed, the vehicle ran fine.

Filed Jan 5, 2005 · Acceleration, Engine · KS

Consumer experienced two problem with this vehicle on two separated occasions. First, vehicle stalled while driving, consumer tried to restarted, but was unable to do so. Secondly, while traveling vehicle started to accelerate uncontrollably. Consumer was able to maintain control of the vehicle. Applied the brakes and the pedal went to the floor. Consumer was able to pull over. Afterwards vehicle was towed on both occasions. Mechanic determined that a head gasket blew out, and the speed control cable snapped. The head gasket, and speed control cable needed to be replaced.

Filed Dec 27, 2004 · Engine · 8,790 miles · MD

My 2002 ford escape with 9,000 miles has a tendency to stall while coasting at an extremely low speed. Hitting a slight speed bump is responsible for most of the occurrences. My vehicle has stalled at least 12 times during the last 4 weeks. The problem may be related to an infrequent tendency of a dead instrument panel when starting with a key. If I get out of the vehicle and get back in, it will eventually start except for one time when it had to be towed. But, my complaint is the stalling problem. The dealership has not been successful in fixing anything and they told me that it stalled on them as well. While nobody has hit my dead vehicle yet, it is a concern. Thus far, the vehicle has been able to restart after stalling, it is not an easy restart. The stalling has mostly occurred after the vehicle has been driven 3-6 miles and slowed for parking purposes and stalls when I sharpely turn the steering wheel for parking. There is a little speed bump 20 feet from my parking slot in front of my house. I just wish my vehicle would idle faster.

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