Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford escape. The contact stated that while driving at 67 MPH, the cruise control failed to disengage. As a result, the contact crashed into an embankment and the vehicle rolled over multiple times. The air bags failed to deploy. The contact sustained minor scrapes and bruises and the two passengers in the rear of the vehicle sustained bumps, bruises and scrapes that required medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed. The VIN was included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 12v353000 (engine and engine cooling , vehicle speed control). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 160,000.
2003 Ford Escape engine complaints
Page 2 of 3: complaints 11 to 40 of 70, newest first, as owners wrote them.
As I was driving, I pressed the accelerator approximately 3/4 of the way to pass a vehicle. When I released the pedal- the vehicle continued to accelerate. I was eventually able to get the vehicle to stop after placing the transmission in neutral and firmly applying the brakes. As I came to a stop, the vehicle was beginning to smoke, and I feared it was going to catch on fire. I immediately exited the vehicle, and the engine was still running at full throttle. After several minutes, the vehicle began to smoke worse and then I heard a loud bang. The vehicle motor stopped and a large puddle of oil and metal was on the ground under the vehicle. I have since learned that there is an active recall for this exact problem from ford due to a throttle cable sticking. Ford has refused to repair the additional damage caused to my vehicle caused by an active recall.
My 2003 for escape refuses to start after being driven until several hours if not days later. I have replaced the starter twice the first time it worked for 2 months and it did it again on 9-2-14 replaced the starter again and it will not start still there is no power going to any of the electrical parts in the engine compartment and there is a strong smell of fuel. I have replaced all relays and fuses and still nothing. I was stranded with my 5 month old and 16 month old in 100 degree weather.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH, the front end of the vehicle began to shake violently which caused a loss of steering. The contact was able to regain control and maneuvered to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed first to an independent mechanic and then authorized dealer. The technician informed that the passenger's side engine cradle was completely rusted. There was a voluntary recall issued by the manufacturer related to a newly designed engine cradle cross member bracket. The vehicle was repaired under the recall and the problem persisted. The remedy failed to correct the problem. The vehicle had not been repaired for the most recent failure. The manufacturer was notified of the defect. The approximate failure mileage was 150,000.
We bought my 2003 ford escape june 13th 2012 for 8k. We drove around town and made a quick stop before going home. The escape would not start back up. We bought a new battery had that placed. Attempted to drive and the truck started and shut back off. We finally got it to start got it back to the dealer and they replaced the entire fuel system. We got on the highway a few day later the car stalled out. So for the past 20 months of owning the car it stalls out at home, on the road, and on the highway. I drive to work and home. Once it has been driven it shuts off. I have taken it to two dealerships including the one that I bought it from groove ford in colorado and 8 other mechanics. They cannot diagnose what the problem is as the computer does not state what's wrong. I have put thousands of dollars into this SUV. As well as asking other ford escape owners that I see driving around town if they have had this experience. It is totally unsafe to drive a vehicle that stalls while you are driving. Please tell ford to look into this. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford escape. The contact stated that the vehicle abnormally accelerated without warning. The vehicle was serviced under the federal safety agency campaign number 12v353000 (engine and engine cooling vehicle speed control) however, the failure was not corrected. The vehicle later stalled while traveling 60 MPH and the contact was able to stop the acceleration failure by forcefully applying the brakes. The manufacture was made aware of the failure. The dealer inspected the vehicle and advised that the throttle needed to be cleaned or replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The current and failure mileage was 140,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH he tried to accelerate and the rpms increased. The brake failed to engage until he put the gear shift into neutral. The contact was able to maneuver the vehicle to the side of the road, where the vehicle was able to be restarted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The mechanic diagnosed that there was to much air going into the throttle body, and the cold air was freezing the throttle body and prevented it from functioning properly. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the problem. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 76,000. Updated 3/5/14*cn
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford escape. The contact stated that while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle stalled as the battery warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The contact mentioned that the failure recurred several times. The technician diagnosed that the rear plugs had popped out, causing damage to the coil pack. As a result, the coil pack needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 120,000 and the current mileage was 181,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford escape. The contact stated that the vehicle would independently accelerate. The vehicle was serviced under the federal safety agency campaign number: 12v353000 (engine, speed control) however, the speed acceleration failure persisted. The vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was notified. The approximate failure mileage was 36,000.
While driving my ford escape the egr valve blew apart. This has happened 3 times. It was replaced all 3 times and it continues to happen. When it happens the entire vehicle shakes violently and is very hard to steer. It is very dangerous. I have joined a few message boards online and found that this is a common problem with this make and model. I feel this is some type of internal problem and needs to be addressed before someone gets hurt or worse.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford escape. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 MPH, the RPM increased excessively and the vehicle suddenly accelerated which caused the contact to crash into a building. The contact was rushed to the hospital where he sustained back and neck injuries. The vehicle was towed to a local mechanic where it was not diagnosed for the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated the vehicle was included in the federal safety agency campaign number : 12v353000 (engine and engine cooling , vehicle speed control). The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure and current mileage was 150,000. *tr..updated 06/24/13 *bf updated 06/28/2013
The incident occurred during rust hour traffic. My vehicle was on the highway at 70 MPH, I had the cruise control on. I tried to slowdown by pressing on the brake but the vehicle started to accelerate. I had to move to the slow lane (2 lanes to the right) to get to the shoulder.I had to literally stand on the brake pedal with my whole weight on the peddle to stop the vehicle. I was able to slow down the vehicle and stop by forcing the gear lever in to park position. When the vehicle stopped, the engine was still accelerating. I had to turn off the ignition to stop the engine acceleration.
Upon start-up the engine immediately revved to 4000 to 5000 RPM & would not return to idle. Gas pedal was not depressed. This happened multiple times. Moving the gas pedal had no effect. Car was shut off. Reaching by hand to the end of the pedal assembly where the throttle cable is attached, it was determined that the cable did not return to the idle position. By pushing the end of the cable the throttle returned to idle. The car was started & ran at normal idle speed.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford escape. The contact stated that she received notification of the federal safety agency campaign id number 12v353000 (engine and engine cooling, vehicle speed control) and took the vehicle to the dealer for recall repairs. The contact stated that approximately six months after having the vehicle serviced under the recall the vehicle began to exhibit acceleration issues. The contact was driving approximately 20 MPH and the vehicle would not accelerate over 60 MPH. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where they advised her that the catalytic converter failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 86,900. The current mileage was approximately 88,841.
I preface my comments by stating that I am a powertrain engineer for an american auto manufacturer. I owned a 2003 ford escape which I sold to my mother-in-law in 2011. We have experienced throttle sticking with the vehicle both before and after the cruise control recall. After receiving a frantic call from her this evening that the throttle had stuck while traveling 70 MPH on the highway, I have grown sick of remaining silent. There is another large problem that the cruise control recall does not address. In cold temperatures, the throttle can freeze due to introduction of humid air from the pcv (positive crankcase ventilation) system. The humid air combines with the sub-freezing fresh air to freeze on the throttle valve and render the gas pedal useless. While I owned the escape from 2007-2011, I experienced the frozen throttle several times. After the dealership was unable to resolve the problem, I grew frustrated knowing that the vehicle was unsafe but was morally withheld from selling the vehicle to an unsuspecting customer. I began to investigate the issue and the circumstances which caused it. This was when I discovered the pcv issue. I created a fix for the system and saw all throttle sticking/freezing issues go away. After driving the vehicle for two years with no issues, I felt comfortable selling the vehicle to my mother-in-law. However, when she took the vehicle to the dealership this summer for the cruise control recall, the dealership removed the pcv fix I had in place. I was unaware of this until tonight when I received her frantic call that the throttle was stuck (it is 15 deg f here). Upon inspecting the vehicle, I saw that the pcv system had been restored to the original faulty configuration by the dealership which created the freezing conditions again. Disaster was avoided tonight, but I don't want it to happen again.
My car is misfiring and stalling on de-acceleration (when we slow down). It started recently. First it had the engine light come on. We had it tested by a mechanic with the electrical reader and it said we needed a new coil. We replaced the coil, did a full tune up and it still is not working. After many hours of research we see that the ford escape PCM has been a consistent manufacturing problem and the 2003 ford escape had this problem. I call ford and they tell me my car was not covered under that particular recall. However, it is clear that this is a serious problem with ford escape. What I am to do? Drive the car like this and risk it stalling in an intersection or on a hill and have the possibility of a crash? Ford should be held responsible for this manufacturing problem that they have documented over the years.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford escape. The contact stated that while driving 55 MPH, he heard a noise coming from under the hood. He pulled over and opened the hood when the smell of fuel and smoke emitted from under the hood near the spark plugs. The vehicle was towed to the dealer for diagnosis. The dealer stated that they needed to replace the head of the engine. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that there were no recalls for the failure. The failure and the current mileage was 100,200. Updated 09/11/12*lj the consumer stated the spark plugs blew out of the engine head and stripped the treads in the heads. Updated 09/13/12
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford escape. The contact stated there was a recall associated with the federal safety agency campaign id number 12v353000 (engine and engine cooling). The authorized dealer and manufacturer were notified and they both informed the contact that the part was unavailable. The dealer stated until the part became available a temporary repair would be performed which consisted of disconnecting the cruise control cable. The contact had concern of the safety issue regarding the recall temporary repair. The contact had not experienced a failure.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford escape. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked in a residential driveway when there was a loud noise and the entire vehicle became engulfed in flames. The fire department was called and extinguished the fire. The origin of the fire was unknown and a fire report was filed. There were no injuries and the insurance company was contacted. There had been no maintenance performed on the vehicle prior to the failure for at least six months. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 157,000.
When I recently had my routine maintenance check on my vehicle I was horrified when my mechanic informed me that the front sub frame was rusted from the inside out! Can you imagine my utter shock when my mechanic advised me that this vehicle is prohibited to be driven since catastrophic outcomes would be likely? How very fortunate nothing fatal took place while being in this vehicle; because based on the condition of the sub frame it could have been my reality to suffer detrimental consequences. My young children are in this SUV every single day and to think their lives were at risk just by being a passenger has sickened me beyond words. I had no other choice but to get it repaired asap, so I informed the customer relationship center of ford motor company as instructed by their website and all they could do was apologize for any inconvenience. This frightening situation goes far beyond from being an inconvenience it could have been a major life threatening issue. I was not asking ford for a new vehicle, I simply was asking for assistance towards a major expense that was not caused by my lack of protecting my major investment with routine maintenance checks but by ford having defective sub-frames installed in their vehicles. My mechanic has never seen such a structural defect as this ever before! Ford has already manufactured vehicles that involved major recalls for the exact same problem, so quite naturally other ford models could suffer the same dangerous consequences with regards to the front sub frame . I believe an investigation on this horrific issue is deemed a necessity due to the history of ford's sub frames. This has been very devastating to me and I can't imagine allowing another consumer to endure this major fear. Your attention to this is appreciated.
This vehicle has a bad misfire problem,rough idle as well as bad hitching on highway. Looked it up on yahoo answers and a lot of people are having the same problem. Is there going to be a recall on these vehicles. I'm hearing faulty computers.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford escape. The contact stated the vehicle started hesitating and sputtering prior to the failure. The contact took the vehicle to a mechanic who changed was the spark plugs and the coils were replaced prior to the catalytic converter failing. The catalytic converter failure ruined the engine. The failure mileage was 141,000 and the current mileage was 142,000.
I have a ford 2003 escape 6 cyl. Bought in may of 2004 new - 76 miles on it test driven from a dealer in schulenburg, tx - the check engine light came on - the PCM computer went out and blew a spark plug on 1/16/2011 - I had to replace the PCM (which I was told should have been a recall on the 2003 ford escape) since this should never go out on the car. The mileage was only 43,625 on 1/16/2011 when this happened. I have the car for 7-8 yrs. Now. I had to replace the PCM with a remanufactured (since it would cost way more for a new one) PCM - electronic ignition costing me just over $2,100. Again, this part was intended to never go out for the life of the car, period. This should have been a recall on ford motor companies part - and I was told to complain and record this to the federal safety agency as others have, and if enough do, they would have to recall. I am not sure if I am in the right place to place this complaint.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford escape. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle suddenly shuttered and completely stalled. The contact was able to restart it. The vehicle had not been inspected or repaired. The contact called the manufacturer who stated that there were no recalls on the vehicle. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford escape. Intermittently, the vehicle failed to accelerate while the contact was driving approximately 60 MPH up an incline. The vehicle would also suddenly accelerate without warning. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the gasket recirculator was repaired. The contact was informed to drive the vehicle on the highway at a high speed. As the contact was attempting to accelerate to a high speed she suddenly heard a loud sound. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where the gasket recirculator was repaired for the second time and the catalytic converter was also serviced. In march 2010 while traveling at 60 MPH the contact attempted to accelerate and the pedal had fallen to the floor and the vehicle would not accelerate. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where the contact was informed that the catalytic converter needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that they would not offer any assistance with the repairs. The current mileage was approximately 100,000 and the failure mileage was approximately 80,600.
I own a 2003 ford escape with a 6 cylinder engine which I bought new from harrold ford in sacramento 11/2002. I noticed a strong oil burning smell. And oil leaking from the engine. I was unable to locate the source of the leak, so I took the vehicle into harrold ford on 12/30/2009. The dealer informed me the oil was leaking thru the oil pan, and that ford had a retrofit for the problem. I asked if this was a seal problem. I was told no, the material the oil pan was made of allowed the oil to eventually start leaking directly thru the material. I asked if this was a recall due to the fire danger, and was told no. The repair was completed and the oil pan was replaced. I kept the old oil pan.
Ford is not allowing my car to be included in the safety recall: 04s13 for powertrain control module re-calibration. I have notified ford and they are saying they never miss a vehicle that gets recalled. My vehicle has stalled more than 7 times when decelerating under 40pmh. I have brought my car into a mechanic two times for the same problem. Everytime it was determined that there was no reason for the vehicle to stall.
My 2003 ford escape 6 cyl 2 wheel drive was stopped at a stoplight when the engine suddenly revved to over 4000 RPM for approximately 7 seconds. Fortunately, I had my foot on the brake at the time. Changing from drive to neutral had no effect on the rpms and the engine went back to about 1500 rpms through no action on my part. Afterwards, the vehicle drove normally. I recall that similar occurrences have happened in the past so I wanted to get this information to you asap. I do not recall what vehicles were involved at that time. What worries me is if that happens while I am in a parking lot backing out or some other situation where my reaction would be too slow to stop an accident or damage to my vehicle. The vehicle has about 32,000 miles on it and I am the original owner.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford escape. The contact took the vehicle to a repair shop because the emissions indicator was illuminated. The repair shop kept the vehicle for two weeks due to the parts that needed to be ordered. When the gasket was installed in the vehicle, the engine became very hot and the corking (used to seal the gasket) melted onto the catalytic converter. The dealer stated that the failure was due to the catalytic converter and would cost $3,700 just to start the vehicle and determine what other malfunctions were occurring. The manufacturer has not been notified. The current mileage was approximately 70,000 and failure mileage was approximately 68,000.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford escape. When the contact decelerated and reached a speed of 40 MPH or less, the vehicle would stall. It would completely shut down with no power steering or braking ability. She shifted into neutral while depressing the accelerator pedal in order to restart the vehicle. The failure occurred at least once per day. The dealer stated that they would repair the vehicle at the contact's expense. The manufacturer stated that her VIN was not included in any recalls related to the failure. The current mileage was approximately 110,000 and failure mileage was approximately 107,000.
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