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2005 Ford Escape electrical complaints

Page 3 of 6: complaints 41 to 70 of 153, newest first, as owners wrote them.

See the summary of 2005 Ford Escape electrical problems: which part fails, at what mileage and related recalls.

Filed May 19, 2015 · Electrical · 90,000 miles · OH

The driver's front door began causing problems. Occasionally, it does not open, period. Additionally, the lock mechanism is inoperable. I removed both driver's and passenger's front door panels to inspect, compare and finally determine the issue. There seems to be a problem, which a friend temporarily fixed. It--the exterior door handle--after tweeking, worked for a while. Fast forward, 2015, I cannot open nearly 3 of my doors. One will not open at all (rear pass.) the driver's front door is doing the same thing the rear door handle--it lost tension and won't open at all. After looking it up on youtube, I determined the locking system is the culprit. In order to repair this inoperable door handle situation, apparently I need to pull the interior panels, remove the exterior handles and replace them entirely. Currently, I have the driver's door panel removed because in the event the handle doesn't work at all, I'd have to climb over from the passenger side just to drive my 2005 ford escape.

Filed Apr 30, 2015 · Electrical · 115,000 miles · NJ · fire

Ongoing problem with coils. I was driving my car and smoke started to billow out of the front hood. I then pulled over and call the berkeley township police and they arrived with the pinewald fire company. My husband and son arrived at scene and we had the vehicle towed to our home. The engine control module melted the coils. When my son examined the car the upper intake manifold exploded in his face. I have contacted the ford motor company and they refused to do anything about it. Also, we noted that there where many other complaints online regarding the same exact problem.

Filed Mar 17, 2015 · Acceleration, Electrical · 144,410 miles · NC

Was driving at highway speed (appx 55mph) in 5 o'clock traffic in raleigh, nc on us 1 and the vehicle lost speed. All emergency lights came on. Forced to pull the vehicle off onto the shoulder and was almost rear ended. The vehicle sputtered and totally cut off. Attempted to restart the vehicle but it kept cutting off. I was unable to restart the vehicle and was stranded on the highway. After a call to a family member and to aaa, the car was towed home 3 hours later. The next day, the car was towed to crossroads ford in cary, nc. They determined that the PCM, spark plugs and ignition coils all failed at once and charged me $2700. Error codes p0351, p0354 and p0353 appeared on the diagnostics. The vehicle was repaired the next day. This is a huge safety issue since the vehicle suddenly undergoes a catastrophic failure with loss of power and acceleration and could lead to an accident.

Filed Mar 16, 2015 · Electrical · 128,000 miles · NY

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford escape. While driving at approximately 30 MPH over a bump, there was a loud abnormal noise coming from the vehicle. The contact mentioned that the failure occurred when going over a bump. The contact noticed that the top of the steering tower had separated from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the struck tower separated due to excessive rust. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The contact was made aware of the federal safety agency campaign number: 14v165000 (structure); however, the VIN was not included. The failure mileage was 128,000.

Filed Feb 11, 2015 · Acceleration, Driver assistance · 155,900 miles · MO

As soon as I hit about 60 MPH, between 2-3 RPM, my car begins to stall and feels like the gas pedal is grinding and won't let me go any faster without vibrating the entire vehicle. I initially thought it was the transmission slipping so I took it in to a transmission auto shop where the found absolutely nothing. Which is very odd for an auto shop to not find anything. About 1 week after this problem, the service emission light came on. I was driving home from work the day the light came on and the car completely stopped on the highway, in rush hour traffic. Thankfully I was close to the side of the highway and was able to pull over. I got to the side and put my car into park, turned the engine off, and waited a couple of minutes to allow my heart rate to come back down to a normal pace. I turned the key and the engine turned back on. I drove it into an auto shop to see what the issue was, and the reader showed cylinder 2 misfire. The first possible fix was to replace the coil on plug, which is what I did. I got home today and am still experiencing this scary feeling of my car not being able to excel above 60. I read many reviews this evening and so many people have experienced very similar issues. This is not safe and people are at serious risk or getting injured and/or in an accident. The average cost to fix the issue - reported by many users on http://www.carcomplaints.com/ford/escape/2005/electrical/computer_pcm_failure.shtml, is $2000. When you have a 2005 car of any kind, $2000 seems very high to fix when the car is 10 years old. Please investigate this issue further as this is unacceptable that ford has yet to recall this issue.

Filed Feb 11, 2015 · Electrical, Fuel system · CA

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford escape. While driving at approximately 70 MPH, an unknown warning light illuminated and the vehicle stalled. The contact restarted the vehicle, but the failure recurred multiple times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the failure was unable to be replicated. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact received a notice for the federal safety agency campaign number: 14v526000 (hybrid propulsion system). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. The VIN was not available.

Filed Feb 8, 2015 · Electrical, Engine · 48,881 miles · MD

First occurrence of problem: 48800 miles, 5/2012. Engine light on and engine misfiring. Ford dealership determined faulty ignition coil in # 6 cylinder. Replaced ignition coil and spark plug. $295 second occurrence of problem: 74,400 miles, 11/2013. Engine light on and engine misfiring. Mechanic replaced sparkplugs in cylinders # 1-3 all at once since it is difficult to access those. $276 additional occurrences of same problem: upon misfiring in 2014 I bought a code reader which indicated cylinder #5 misfire - replaced ignition coil and spark plug. More misfiring indicated cylinder #4 misfire - replaced ignition foil and spark plug. Major problem update. 2/2/2015 - travelling 55 MPH car shuts off, all warning lights come on, coast to shoulder. Restart car, seems fine, no warning lights. Again cylinder # 4 misfiring - replaced spark plug. My research indicates the ECM/PCM may be damaged and that this is a very frequent problem with this car, often manifesting after the warranty expires/recall mileage, and costs $2000-$3000 or more. I don't wan't to pay to have it fixed because many people have had the PCM fried multiple times but I'm scared it will shut down while driving again and think this should be covered by a recall. Many people are having this problem and it appears to be caused by ford engineering. Please help force a recall or provide me with information for a class action lawsuit.

Filed Jan 29, 2015 · Electrical, Engine · 105,000 miles · CA

While driving about 30 MPH, the car started sputtering as if it were running out of gas. I was near a gas station and as I was pulling in, the engine just stopped and the power steering went dead. The car then wouldn't restart. I called aaa and they couldn't start it, so I had the car towed to the ford dealership. They examined the car and later that day told me the coils overheated and fried the PCM. Now it needs new coils on 2 cylinders, possibly more, and a new PCM with reprogramming. Cost quoted was $3520. The service tech that looked at the car said he hasn't seen this before, nor heard of this. After researching this problem online, I don't believe him. I wonder how many people haven't reported this because they were made to think their problem was a very rare occurrence.

Filed Jan 22, 2015 · Electrical, Engine · 114,000 miles · PA

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 ford escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the instrument panel lights illuminated and the vehicle would hesitate to accelerate. In addition, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed that the computer and the ignition coils needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The VIN was unavailable the approximate failure mileage was 114,000.

Filed Jan 14, 2015 · Driver assistance, Electrical · 85,000 miles · NY

I purchased the vehicle knowing the ECM had been replaced recently... About 3 months of purchasing the vehicle my check emissions light came on...losing gas mileage, car stalled out a few times, and dealership said it was the ECM again... Approximately august 2013. One year later august 2014 same issue again... Ecm replaced again.. When I turn the key on, not starting it the check emission comes on and the dealership tells me this is normal.. My gas mileage is 12 mpg and im afraid it is happening again soon.. I don't know what to do and I was told it may be the wiring harness causing this issue.. I don't know why no one will get to the route of the problem why the computer in my escape keeps failing. They wont let me trade it in since it is not any value to them anymore..

Filed Dec 27, 2014 · Electrical, Transmission · 166,000 miles · GA

Started off from a light and the car hesitated concerned gave it gas and it stuttered,I rolled to a stop and had it towed to a repair shop.evidently the powertrain computer module is bad several complaints that ford put the wrong spark plugs in this escape which after time ruins the PCM.seriously why hasn't a recall been issued for this problem? Had I been traveling faster would have been an accident as I was in morning traffic.now looking at a $1000 in repair bills.ford needs to fix this problem.

Filed Dec 21, 2014 · Electrical · 750,000 miles · CA

Door ajar light stays on so does dome light and alam goes off every so often on its own.

Filed Nov 21, 2014 · Electrical, Engine · 110,000 miles · MO

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford escape. While driving approximately 65 MPH, the check engine and power loss indicator illuminated continuously, which caused the vehicle to stall. The failure occurred on several occasions. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the hybrid system needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 110,000.

Filed Oct 27, 2014 · Electrical · 165,000 miles · TX

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford escape. The contact stated that while driving 45 MPH, the engine stalled as all the warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the ignition coils and the electric control module (ECM) needed to be replaced. The failure was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 165,000.

Filed Sep 12, 2014 · Electrical, Engine · 101,245 miles · AE

Vehicle was shipped to germany due to military duty. A week later after delivered, my wife was driving it going down a short hill when the vehicle turned off completely and brakes were not functioning. My wife had to stop the vehicle with parking brake. After that the engine was losing power and the alarm was going off very often. We drove the vehicle few occasions and it turned off couple of times again.I ordered the part and replaced it in 2014. The vehicle is running fine, however the alarm still going off and engine light is on again on dashboard. At this point I do not know if the vehicle is indicating the same problem or something new.

Filed Aug 27, 2014 · Electrical, Engine · 107,000 miles · TX

I've always been a staunch defender of the ford brand...until now. The more research I did on the link between faulty factory-installed spark plugs and PCM failure, and fords knowledge of this link from the get-go, the angrier I become. There is a tsb out on this "known" issue however the warranty period only extends up to 80,000 miles. Pretty convenient since the average failure marker is 98k miles. Also convenient that ford waited until 99.99% of all affected drivers would be outside of their "warranty" period before graciously extending said "warranty". Hogwash. I consider myself fortunate that my failure did not cause an accident (because you know, loss of all electrical control at 70 MPH is not high on my bucket list). I brought it into my mechanic . Diagnostics was the # 3 coils was bad. It was replaced and retested. It showed that it was good but the next coil was bad and the engine light was still on. We took the car to ford and was told that the PCM was bad and needs to be replaced 2,100 later still having issues. On the way home from the shop I noticed it was still hesitating slightly, but nothing like it was .no, it will not last forever but known issues such as these really chap my hide!!! This has soured me off ford forever at this point. Disappointing, dangerous and downright deceptive. Why won't ford do a recall on this? Safety is an issue....

Filed Aug 26, 2014 · Electrical, Fuel system · CA

Driving hm from wk, 5fwy car stall coast to the side called aaa to be towed to ef1 motorsports inc. I was informed that this was a manufacture problem for this year SUV 2005. The wrong computer system was installed the cost to repair $1443.06. I would like a refund.

Filed Jul 18, 2014 · Electrical, Engine · 140,000 miles · NJ

I bought a used 2005 ford escape limited 6 days ago it was running fine no problems lights or warnings. Then I was driving down the highway accelerating to 50mph and my dashboard lit up like a christmas tree and stopped running. I towed it back to where I got it and they stated that the computer waa fried. Now I am waiting for them to replace it. I have seen similiar complaints about the same model and year. Fried computer due to ignition coils. I believe with as many complaints about this recurring problem there should be a recall, but I guess we have to wait till someone dies because of it. A shame that's the only way things get done.

Filed Jul 15, 2014 · Electrical · 93,000 miles · CA

Add me to the list. I was headed north on highway 17 in santa cruz. I had my wife and two kids in the car. All of the sudden the engine starts running rough, the o/d light goes on and then everything in the car stops working. We were approaching a hidden turn so I did not want to stop in the middle of the highway so I looked quick and swerved the car off to the shoulder. This was a very dangerous position to be in. I had it towed to a mechanic. All of the engine coils were firing codes. Took it to ford. Pcm failure, all coils ,plugs and the PCM itself need to be replaced. If you do the math, it's only a matter of time before somebody gets seriously hurt because of this manufacturer defect. These cars were sold in 2004-2005. I am guessing that most will be getting close to that 100k mile mark right around now. Ford needs to recall and replace all of the bad plugs.

Filed Jun 15, 2014 · Electrical · 82,500 miles · NJ

I was driving down a local highway at around 50 miles per hour in heavy morning rush hour traffic with my foot resting steadily on the accelerator pedal. The vehicle shut off and violently came to screeching halt. It felt like someone had placed the transmission range selector into reverse... I repeatedly attempted to restart the vehicle with no success... I waited five minutes and was able to get the vehicle started but it would not go over five miles per hour at wide open throttle... A diagnosis was performed and all systems via laptop scan tool appear to be operating normally... Researched internet and learned that many other escape owners are having the same problem and having the same scenario. Http://www.carproblemzoo.com/ford/escape/2005/ignition-coils-failure-problems.php that the vehicle shuts off at or above 50 miles per hours... Contacted local ford dealer who informed me that they know about the problem. That there are so many escapes failing that the parts are on back order for as long as 90 days... The problem is the original spark plugs and ignition coils (there are six) are defective from the factory and these parts cause the main vehicle computer to fail. The cost to repair the vehicle is around $ 2,800.00...

Filed Jun 5, 2014 · Electrical, Engine · 104,000 miles · VA

Traveling on the highway at 55 miles per hour and the entire engine stalled and cut off. I had the car towed to a local shop where they told me that 3 out of the 6 coils basically were not working and the PCM/computer was completely shot, they wanted over $1600 at dealership to fix this. Ford had apparently distributed a bulletin about this problem to the dealerships but not their customers - who this problem affects the most. I was lucky that I was able to pull over to the side of the road and not hit anyone or get killed. I can't imagine how many people this has affected because it is all over the internet. The repair ended up costing well over $1000 because of the spark plugs that ford knew were faulty years ago. A simple changing of the spark plugs instead of six coils. I see no difference in gm having to recall vehicles that shut off on the highway and ford having to recall these vehicles for basically the same reason and reimburse their customers, our cars are shutting off too.

Filed May 27, 2014 · Electrical · 39,950 miles · VI

I was driving down a hill and the engine just stopped.I pulled over,and started it up and drove straight home. .I took it to a mechanic who put an obd computer on the car and it said faulty primary/secondary ignition coil. He replaced all coils and plugs and restarted vehicle but it still misfired on cylinder 3 (c).he tested the wire sending spark to that coil and there was no spark . The PCM was determined to be bad. Now I'm finding out that it was a factory defect but mine was 3 months older than the 8 year period allowed by ford to repair for free. Only 40,000 miles and the computer goes to and costs over 1000.00 dollars to fix it. Not fair.

Filed May 27, 2014 · Electrical, Engine · 105,000 miles · IL

My 2005 ford escape 3.0 v6 had a coil issue that ford knew about and sent service bulletins to dealers, but not the affected parties. The coils were defective from a vendor and when they failed, burnt out the psm, making the automobile unusable and expensive to fix. Ford has known about this since 2011 and has done nothing to rectify it, or help, all of those whose escapes have stopped running completely. Mine had this go out and now the parts are on back order for months, as well as incredibly expensive. Please help to get ford to order a recall on this for all of us.

Filed May 23, 2014 · Electrical, Engine · 139,400 miles · MS

I turned a corner and was only going 20 MPH when the vehicle went dead. I had no control so luckily I wasn't going fast. I stopped the vehicle. I had to get it towed. One mechanic said my coils and spark plugs were bad because of the fuel rail pressure sensor malfunction. Second opinion - the PCM needed to be reprogrammed or replaced. Third opinion - all of the above. It costs $1900 and two tow bills ($275). The engine light had been on for several months. The only code was the fuel rail pressure sensor high input (p0193 generic).

Filed Apr 1, 2014 · Electrical, Fuel system · 183,000 miles · FL

I was driving my ford escape 2005 and it completely shuts off, the steering wheel got very hard!!! It was very difficult to steer,

Filed Mar 13, 2014 · Electrical · 10,700 miles · NC

I was driving down a busy highway going normal speed and my car just died which the ford dealership claims this is a big problem with the PCM going out and all six coils. I could have been seriously hurt and if they know this is a problem why don't they do something about it for their customers. It was also very costly to repair!

Filed Mar 4, 2014 · Electrical, Engine · 190,000 miles · MO

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford escape. The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle stalled as the engine warning lamp illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the technician diagnosed that the PCM and ignition coils were defective and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was 190,000 and the current mileage was 195,000.

Filed Feb 27, 2014 · Electrical, Engine · 51,000 miles · IL

The engine began misfiring and the check engine light was illuminated. Upon inspection at the ford dealer they determined that all 6 coils and the powertrain control module had failed. The cost to repair was $2750.00. Ford is aware that many of these vehicles are having this problem but will not assist the owners in any way.

Filed Oct 11, 2013 · Electrical, Engine · 138,000 miles · PA

Driving down the highway at approx 50 MPH, then without warning, simultaneously the dashboard lights came on and the vehicle immediately quit running.

Filed Sep 26, 2013 · Electrical · 108,500 miles · OH

While driving my escape on an expressway it suddenly started 'chugging' and died. I was lucky there wasn't a lot of traffic - it happened at 11:30pm. I was able to coast to the side of the road and call a tow truck. The vehicle is in a ford service dealer now being repaired at a cost of $2564. They are replacing the PCM, coils and plugs. Apparently this is a common defect that ford does not cover. This is could have turned into a very dangerous situation on the highway. I feel fortunate that it didn't happen during rush hour or in a remote location. I am very disappointed in ford for not backing their product and will not own another one. *ln updated 1/10/2013

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