2006 Ford Escape: sudden loss of power

Filed Jan 25, 2025 · Engine · VA

The idler pulley on the subject vehicle has failed numerous times, with the mounting bolt shearing at the connection to the timing cover. Upon failure of the pulley the serpentine belt will either fail or become dislodged; when this occurs the steering, alternator, and water pump all stop operating. The vehicle becomes difficult to handle due to the loss of power steering, and is subject to shutting off due to the lack of an alternator and water pump. This particular issue has happened to me on four separate occasions in the last two years; the first time occurred while operating in traffic; the subsequent occasions were noted during startup and were detected before driving. New replacement pulleys will only last approximately 4000-5000 miles before they fail. The power steering pump and air conditioning compressor have been replaced due to concerns that they could be placing extra strain on the serpentine belt, however the issue has occurred even after replacing these components. Internet research notes that this is a common problem of the 2.3L engine in the Escape and other Ford/Mercury models of the same time frame. Nobody has reported a permanent solution; later model vehicles using the same or similar issue came equipped with electric power steering, which likely reduced the load on the pulley and its undersized mounting bolt. The idler pulley on this vehicle has proven to be an Achilles heel and should have been addressed by Ford via a recall and redesigned pulley.

Filed May 7, 2018 · Electrical · 124,100 miles · VA

The problem that we are having has to do with the car just shutting off and losing power, mainly on the interstate. We started having the problem back in june of 17 when my wife broke down in fayetteville nc on her way to south carolina and had it towed to the nearest aaa service center. They couldn't find anything wrong but said she need a new battery. Fast forward to may 6 2018, not quite 11 months since the first time this has happened. Same thing, the ABS warning light comes on, dash cluster shuts down, no radio or A/C, then the vehicle starts losing power and slowing down until there is no power at all. Everything we have read points to a problem the alternator. Every post we have read, around 40, says the same thing. Ford needs to recall all ford escapes to fix this problem. Someone is going to be killed because of their vehicles losing power and getting hit from behind my a tractor trailer. Please investigate this issue before something like that happens. Or ford can replace the vehicle with a new one. Some posts don't even have that warning like we did, they said it just shut down for no reason. I believe ford knows there is an issue with mist of no all ford escapes with this issue, but believe they are covering up the problem. Again, please investigate and ask the public who own escapes for any issues like we have had and from people that have posted the same issues. Thank you your help with this issue. No one should have to die or be injured from a problem that ford can fix. They need to issue a major recall for this problem and with your help we can get this fixed. We have a 2006 ford escape xlt which has been a great vehicle for the past 11 years. It's only been this past 11 months that these problems have arisen. Any thanks for any input to get ford to right this wrong.

Filed Jun 16, 2016 · 170,000 miles · PA

A couple months ago, I bought a 2006 ford escape, but within a short time it started shutting down with no warning. I lost all power (steering and brakes) and had to pull the emergency brake to stop. Thank god I was near a parking lot and there was no cars coming. Now, every time I drive it, the problem gets worse. When going up hills and at higher speeds, it spits and sputters and sometimes it will just shut down while driving! It has gotten progressively worse and now when I stop at a stop sign and start to pull out at an intersection it just shuts off. The car will start right back up but it is so dangerous when it just shuts off going down the road. I have put it in the garage twice, but both times they couldn't find anything wrong and there are no codes being thrown. I also took it to a ford dealer, but they could find nothing wrong.. But something needs to be done, its so dangerous and I'm afraid to drive the car.

Filed Mar 22, 2015 · Engine · PA

As I was traveling across interstate 86 in new york state, at 65 miles per hour, my ford escape completely lost power. Fortunately for me I was right next to an off ramp and a convenient market. When I checked the engine for signs of what could have gone wrong I found that my engine was completely out of oil. I maintain my own vehicles due to the costs of the repair shops and check my vehicles fluids regularly. There were no signs of oil loss where I had been parking my vehicle as well. When I had the vehicle checked at my local repair shop they told me it was out of time. How does a chain driven vehicle become out of time? As I researched the problem on car forums on the internet I realized that I am not the only one facing this issue. Many individuals have replaced engines in this model year at very unreasonable prices some only to have the same issue reoccur. I was fortunate that I was not in heavy traffic where this sudden loss of power could have created an accident. I hope more individuals take the time to complain so something may be done about this issue. This is not an isolated issue and the vehicle has a reputation for failure which unfortunately I did not know about before I purchased this vehicle. I work part time and can not afford to repair the only vehicle I own. I am without a vehicle due to a major company unwilling to take accountability of their inferior product. I purchased this vehicle due to the fact it was american made and assembled in the u.s. Next time I guess I buy a foreign product that at least I will receive a product that is worth my investment.

Filed Jun 16, 2014 · Engine · 78,000 miles · KS

A total and complete loss of power regardless of travel speed. This is accompanied with vehicle shaking and lurching just before the engine dies. Sometimes it will start again - sometimes not. There have multiple incidents and their frequency is increasing I.e. Almost daily.this vehicle has spent time in the shop ( not cheap) where the mechanics find no trouble/diagnostic codes and report not knowing what the problem is nor having ever encountered a similar problem before.

Filed Aug 6, 2013 · Engine · 64,000 miles · NE

Driving down the interstate I found that the vehicle was losing power. There were no service engine lights or any indicator warning lights of any kind that were on previous to the incident or that lit up during or after the episode. I had to pull over to the side of the road. The accelerator seemed to stop working and there was no power to the engine. I restarted with no issue and continued to drive. The vehicle did this a second time. There were additional incidents at lower speeds driving around town.

Filed Nov 15, 2012 · Electrical, Engine · 161,487 miles · CA

Wife was driving her 2003 ford escape 2.3l xls (fwd, 5-spd manual) at 65mph, practically coasting down a hill. 26 minutes after engine start she heard a loud bang and subsequent popping sounds. This was followed immediately by severe power loss from the engine. She drove it to the next best off-ramp, an additional 2 miles. When she got off the freeway she says she had to rev it up quite a bit to make an intersection to get to the gas station where the car rolled to a stop. That loud bang turned up to be the nbr 3 cylinder blowing its spark plug clean off the spark plug bore. The spark plug bore was completely threadless. The subsequent popping sounds were due to the spark plug not being on the nbr 3 cylinder as the fuel that continued to spray into the cylinder was burning off. The immediate power loss is a direct result of the engine loosing 25% of its chugga-chugga and the loss of the cht sensor signal which both then caused the PCM (powertrain control module) to go into limp mode and further reduce engine power. First thing I did was plug in my obdii scanner and check for codes. I found the following three: p0303 - cylinder 3 three misfire. P0353 - ignition coil 'c' primary/secondary circuit. P1289 - cylinder head temp sensor high input. I then performed a koeo (key-on/engine-off) check with my obdii scanner and found the following two codes: p0119 - engine coolant temperature circuit intermittent/erratic. P1289 - cylinder head temp sensor high input. The cht probe (cylinder head temperature) cover/boot was popped off the engine camshaft cover and the wires were broken off the cht probe electrical connector. The spark plug terminal broke off. The ignition coil pack was severely damaged (looked like an exploded cigar, cartoon style).

Filed Sep 25, 2012 · Transmission · 67,500 miles · OK

Vehicle stalls when attempting to stop, causing loss of power to steering and brake systems.

Filed Jul 18, 2012 · Engine · 76,000 miles · AZ

My family was driving out of town on the freeway. We were driving up a small incline and the engine shut down. We lost all power in a matter of seconds. We were almost hit by several other vehicles because we were unable to properly remove the vehicle from the road (lost power so quickly). We had the vehicle towed to a local dealership where they advised us that the engine shut down because it was going to throw a rod. We have done all scheduled maintenance on the vehicle. There was no advanced warning, no check engine light, nothing that would lead us to believe the vehicle would suffer engine failure and shut down on the freeway leaving my family (two small children) in danger of being struck on the freeway. I have read numerous other complaints about this same vehicle (same problem with the engine throwing a rod). My family has attempted to get assistance with ford unsuccessfully.