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2009 Ford Escape acceleration complaints

Page 4 of 10: complaints 71 to 100 of 279, newest first, as owners wrote them.

See the summary of 2009 Ford Escape acceleration problems: which part fails, at what mileage and related recalls.

Filed Nov 3, 2013 · Acceleration, Engine · 69,784 miles · NY

As exiting a highway the car just lost power. The gas pedal was useless and the rpms were about 1000. Pulled off to shoulder and shut car down, waited 5 minutes and started car and it was ok. Three days later it did the same thing while driving in the middle lane of highway. Had to coast to the shoulder did the same thing of shutting car down and starting again. Took car to dealership service and was determined it was the throttle body through diagonistics. The throttle body was replaced and reprogrammed. This defect may and will cause serious accidents and potential fatalities due to the way that the throttle just stops and the car is unable to speed to a needed speed for safety on highways.

Filed Nov 2, 2013 · Acceleration, Fuel system · 46,000 miles · OH

I was driving on interstate 71 in ohio when my car lost power totally, it had to be flat-bed towed to mansfield ford where I was told there was a problem with the throttle body. This was very dangerous and frightening to me, now I am afraid to travel in this vehicle. I had to pay 474.00 to repair, which I think ford should reimburse.

Filed Oct 29, 2013 · Acceleration · 60,000 miles · CA

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 ford escape. The contact stated that the cruise control was activated while driving approximately 65 MPH when an unexpected increase in acceleration occurred. In addition, the engine began to race. The wrench warning indicator was also illuminated on the instrument panel when the malfunction occurred. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for diagnosis. The manufacturer was not notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 60,000.

Filed Oct 29, 2013 · Acceleration, Fuel system · 52,170 miles · OH

All the sudden the gas pedal didn't do anything when I pressed it and my vehicle slowed to a dangerous speed for the road I was on forcing vehicles to swerve around to miss hitting me. The wrench light also came on. I was able to eventually pull over and turn my vehicle off and restart it. After restarting it the gas pedal seemed to work fine. I took it into the dealership and they said it was the throttle body and it needed replaced.

Filed Oct 28, 2013 · Acceleration · 57,900 miles · FL

Driving at 55mph a wrench icon on the instrument panel came on and the accelerator suddenly became non responsive. The driver was able to coast to the side of the road and turned off the engine. After waiting a few minutes the driver was able to continue a short distance to home. I took the vehicle to the dealer the next day and was advised the throttle body needed to be replaced at a cost of $564. I learned the next day that other owners of ford escapes have had the same issue and the incidents are being investigated for a possible safety recall. I would support the recall decision as I have never heard of any other vehicle, regardless of age or mileage having problems with a throttle body and believe the parts must have been defective from the start.

Filed Oct 25, 2013 · Acceleration · 81,000 miles · MD

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 ford escape. The contact stated that while driving 35 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact was able to restart the vehicle. The contact took the vehicle to a local mechanic for a diagnostic test, which confirmed a defective throttle. The contact did not have the vehicle repaired or contact the manufacturer. The failure mileage was 81,000.

Filed Oct 23, 2013 · Acceleration, Engine · 103,000 miles · SC

I was traveling 60mph in my 2009 ford escape on the highway and all of a sudden an orange wrench warning light came on and my car immediately drops to less than 10mph. I was fortunate enough to be able to get to the median with out incident. The car did start up again and was able to get to a mechanic after it did the same thing about 10x in a 15 mile drive. The mechanic said this was the second time in less than a month he had replaced the electronic throttle body in a 4 cylinder ford escape. This is very dangerous!!

Filed Oct 17, 2013 · Acceleration, Engine · 71,000 miles · NJ

We have been having issues with the car since august of 2013. The car would lose power while driving slowing down to a crawl without notice. This issue happened about 5 times since that occurrence. Car has been in the shop 5 times since that time with about $2000 in repair bills that included engine work, new battery, new alternator, etc. The car was towed each time to mongos auto repair in cinnaminson nj. On this occurrence I did a google search and found that this model is having common problems as per the above and the throttle body needs to be replaced to repair the issue. Mongos checked and there was a recall by ford to repair this issue. We never received a recall notice from ford. We were informed it would have been covered under the drive train warranty if the car had 60,000 miles or less. My wife drives the vehicle and was put into very dangerous situations due to this faulty defect in manufacturing. Can I contact someone about never receiving the recall and get reimbursed for the $2000 in repairs plus the new bill to replace the throttle body?

Filed Oct 16, 2013 · Acceleration, Engine · 98,000 miles · VA

Earlier in the day, the car lunged and it felt like it had dropped out of gear. Later that evening while driving home from vacation, I lost all acceleration from the pedal. Luckily I was able to coast off the highway and get out of the flow of traffic. I turned the car off, let it sit for a minute and then restarted. It went into gear and I was able to get the car home. It did this about 4 more times over the next few days. A computer test showed it was the throttle body. I just replaced and the problem seems to be resolved. This failure could have placed my family in a very dangerous situation, especially if we would have been crossing traffic when all acceleration was lost.

Filed Oct 15, 2013 · Acceleration, Transmission · MI

Initial incident was near home in residential neighborhood. Wrench symbol appeared & vehicle began to slow down with inability to accelerate. Turned car off & then back on with no light present. Incident happened again next day driving on the expressway at about 65 MPH. Vehicle began to shake & lose speed & wrench symbol reappeared. Was early morning & dark out & had to merge to shoulder. Had to frequently stop & turn car off in order to prevent from happening again. Fixed by ford dealership citing throttle body issue & was replaced. Cost of repair just under $400.00.

Filed Oct 15, 2013 · Acceleration, Engine · 33,000 miles · OH

When driving on a busy 4 lane road, the vehicle suddenly lost fuel power and began creeping down the road at less than 5 km/h the wrench light was flashing and it was a few hundred meters to the nearest side street, fortunately I was able to make it to the side street without getting struck by traffic moving 60 km/h faster than I was, I thought that the computer may have had a one time failure but this happened again 3 days after with my young son in the back seat. That was monday oct 14 2013, I am super mad at ford for not recalling this throttle body problem already it seems like a constant point of failure and it is unsafe to drive these cars when this is happening.

Filed Oct 10, 2013 · Acceleration, Fuel system · 96,096 miles · NC

While driving on the highway, at approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle bucked and instantaneously slowed down and was unable to accelerate. At that moment when the vehicle bucked the dash indicator (a wrench) came on showing the problem being the throttle control/powertrain. I was on the highway in the middle lane, in traffic when I lost the ability to accelerate and was luckily able to navigate to the right and coast to the exit that was less than a quarter mile from the incident. I placed it into park and it sputtered just prior to turning off the vehicle completely. After waiting about 10 minutes I then restarted the vehicle and the dash indicator did not come on, I therefore proceeded and drove it home. Because this occurred late evening I was not able to contact the dealer until the following day.

Filed Oct 10, 2013 · Acceleration, Engine · 86,000 miles · CA

The first time I had a throttle failure (first time wrench light came on), I was on the free way going about 65 MPH. My acceleration quickly died and the gas pedal was inactive and useless while my car slowed down . I pulled over on the side of the freeway left shoulder going north on the 5, and after a few minutes, my car turned back on and worked fine . I took my car to firestone to cleanup throttle , only to find myself experience another car breakdown for the same reason the next day on the freeway going the same speed , this occurred 2 more times going about 25 MPH the next day . All 4 times ,, my wrench light came on my escape as well as completely dying as far as acceleration . Each time, I had to pull over to the side. The last time this occurred was earlier today 10/10/13 as I was makin a left at a red light. Where I was afraid my car would not make it through the intersection.

Filed Oct 9, 2013 · Acceleration, Engine · 59,802 miles · MI

I was driving to work on the expressway during the morning rush hour doing 70 MPH when my vehicle stalled. I had to risk moving over three lanes to the off ramp without having power. I rolled up the exit ramp and pulled safely to the side of the road. I was able to restart the car but noticed both the check engine light and service light were on. The car died two additional times before I got to an auto repair shop. The repair shop told me the service code was p2111 which indicated a problem with the throttle. This was a terrible incident and I was relieved to make it safely off the road.

Filed Oct 9, 2013 · Acceleration, Fuel system · 64,165 miles · GA

I was traveling in the center lane on I-75 at 65 MPH when my car lost power. The car continued to run but had no acceleration. Their were cars beside and behind me. I finally was able to get off the freeway and into the emergency lane. I cut the engine off and restarted it, it acted the same. The orange wrench light came on. I decided to drive it to the next exit which was about two miles. I finally got to the exit and called the local ford dealership and was told by service people they had no way of getting the vehicle to their shop and was also told I could call or they would call for me a tow truck. I called several places and finally found a private garage that was available to come and pick me and the vehicle up. They told me while loading the vehicle on the tow truck that they had the equipment to check it out and repair it. They contacted me after checking the system out and stated that the drive by wire was bad and the throttle control body needed cleaning. To made a long story short after the tow bill, parts and labor to repair the vehicle it cost me 747.38. I feel that ford motor company should be responsible for some of the expenses if not all. They should at least have a recall and check this part for malfunction before someone gets hurt or killed from this safety issue.

Filed Oct 8, 2013 · Acceleration, Fuel system · 71,200 miles · PA

Pulling out from a red light car accelerated to 25 and lost all engine power. Stepped on accelerator and nothing happened. Coasted to a stop.in passing lane. Shut off, waited 30 seconds, and restarted to drive away. Traffic behind me in passing line trying to go around me unsafely. Ford dealership tested and said failed throttle body. Mechanic said he has seen quite a few of these. Cost $358.00. Thank goodness I was not on I-95 which I travel often when this happened.

Filed Oct 7, 2013 · Acceleration · 82,491 miles · SC

The SUV was stopped at light and when the light turned green the engine would not speed up. Coasted out of traffic and shut off engine. Engine started normally and ran. Took to shop after researching and was told my mechanic that the throttle body assembly was faulty. Paid $356 to have replaced. Ford is aware of this problem.

Filed Oct 5, 2013 · Acceleration, Fuel system · 79,338 miles · NC

Car intermittently stalled while driving at speeds from 1-30 MPH or following a stop. This continued to increase to the point that the car stalled every few feet. Car had to be towed to ford dealer for throttle body replacement and reprogram. Dealer charge for labor and parts was $ 732.00.

Filed Oct 4, 2013 · Acceleration · 150,000 miles · TX

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 ford escape. The contact stated that the vehicle intermittently failed to start. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic where it was found that the throttle body had failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted about the failure. The failure mileage was 150,000.

Filed Oct 3, 2013 · Acceleration · 65,219 miles · OH

Car stalled while moving 3 times. Once while in motion, the other 2 right after stops. Would hit the gas & the car wouldn't move. I would turn off the car & restart it & it would run ok, then do it again. Took it to autozone to have them tell me what codes came up & they said it was the p2111 stating the throttle actuator stuck on open. I have a 2 year old daughter & can't have take this kind of risk with her. Its happened again over the last week several times.

Filed Oct 2, 2013 · Acceleration, Engine · 77,314 miles · GA

I was driving appx 50 MPH and out of the blue the car briefly sputtered and the wrench light came on. I pressed the gas but couldn't accelerate. I coasted to the side of the road and turned the engine off. When I cranked it back up everything seemed to work, and the wrench light was off. I called my ford service department from the roadside and immediately drove it in for diagnostics. They said it was the throttle body, and the part was back ordered. Left car at ford because I didn't want to take the chance of this happening again on a road or highway with no place to pull off. Bought the car new in 09 from this dealership and have had all scheduled maintenance done at this dealership. No mechanical issues until this one. Driving habits are normal.

Filed Oct 2, 2013 · Acceleration, Electrical · 59,060 miles · IL

Faulty electronic throttle body vehicle lost power twice while my wife was driving home - extremely dangerous situation. Engine remained running but all power lost. Had vehicle towed to ford in hopes the repair would be covered under extended powertrain warranty or via technical service bulletin. No . . . . This is astounding to me - a quick google search will tell you there are many issues with this part across multiple ford models. This was a $340 repair, for a faulty part, and one which puts people in potentially extreme danger. Please conclude your investigation asap.

Filed Oct 2, 2013 · Acceleration, Fuel system · 53,400 miles · FL

Loss of acceleration and/or power. Gas pedal did not respond. After a few scary moments was able to get vehicle to side of road. Had an idea what was wrong based on a conversation with a person who described a similar situation that was do to a malfunctioning throttle body was able to get the car started and the computer reset itself, as was also described, and made it to the local ford dealership who made repairs to the throttle body. My concern is that ford is very aware of the problem and has been for sometime but is doing nothing to warn consumers of the potential of danger associated with loss of power under highway driving conditions - this needs to be done and at minimum the consumer should be compensated to some degree for what is, for all practicable purpose, faulty parts and design problems that are on going. Could you imagine this situation happening to someone in their 80's - at night.

Filed Oct 1, 2013 · Acceleration, Engine · 60,000 miles · FL

While traveling in heavy traffic the engine seemed to quit. A "wrench" icon light came on and the car came to a stop. I was unable to pull to the side of the rode and remained in the middle lane of an interstate highway until I managed to restart the car, approximately 5 minutes. The car ran normally for about 10 minutes and stopped again this time in the middle of an intersection. Research confirms this problem is common for my model, code p2111. This failure mode is a safety issue and the frequency of failure is evidenced by the throttle body being on factory back order for and extended period. Ford should issue a recall to replace the faulty modules and pay for the modules people like me were forced to purchase.

Filed Oct 1, 2013 · Acceleration, Engine · 55,000 miles · TX

While driving the ford escape under normal driving and road conditions at 60 MPH, I lost complete acceleration and had to steer the vehicle to the shoulder off the freeway to avoid traffic trailing behind and beside me. It was a dangerous situation to say the least. The engine was still running but I had no power to accelerate. I turned off the vehicle and restarted it. I was able to drive the vehicle slowly off the freeway with intermittent loss of acceleration and into a parking area. I was able to drive the vehicle to my home slowly with intermittent losses of acceleration,having to stop multiple times to turn off and restart my engine. I attempted to drive the vehicle from my home to an auto mechanic shop and the same situation occurred on the way to the shop. The engine check light and the wrench light was on the dashboard. The mechanic performed a computer diagnostics and it indicated a dirty or damaged throttle body. The mechanic cleaned the throttle, and I test drove the vehicle again. Within a short time of driving the vehicle the loss of complete acceleration occurred multiple times again. At that point the mechanic indicated that I would need to replace the throttle body. I called the ford dealership and explained my situation, whereby they responded that they could examine my vehicle to determine the cause of the problem. They also indicated that the throttle body is not under the powertrain warranty. I strongly feel that this defect which poses a life threatening situation for owners, should be under recall as it has become a common problem with this make & model of ford vehicle. I have read many on-line testimonials of other owners having the same problem and even some that had serious auto incidents.

Filed Oct 1, 2013 · Acceleration · 64,123 miles · MI

I would like to preface that this vehicle is not driven every day. Starting in july I had started experiencing drops/spikes in the RPM's. I would be pulling into my garage and the truck would suddenly lunge forward. Thankfully already having my foot on the brake; I could stop the truck before causing any damage to items in the garage. Then I started to noticed while sitting at traffic lights the RPM's would drop and it would run a little ruff for a sec or 2 then balance back out - this was very random. - next, while stopped at a traffic light it stalled completely on 2 separate occasions with in the same day. At first we thought maybe some bad gas, so we ran it almost out and filled up with premium. The truck was then better for a few days. The final incident was when I was taking my son to soccer. I backed out of the driveway and put the truck into drive, stepped on the gas, and it would not go. The RPM's would not go above 1000. Then the little wrench came on in the lower left of the dash. I quickly put on the 4-ways as I now was blocking the busy street for which we live on; and was able to limp the truck into a neighbor's driveway. Had it towed up to the local dealership and they said it was the throttle body. I could not believe the initial quote from the dealership - and we had purchased the extended care pkg with the vehicle - yeah so much for that. I started looking it up and found that ford has acknowledged that there were production issues of the throttle body for this make/model/yr causing faulty parts to be installed - but yet will not take full responsibility, issue a recall and truly fix the issue. At least a service issue warranty- only if you have these issues and the diagnoses is the throttle body(code: p2111 or p2112) for this make/model/yr - it will be covered by ford.

Filed Sep 30, 2013 · Acceleration, Engine · 68,000 miles · TX

Car seems to loose power. Although the engine is still running it seems to not be able to accelerate or move. I have to turn on my blinkers and coast to a safe place and stop and restart my engine.

Filed Sep 30, 2013 · Acceleration, Fuel system · 102,800 miles · WI

Throttle body malfunction. This is the second ford escape 2009 that I have had this issue. Both issues occurred within a month of each other. Vehicle stalls out while driving resulting in loss of all acceleration. Wrench symbol comes on and have to put car in emergency lane. I can turn it off and then it restarts. This has happened multiple times and is very dangerous especially at high speeds with no emergency lane available. Currently in shop replacing throttle body at ford dealer today 9/30 and cost is $400. Its not worth risking my life or my wife's life. Issued consumer complaint with ford. Ford will not do anything to help regardless of the risk.

Filed Sep 30, 2013 · Acceleration, Fuel system · 108,000 miles · WI

Identified as throttle bottle malfunction. Driving in cruise control at 70mph and car stalls out. Wrench symbol comes up and car looses all acceleration. Almost had an accident and had to safely get on the curb. Car continues to rev. Turn car off and then restart and everything is fine. Also took video of incident. This had occurred multiple times. Had ford install new throttle body for $400 on 8/10/13. No more issues and ford verbally acknowledged that this was the issue. Own two 2009 escapes and both have had the same issue and both have replaced throttle body. Called ford consumer service and they stated they could not do anything to help the situation.

Filed Sep 27, 2013 · Acceleration · 94,000 miles · MO

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 ford escape. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the mechanic stated that the throttle body had to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The failure and current mileage was 94,000. The VIN was not provided.

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