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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 8
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
128,238 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2002 Ford Escape engine problems

engine problem

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2002 Ford Escape Owner Comments (Page 2 of 2)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #15

Jan 042015

Escape

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the control arm seized and the contact lost control of the vehicle. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The failure recurred on several occasions. The vehicle was taken to a dealer. The technician diagnosed that the cross member was faulty. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure persisted. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was unavailable.

- Brockton , MA, USA

problem #14

Nov 212014

Escape 6-cyl

  • 172,000 miles
Neighbor woke me saying my car was on fire. Car wasn't on, the key was not in, and it had sat overnight. Called fire department and fire put out. Car is totaled because the firemen had to break into the engine compartment. Engine area burned with nothing but metal visible and a melted battery. I have pictures.

- Dallas, TX, USA

problem #13

Jul 272014

Escape 6-cyl

  • 126,774 miles
Returning home from vacation. Heard something bump under the vehicle, slowed down, saw the engine light come on, then the engine started to sputter, rumble, run rough. Got off the freeway. Called for service, was towed to garage. Mechanic discovered that a spark plug ejected from the engine, and that a 2nd spark plug was probably going to do the same thing. It is my understanding that this has happened before in Ford engines and can cause alot of damage and possible injuries.

- Parma, OH, USA

problem #12

Jun 112014

Escape

  • 155,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Escape. The contact stated that immediately after the vehicle was repaired under NHTSA campaign number: 14V165000 and NHTSA campaign number: 12V353000 (engine and engine cooling, vehicle speed control) the vehicle started to surge back and forward. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer. The techician stated that the front vacuum tube was leaking and would need to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. However, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was made aware of the defect. The vehicle was not re repaired. The failure mileage was 155,000.

- Harrison Township, MI, USA

problem #11

Mar 232014

Escape

  • 184,000 miles
I put the vehicle in reverse to back up and when I put vehicle back in drive it died/stalled. This has repeatedly happened along with dying at stop signs, red lights and multiple times at slow speeds. Also the vehicle has repeatedly "stumbled" at various speeds up to 65 mph.

- Winona, TX, USA

problem #10

Apr 012014

Escape

  • 174,390 miles
I was approaching a traffic light to turn. As I applied the brake instead of stopping the truck accelerated. Hitting the back of a vehicle.

- Goldsboro, NC, USA

problem #9

Apr 012014

Escape 4WD 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 175,414 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving approximately 5 mph, the vehicle abnormally accelerated when the brakes were applied. As a result, the contact crashed into another vehicle. There were no injuries and a police report was filed. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for inspection of the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 175,414. Updated 05/22/14 MA updated 8/7/2017

- Goldsboro, NC, USA

problem #8

Nov 062013

Escape 6-cyl

  • 144,000 miles
Arrived home, parked vehicle in driveway and shortly after my wife took our puppy outside and saw my car was on fire under the hood, I was able to open the hood and saw flames and sparks coming from the drivers side firewall area, called fire dept after my fire extinguisher failed to fully put out the fire fearing it would catch the house on fire as I was parked less than 10 ft from it.

- Uniontown, OH, USA

problem #7

Aug 072013

Escape

  • 100,000 miles
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Escape. The contact stated smoke emitted from under the hood of the vehicle. The vehicle was removed from under the carport and flames surfaced around the drivers side of the engine. The fire department extinguished the fire. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure and current mileage was 100,000. The VIN was unavailable.

- Gladewater, TX, USA

problem #6

Aug 102012

Escape

  • 109,000 miles
To start off the idle control valve needed to be replaced because when you push the clutch in it dies and you loose all power, another is the bushing in the control arm slipped out of the arm mount so I had to replace it and another that just happened is the gas tank strap and support pan broke and plastic gas tank hit the ground on one end and the other is grinding on the drive shaft. And the Ford dealership wont fix anything cause it ain't considered powertrain.

- Marion, NC, USA

problem #5

Jul 012012

Escape

  • 156,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle emitted a burning odor and the vehicle stalled several times without warning. The contact mentioned that sometimes the vehicle suddenly accelerated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for inspection, but the mechanic was unable to locate or duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 156,000 and the current mileage 162,000.

- Buffalo , NY, USA

problem #4

Nov 192012

Escape 6-cyl

  • 172,000 miles
Going between 34-37 mph today, my vehicle completely stalled upon slight deceleration as I was attempting to switch into another lane.

- Elkhart, IN, USA

problem #3

Oct 192012

Escape 6-cyl

  • 170,000 miles
Upon pressing the brake, at any speed, the vehicle completely shuts off. This has caused me to be nearly rear-ended on several occasions. It happens without notice, and is becoming more consistent. I took it to the dealership, as there were recalls on my vehicle, but they said while that is a problem for my make and model, it was in fact not one of the recalls to be performed. I had two recalls performed, neither of which helped this problem at all. It leaves me halted in intersections, and makes for abrupt stops, as I have to completely brake to a full and complete stop, throw the truck into park, turn the key off, wait a moment, turn the key back on, and back into drive.

- Elkhart, IN, USA

problem #2

Dec 102011

Escape

  • 68,500 miles
While driving at normal speeds on ice-glazed winter roads in fairbanks, ak, I approached an intersection and took my foot off the accelerator to prepare to slow down. Instead of dropping to idle speeds, the engine accelerated up to 3500-4000 RPM. I shifted the automatic transmission to neutral and was able to stop the car with the brakes, but the engine continued to race at high-throttle until I shut off the engine. When I restarted the engine it behaved normally for several days; but the problem came back intermittently several times over the next several weeks; and every time, shutting off the engine was the only way to stop it. Ford's database showed my car had undergone a recall in 2005 to fix a similar problem. In January 2012, stanley Ford in kenai, ak 'supposedly' replaced the throttle cable and throttle body assembly for $572, but it didn't solve the problem. The uncontrolled acceleration occurred several more times, as before, until a second repair in February 2012 by seekins Ford in fairbanks, which replaced a PCV and tubing, and did a complete tune-up for $992. Since then, there have been no more issues with the accelerator.

- Kasilof, AK, USA

problem #1

May 162012

Escape

  • 111,000 miles
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Focus. The contact was traveling 35 mph when the engine began making a knocking noise. The contact stated that seat valve failed and caused the pistons to fail. The contact stated that the failure caused the vehicle to run poorly and slower than normal. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that there were no known recalls for the vehicle and that the engine had to be replaced because it was not repairable. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 111,000. The VIN was not available.

- Agusta, GA, USA

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