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CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2005 Escape has problems where the engine shuts down while driving. Ford finally issued a September 2014 recall. Time will tell if the recall fix really solves the problem.

However the 2005 Escape also has a defect where the PCM (Power Control Module) fries at around 100k miles. Ford extended the PCM warranty to 80,000 miles, but only after most owners were past the mileage limit. Now owners are on the hook for the average repair cost of over $2,000 (!!)

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 4
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
113,513 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.

2005 Ford Escape engine problems

engine problem

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2005 Ford Escape Owner Comments (Page 4 of 7)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #70

Nov 032014

Escape

  • 67,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2005 Ford Escape. While driving over 30 mph, the vehicle overheated and stalled. In addition, the stop safely warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who was unable to diagnose the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 67,000.

- Cumberland , WI, USA

problem #69

May 052012

Escape 4WD 6-cyl

  • 48,881 miles
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.

- Sykesville, MD, USA

problem #68

Jan 272015

Escape 6-cyl

  • 105,000 miles
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.

- Manhattan Beach, CA, USA

problem #67

Jan 012014

Escape

  • 114,000 miles

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

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.

- Montoursville , PA, USA

problem #66

Dec 042012

Escape 6-cyl

  • 86,000 miles
After totaling a 2004 Escape, I purchased another 2005 Escape because I loved it. Well not so much anymore. I bought the vehicle from a dealership in September 2012. Only three short months later I started having the exact same problem I am reading in all complaints. I tried to push on the gas and nothing. It was misfiring bad. I then took it too a shop and they told me coils 1, 3, and 5 were out and needed to be replaced. The dealership wanted close too $2,000 to repair it. I was furious because I had bought my 2004 from the same dealership and my family alone had purchased a total of 6 vehicles from the dealership. I was a loyal customer and was not going to pay to have it fixed. So they split the cost of $1000 with me. Now it is acting up again and I've replaced the fuel filter and the thermostat bc that's what the computer said only for it to still not be running. I am a single mother, college student, and server and it's 2 days before christmas so I am very disappointed! fix the problem Ford!!

- Seminole, FL, USA

problem #65

Nov 232014

Escape

  • 160,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 55 mph, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer to be diagnosed. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 160,000.

- Detriot, MI, USA

problem #64

Oct 092013

Escape

  • 110,000 miles

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

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.

- Columbia, MO, USA

problem #63

Aug 202014

Escape 4WD 6-cyl

  • 140,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Ford Escape. While driving downhill on a steep road at 40 mph, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was able to restart but the failure recurred twice. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 140,000. Updated 12/24/14 updated 9/28/2015

- Merced, CA, USA

problem #62

Apr 162013

Escape 6-cyl

  • 101,245 miles
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.

- Ae, AE, USA

problem #61

Apr 082014

Escape

  • 105,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving an unknown speed, the vehicle started to sputter and the engine would stall. The contact mentioned that the check engine light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer. The vehicle was repaired. The failure recurred. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 105,000.

- Arnold, CA, USA

problem #60

Jul 042014

Escape 6-cyl

  • 0 miles

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

I just bought this car and my check engine light came on. I took it to the mechanics and they fixed one of the coils. It still did the same thing after I got it back[ sputtering]. I went to wal-mart and coming back it cut off on me. Luckily I was at a stop, but ifi had of been going at full speed it would have hurt me and my seven year old because since it has power steering, when it cut off the steering wheel goes stiff. From what I have seeon the internet this is a common problem and the Ford place will not do anything about it. Please investigate it. I think that this would help other people.

- Phenix City, AL, USA

problem #59

Jul 162014

Escape 6-cyl

  • 140,000 miles
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.

- Brick, NJ, USA

problem #58

Jul 042014

Escape

  • 76,382 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 25 mph, all warning lights started blinking and illuminating on the control panel. The contact mentioned that immediately after the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic but no repairs had been made. The dealer was contacted and stated that the transmission needed to be pull apart to determine if the torque converter caused the failure. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 76,382.

- Cheshire, MA, USA

problem #57

Jun 022014

Escape 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 113,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while traveling 35 mph, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was merged to the side of the road and turned off. The contact attempted to restart the vehicle on several occasions but it failed to start. The check engine light illuminated on the instrument panel and the steering became difficult to maneuver. The failure recurred multiple times. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The technician diagnosed that the PCM and the electric spark coils needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was contacted and did not offer a remedy. The failure and current mileage was 113,000. CN10/24/14 updated 04/16/2015

- Peoria, IL, USA

problem #56

Jan 232014

Escape

  • 104,000 miles
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.

- Richmond, VA, USA

problem #55

May 222014

Escape 6-cyl

  • 105,000 miles
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.

- Chicago, IL, USA

problem #54

Apr 282014

Escape 6-cyl

  • 139,400 miles
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).

- Quitman, MS, USA

problem #53

May 172012

Escape

  • 190,000 miles
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.

- Marshall, MO, USA

problem #52

Jan 072014

Escape

  • 26,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving 10 mph, all of the warning lamps illuminated as the vehicle stalled. The vehicle could not be restarted and was towed from the scene. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 26,000.

- Chantilly, VA, USA

problem #51

Aug 082013

Escape

  • 120,000 miles
The gas pedal was stuck after mashing on it hard it broke loose when approching a stop sign I stopped and try to go again but gas pedal was stuck why is there not a recall. I also have transmission and rearend problems but they both are costly repairs I am concerned about the gas pedal please fix it before someone gets hurt there really should be a recall on

- West Point, VA, USA

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