Print this page

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:
3 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
70,969 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

Find something helpful? Spread the word.
Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2005 Ford Escape:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

2005 Ford Escape Owner Comments (Page 5 of 7)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #48

Jul 112012

Escape

  • 150,000 miles

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

While driving on the expressway, my gas pedal snapped forward by itself and accelerated my car. Then snapped back and hit my foot in the position it was already in. This has happened before, several times over the course of my ownership of this car. (I bought it new) I ignored it the first few times because I thought it was related to being on cruise control, but this was not always the case. I saw on fox news that there is an ongoing investigation; and called Ford to see if they would repair my car and they said no. I am hoping they will have a recall, because I plan on keeping this car for awhile, and don't want to pay for the repairs. Thanks.

- Rochester, NY, USA

problem #47

Jul 062011

Escape

  • 69,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Ford Escape. The contact was driving 35 mph when he noticed that the pedal of the accelerator had become stuck to the floorboard. He had to place his foot under the accelerator for it to release. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The dealer stated that they needed to replace a spring in the pedal. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and they stated that they did not have any report on the defect. The failure mileage was 69,000 and the current mileage 82,000.

- Altoona , PA, USA

problem #46

Nov 102011

Escape

  • 88,500 miles
The vehicle speeds up 10 to 15 mph by itself for 5 to 7 seconds when cruise control is activated and, then, slows down to original set speed. When this happens, the gas pedal goes all the way down and kick back when it releases and making sounds when hits hard the shoe. It has been happening since November 2011 only when cruise control is being use and not all the time. It happens at least 2 each month since then. It was reported July 18 around 9:45am to Ford Motor Company after recall news about Ford Escapes 2002-2004 with V6 engines (like mine) suffer from mechanical flaw that leads to sudden acceleration. At the time, there were no recalls for my VIN.

- Aiken, SC, USA

problem #45

Jul 102010

Escape

  • 140,000 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 35 mph, the vehicle accelerated independently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer previously for the same failure which was diagnosed as being related to the cruise control, which was repaired at that time. The vehicle recently started exhibit the same issues. The dealer was not notified of the second failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure either. The failure mileage was 140,000 and the current mileage was 178,000.

- La Fayette, IN, USA

problem #44

Dec 012006

Escape 4-cyl

  • miles
When the weather gets cold, the gas pedal sticks. This seems to only happen when the car is cold. You start out driving and all of a sudden the pedal won't move. You can't accelerate at all. The pedal is stuck. After a few minutes and the car warms up the pedal usually will start moving again. We have had mechanics look at it and they can't find any problems. However when they get the car it's usually warm. One mechanic thought it was related to the cruise control panel. This has been going on for years. I made sure there was no floor mat interfering too. Luckily we have not been in a situation where it would cause a crash. When it happens, you have no choice but to sit on the side of the road and wait for the pedal to free itself.

- Fowlerville, MI, USA

problem #43

Apr 032012

Escape

  • 80,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Ford Escape. The contact was driving approximately 15 mph and attempting to accelerate onto the highway when the vehicle hesitated before accelerating with a substantial reduction in power. The vehicle was not inspected by a dealer nor repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000. The VIN was unavailable.

- Elizabeth City, NC, USA

problem #42

Feb 062006

Escape 4-cyl

  • 10,000 miles

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

Our gas pedal has been sticking in my wifes Escape since we purchased it in 2005. This has been an ongoing problem since we got the car. Ford keeps putting bandaids on it. They will clean out a casing or replace a small part. The problem is a defective design that Ford won't admit to. The dealership we bought the car from is closed and now Ford refused to look at the part without charging me because we dont' have a warranty anymore. This issue almost killed my family this morning. The gas pedal stuck but the car idled out into traffic. My wife couldn't make the car move except in idle. Meanwhile cars had to slam on brakes and swerve to miss her. It was a very upsetting situation. Ford won't care until someone is killed.

- Boiling Springs, SC, USA

problem #41

Sep 072007

Escape 4-cyl

  • 60,000 miles
A few years ago, I started having problems with my gas pedal sticking. It seemed like a brick was underneath the pedal and no matter how hard I pushed it would not unstick. The problem lasted about a month and then went away. Every once in a while, the pedal would stick slightly for just a second, but not anything that really concerned me. Last week (3/7/2012), the pedal started sticking bad. It seems to be within the first 5 minutes of starting the car and can stick for 10-15 seconds, which is very scary when driving. I had to pull over a couple of times, just because I could no longer accelerate. Now, I have started driving around the block for a few minutes until I don't feel the pedal stick anymore before I continue with my drive. The problem has been occurring almost daily for a week now. I can see how if I was turning left and my gas pedal sticks, I could easily get broad sided by an oncoming car. I don't feel comfortable driving the car anymore.

- Kansas City, MO, USA

problem #40

Oct 192009

Escape

  • 30 miles
First time it happened in 2009, I was driving on the freeway in traffic when the traffic began to accelerate, when I depressed my accelerator it was like pressing against a wall. My car was moving from the natural force from when I was braked but it would not accelerate, I had to steer my car to the shoulder and stop. When I stopped I made a phone to a friend of mine to tell them to come and get me because my car wasn't working. As I was waiting for them I decided to start my car and press the accelerator, when I did it worked so I went ahead and drove home. This happened approximately 3 more times that year but on these occasions once I would attempt to depress the accelerator as I was driving it would then work. I made a note to get it fixed but by this time it was the spring and it never happened again until winter 2011. I this point I had my neighbor look at it(who is a mechanic) and he said it was the throttle cable, he sprayed it with some WD40 and it seemed to work, well that was only for about 2 days, because it stuck again one morning on the way to work. At this point I took it to a mechanic to get the throttle cable fixed. Unfortunately, at the time I took it in I wasn't able to "recreate" the problem. I explained the shop the problem and they too felt as though it may be the cable, I spent around $300 for the part and labor to have it replaced. Well that was November of 2011 and it is now Feb 2012 and it happened again this morning. As other's have reported I am thankful that as I was making the left turn that it was a protected left, due to the light, because that's when my accelerator failed. I had to pull over wait around 15min. And then it worked. Just would like a straight answer to the fix. This car just got paid off in 2010 and I want to feel like it is an asset and not a liability to my family.

- Lanham, MD, USA

problem #39

Jan 072011

Escape 4-cyl

  • miles
While driving vehicle at 50 mph the gas pedal, throttle became stuck. This occurred as I was entering the highway, the speed of the vehicle immediately started to slow, this was an extreme hazard as traffic behind me had to go around me, I was pressing the gas pedal and it was like pressing a brick. I was very lucky no one rear ended me going 60mph. This occurs in cold weather (under 45 degrees), but I can see from previous complaints that it will happen in warm weather too eventually. I guess Ford will not issue a recall until a fatality occurs. I am in the process of finding a mechanic that I can afford to get the throttle body replaced at my expense, as Ford dealers are not offering any help for me.

- San Antonio , TX, USA

problem #38

Dec 132010

Escape

  • 110,000 miles

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

The first issue I had with my car was in December of 2010. I immediately took my car to a repair place and they told me that the coils and the plugs were out and that they needed to be replaced. I assumed that this was just time to get this repaired because my car was right over the 100,000 mile mark. Everything seemed fine until may of 2011 when the problem returned. This time I took my car to a Ford service center. This time I noticed that my car would run ok up to about 35 mph and then after that speed it would start jerking. If I take my foot off the gas it stops, but if I leave my foot on the gas and continue to accelerate, the car shuts off completely. I haven't taken my car anywhere that I have to drive over 45mph but recently I noticed that if I try to accelerate past 35, that instead of jerking to turn my car off, the harder I push the gas, it feels like I am pushing the brake with that same intensity when I haven't even touched the brake. Im afraid that while pushing the gas, the car is going to brake and that someone else is going to slam into the back of my car and hurt my 2 yr old son in his carseat in the back. I avoid driving this car unless I absolutely have to because it is dangerous. It seems that many other owners of the same car I have are having the same or a similar issue. This really needs to be checked into because Ford is aware that this is a common issue but will do nothing about it. It seems like they are waiting for someone to get hurt before the assume responsibility.

- Middletown, OH, USA

problem #37

Mar 152006

Escape 4-cyl

  • 35,000 miles
I bought my Escape in June 2004. Around/approximately 2006 my gas pedal started to stick as I was driving from time to time. I got stuck in the intersection one morning and couldn't get the pedal unstuck. When I finally did I drove the car over the capitol Ford in san jose, ca. And told them what was happening. When Ford test drove the car, they said they couldn't find nothing wrong with it. I told them something was wrong with the gas pedal and I was not driving it off the lot until they found the problem with the gas pedal. The next day they called and said the pedal was sticking and they had to replace the throttle body. Ford covered because I was under warranty. On 12/6/2011, my pedal started to stick again this time I was on the freeway. Stuck 4 times. I took it back to the same Ford and told them my pedal was getting stuck I had this problem in 2006 and this shouldn't be happening and they needed to do something about it. I got the song and dance of how the car was out of warranty and they would give me an estimate and I could pay to get it fixed. After inspecting Ford said the throttle body was bad again. After stating my case with them this should not be happening they got Ford involved to see it they would cover. Ford came back and said no. There was nothing they could do because it was out of warranty. Again I explained this is not a warranty issue this is a safety issue and people could be seriously injured. Ford didn't want to budge and kept using the warranty excuse. So I had no choice but to pay and get this fixed. This is not right. Ford needs to take responsibility for their cars and the safety of their customers. This needs to be addressed to Ford.

- San Jose, CA, USA

problem #36

Dec 072011

Escape 4WD 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 42,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at any speed, he attempted to accelerate further but the accelerator pedal was stuck. The accelerator pedal began to operate as normal after waiting a few moments. The vehicle was not taken to have the failure diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 42,000. Updated 01/24/12 updated 01/27/12

- Wexford, PA, USA

problem #35

Nov 202011

Escape

  • 103,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the throttle became stuck and he had to use extreme force before the vehicle would drive normally. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic who diagnosed that the throttle body needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was not included in any recalls. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and the current mileage was 103,000.

- Strasburg, OH, USA

problem #34

Sep 082010

Escape

  • 80,000 miles
Sticking gas pedal. Seems to be more prevalent in the cooler weather. The pedal will lock up and no amount of force will make it depress. Especially dangerous when a big truck is barreling down you. Have lubricated the assembly but this does not help. Only way to fix ( and it doesn't always happen right away ) is to manipulate the pedal with my foot and try different pressure points.

- Battle Creek, MI, USA

problem #33

Apr 302007

Escape 4-cyl

  • 29,987 miles
The gas pedal sticks. It can not be pushed. At first, it only happened when the engine was cold & the temperature was cold. Now it happens all the time, regardless of temperature. It almost caused an accident when it happened in the middle of an intersection. There is also an issue with multiple broken tone rings and oil leaks.

- Morris, PA, USA

problem #32

Oct 172011

Escape 4-cyl

  • miles
Accelerator gets stuck without warning. I was almost rear ended because I could not move at the stop light. I pressed the accelerator, stomped it, and it would not work. I could not press the accelerator and make it work. Eventually it unfrozen and I was able to move. This is very dangerous, it has done it at times when I was on the road and I couldn't move.

- Kansas City, KS, USA

problem #31

May 022011

Escape 4-cyl

  • 55,000 miles
As with many reported, my gas pedal sticks more and more often - especially when the weather is cold (45 degrees or below). It will happen once or twice about 10 minutes into a drive and then not happen again. The dealership says nothing is wrong, but clearly something is. Its been going on for years.

- Austin, TX, USA

problem #30

Feb 012011

Escape

  • miles
It feels like a brick is underneath the accelerator pedal. No matter how hard I push down, the pedal doesn't budge. Then without reason the pedal works again. At first it would happen when I shift to third gear and I would be in the flow of traffic and not often, maybe once every 7-8 months. Now it has occurred everyday once a day the last three days. One time backing up. The accelerator pedal will not engage.

- Fpo, AE, USA

problem #29

Nov 102010

Escape 4-cyl

  • 20,000 miles
The accelerator on my Ford Escape sticks in the up position when it gets cool out. It happens intermittently after you brake and then go to accelerate. Very scary on the freeway. Push the accelerator and it does not go down, no acceleration. You have to keep lifting your foot and pushing (hard) tho get it to accelerate we have tried spraying it with lubricant and using graphite, neither has helped. This started when it was about 3 yrs old and has gotten worse. It is now 5 yrs old and has become a dangerous problem.

- Deer Park, TX, USA

Read the next 20 complaints »

Not what you are looking for?