At about 45,000 miles my gas pedal started locking up when I try to press it down. It appears that it happens more when it is cold or the car has been sitting.

- Northampton, PA, USA

I was driving my 2006 Ford Escape home from a friend's house with the cruise control on when I noticed a strange odor, like something was burning. I came to a stop behind another vehicle. I wasn't sure the smell was coming from my truck until I turned onto my street and noticed smoke. I grabbed some bags out of the truck and popped the hood. White smoke started pouring out. I went into the house and called 911. I went upstairs to let my aunt know to move her car and within a matter of 5-8 minutes, we heard a loud bang. I ran down the stairs to find the front of the truck burning. I started pulling things out of the truck until the flames quickly spread to the inside roof interior. The fire department arrived and put out the fire but the entire front of the truck was destroyed. The dashboard and steering wheel melted completely. I had very recently had the oil changed on my truck at the dealership, as I have done for the almost 2 years of ownership. Their multi-point inspection did not reflect that anything was wrong with the vehicle which would cause this kind of damage. The truck caught fire and was destroyed very quickly. After the fire I researched this truck type and found that Ford has recalled several hundred thousand earlier models for fires. I am very concerned because this was a family vehicle. I or my child could have been injured or worse. Please investigate this further.

- Lawnside, NJ, USA

Accelerator pedal sticks annoyingly at slow speed part throttle and when starting out. Appears related to very cold temperatures. Requires tapping the pedal sharply with your foot to overcome the resistance without over-accelerating the vehicle. Problem disappears after engine has warmed up.

- Macungie, PA, USA

Ford Escape-accelerator pedal sticking; appears isolated to cold weather. Initial extra pedal force is necessary to push through "sticking" in order to attain desired speeds. This causes more than desired acceleration, and speed. Not safe; especially on snow, iced surfaces.

- Spencer, OH, USA

I was driving with my cruise control on. I tapped my brakes to disengage my cruise control and they locked long enough to send me into a fishtail. I over-corrected to come out of the fishtail and the Escape started rolling. The airbags never deployed even though the Escape rolled six times and was totaled while still under factory warranty. My daughter received some minor scratches on her hands. I dislocated my left thumb, broke my left shoulder in four places, snapped my left femur in half, shattered the bottom third of my left tibia, and had a hairline fracture to my right tibia just below the knee. I was also thirty-five weeks pregnant and the baby died do to trauma from the crash. The accident occurred October 7, 2008 and I am still in the hospital as I am writing this complaint on January 4, 2009. Ford refuses to come look at the Escape to figure out why the airbags never deployed.

- Martinsville, VA, USA

Since buying SUV trouble with rear windshield wiper, cruise control staying engaged, & turn over cold/hot start hesitation currently voluntary recalls. Ford says my SUV was only affected by the windshield wiper. At 22,000 miles went to original dealer for oil change put windshield fluid " wasn't in port or reservoir. Bucking at 28,000 miles brought to other dealership during oil change. During visit told them about interior lights. Suppose to check automatic transmission filter/fluid/service based on manual, but wasn't done. At other Ford dealership had SUV 35,830 bucking problem again and interior lighting on panels not working. Was told those lights never worked or glowed" said bucking was a suspension pin in the front passengers side, only one was changed despite 4 wheel drive vehicle. ( was towed back to dealership next day 4 bucking ) Ford mentioned needing new breaks soon that there was vibration and shimmy from the break pads that I was feeling? had tires done 38,177 miles & brakes 38,550 with independent mechanic non Ford was told that all 4 suspension pins should have been changed simultaneously like my tires and that their is a class 1 leak from my differential/transmission-possibly just a gasket change 6-9 hours worth of labor. I contacted the Ford customer service repair center I would have to pay for out of pocket despite having made note bringing in issues when vehicle was under the manufacturers warranty it is currently out. With the sensitivities to the current market felt it wasn't in my best interest to pay for the extended warranty. If Ford closed who would do my work when they were suppose to do it during regular bumper to bumper full manufacturer warranty in the first place and didn't. not to mention I still owe 2 more years worth of car note & insurance to pay off this vehicle. I don't have the money to pay for repairs that should have been covered by the manufacturer.

- Grahamsville, NY, USA

The contact owns a 2006 Ford Escape. The contact stated that whenever she depresses the accelerator pedal, it sticks and does not move. The pedal is very difficult to depress when driving various speeds. When attempting to accelerate from a stop, she cannot move the vehicle. The dealer advised her to schedule an appointment with them and they would charge $100 to diagnose the failure. The failure mileage was 66,806.

- Beaumont, TX, USA

I own a 2002 Ford Escape. In 2006 it caught on fire after being parked for 18 hours. Ford told me to contact the main office in detroit. I did. They had me contact the dealer in which I purchased both my Escapes. The fire was caused by a faulty ABS. West-herr Ford of hamburg N. Y. came and towed my Escape to their collision shop. They called me up and said they misplaced my keys, so I gave them my spare set. Days turned to weeks, weeks turned to months. They finally said that my insurance should pay for it. My insurance blamed Ford. Ford said that I could pick my truck up but if I did it would be out of their hands, so of course I did not pick it up. Finally 1 year later Ford covered the faulty part and "fixed" my truck. I have brought it back 4 to 5 times for problems. While my truck sat at their collision shop for a year, my warranty ran out. I lost a whole year. Now they say we can fix it for an "at cost" price. They called me in to an executive meeting and tried to say they can give me a deal on a new truck. My truck according to them needs $700 to be fixed and inspected, but their just trying to sell me a new vehicle. They claim responsibility but they don't want to fix it. I'm not even asking for the year warranty that I lost, I'm just asking to have my truck put back into the condition it was in before their faulty part caused the fire. It hasn't been the same since. I am not rich. My wife and I have two children under the age of three, and I will not stand by and be taken by a billion dollar company. I will do whatever I am legally able to do. I was given a voice and you can bet ill use it. This will not go away until they fix it and make it right. You should have been at the meeting to hear the smoke they tried to blow, it was like they were the victims. Can you please advise me on my rights. Thank you. Leonard J. hill --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

- Angola, NY, USA

The accelerator pedal sticks and will not move until after several tries. This has only happened three or four times, but it is scary when it does.

- Winterville, NC, USA

2006 Ford Escape XLT customer states that the seat covers had to be replaced, the car would not turn over and jerking while driving over 70 mph and rear wiper not working correctly* the consumer stated sitting at a stop light, the vehicle shut off. The consumer was able to restart the vehicle, but the rest of the way to her destination, the vehicle was riding rough and jerking. The dealer diagnosed the problem as a inoperative torque converter. The consumer stated the vehicle would stall, drive roughly and jerked on several occasions. The vehicle also would shift hard and lurch forward while the cruise control was activated.

- Berea, OH, USA

Accelerator was sticking in the up position. Took great force to free it from the up position to give the vehicle gas. As this vehicle has a manual transmission, it was a major safety concern. Dealer said they knew of other problems with the throttle body. Replaced the throttle body under warranty and the problem was resolved.

- Pittsburgh, PA, USA

: the contact stated the vehicle grinds during start up if it sits for a couple of days. On 04-18-06 the vehicle began to sputter along with a delay in the accelerator pedal and the engine. The dealership admitted there were other vehicle's with the same year, make and model that has the problem. The dealer arranged an appointment for the vehicle to be inspected this week. Updated 5/16/2006 - the door ajar light illuminated intermittently. The dealer lubed the door and applied weatherstripping.

- Cleveland, OH, USA