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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
7 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
70,571 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.

2009 Ford Escape engine problems

engine problem

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2009 Ford Escape Owner Comments (Page 13 of 14)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #37

Apr 182012

Escape 6-cyl

  • 29,521 miles

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

Pulled out onto a very busy secondary roadway...applied pressure to the accelerator and it just sat there while oncoming traffic closed in on me. This was the first of many hesitations that nearly got me killed. To make it worse...when power comes back it comes back so fast it throws you back in the seat...actually burning rubber. After a year of intermittent problems with this I took it into Ford dealership and they diagnosed a faulty throttle body....trouble code P2112. Since this is a safety issue and had nothing to do with routine maintenance I expected Ford to take care of it. They want to charge me $400 dollars to fix a problem they created with substandard parts.

- Brooksville, FL, USA

problem #36

Dec 102012

Escape 4-cyl

  • 68,000 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Ford Escape. The contact stated the vehicle accelerated several times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer on several occasions and they were unable to duplicate or diagnose the failure. The contact stated that the vehicle accelerated and slowed down rapidly on several occasions, but never stalled. The failure mileage was 68,000 and the current mileage was 70,000.

- Nashville, TN, USA

problem #35

Mar 162013

Escape 6-cyl

  • 56,500 miles
Car stalled while moving forward after backing out of parking space. Car had operated for 15 minutes before pulling into space, then immediately backing out without stopping engine. For approximately a year and one half yellow service engine light intermittently comes on then goes off after few driving cycles. Car also hesitates and jerks during acceleration randomly and frequently. Service dept of used car dealer where purchased car has detected no defects and has not replicated problem when car left at shop.

- Vestavia Hills, AL, USA

problem #34

Mar 092013

Escape

  • 39,000 miles

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

While accelerating at low speeds (15 - 20 mph), the vehicle suddenly began to shudder and lurch, with no increase in throttle or power despite flooring the gas pedal. Yellow check engine / repair lights came on, vehicle would jerkingly continue to move forward at a speed of less than 5 mph. After conducting a search, it appears to be similar to the "limp home mode" throttle body problem reported by the North Carolina consumers council.

- Kailua, HI, USA

problem #33

Jun 012012

Escape

  • 100,000 miles
Escape was in for scheduled oil change. Upon leaving the authorized Ford garage the vehicle started shaking and had little acceleration. I turned around and went back to the Ford garage and had them look at it. The problem self corrected while at garage. They said that it was the throttle body and according to the computer, there had been another incident recorded while under previous ownership. Ford garage said to replace throttle body. I have not yet replaced it.

- Bad Axe, MI, USA

problem #32

Jun 222012

Escape 6-cyl

  • 70,000 miles
While driving on the highway the vehicle lost power and the wrench light came on. It wouldn't accelerate I was able to coast to the shoulder unharmed, but it was a morning commute and the highway was very busy I could have easily been hit. I turned the car off and it did start up again. This happened 2 more times in the same morning. I called the Ford service department and immediately brought my car in per their instruction. After holding my car for 2 days and charging me $130 for service they told me there was nothing they could do because the wrench light doesn't hold codes. They knew when I dropped it off the only light that came on was no longer on when I brought the car in and they didn't warn me in advance that they weren't going be able to do anything without it happening while they had it. My vehicle at this time was under maintenance and power train warranty. So I took it home and this happened about 20 more times both on the highway and driving through town over about a 7 month period. This happened again 2 days ago 4 times on my way home from work on a very narrow road so it was very dangerous. This time the check engine light stayed on and I made another appointment with Ford. I was told it had the codes for (throttle body stuck open/closed) they were able to replace the throttle body which I hope will fix this extremely dangerous problem. My car is still under powertrain warranty, but I was told that this part is not covered. So I paid full price for the part because my safety is more important, but this should really be recall. There were numerous times I could have been in a very serious accident.

- Windsor, CA, USA

problem #31

Mar 012013

Escape

  • 43,000 miles

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

Driving approximately 45 miles per hour when the vehicle lost acceleration. The engine continued to run but would not accelerate. Was able to pull over to the side of the road and engine continued running. Turned the engine off and back on and engine did accelerate for approximately 1 mile before repeating the failure. Pulled over once again and repeated the process and was able to make it home (about 3 more miles). Took the vehicle to the Ford dealership next morning and diagnosis is a bad throttle body. Repair cost North of $400. This also happened a few times within a year of purchasing the vehicle but was not repeatable and the check engine light / diagnostic codes apparently didn't fire.

- Lewisville, TX, USA

problem #30

Sep 152012

Escape 6-cyl

  • miles
I recently read in a newspaper about an engine probe for Ford vehicles and would like to add that I have also experienced this problem with stalling and/or surging engine in my 2009 Ford Escape limited. I believe my car had experienced this "limp home mode" on the circuit board. On this particular day, I was driving in traffic and then all of a sudden I felt as though I could not accelerate the car at all. The rest of my trip home (approx. 25 miles) the car wouldn't let me surpass about 20mph. I was very scared but wanted to at least get the car closer to my home. I thought the car was done for. Yet, after letting the car rest for about an hour at home, I started it back up and it drove fine. I just wanted to share this experience of yet another person who could contribute to experiencing a malfunctioning circuit board.

- Sayville, NY, USA

problem #29

Dec 022012

Escape

  • 68,000 miles
My 2009 Ford Escape has acceleration problems. I try not to make left turns due to vehicle slowing down when I am accelerating, the wrench comes on in the cab when I start experiencing the problem. Also when on highway wrench light comes on and car slows down lie the brakes are on.

- E Wareham, MA, USA

problem #28

Sep 202012

Escape 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 52,873 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while traveling at unknown speeds, the vehicle suddenly stalled. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and it was determined that the throttle body needed to be replaced. The failure mileage was 52,873 and the current mileage was 57,000...updated 05/01/13 the consumer stated after stopping at a red light, he then proceeded to drive. The vehicle reached a speed of 30 mph, while going uphill, and then stalled. Updated 05/21/13

- Joliet , IL, USA

problem #27

Feb 122013

Escape

  • 56,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2009 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30-60 mph, the vehicle would decelerate independently. The wrench warning light would illuminate immediately afterward. The vehicle was later taken to a dealer where they advised her that the throttle body failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired for the throttle body. The manufacturer was contacted and offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 56,000. The current mileage was approximately 56,500. The VIN was unavailable.

- South Wick, MA, USA

problem #26

Aug 032009

Escape 6-cyl

  • 5,000 miles
Stalling when going on gas to pass another car or up a steep hill. After releasing gas pedal quickly, car wants to still accelerates for a good three to four seconds. Also engine stalls out at low speeds when making a sharp turn, like into a parking space. Was told by dealer the first two are normal and the third item they could not find anything wrong.

- Adamstown, CA, USA

problem #25

Jan 012012

Escape 4WD 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 46,000 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to accelerate while the accelerator pedal was being depressed. The failure was experienced intermittently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where a diagnostic was performed however, the technician was unable to diagnose the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacture was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 46,000 and the current mileage was 75,000. Updated 4/24/13 updated 05/20/2013

- Kalamzoo, MI, USA

problem #24

Dec 042012

Escape 6-cyl

  • 43,700 miles
Car stalls when stopping intermittent, will restart, no error lites. Tach fluctuates when coming to a stop and if no stall will settle around 7000.

- Leesburg, FL, USA

problem #23

Jan 022013

Escape 6-cyl

  • 40,000 miles
While driving in medium traffic, the engine died and the check-engine-light appeared on the dash. I was able to pull to the side of the road and re-start the car. Once back on the highway, the engine died again less than a quarter of a mile later. I started the car a second time and the engine once again died. By this time, traffic was beginning to back up behind me and I was entering an area where there was no shoulder to Escape to if it happened again. I pulled off the highway and called for a tow. The local Ford dealer said the throttle body had failed, they had recently replace a couple of others. Cost of the repair was $400. Ford said it was not covered under warranty. I retained the failed part and have it available for inspection.

- Aloha, OR, USA

problem #22

Jan 252013

Escape 4-cyl

  • 60,566 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving 50 mph, the accelerator became unresponsive without warning. The vehicle was shut down and restarted then operated as designed. The vehicle was taken to a repair shop for diagnosis and the contact was informed that the throttle body needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified and stated there was no recall associated with the VIN and offered no other assistance. The failure and current mileage was 60,566. Updated 06/04/2013

- Palm Beach Gardens, FL, USA

problem #21

Jul 152012

Escape 4-cyl

  • 29,500 miles
I was driving on a freeway going approx 55 mph. After driving approx 6 miles the RPM's started to rev up and down from 500 to the max RPM. I could hear the engine revving but my speed was not changing. I could not accelerate, I could only break. I quickly pulled to the side of the road, shut off the engine and waited for approx. 5 minutes. I restarted the engine, revved the engine a few times. All seemed normal. So I continued slowly. Nothing further happened for 3 weeks. Then it happened again, also on the freeway at the same approximate speed. I did the same thing and had no issues until recently. Since then my mpg has gone down from avg 28 to avg 24 mpg. The engine/trans? always hesitates to shift and occasionally the RPM's go higher then they should before the engine shifts back down. Two days ago on 11/22/12 I was stopped at a red light after getting off the freeway (70 mph). After sitting through the red light I attempted to accelerate, my car would not move. The RPM's did not move either, they were steady at idle RPM of about 1500. I hit the gas peddle again and finally my car jerked into gear and revved up to about 3000 RPM. I tried to replicate this at the next stop light but it hasn't done it since. I will be taking my car in on Monday to have it looked at but fear that dealer will again find nothing wrong. After my first incident I took it to the dealership and they found nothing wrong with it. I was told it was probably just because it was hot outside.

- Taylor, MI, USA

problem #20

Nov 142012

Escape 6-cyl

  • 44,000 miles
My 2009 Ford Escape stalled (engine running but no forward motion and no response to accelerator) while driving. This happened while attempting to enter heavy traffic. I was almost rear-ended by oncoming vehicles. The problem was diagnosed as a problem with the throttle body by dealer. I had to pay to have the throttle body replaced. This is known defect, very similar to NHTSA action # DP12006: "...vehicles that were diagnosed as failed throttle bodies with diagnostic trouble codes P2111, throttle body stuck open, and P2222, throttle body stuck closed. The petitioner indicates that the owners of both vehicles reported experiencing repeated incidents of stalling..." Ford has "released a number of technical service bulletins that cover a wide range of vehicles and throttle body issues related to hesitation and stalling, including 08-18-2 and 09-23-5." this is a serious safety issue. I contacted Ford (both corporate and the dealership) and they have indicated that they will not take action to address this issue until a recall is initiated by the NHTSA.

- Burke, VA, USA

problem #19

Nov 182012

Escape

  • 52,000 miles
While driving down a the highway(with my two small children in the car), the car made an odd sound and then the gas pedal stopped working. My car did not just stop, it was still driving and I was able to pull off to the side, but I could not give the car gas. Once I pulled over and was at a complete stop with my foot on the brake, the car continued to try and accelerate. I placed the car in park and it still continued. I had to completely turn the car off for it to stop moving.

- St Augustine, FL, USA

problem #18

Oct 302012

Escape 6-cyl

  • 27,000 miles
Pulling out into traffic while stopped, pressed gas peddle car rolled but not strong, hesitated as I had told Ford dealer, had to slam brakes so car would not go, by then upcoming car was to close. No accident but scared me. This happens often. Not safe to have passengers, or myself. Many complaints to Ford but nothing done about it.

- Stamford , VT, USA

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