Problems with 2001 Ford Escape VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

I bought this vehicle used recently. this didn't happen until it got cold but, the gas pedal sticks when i am driving making it extremely hard to stop even if my vehicle had been warmed beforehand. the vehicle has done this more than once. the most notable ones were when i was driving to work on the highway. one time the vehicle was warmed and the other was not. both times the gas pedal got stuck after i tried to accelerate and kept propelling me forward. both times i had been driving.

Tl* the contact owned a 2001 ford escape. the contact stated that the vehicle was included in nhtsa campaign numbers: 12v005000 (service brakes, hydraulic), 12v353000 (engine and engine cooling), and 14v165000 (structure, vehicle speed control). the contact did not receive any recall notifications. the contact stated that the brake lights remained illuminated for an extended period of time. the vehicle was inspected by an independent mechanic. while the vehicle was parked in a residental parking space, a security guard noticed smoke coming from the vehicle. after making a second round, the guard informed the vehicle owner that the vehicle was consumed by flames. the fire department extinguished the flames. a fire report was filed and the contact took pictures. the vehicle was parked and had not been inspected by a dealer or manufacturer. the manufacturer was notified of the failure and stated that they would follow-up in writing, but did not provide a time frame for the recall repair. the vehicle was destroyed. the failure mileage was not available. parts distribution disconnect.

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 ford escape. while driving 80 mph, the vehicle accelerated when the contact released the accelerator pedal. there were no warning indicators illuminated. the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 157,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 ford escape. while driving between 5-10 mph, the throttle became stuck when the accelerator pedal was fully depressed. the vehicle was inspected by an independent mechanic. the contact was informed that the differential pressure feedback egr (dpfe) sensor needed to be replaced. the vehicle was included in nhtsa campaign number: 12v353000 (engine and engine cooling, vehicle speed control). the vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 190,000.

I was going to pull into a parking space and the accelerator stuck. i then crashed into a light pole and a building. i did research and found that there is a recall for some part of the throttle on those models from 2001 too 2004. never had any notice of a factory recall form when i bought the vehicle at carhop, or from ford dealership , or from the dmv on this matter. very lucky no one was injured in this incident including myself. there is already claim through my insurance agency statefarm on this matter. all my yrs. of driving nothing like this had ever happened. *tr

While parked in employee's parking lot the ford escape engine started to smoke then caught fire . *tr

Was running fine then started the car one morning and idle was out of control and is unsafe to drive with the idle as high as it is

Tl* the contact owned a 2001 ford escape. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number; 12v353000 (engine and engine cooling, vehicle speed control). while driving approximately 35 mph, the brake pedal was depressed however, the vehicle failed to accelerate causing the vehicle to crash into a commercial vehicle. the vehicle was destroyed. a police report was filed and there were no injuries. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was not diagnosed. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 125,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 ford escape. the contact stated that the vehicle suddenly accelerated without warning while driving 55 mph. the contact applied the brakes but to no avail. the contact then lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a ditch. the contact was not injured. the vehicle was towed to the contact home and was not repaired or inspected to determine the cause of the failure. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the approximate failure and current mileage was 155,000.

I have owned this vehicle since march 2013. i have not experience a problem with the throttle or gas pedal on this vehicle since owning it, but on monday, 7/29/13, i had just driven about 18 miles at an average speed of 50 mph. i pulled up in front of my house at 11:00 pm and put vehicle in park. all of a sudden, the engine started racing to what sounded like the gas pedal being floored. i punched the gas pedal but nothing changed. i tried punching the pedal again with my foot, and still no change. i even reached down to see if the floor mat had interfered with the gas pedal, but it had not. i turned off the engine. the next morning, my boyfriend, aware of the issue, took it for a test drive, but the vehicle didn't replicate the problem. i called my mechanic on tuesday, july 30, 2013 and made an appointment for the diagnosis and repair. the mechanic cannot get me in until next week. the appointment is set for wed. 8/7/13. i will not drive this vehicle in it's unpredictable condition. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 ford escape. the contact stated that while ascending a hill at 50 mph with the cruise control activated, the vehicle down shifted and the throttle seized. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was contacted about the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not included in nhtsa campaign number 12v353000 (engine and engine cooling, vehicle speed control). the failure mileage was 70,528. updated 08/27/13*lj

I had entered an interstate from an on ramp. i accelerated to get vehicle up to speed and set the cruise control. i approached a sharp curved and attempted to release the speed control by hitting the brakes. the vehicle did not stop and continued to stay moving at 55 mph. i avoided the outside lane and the traffic that i was merging into by going into the median. the vehicle hit an elevated man hole in the median and went airborne and hit a bridge overpass support head on. i suffered multiple fractures due to the collision. *tr

Tl* the contact owned a 2001 ford escape. while driving approximately 45 mph, the vehicle suddenly accelerated and failed to slow down, even though the brake pedal was depressed numerous times. as a result, the contact lost control of the vehicle and its rear end crashed into a tree. a four year old passenger seated in the rear was fatally injured due to the massive impact to the vehicle. the driver lost consciousness and suffered a minor concussion. the front seat occupant sustained a spinal injury. a police report was filed. the vehicle was destroyed and towed to a police facility. the vehicle was included in three recalls under nhtsa campaign number: 00v210001 (vehicle speed control), nhtsa campaign id number: 07e023000 (service brakes, hydraulic) and nhtsa campaign id number: 12v005000 (service brakes, hydraulic). the contact never received notification of the recalls and experienced the consequences mentioned in each recall. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was unavailable.

My client's son was driving his vehicle on central avenue in prince george's county maryland at nighttime when the accelerator pedal got stuck to the floor. he swerved onto the shoulder of the road to avoid traffic and his vehicle then struck a bike rider then struck the median curb totaling the vehicle. both the driver and bike rider sustained significant injuries. *tr

Sudden, unintended acceleration of my vehicle on 2 occasions now, in last 2 days. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 ford escape. the contact stated that she was trying to park the vehicle when the vehicle began to accelerate independently. the contact took the vehicle to a dealer for inspection where they stated that there was a recall for the failure under nhtsa campaign id number: 12v353000 (vehicle speed control:cables). the vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. the manufacturer was notified but the contact did not receive a response. the failure mileage was unavailable. the vin was unavailable.

2001 ford escape. consumer writes in regards to safety recall notice. recall # 12v353000. *tgw the dealer informed the consumer, the parts were still not available, even though they were supposed to available as of august 5, 2012.

On friday aug 31.2013 i was coming up a hill on south bound highway 92 when i accelerated and there was a deer so i tried to slow down and my brakes wouldn't work i again hit the brakes went to the floor and the vehicle lost control and accelerated i hit the ditch no brakes all the way to floor and the car was still speeding out of control like it was driving itself. brakes *tr

I have been calling my local dealer to get my recalled car fixed. the customer service reps have told me they are unable to tell me if the dealer has the necessary part in stock. i called the corporate office and was told they couldn't help me at that time and to call back later. obviously, i don't want to drive my car any more than necessary and the nearest dealer to me isn't that close. i am at my wits end. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 ford escape. the contact stated that while driving 55 mph the vehicle accelerated independently and the brakes failed to stop the vehicle. as a result, the vehicle crashed into a tree. a police report was filed and the driver and passenger sustained minor injuries. the vehicle was destroyed. the dealer was not contacted. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure and current mileage was 74,000. updated 09/19/12*lj updated 09/19/2012 *js

Vehicle was approaching intersection w/ stop sign. vehicle would not slow. driver reported 'no brakes'. brakes, disks, were replaced 5 weeks prior and were apparently in working order. suspicion that throttle may have stuck open, resulting in inability to slow with brakes. vehicle was in frontal, t-bone crash, two vehicles total loss with injuries. *tr

My wife was driving the escape down residential roads around 24mph and as she let off of the accelerator it still was accelerating. she put on the brakes and the engine still wanted to accelerate but she was able to make a turn. as soon as she let off the brake it started accelerating again without her depressing the gas pedal. she pulled into our parking lot and the engine throttle was still on. she just depressed the brake as much and she could and immediate turned the car off. i looked under the hood and notice the cruise control cable appear out of place. i took the cruise control cable off of the throttle cable and took the car for a test drive around the block and it appeared to be working fine. then i drove it later that day and the cruise control cable came off the throttle cable so the cruise control wouldn't work. i can see how if the cruise control cable came off the throttle cable it could catch the throttle cable and keep the throttle open. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 ford escape. the contact was traveling 65 mph when the accelerator pedal failed to release and the vehicle increased acceleration until a pop noise emitted from the engine and the vehicle stalled. the vehicle was towed to the contact's home. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer. the manufacturer was contacted. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileages were 236,995.

Driving the car and the rpm went up very quickly and the car accelerated. even with foot off the gas pedal it continued to increase speed. put the car to neutral and pulled to side of road rpm stayed high even in neutral. had car towed to ford dealership and they found no problem. *tr

To: ford motor company from: owners date: 6/8/2012 purpose: 2001 ford escape accident summary (accelerator pedal malfunction) dear ford motor company, this letter is to formally document and notify the ford motor company of an automobile accident which occurred as a result of an accelerator pedal malfunction on a 2001 ford escape xlt. accident summary: on friday june 8, 2012 at approximately 1:35 pm the accelerator pedal on our 2001 ford escape xlt malfunctioned when it automatically engaged, stuck, and accelerated beyond drivers desired speed. the driver removed her foot from the accelerator and tapped the brake pedal with no response. the driver then fully applied the brake pedal with both feet with no effect. the driver then fully engaged the emergency brake providing some speed reduction, but the engine continued to force the vehicle forward. the driver steered the vehicle onto curbs and objects trying to find a way to slowdown the vehicle. the driver, having to make a quick and timely decision to stop the vehicle and protect herself and passengers from harm, served into a concrete overpass embankment in order to bring the vehicle to a stop and avoid a potentially more severe accident involving multiple parties in a highly populated location. the front of the vehicle was heavily damaged (pushed back into the engine compartment) and both airbags were fully deployed. the driver and passengers, while all wearing seatbelts, sustained injuries from the accident and were evaluated and treated at an emergency room. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 ford escape. the contact was accelerating from a traffic stop when the accelerator pedal became stuck. in addition, the engine began to rev rapidly as the rpms increased. the vehicle failed to decelerate until the contact shifted into neutral with the brakes applied. the vehicle was maneuvered to a safe location and the driver loosened the throttle body cable. the vehicle was able to resume normally for a brief moment. the failure recurred twice. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the problem. the approximate failure mileage was 133,000.

After stopping to possibly take a left turn, i realized i needed to go one more block so i pressed the gas to continue forward. however right as i did that the light turned yellow so i took my foot off the accelerator and pressed on the brake instead. the car shot forward at full throttle and the car went through the intersection and the red light. the street was clear in front of us and i had a full long block to try to regain control of the vehicle's acceleration. i calmly shifted the car into neutral and was very surprised that the car continued to accelerate. i started worrying as the car continued to speed up. i was able to shift the car in reverse and park (which normally isn't possible). all the while the vehicle sped up. my foot was on the brake for almost the whole block and wasn't slowing the vehicle at all. i decided that since the transmission and brakes were not responding, that i might be able to use my foot to get under the gas pedal and lift it up (because it felt from the full acceleration like it was stuck on the floor). however, the pedal easily came off the floor but would flop back down as soon as i moved my foot out from under it. it was definitely not stuck by a foreign object or floor mat though. had to avoid a pedestrian that was crossing the street and the road ahead was obscured because it went down a steep hill so i chose to turn right. the car ended up hitting the curb, hitting 2 small trees. and flipping upside down before also hitting a parked car. the engine continued to "rev" at high speeds, even upside down, for a few seconds before it finally cut off. my wife and i were very lucky to survive this incident and to not have injured any others in the area. possibly part of : nhtsa campaign id number: 00v210001 for stuck throttle problems. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 ford escape. the contact was driving approximately 15 mph approaching a stop signal and when driving from the complete stop the vehicle unexpectedly accelerated up to 58 mph and crashed into a nearby utility pole. the contact sustained severe injuries. a police report was filed of the incident. in addition, the air bags did not deploy. the vehicle was towed to a savage facility and declared as destroyed. the contact planned to notify the manufacturer of the unintended acceleration. there was a recall associated with nhtsa campaign id number 00v210001 (vehicle speed control); however the contact did receive a recall notification. the approximate failure was 137,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 ford escape. the contact stated that while driving, the accelerator pedal became stuck in open throttle position. the contact had to kick the accelerator pedal in order to release the pedal and stop the vehicle from accelerating. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for inspection or repairs. the manufacturer was not notified. the failure mileage was 150,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 ford escape. the contact stated that the vehicle was parked when he looked underneath the hood and noticed the throttle body was cracked. the manufacturer was notified and the contact was informed the vehicle was not included in the recall associated with nhtsa campaign id number 00v210001 (vehicle speed control). the contact was also informed he would not be able to obtain the replacement parts unless the vehicle was included in the recall. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 139,000.

Ignition coils defect- causing engine to stall and gas pedal sometimes gets hard to accelerate causing the vehicle not to move. while driving vehicle accelerates. *tr

Accelerator cable gets stuck under plastic engine cover. *tr

Despite numerous calls to ford, i still receive recall notices on this vehicle, however it was a cash for clunkers vehicle. i participated in this program and the vehicle was permanently disabled back in 2009/2010.

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 ford escape. while turning into a residential driveway at 5mph, the vehicle abnormally accelerated. the contact immediately shut off the engine. on a later date while driving at 30 mph, the vehicle abnormally accelerated. the contact then noticed that the cruise control had independently activated. the cruise control light was illuminated yet the contact did not engage the cruise control. the manufacturer advised that there were no similar complaints and that the vehicle should be diagnosed by the dealer. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for inspection or diagnosis. the failure mileage was 70,000 and the current was unknown.

Have at different times the motor reeves. sometimes when the cruise is set, and sometimes when it's in park. never know what makes it happen or when it's going to happen. do have witnesses at the last time this happened. happened to be at the scene of an accident, pulled up and stopped, only to have this happen. which the paramedics happened to hear it and got very concerned. although it's happened before several times, the emt's strongly urged us to report this. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 ford escape. he stated that the vehicle independently accelerated in reverse. the vehicle was taken to a dealer; however the failure could not be duplicated. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure recurred and the contact shut off the engine to stop the acceleration. the vehicle was taken to a local repair facility yet the manufacturer advised taking the vehicle to an authorized dealer for diagnostic testing. the failure mileage was 25,000 and the current mileage is 30,422. the consumer stated he no longer owns the vehicle. updated 10/26/10*jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 ford escape which was purchased in 2001. while the vehicle was parked in his driveway he was notified that it was on fire. upon further investigation, he saw black smoke under the dashboard. the fire department was able to extinguish the fire; however, they were unable to determine the cause of the fire. the vehicle was destroyed. the failure and current mileages were 120,000. updated 06/02/10. *lj according to the police report, the fire originated in the engine compartment. updated 09/28/10

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 ford escape. the contact's daughter was driving and the vehicle suddenly accelerated to 85 mph. she put both of her feet on the brake pedal but there was no response. she tried the emergency brake which also did not response. after a long while, she was able to get the vehicle to decelerate to 40 mph. she then put the vehicle in neutral and was then able to pull over and turn the ignition off. she had the vehicle towed to a repair shop. the vehicle had not been inspected at the time of the complaint. the contact called the manufacturer who told her that they could not assist with repairs. the current and failure mileages were approximately 135,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 ford escape. the contact stated that the accelerator pedal remained stuck to the floorboard after her foot was removed. neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure, nor was the vehicle diagnosed or repaired. the current mileage was 130,000 and the failure mileage was 99,000. the vin was unavailable.

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 ford escape. the contact stated that while driving 60 mph up a hill the cruise control system was activated and the vehicle continued to accelerate beyond the set speed on the cruise control. the contact was not able to deactivate the cruise control. the contact was able to slow the vehicle down when the brakes were applied but the rpms continued to increase excessively. the contact was able to bring the vehicle to a complete stop without incident. the contact removed the cruise control fuse in an attempt to prevent the failure from recurring. when the vehicle was restarted, the rpm's continued to increase; therefore, the vehicle was towed to a dealer. the dealer stated that the throttle control cable caused the sudden acceleration and it was replaced. the contact was concerned that sudden acceleration could have resulted in a crash while driving. the failure mileage was 99,405.

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 ford escape. the contact stated that the driver was idling in a residential driveway when the vehicle accelerated independently and crashed into a house. the contact stated that the vehicle was not destroyed and there were no injuries. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for inspection. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified. the failure mileage was 100,000.

My 2001 ford escape caught fire on the interstate after being on cruise control for approximately 1 hour. as i was driving, the car began to slow down, then i got out to realize the vehicle was on fire. the car was totaled as well as all of the things inside. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 ford escape. while driving approximately 40 mph on normal road conditions, the vehicle drastically accelerated when the accelerator pedal was depressed. the brake pedal required greater force to stop the vehicle and the stopping distance increased. there were no warning indicators illuminated on the instrument panel. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for diagnostic testing and they stated that the throttle was the cause of the failure. the vehicle was unable to be repaired according to nhtsa campaign id number 00v210001 (vehicle speed control) due to modifications. the vin was unknown. the failure mileage was 100,000 and current mileage was 114,000.

Stuck accelerator - ford escape my husband and i were driving over dead man's pass in oregon. a treacherous pass even on a good day. ford escape 2001 accelerator got stuck at 80 miles p/h. my sister and her family were following behind us. my husband insisted that he could drive the out of control car into lagrande to the ford dealership. i was scared to death and demanded he try to get the car to stop and let me out . he did this by putting car in neutral, turning it off, and coasting to a stop (i think). i got out, crawled into my sister's car shaking uncontrollably. my husband did get the car into lagrande. as he came into the lot, it was screeching sideways, tires smoking, and nearly tipped over. the ford dealership fixed it - at great expense to me. i paid the mechanic's bill, plus took a flight to pendleton, then a 1 hour shuttle to la grande, oregon, then drove home 4 hours. 5 years later i still have "accelerator anxiety." about 2 years ago, i got a recall from ford. i took it dealership here in portland. they looked at the mechanic's receipt and said the problem that was fixed, was not the same as the recall and would not reimburse me. *tr

On july 4th, my husband and i were driving on the freeway. suddenly, the accelerator stuck and my husband was unable to slow the car down with the brakes. he turned off the car and pulled to the side of the road. the vehicle was taken to lithia ford for repair. the cause of the problem was "cruise control cable failed". the receipt stated that "cruise control cable failed 1.00 verified, cruise control cable sheath broken and cable end flips over cause throttle to be held open". the ford service advisor stated that he had seen several escape's with the same problem, but his manager says there is no recall and ford will not cover the cost of the repair. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 ford escape. the contact stated that while driving 50 mph and attempting to decelerate, the vehicle did not respond. the contact removed foot from pedal however the vehicle accelerated to 60 mph independently. the contact had the accelerator pedal depressed and removed his foot from the accelerator pedal several times until vehicle was under control. the contact stated that he repaired the vehicle himself. the manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. the current mileage was 115,000. the failure mileage was 70,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 ford escape. while driving 30 mph and attempting to use the brakes, the vehicle would accelerate instead of slowing down. the only way to stop the vehicle was to shift into neutral and turn off the ignition. the dealer inspected the vehicle and suggested that the housing for the speed control could be the cause of the failure. the contact was informed that her vin was not included in nhtsa campaign id number 00v210001 (vehicle speed control). she filed a complaint with the manufacturer and was informed that nothing else could be done. the contact asked the dealer to unhook the speed control because she thought that may be the cause of the failure. the current and failure mileages were approximately 88,000. updated 07/29/08 *bf the consumer stated her vehicle should have been included in recall # 04v574000 since the build date of the vehicle was 6-11-2001 which was close to 2002. updated 07/31/08. *jb

Throttle sticks at intermittent times upon acceleration. intermittently, when foot is removed from gas pedal speed does not result in deceleration. when problem does occur there is no known way of stopping it. i just wait it out until throttle corrects itself. i am unable to tell if gas pedal remains depressed when problem occurs. have tried pressing throttle to floor quickly and releasing with limited success. have tried placing transmission into neutral, but that only causes engine to race. seems to be occurring more over the last few days. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 ford escape. while driving approximately 35 mph, the accelerator pedal became difficult to depress. the engine would still accelerate once the contact released the pedal. he stated that the failure was a result of the accelerator cable. the vehicle has not been diagnosed or repaired by a mechanic. the failure mileage was 98,000 and current mileage was 101,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 ford escape. while the vehicle was in park or idling at a stop light, the engine revved. the contact would have to shut off and restart the vehicle in order to reset the throttle. in addition, the rear hatch door would open intermittently. after several weeks, the rear hatch does not function at all. the dealer stated that her vin was not included in nhtsa campaign id numbers 00v210001 (vehicle speed control) and 04v602000 (latches/locks/linkages:doors:latch). the vehicle is currently at the dealer, but has not been repaired. the failure and current mileages were 120,000.