Problems with 2002 Ford Escape ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

Consumer stated vehicle has stalled since the vehicle was purchased, when the vehicle stalls there are no brakes and consumer is unable to steer the vehicle, the stalling usually occurs when coasting downhill, the dealer has replaced numerous parts, however the problem stil exists.*jb

Vehicle will shut off at any speed without any notice. everything will go out like power steering and brakes and accelerator, etc. contacted dealer, and the dealer was not willing to do anything.*ak

I was driving in afternoon traffic yesterday when my car went from 40 mph to 20 mph. oil light and emissions light came on, and then the car stalled and rolled to a stop. i turned the engine off, and it restarted after five minutes. i made it home. it was quite scary as i was sitting in traffic. i had heard from someone in a shopping center about this problem with their 2001 model. upon research on your site today, i am alarmed at the number of occurrences and that this is a serious problem. i will be taking to the dealership today for repair. i am concerned that ford has not done anything about this after reading how wide-spread this is. i am terrified to drive it now as i have a two year old daughter and am six months pregnant.*ak

While driving my 2002 escape stalls--no power--no brakes. the power steering goes out the the engine light come on.*ak

Engine died (stalled) while going slightly downhill (coasting) at 40 mph. dashboard lights came on. immediately put transmission in neutral and restarted okay. this was at approximately 6000 miles on odometer. now have 7200 miles and have not had another occurrence. problem could potentially be dangerous in traffic.*ak

Engine died (stalled) while going slightly downhill (coasting) at 40 mph. dashboard lights came on. immediately put transmission in neutral and restarted ok. this was at approx. 6000 miles on odometer. now have 7200 miles and have not had another occurance. problem could potentially be dangerous in traffic.*ak

Engine stalls for no apparent reason while traveling down hill.*ak

After stopping at a traffic light i accelerated while making a left turn. during the turn the power steering locked up and the breaks did not work, the dash lights came on and i finally figured out that the engine had stalled. i coasted down the downhill slope and finally restarted the escape after putting it in neutral. luckily, there was light traffic but this could have been very dangerous. when i called marshall ford east in cleveland, ohio they said they had never heard of this problem and since it had not happened again it was not further investigated.

While driving the vehicle stalls losing all power without warning, the dealer was contacted but they could not find the cause of the problem. *ak *nlm

When the engine stalls, i lose all steering capabilities. i have no brakes or gas. this hapens without reson or advance notice. very dangerous situation. someone is going to be killed.

On two occasions, while coasting down a hill near my home, the engine of my 2002 ford escape xlt has quit. i discovered this when i tried to accelerate at the bottom on the hill, only to find that the gas pedal didn_x0012_t respond. on the first occasion, i pulled over and stopped, put the car in park, and restarted it without any problems. on the second occasion, i put the gear selector into neutral and quickly restarted while coasting along. on both occasions, cars in back of me had to brake sharply to avoid collision. both instances were in april 2002, about three weeks apart. at the time, the car was about 5 months old and had been driven about 5500 miles. i took the car to the dealer on 5/23/02. the invoice says that they performed a wds test, reburned and updated the processor. there is no evidence that new parts were used. handwritten notes on the paperwork indicate a technical service bulletin was used to guide the repair, but the number wasn_x0012_t given. *ak

Pe 01 043/engine stalling: vehicle stalls while driving 30 mph, vehicle was able to restart. dealer notified. *ak *jg

Vehicle stalled twice at various speeds. at dealership at this time.*ak. while in motion vehicle cut off. consumer was able to start the vehicle and proceed. a week later the same thing occurred. vehicle was taken to the dealership where it was explained the vehicle deprogramed itself and had to be programmed back. *jg

On 4/15/02 after driving for approximately a 1/2 hour on a clear day at about 35-40 mph on slight downgrade without any indication car stalled. lost all power including the steering and brakes and almost wrapped myself around a tree. brought car to dealer and they replaced the pcm. two days later my fiance was doing 60 mph on li expressway when again without any indication the car stalled almost causing a major accident. called mcdaniel ford and was told to call aaa to have car towed to dealer but they said they could not provide a loner because it wasn't figured into the cost of the car and that they have never heard of any such problems with the escape. called aaa three times the first call at 2 pm on 04/18/02 and they could not get a tow until 04/19/02. contacted ford on 04/18/02 and representative said that there were no similiar complaints and no recalls but to contact the dealer.*ak

The vehicle just quit while i was driving-steering became hard no warning. this was the second time same thing happened 4 days after purchase. *ts *nlm ****dimsii ivoq entry posted after 12-12-02 cut over to artemis****760788

While traveling on highway vehicle shutdown without prior warning. dealership is aware of problem.*ak

Consumer states that while driving at 45 mph vehicle stalled out without any warning. contacted dealer. mr

Vehicle has stalled twice at 35-40 mph, dealer has replaced delta pressure feedback sensor, eec relay, idle air control and did wds selftest, data logger road test.vehicle stalled in rush hour traffic. consumer lost power steering and brakes, however consumer was able to slow to a stop, vehicle started right back up. again when the vehicle stalled, consumer took it to the shop where they checked ground connections, replaced the idle air control unit and athe throttle body. consumer was informed that they could not guarantee a 100% fix because they did not know what was really causing the prolem. also, the alternator went out 5 days after consumer purchased the vehicle. *jg

Escape stalled (for the 3rd time)while going on a slight hill, approximately 35 mph. lost power steering and brakes. informed dealer and manufacturer. dropping off to dealer tomorrow for the 2nd time!!!. *ak

Vehicle cut off twice. but was able to get to the side and put it in neutral and start right up again. this has happened twice. also, it gives no warning, but it seems to happen when coming down a grade.*ak

This vehicle has suffered complete power failure with no warning on four separate occasions. speed each time was approximately 40 mph. in each instance, the engine would restart immediately. the car has been checked by a ford dealer each time but they are unable to duplicate the condition and have made minor electronic/computer adjustments which have not solved the problem. they have advised us to wait for a recall notice from ford.

Consumer states that while driving 20-25 mph the vehicle stalled out and died the dealer has inspected the vehicle and could not find problem. nlm *tt

2002 ford escape has stalled repeatedly at speed on hilly terrain at low speeds. car has been taken to dealership four times, but has been able to replicate or correct problem. dealership has reportedly contacted ford motor co. hotline.*ak

Engine stalled while driving at 40 miles per hour. this is the second time. it first happened jan. 31st. dealer said they called ford and all they had to do was reprogram the computer. we live in a large city and i am just afraid this will happen again in heavy traffic and i won't be able to get out of the way.*ak

While driving the vehicle shut down without warning resultin in loss of steering and braking ability, the dealer has been contacted about this problem. nlm

2002 ford escape xlt 4x4, built 2/2002, has stalled two times since taking delivery on 2/28/2002. incident 1: 3/25/2002, 8:30am, humid conditions, driving approx. 30-40mph, slight downhill grade, 1/4 tank gas, no a/c, coasting (mileage = 686). incident 2: 3/30/2002, 2:00pm, rained in morning, driving approx. 30-35mph, level grade, shortly after slight upgrade, 1/2 tank gas, no a/c, coasting (mileage = 844). both incidents, vehicle stalled without warning. dash lights illuminated, no power steering or braking. due to no shoulder on road, driver re-started on fly by switching into neutral and turning ignition key. vehicle re-started immediately. brought into dealership on 4/2/2002. after latest suggested ford tests showed no out-of-ordinary conditions, dealer returned vehicle on 4/8/2002 to owner without any repairs or explanation for stalling incidents. note: 2002 escape is replacement vehicle for 2001 escape reacquired by ford motor company due to exact same stalling behavior. please advise.*ak

The vehicle stalled due to a faulty computer. *jb ph *jb

2nd failure occurred 4/16/2002, while driving engine quit, no warning steering became stiff, braking was difficult, both incidents occurred while i was going down a hill coming out of a curve. i was able to get the vehicle off the road both times with some dificulty. i will be taking the vehilce back to dealer 2nd time on 4/22/02, first time they upgraded the pcm,apparently this was not the problem, if it happens again, after 2nd time to service, i will pursue wv lemmon law. i have just made the first payment on the vehicle. the first occurance happend 4 days after purchase.*ak

Vehicle stalls while driving. dealer replaced pcm relay at 1,475 miles. vehicle still stalling when foot is off of gas and going downhill or on curves.*ak vehicle stalls while driving without warning and power steering becomes stiff. vehicle has stalled 5 times. after stalling, vehicle will start up. dealer has replaced pcm relay, egr sensor and all tsbs have been completed. dealer states everything checked out however problem still exists. *tt

My 2002 ford escape stalled out for the second time. i was going about 10 miles per hour or so and the check engine/check emission/check battery lights came on. the car did not come to a dead stop but almost felt like it was locking up and was barely moving. fortunately, i was able to pull into a parking lot and turned the car off and restarted it. i had the stalling issue happen last april or may 2002. they did some "fixes" and reset the computer. i had read recently read, they felt that resetting the computer would resolve the issue but it is evident that it has not. i have two small children and now, like many other escape drivers, am afraid to drive the car. *jb

Vehicle stalled while driving at 40-45mph twice on 03/08/02. the engine indicator did not go on before the stall. the radio, heat, clock, etc. stayed on during the stall. the steering became very tight and heavy. after wrestling the car to the side of the road, the car restarted after putting it in park. dealer and manufacturer where notified.*ak

Engine will quit and vehicle will stall out while driving.contacted dealer.*ak

2002 ford escape xlt, vehicle would not start, engine turned over but soounded like it was going to blow up. after several attempts it finally started. it does this 2 or 3 times a day. dealer says no problem, it will fix itself. vehicles engine smoked on two occasions, thought the car was on fire. dealer says there is nothing wrong. vehicle will surge on its own, even with the brake depressed, almost as if i had floored it. i cannot drive 20 mph, it surges forward! last incident i had with the vehicle, i lost complete use of the brakes, no hydraulics, no nothing. pedal depressed right to the floor. almost got into a head on collision, used e-brake to stop. happened a second time later that day. took car to dealership, nothing is wrong. contacted ford rep. and they will not do anything to help me. i do not feel safe driving this vehicle. i do not wish to keep the vehicle.

The engine stalled while coasting at approximately 38 miles, while going down a hill. the same problem happened the following day. i took the car to the dealer today and they reprogrammed the pcm.*ak

Consumer states that the vehicle will shut off while the consumer is driving at 35-45 mph. the vehicle shuts off with out any warning. mr

While driving, the engine completed quit running no power, no steering, no lights, radio, etc. i coasted to side of road and put car in park. i then re-started engine and everything seemed normal. i immediately took to dealership who told me there was a 'software glitch' and a chip needed reprogramming from the manufacturer. this problem has not occurred since then. but this could have been a tragedy had i been driving 80 mph down an atlanta interstate; fortunately i was on an access road going 40-45 mph. dt

2002 ford escape, 12642 miles on vehicle. the vehicle stalled while driving in rush hour traffic. vehicle was hard to steer and braking was difficult. was able to coast to a stop. restarted vehicle. took vehicle to local dealership on 2/28/03 for service.

While driving down a steep hill vehicle stalled/ engine check light illuminated, and engine died. driver had no steering or brakes. felt this was very dangerous. please provide any further information.*ak

Engine stalled while driving; november 2001, february 12, 2002, and february 22, 2002. *ak

Vehicle stalls without prior warning at anytime. dealership is aware of problem.*ak

2002 ford escape xlt v6 automatic 4x4 with 2,235 miles fails to start (warm or cold engine) after approximately 20 minutes vehicle will start and run normally. vehicle is at dealership and has refused to start numerous times, after waiting approx. 20 minutes vehicle will start. vehicle has stalled while running at dealership, in their presence, twice. dealership has had vehicle in shop for 5 days with no idea what is causing problem. dlr claims that they have contacted ford for assistance. engine is not throwing any computer codes. dealer originally believed it was water in fuel but has "definitely ruled that out." *ak

While driving vehicle will just stall out without any warning. contacted dealer, cannot fix problem.*ak

Consumer states that the vehicle has an on going problem with stalling at multiple speed. vehicle been to the dealer on five occasion and they are unable to duplicate the problem. nlm

Engine stalled while going down hill due to low rpm after acceleration stopped and foot taken off of the gas pedal. loss of power steering and power brakes after stall. started right back up in neutral.*ak

The vehicle has repeated engine stalling while vehicle is in motion or at a stop, then it will immediately restart. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and they replaced the air flow sensor, and reprogrammed computer. ts when the vehicle reached the operating temperature in gear at the idle, in park, the rpm would fluctuate and the vehicle would stall. the vehicle will then restart. scc

On first occasion vehicle shut down, dash lights came on, power steering and brakes failed. needed to coast into a parking lot. vehicle restarted and was able to get home. only had vehicle 1 month. took vehicle to dealership, (not point of sale) and had vehicle inspected. was told that they were unable to duplicate the problem and that it was due to excessive amount of other keys on primary key ring, to remove the keys due to they were interfering with the path and shutting down vehicle. removed the keys and continued to drive. on 4/9/02 was driving in exact location as previous incident, going about 35-40 mph and same thing happened. had put a file cabinet key on key ring, thought was same issue, didnt' report again. on 4/11/02 while traveling on much busier and much more dangerous road, vehicle again stalled. no safe shoulder to pull off onto and unable to restart while in process. was luckily able to coast onto side street, breaks and steering were not functioning properly, had to roll to stop. able to restart and get to work. will notify dealership asap.*ak

I was driving @ about 40 mphon sat 1-26-2002 when the engine stopped and the dash lights for the engine and oil came on. i coasted to a stop and turned off the heater, radio, and ignition and put the car in park. ir started again but i was concerned that there was a problem. i brought the car to williams ford(739 front st. p.o. box 220, berea,oh 44017) on monday jan 29, 2002 to report the engine failure. the service advisor looked under the hood and told me that "the car just burped". i asked if there was something i could do to prevent this from occurring again and he told me that "the car just had to learn the way i drive". i questioned how an inanimate object without a brain could learn. he told me "oh yes, it does have a brain". i called another service advisor (ed) at williams ford on tuesday jan 30 to explain the situation. he too assured me that "the car just sort of hiccupped". he also told me that the car was learning the way i drove. when i asked me to explain he said it was termed "adaptive idle strategy" and that it was because the car was new. i told him i have had other new cars that this has not happened to and asked if there was anything i could do to prevent this from happening again because i thought it was a safety issue. he said the computer was adjusting to the way i accerlate and decelerate and there was not anything i should do. i have since read that the nhtsa is investigating other ford escapes that the engines have stalled while driving and have needed to have the engines repaired/replaced. i am dissappointed that they did not care enough to run a diagnostic check on the car to assure me of the car's safety and repair/replace the engine if needed.*ak

While driving engine shut down, could not restart, engine would turn but not start, towed to dealer, dealer investigated problem, they determend that one or more internal parts have failed, new engine to be installed. *ak

Bought vehicle 11/1/2001. the first time, 1/9/2002 with only 1547 miles, let off of gas, coasting down hill, approx 40 mph, car died, lost power steering and brakes. after coasting to a stop, car restarted. dealer replaced powertrain control module relay. 2nd time, on 5/3/2002, with 3949 miles, similar conditions, car died, lost power steering and brakes, car restarted after coasting to a stop. dealer changed the fuel mixture in the computer. i have serious doubts that this has fixed the problem.

Vehicle would not start in grocery parking lot. towed to dealer. tow driver said third escape under 3000 miles he's towed recently that would not start. *ak