Problems with 2009 Ford Escape POWER TRAIN

Ford claims they have a customer satisfaction program (13n03) to address problems with the engine throttle body and that customers who come into dealerships will be able to have the powertrain control module software reprogrammed to protect the throttle body. the problem is- ford will not honor this program unless the error shows on their diagnosis computer. i had this exact problem happen to me and the error did not show up on the ford diagnosis computer so ford will not fix this problem on my vehicle. as i was pulling out of a driveway and started to accelerate, my 2009 ford escape just completely lost all acceleration. the wrench light came on the dashboard, indicating an error. i could not get the car to drive above 2 - 3 mph. i took the car into the ford dealership the next day, but their computer diagnosis machine did not show the problem. i was told that since i had powered off my car after the error occurred, the error was cleared from memory and would not show up on the computer diagnosis machine. if the computer did not show that my vehicle had that error, ford would not fix the throttle body. who can drive a car 20 miles to the nearest ford dealership when the car can only go 2 - 3 mph???. this is a major safety issue! i am very concerned that this will happen to me again when i am on a busy highway with my family in the car! what if this happens when i am driving on an interstate and i am unable to safely get off the road? since this has already happened to me, i know that my vehicle has this problem and it is only a matter of time before it happens again. how many people will have to be killed before something is done about this major safety issue???? *tr

For the past 2 months my 2009 ford escape xlt has been jumping and shifting roughly, i thought it was transmission related despite that i flushed my transmission a little over 1 year ago. on 04/24/14 i was driving 60 mph cruise control on the highway and the cruise control cut off and my 2009 ford escape xlt began to lose speed, i notice when the 18-wheeler behind me was approaching my bumper rapidly, nearly rear ended me - had to coast 2 lanes over to get to on coming exit to avoid rear ending due to heavy traffic. my suv would not re-start until the throttle control/powertrain light cut off however the engine light remains on. i had to coast lanes of a busy highway with 8 am traffic to the exit ramp and stopped in the middle of the street and was stranded until my suv started again. *tr

Slowing down to turn right on adjacent street, the ford escape stalled and power loss ensued shortly there after. *js

Transmission solenoid wore out valve body in transmission and leaky seal. both are a known problem for ford and they have issued a tsb to their dealers on this issue but have not recalled the vehicle. i had to pay $2374.00 to fix this known issue. see links below: http://www.automd.com/tsb/bulletin_b275253/ http://www.automd.com/tsb/bulletin_b313101/ *tr

We had noticed that the transmission had started slipping and gradually got worse. we checked the trans fluid and it was very low. come to find out we had been losing fluid and didn't know the problem so we took it to our mechanic because we bought it used from patterson in mt. airy and the warranty had expired. our mechanic found that the seal had blown so he put a new axle in also because there was wear on it. well....we have driven it a total of 2 weeks and the very same thing has happened so it is back to the repair shop again. after investigating this i am finding that other people are having the very same problem and it is very frustrating and getting very expensive. right now i would not recommend this vehicle to anyone. oh, and by the way, my mechanic said that this car had this same repair done on it before we purchased it!!!!! looking at my options right now because i can't afford to keep taking this to the shop. my fear is that we are going down the road with our grandbabies and this car stops and we are stranded. and also if it overheats because of no fluid...could fire be an issue?? *tr

2009 ford escape. consumer writes in regards to transmission problems. *smd the consumer stated when he took the vehicle to the dealer, for a regularly scheduled oil change, he was shocked to hear he needed brake pads and rotors. a week later, the vehicle had to be towed to the repair, to have the transmission replaced at a cost of $3,400.

Vehicle loses power when accelerating from a stop. additionally, while traveling at a steady speed (usually between 30-45 mph) the vehicle power fluctuates between surging and losing power. the vehicle has stalled when coming to a stop because of this fluctuation. also, the transmission shifts irregularly. the rpms rev excessively high, then the transmission jerks the vehicle when shifting. this happens the most between first, second, and third gear. the dealership stated there is a malfunction in the variable timing of the engine. they want to open the engine to try and find the problem without knowing what they are looking for. this issue started when the vehicle was purchased with 44,000 miles. they dealership did not have any appointments available until the vehicle exceeded 60,000 miles due to conflict of schedule and long commute times. then they refused to honor the warranty. the vehicle has been to the dealership several times in the last couple years with no resolution to the transmission problems. i have almost been in several accidents from the vehicle stalling or losing power when accelerating. *tr

Accelerating from a traffic stop. taking a right turn, car rumbled and could not accelerate. car went from 5mph and drop down to 3mph, the wrench light went on. stopped at side of road and engine still running. drove a little more and engine still rumbling and would not accelerate. *tr

This was the third incident, vehicle stops running for no apparent reason, wrench light illuminates... power lost in engine. after stop, engine sometimes starts, sometimes requires longer wait time to start... vehicle still under 5 year 50 k warranty, taken to ford dealership.... they want $ 440 to fix the problem.... before someone gets killed in this vehicle. *tr

My wife had started the 2009 ford escape and was traveling at a speed of approximately 5mph, pulling into traffic. the car began moving, felt as if there as no power. she checked to ensure that the car was in drive. the car would not go over 5 mph. the wrench light came on, no speedometer reading, and she proceeded attempting to engage the car again. the car was drivable for three miles home, with no speedometer reading, limited power. as she drove, she needed to put the car in park to steady the car. a she proceeded to re-engage the car the shifter was "clunky, slipping, and did not feel secure". she did get the car safely home, however we checked the car about an hour after this experience and the car continues to not seem to engage the power train, is not shifting properly, has no power in the engine. there appear to be no leakage of fluids, the car has been properly serviced, has fuel, has a new battery, and we are wondering if this issue is now covered under any warranty. please initiate an investigation to the many complaint that seem to follow a similar pattern with this vehicle. *tr

I own a 2009 ford escape. while traveling at various speeds, the vehicle loses power and the wrench light comes on. accelerator pedal pushed, but no response. shut down vehicle and restarted car driven without incident, until it happened again 2 days later. *tr

I was driving on the highway at about 60 mph when the engine lost power. the speed drastically dropped to less than 5 mph and nothing happened when i pushed the accelerator. i was luckily able to coast to the shoulder, where i put the car in park and restarted it. upon restarting the car it drove normally. this happened again about 3 weeks later when i was driving about 25 mph. however, this time the wrench light went on and when i turned the car off and back on the light went away. *tr

This is my second time that happened to me first was on 11/27/2013 and today 11/28/2013 i was driving on heavy traffic make a stop then i start to accelerating and my car lose the throttle and the wrench light became on the engine start to shake was very scary the traffic behind me almost hit me so i turn off my car and restart again and the problem was over but today the same happened when i trying to enter to the expressway and was very dangerous i have to restart my car again and drive to home i make a research about this problem and i find that this problem is very regular with ford escape and some other model from ford. *tr

Driving along, engine loses power, car is jerking, wrench light comes on, idles quickly. coasted off side of road. turn car off, turned back on - wrench light off - drive away as if nothing happened. drive for another couple hours, same thing. this has happened quite a few times in the past 2 weeks. *tr

I was on hov lane on lie driving to my parents. as i was coming off to reg lane, my engine stalled. fortunately, the other car was far away able to stop. i changed gear into park and restarted the car. *tr

While driving steady at 50+ mph on an interstate, there was slight on again/off again hesitation while keeping constant pressure on the gas pedal. without warning, the engine seemed to lose all power, and forced me to coast to the side of the road. a 'wrench' warning light appeared on my dashboard system, and while the engine had not stalled, it was running very low and rough. i again tried to apply pressure to the gas pedal and it was completely unresponsive. i turned the vehicle off, waited a few seconds and restarted it. it ran as if there was nothing wrong, and there were no more warning icons showing on the dashboard. it ran without issue for another 15 minutes on the highway, until it again lost all engine power, and this time the engine warning light came on instead of the wrench icon. restarting it let me drive a few more miles to reach my home. *tr

While driving on monday 11/18/13 my wife was stopping then went to accelerate and the vehicle stalled. upon turning it off it restarted just fine. this happen 3 more times from then to tuesday evening. i drove it to work wednesday 11/20/13 and while accelerating on to hwy 94 the vehicle stalled. it did hesitate upon restarting but started and ran. wednesday evening on our way home doing approx 30mph the vehicle stalled and again hesitated to start but did and ran ok. thursday morning 11/21/13 while on my way to work i was at cruising speed doing approx 60mph on hwy 94 the vehicle stalled. it hesitated to restart again but started after leaving the vehicle off for a few seconds. *tr

Traveling at approx 5-10 miles an hour. pulling out of stop sign. vehicle without warning felt like it stalled. could not accelerate. i coasted to curb and put in park. a warning light on dashboard showed a yellow wrench. i turned car off. waited 30 seconds. started and light was off, car normal. took to dealer. diagnostic code said electronic throttle. did not have fixed immediately. next day did it two times in less than five miles. now engine light on second time of occurrence. i am afraid to drive. could be on highway. could pull out in front of on coming cars and it stalls. get broadsided. *tr

While driving the vehicle lost power and wrench light came on. when came to a stop the vehicle ran rough at idle and surged. car taken immediately to ford and they misdiagnosed. after that it continued to do it multiple times on city streets and interstates. the car would have no power and the engine would not accelerate when i would step on gas. had to shut the engine off and restart to make anything work. after that i took it to ford again. this time they replaced throttle body-air intake and also throttle body and motor assembly. *tr

Vehicle suddenly lost power and slowed down. symptoms match what others report to be a bad throttle body which ford has changed design of. has happened twice now. ford says we have to pay for this repair but it sounds like it should be a recall. *tr

I was making a left hand turn and as i was turning my car slowed down to 1-2 mph i drove it just long enough to get to a safe place (less then 100 feet) and as i drove the car jerked. when i put it in park the car shook so i turned it off. the light that came on was the throttle/powertrain. *tr

While driving at approximately 15 mph while making a left hand turn my 2009 ford escape stalled without any warning signs. engine restarted immediately. about 20 minutes later while coming to a stop to put the vehicle in reverse the engine stalled again. engine restarted immediately again. *tr

On friday, november 1, i was driving to work when suddenly the escape failed to accelerate. the wrench light appeared. i coasted to the right turn lane then stopped. turned the escape off, waited a few seconds and then tried starting it. it started but the entire vehicle shook. i was able to get the escape to crawl to a parking lot. i turned it back off and waited a few minutes longer. after about ten minutes, i tried starting it and it seemed to run just fine. on monday, november 4, i had a repeat of this. we had the repair shop tow it in, fearing that it would die in traffic and cause an accident. the car dealer says it was the throttle body. *tr

Vehicle lost power up steep hill almost resulting in rolling backwards down hill. car had previously and intermittently lost power surge when accelerating onto highway into a merge situation. *tr

I was traveling at approximately 65 mph when my vehicle slightly lunged forward then i lost all speed control. my speed dropped rapidly and i was unable to use my gas pedal. i was able to roll to a safe place to call and wait for a tow truck. my owner's manual indicated the warning light (wrench) meant there was a throttle control/powertrain failure and to contact a dealership right away. i had my vehicle towed to the nearest dealership. i was contacted the following day that the diagnosis was the throttle body had to be replaced and that my extended warranty plan, millennium, which i purchased through ford motor company, was not covering the repair because they categorized that part under "emissions." that is ridiculous. after additional research i have found numerous websites indicating this throttle body issue has been brought to ford's attention and they have yet to issue a recall. i also found that there was a recall for this part on the 2010 ford freestyle....why aren't they taking care of this problem for the rest of us? it's a real problem! this repair and subsequent need for a rental car has cost me almost $600 and i'm sure i am not alone, based on what i've read in the past few days. *tr

This has happened twice now. i have been driving my car and all of a sudden i loose gas power, but my brakes and steering still works fine. i have to pull over to the side of the road and come to a complete stop. while at a complete stop i can feel my car/ engine making a jerking "thudding" noise/ motion. i then turn my car off and take my key out of the ignition for the a couple of minutes. after letting the car sit i out my key back in and try to start it. but the car hesitates to start, it cranks for a while and then eventually turns over and starts. when i begin driving again after the incident i can feel that my car is not driving the same. both times it has occurred i was driving two completely different speeds. *tr

Initially driving down the road at approximately 55 mph and the check engine light came on and the vehicle went into a stall. i lost all power even though the engine was sputtering. i pulled over and turned the vehicle off and restarted it. i lost power about 2 more times on a 20 mile trip. this has since happened during every drive on various distances. sometimes at highway speeds and sometimes from a standstill. *tr

Vehicle enters limp mode and all power is lost, engine starts to stutter and tachometer jumps, wrench light (power-train) comes on. 3 times in 1 week. mph = 60, 45, 30. avoided accident and pulled over. restarted vehicle and back to normal. no check engine light or codes stored. dealer states they cannot diagnose unless they can recreate the problem. danger of rear ending, t-bones upon left turns, and intersection pileups. *tr

During a basic oil change, we were informed the oil pan needed to be replaced because the threads for the plug were stripped. the service manager, i am basing this on what we were told by trained ford technicians, stated "the oil pan is made of aluminum and it has stripped out." when asked what the plug was made of he said, " steal.". so now we have a car that has an oil plug that could come open at any time because it has become unsafe due to steal on aluminum creating a hole larger than was designed. we have a piece of the pan that has been stripped by the plug. so, i am going 75 mph down the highway and the plug comes out because it no longer fits correctly. suddenly my engines freezes up. i'll be lucky to keep it on the road. we are very concerned that we will have an engine issue due to the engineering of the oil pan/plug. as of now they want us to pay $485 for anew oil pan that was poorly engineered. a steal plug on an aluminum pan is asking for trouble. we request ford be required to replace the pans with steal ones. *tr

I had just come off a highway exit ramp and drove about 100 yards at 40mph, when the car suddenly slowed down to a stop. the odometer dropped from 40mph to zero in about 4 seconds when i just coasted to the side of the road. a wrench light appeared on the dash. i place the car in park and the only power i had was the electric that powered the headlights. i shutoff the ignition and restarted the car after about 15 seconds. the start was sluggish and when i placed the car in drive, it jerked forward. the car acceleration was poor for about 10 seconds before it finally caught the proper gear. i drove the car another two miles at 30mph with a little bit of hesitation in the engine. at this point the wrench light on the dash shut off. i have had no further issues since. *tr

While driving the vehicle at around 50 mph it lost all reaction to the accelerator and coasted to a stop while in heavy traffic. i turned the car off and waited 5 minutes, then started it again and began to drive. within seconds the vehicle repeated the incident. i managed to get it into my driveway after repeated stops and restarts of the engine. *tr

Initial incident was near home in residential neighborhood. wrench symbol appeared & vehicle began to slow down with inability to accelerate. turned car off & then back on with no light present. incident happened again next day driving on the expressway at about 65 mph. vehicle began to shake & lose speed & wrench symbol reappeared. was early morning & dark out & had to merge to shoulder. had to frequently stop & turn car off in order to prevent from happening again. fixed by ford dealership citing throttle body issue & was replaced. cost of repair just under $400.00. *tr

As i was driving and the cruise control was set the road i was traveling had slight hills. it seems as though when the car went to down shift and speed up is when it lost power and went into limp mode. the last occurrence was on 10-17-13 while i was driving on a flat road. i had to brake for traffic when i went to accelerate is when it lost power and went into limp mode. *tr

While driving on the highway, at approximately 65 mph, the vehicle bucked and instantaneously slowed down and was unable to accelerate. at that moment when the vehicle bucked the dash indicator (a wrench) came on showing the problem being the throttle control/powertrain. i was on the highway in the middle lane, in traffic when i lost the ability to accelerate and was luckily able to navigate to the right and coast to the exit that was less than a quarter mile from the incident. i placed it into park and it sputtered just prior to turning off the vehicle completely. after waiting about 10 minutes i then restarted the vehicle and the dash indicator did not come on, i therefore proceeded and drove it home. because this occurred late evening i was not able to contact the dealer until the following day. *tr

While in the left lane of a 3 lane highway (bishop ford) i was traveling about 65 mph then accelerating to 72 mph the car made a jerk ( felt like the transmission) then there was no acceleration and the wrench light came on. i tried to push the gas and nothing. i slowly moved to the emergency lane which was very dangerous because the average speed on this highway is about 70 and i had to crossover 2 lanes and at this point the car was less than 40 mph. no one wants to slow down to let you over. i had my 2 yr old in the car at the time so i was very nervous about getting hit by another vehicle. i turned off the car and the restarted and it and drove ok without this happening again. this jerk motion has happened several times and when i had it checked at the dealer while under warranty they could not find anything wrong because it did not do it when they drove the car. anytime i had a complaint while under warranty they could not find anything wrong with the car. this is a hazard and to know so many complaints have been made and nothing has been done by ford..................................anyone?s death by this will be on their hands. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 ford escape. the contact was driving approximately 80 mph when the vehicle failed to accelerate and stalled. the contact mentioned that the wrench symbol warning light illuminated. the vehicle was merged off road and restarted. the vehicle was not inspected or repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 178,000.

Started to accelerate and the car just has no power to go. engine runs but touching the gas does nothing. engine runs around 1k rpm's. the wrench light comes on. if you can live to turn the vehicle off and restart, the light goes out and the vehicle works fine. seems like a lot of owners are having this problem. this is a life threatening problem. *tr

The first time i had a throttle failure (first time wrench light came on), i was on the free way going about 65 mph. my acceleration quickly died and the gas pedal was inactive and useless while my car slowed down . i pulled over on the side of the freeway left shoulder going north on the 5, and after a few minutes, my car turned back on and worked fine . i took my car to firestone to cleanup throttle , only to find myself experience another car breakdown for the same reason the next day on the freeway going the same speed , this occurred 2 more times going about 25 mph the next day . all 4 times ,, my wrench light came on my escape as well as completely dying as far as acceleration . each time, i had to pull over to the side. the last time this occurred was earlier today 10/10/13 as i was makin a left at a red light. where i was afraid my car would not make it through the intersection. *tr

While driving at highway speed i lost acceleration. suv shook then lost speed quickly. was able to pull onto off road. wrench lite on dash. i turned off suv then restarted and lite went away. drove to next turn off so i could turn around to head home. samething happened on way home but after restarting suv the wrench lite changed to engine service lite. was able to get home from there. took for service which concluded electronic throttle body was dirty so it cleaned. was able to drive for about 20 days when issues accrued again. throttle body needed replaced. *tr

While traveling at normal speed, my vehicle lost power. the engine continued to run but i had no acceleration factor. i coasted to a median cross over as i was traveling on a four lane divided highway. i stopped and called a local mechanic who suggested i turn off the engine, wait and try restarting. he mentioned a "drive by wire". after restarting, i was able to take the vehicle to the mechanic with no further issues. he scanned the computer and found no error codes. the following day, the same thing happened. twice now in two days. should i fear for my safety in this vehicle. since reading your article, i will contact my dealer. we are planning to travel to knoxville tn (400 miles one way) for thanksgiving - now i am afraid of this vehicle! *tr

While driving the ford escape under normal driving and road conditions at 60 mph, i lost complete acceleration and had to steer the vehicle to the shoulder off the freeway to avoid traffic trailing behind and beside me. it was a dangerous situation to say the least. the engine was still running but i had no power to accelerate. i turned off the vehicle and restarted it. i was able to drive the vehicle slowly off the freeway with intermittent loss of acceleration and into a parking area. i was able to drive the vehicle to my home slowly with intermittent losses of acceleration,having to stop multiple times to turn off and restart my engine. i attempted to drive the vehicle from my home to an auto mechanic shop and the same situation occurred on the way to the shop. the engine check light and the wrench light was on the dashboard. the mechanic performed a computer diagnostics and it indicated a dirty or damaged throttle body. the mechanic cleaned the throttle, and i test drove the vehicle again. within a short time of driving the vehicle the loss of complete acceleration occurred multiple times again. at that point the mechanic indicated that i would need to replace the throttle body. i called the ford dealership and explained my situation, whereby they responded that they could examine my vehicle to determine the cause of the problem. they also indicated that the throttle body is not under the powertrain warranty. i strongly feel that this defect which poses a life threatening situation for owners, should be under recall as it has become a common problem with this make & model of ford vehicle. i have read many on-line testimonials of other owners having the same problem and even some that had serious auto incidents. *tr

Headed to work on the interstate driving 70mph and the vehicle goes limp gas peddle does nothing lose all power. had to get over and avoid 18-wheelers and shift off the vehicle. turned it off and it's fine for 5 miles or 5 days. *tr

The ford escape lost power when we were driving on the highway. we had to limp back to home. it was really dangerous. dropped the car in a ford dealer. the technician told us the car has a failed trottle body. we are out of warranty and the replacement will cost us around $700. the car has less than 30,000 miles on it. why could this happen? *js

I was driving down a small highway at about 45mph when suddenly the engine lost its power. i put my foot on the accelerator and absolutely nothing happened (rpms did not increase, speed did not increase) except that the car continued to decelerate. i pulled over to the side of the road and the car started to shake violently. also the yellow wrench indicator light signaling that there is a power train issue came on. i put the car in park and shut it off for five minutes. when i turned the car back on, the indicator light was off, the car was not shaking, and the accelerator worked fine. i took it straight home, then straight to the ford dealer the next day and was told that i needed to replace my throttle body. further, i was told that although the throttle body was not normal wear and tear, it was still not covered under my warranty. so i had to pay $500 to fix an issue that i now see is quite common in ford escapes; i am unclear what it will take for a recall to be issued on this potentially very serious problem. i am very grateful that on this particular day i was not on a 4-lane highway as i usually am when traveling. *tr

After waiting at a red light, my vehicle travelled about 100 yards. the engine shuttered, accelerator pedal was unresponsive, and the engine rpms dropped to 900. i pulled to the side of the road and turned off the car then restarted it. everything was fine, except for my confidence, for the next 6 miles. while driving 45 mph, the engine shuttered, wrench light and check engine light illuminated, and rpms immediately dropped. same unresponsive accelerator pedal. i then put the car in neutral and coasted to a side road. i turned the car off and waited a couple of minutes, enough time to call my wife and let her know to be ready to come pick me up if my car wouldn't make it home. i restarted the car and 7 miles later i was home with no problems. i have not been to a mechanic or called ford or anything of that nature as this has just occurred within the last couple of hours.

I was driving at 30 mph while driving the car, the power train light came on and the car stall and loss power. i stepped on the gas pedal and nothing happened. i had to stop, put the car on parking, turn it off then turn it back on and then the car function perfectly. this is not the first time that same thing happens.

The wrence illuminator came on and then the care stalled.

Traveling along a rural highway, vehicle suddenly lost power and wrench light came on. i was forced to coast dangerously to a safe place to pull over, with another vehicle nearly hitting me from behind due to the sudden loss of speed. gas pedal seemed to not be working. once vehicle came to a stop, the car had an extremely rough idle. after turning the car off and restarting, the problem seemed to be reset, and gas pedal worked again, but the problem occurred again the next day, dangerously again along an interstate highway. this should be a recall - the sudden deceleration is very dangerous!!!! *tr

Several times, driving at high speeds, lost complete control of acceleration. engine throttle revved but pushing pedal made no difference. one occasion we almost wrecked at high speed. the car remains on, but acceleration pedal does nothing. turn car off, turn back on and it works fine. has happened in park, slow speeds and high speeds. ford won't do anything. please help!

On thursday 9/19, my wife was leaving work in our 2009 ford escape when after a few minutes it lost all throttle response and stalled on the road. after shutting off the car and restarting, she was able to drive it again for a few miles before the same thing happened. luckily we were close to a local ford dealer and were able to guide it there after another couple of stalling incidents. it turns out that the electronic throttle body was stuck open (code p2111) and needed to be replaced at a cost of over $500. the service advisor mentioned that this is a very common problem with the escapes and that many of the original parts have failed but the newer parts are much more reliable. i found a petition online which alerted me to the fact that this is a widespread problem. http://www.ncconsumer.org/news%20articles/nccc%20petitions%20nhtsa%20for%20defect%20investigation%20into%20ford%20escape%20vehicles.html *js