Problems with 2002 Ford Escape ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

My vehicle idles to 4000rpm and control the speed by itself, there is a leak in the back break area the steering wheel locks where i can't put it in any gear sometimes and getting worse. had to get it towed home last night because while driving it idled high and as i brake it barely stopped and when releasing break it speeds up to 50 or more mph and i had to keep my feet on the break..i pulled over and turned the switch off and waited a while and turned back on and it idled to 4000 rpm again. could not shift the gear from park and break pedal was hard. when arriving home to back car in driveway towe guy had no problem with idle. the following morning cranked and was at 1000rpm at first start. also ac pressure. car runs hot but no smoke water bubbles in coolant reservoir. my check engine light never gave warning of any of the problems listed.

Tl* the contact owned a 2002 ford escape. after the vehicle was parked, the driver smelled a burning odor. the contact noticed black smoke coming from the engine compartment and the vehicle exploded. the fire department extinguished the flames. the fire department assessed that the wiring harness was defective and caused the fire. the contact stated that the fire damaged the garage and the sidewalk concrete. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the contact referenced nhtsa campaign number: 07v156000 (service brakes, hydraulic) as a possible reason for the failure; however, the vin was not provided there were no injuries and a police report was not filed. the failure mileage was approximately 150,000. the vin was not provided. updated 04/12/17lj *cn

Tl* the contact owned a 2002 ford escape. the contact walked outside and discovered that the vehicle caught fire. the engine was not turned on and the key was not in the ignition switch at the time of the incident. the fire department was called to the scene to extinguish the flames. the vehicle was destroyed. the cause of the incident could not be determined. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 163,000.

Neighbor woke me saying my car was on fire. car wasn't on, the key was not in, and it had sat overnight. called fire department and fire put out. car is totaled because the firemen had to break into the engine compartment. engine area burned with nothing but metal visible and a melted battery. i have pictures. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford escape. the contact stated that while driving at an unknown speed, smoke started to emit into the vehicle near the console. the contact merged to the side of the road and quickly exited the vehicle. the fire department was able to extinguish the fire. the vehicle was destroyed. the contact was later notified of recall nhtsa campaign id number: 12v005000 (electrical). the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 200,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford escape. the contact stated that all four brake lines hose had to be replaced due to rust. the contact also stated that the alternator failed. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the problem. the approximate failure mileage was 106,037.

For the past year and a half the abs warning light has been illuminated. i took it to the ford dealership to have the latest recall fixed regarding the reservoir cap. ford couldn't get the abs warning light to turn off...so, hence the light still intermidantly comes on and off. also, the oil pressure light keeps coming on when i start my car and when i am slowing down. i just had my mechanic change the oil a week ago and and still having the problem. one last thing, the air bag illumination light has been on for the past two years. i took it to my dealer and they couldn't get it to turn off. am i safe in thinking that my air bag won't deploy just for the heck of it? not sure what to do? but it scares me.

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford escape. while driving approximately 35 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. the contact was able to restart the vehicle, but the failure recurred fifteen times. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. the failure mileage was 128,000.

I put the vehicle in reverse to back up and when i put vehicle back in drive it died/stalled. this has repeatedly happened along with dying at stop signs, red lights and multiple times at slow speeds. also the vehicle has repeatedly "stumbled" at various speeds up to 65 mph. *tr

Arrived home, parked vehicle in driveway and shortly after my wife took our puppy outside and saw my car was on fire under the hood, i was able to open the hood and saw flames and sparks coming from the drivers side firewall area, called fire dept after my fire extinguisher failed to fully put out the fire fearing it would catch the house on fire as i was parked less than 10 ft from it. *tr

My escape was parked in driveway when we went to go to town and it was smoking then on fire this was in the evening about 8 if we hadn't gone out we would have had a huge fire witch could have involved 3 other cars not to mention our house we live in ramona ca 92065 and its fire season we are in a rural area..

While driving at around 65 mph on a freeway, the car turned on abs light all of sudden and in a less than a minute the car's electricity all shut off, engines shut off, steering shut off, brakes shut off, radio shut off. i've had the same problem previously more than 6 times, but before, it was when i was driving less than 30 mph, but this time, it happened on the freeway. it happened while putting on my breaks, and i believe it was one of the recall problem that the car stops while decelerating. however, the dealer told me that recall works have been already done on the car before it happened. so i suspect that the dealer did not figure out the main reason why the car is stopping while decelerating or just didn't work on the recall and lied. *tr

The vehicle, after being turned off, would not turn back on, and the gear indicator square that surrounds the engaged gear was multiplying, flashing and "dancing" from gear to gear. this happened a second time exactly one week later, and this time the interior lights were flashing and could not be stopped. after quite some time once the key was removed and the door was closed, the flashing interior lights ceased and would only continue again once the key was in the ignition. though removing the key caused the lights to stop flashing, even once the key was removed, the indicator square continued the behavior. periodically during operation the lights strengthen in and out when idling. *tr

Received a recall notice in feb from ford (recall id 12v00500 - issued jan 2012). indicated potential problems with brake fluids leaks that could cause shorts in the abs electronics. we contacted dealer. no parts available yet. our abs and brake indicators came on in march as described in the recall notice. ford still said that recall shows safe to drive, just don't park in the garage due to potential fires. last night, drove home and parked (in the driveway). unloaded some stuff from car... no problems noticed. came out of house about 15 minutes later to unload stuff from car and found it smelling of hot electrical system, and smoke coming from hood. used hose to cool down under hood, while i found wrench and unhooked the battery. smoke was coming from all sides under and behind engine block. once battery disconnected the smoking stopped. calling ford corporate, local dealer, and insurance this morning to see what to do next. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford escape. the vehicle was repaired according to nhtsa campaign number: 12v005000 (service brakes, hydraulic); however, the repair did not remedy the condition. the contact had not experienced any failures prior to the recall repair. the contact noticed excessive smoke under the hood and the cap leaked brake fluid, which impacted the power steering pump and caused a short within the wires and the abs. the manufacturer was notified of the failures and stated that the vehicle would need to be towed to the dealer for diagnostic testing and repair. the vin was not available. the approximate failure mileage was 169,000.

On march 7,2012, someone knocked on my door and told me my car was on fire. it had been parked on my carport for over 2 hours.there was an abs recall but i was told by my local dealership that the parts would not be available until at least july, maybe longer.they also informed me that the vehicle would be safe to drive since i had no previous problems with it.the escape was towed to a secured location to be inspected by my insurance and a ford rep. no conclussion @ this time. *tr

I have received a notice from ford m.c. that my ford 2002 escape can spontaneously catch fire and burn my house down while turned off inside my garage or while running, therefore i should stop parking the vehicle near any house structures. when i called ford, i'm told that the vehicle is otherwise safe, while it is scheduled to be repaired sometime in quarter #2 of this year. how safe does this sound to you..??? i have detected the hot smell odors referred to within the letter (recall notice) & am concerned that the government is giving ford too much slack in resolving a matter that appears to be quite volatile (pun intended). *tr

Vehicle was parked in yard when smoke started coming out from under the hood. we raised hood and saw wires on fire under the master cylinder. we put the fire out. wires from abs system caught on fire *tr

Abs warning indicator illuminated, 25a fuse blown- upon replacement smoke and sparks from abs module connector, inspection reveals melted connector cover and wiring harness, corroded wire terminals and also a wire arcing at a break inside the connector cover. the 60a fuse was removed to isolate the abs system fault for a limp home. ed mullinax ford service department acknowledges abs module recall; however, dealership denies applicable to this vehicle. *tr

I drove my vehicle home from work (less than 5 miles). when i pulled into my driveway and parked my vehicle, smoke began to pour out from the engine compartment. when i opened the hood there were flames directly in front of the driver side near the fire wall. these flames were originating from the abs module location.

Abs module connector caught fire while car was parked. recall for abs module connector inspection was completed 7/6/2007. brought vehicle back in 1/7/2008 due to abs light remaining on. no mention of abs, noted rotors below specs and brake pads need replacing.

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford escape. the contact was driving 60 mph when sparks started to shoot from under the hood. the contact was able to rapidly move the vehicle from off the roadway and as the hood was lifted, the contact noticed that the engine was on fire. the police and the fire department were dispatched to extinguish the fire. a police report was available. the vehicle was towed back to the contacts residence and the vehicle was deemed as destroyed. the vehicle was not inspected for the cause of the engine fire but the fire department advised that the fire could potentially have been caused by an electrical failure. the failure and current mileages were unknown. updated 9/16/11 *cn updated 2/9/12 *cn

2002 ford escape electrical fire. vehicle had been driven that day, but had gone less than a mile when it was noted the suv had a smoky smell and we pulled over. within minutes the entire engine compartment was involved. it appeared to start near the battery, the battery was approximately 8 weeks old. *tr

The vehicle was parked in the driveway. while turning the ignition to start, there was a catastrophic engine explosion. the hood largely contained the fire. luckily no one was injured and the fire did not last long and did not spread to the surroundings. a tow truck was called and the repair shop technician found the "intake manifold had blown to pieces". a code on the system indicated a misfire on cylinder 5. the vehicle was repaired for $1720, including cam position sensor, intake manifold, and ignition coil, relating to the incident.

2002 ford escape cold parked, key-off vehicle fire - total loss uninsured and ford so far has refused compensation. *tr

My airbag light keeps coming on every time i start my ford escape. upon review of this it's been on complaint websites several times by hundreds of people. how many of these people need to die due to malfunction of the air bags before we have a recall. this light has been on since i've owned the vehicle. also my window stopped going up. the dipstick can't give a clear reading of the oil amount. these things lead to death, constant and costly repair, and constant problems. *tr

My driver's side headlight went out. i went to the local autozone to get a replacement bulb. when i removed the headlight plug, it looked like it was melted. i removed and installed a new light bulb. i then tested the new bulb to make sure it worked. it did not turned on. the headlight plug seems like it melted at some point. *tr

My 2002 ford escape caught fire while parked and was recorded as a total loss. the consumer stated the fire started under the hood. updated 06/23/10 *tr

I drove my 2002 ford escape to church sunday morning, about 5 miles, when the abs light came on. the car had not been previously driven that day. we parked the car and went in for services that morning and at the end of mass were called to the back by the priest who informed me that there was a fire. sure enough the local fire department was there and had extinguished a fire in the engine compartment. the official report stated the fire originating in the cruise control/ brake fluid reservoir area. the escape was a total write-off. all recalls pertaining to the abs/cruise systems were serviced about 2 years previous to this event.

My sister's mazda tribute & my ford escape are the same vehicle and both have had the driver's side headlight plug melt. *tr

For the current ford recall, the recall does not include ford escapes. i have had the same problems with my vehicle; malfunctioning cruise control (cruise will just disengage on the freeway or will all of a sudden start accelerating), brake light on dash, and difficultly with disengaging vehicle out of park. i contacted ford and was told my vehicle is not on the recall and there was nothing they could do about it. they issued me a "case number". *tr

Tl*the contact owned a 2002 ford escape. the contact's neighbor informed him that his vehicle was on fire in his driveway. the contact used two full fire extinguishers and a water hose in an attempt to extinguish the fire. he was unsuccessful. the fire department arrived and successfully extinguished the flames. a fire report was filed and the fire department stated that an electrical fire started in the engine compartment. the fire marshall verified that numerous ford vehicles had caught fire as well. the vehicle was completely destroyed. the grass outside of the contact's house, a large tree, and the driveway all sustained major damage. there were no injuries. the failure and current mileages were less than 89,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford escape. the vehicle caught fire while parked in the driveway. the driveway and surrounding trees were damaged. the fire department stated that it was an electrical fire. the vehicle was destroyed and a fire report was filed. there were no injuries. the failure mileage was 84,000. updated 06/24/09 *bf updated 06/30/09.*jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford escape. while driving 60 mph, the accelerator pedal went down to the floor and would not release. the contact was able to place the vehicle into second gear. the vehicle was towed to the dealer and they stated that the cruise control cable failed and jammed the throttle cover. the transmission became damaged when the contact shifted into reverse gear. the manufacturer may not be able to assist. on november 25, 2007, the vehicle was taken to the dealer due to reverse. the dealer cleaned the throttle body, flushed the injectors, and cleaned the upper intake gasket and spark plugs. the fuel filters, coil boots, and ignitions wires were replaced. the current and failure mileages were 62,000. the consumer stated the battery light comes on while driving, replace fuel filter, and a/c is not blowing cold. updated 03/31/08 *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford escape. the contact stated that her vehicle caught fire while parked. she quickly extinguished the fire. the vehicle was taken to the mechanic, but he could not determine the cause of the failure. she received two recall letters prior to the failure. the vin, engine size, number of cylinders, powertrain, and nhtsa campaign id numbers were unknown. the current and failure mileages were 80,000.

our 2002 ford escape caught on fire while parked in the garage. it appears that the fire originated in or around the abs module. thankfully there were no initial serious injuries, though we incurred smoke damage and the inconvenience of a non functioning vehicle. *jb

On march 13th 2007 my car was parked in the driveway and smoke was coming out of the bottom of the escape and the hood. it smelled like an electrical fire- i investigated where the smell was and it all looked fine- i turned on the escape and then the brake lights and abs light came on along with the engine check light. i looked up on the internet and saw that several complaints on the brake system catching on fire. *jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford escape. on february 9, 2007 the vehicle caught on fire in the garage and burned to the frame. the fire began on the electrical instrument panel on the driver's side. the vehicle was destroyed while parked in the garage. the fire marshall and insurance company have photos. the fire marshall stated that the switch or sensor caused the fire. the insurance company investigator stated that the fire was due to an electrical failure. the contact's vehicle burned 20 days after it was purchased. the current and failure mileage were 86,000. *ak

2002 ford escape. parked> 3 hrs. caught fire. engine and front of car completely destroyed. have detailed pictures understand investigation into this problem began in november 2006 would like to speak to someone before car is towed to junk yard. *nm

Dt*: the contact stated while parking a bystander noticed smoke billowing from under the hood. the ignition would not turn off so the battery was disconnected and the smoke stopped. the vehicle was towed to an auto collision facility, where it has not been inspected by a mechanic. *ak

The key lock cylinder has been defective for quite a period of time in that it allows me to take out the keys when the vehicle is in drive or reverse. car has rolled on some occasions. so far i have caught the problem before anything is damaged but i know for all the cars i have owned it is not proper that the keys can be withdrawn while in drive. i just reported it to the ford dealer 10-22-06 and they said it was not correct but there had been no recall so probably i would have to repair at my own cost. *nm

Dt*: the contact stated while parked in the driveway for one day, the vehicle caught on fire. the fire extinguished itself. the vehicle was driven to the dealer who replaced the abs module and a wiring harness. updated 01/17/07. *jb the consumer stated the abs light illuminated and stayed on until the abs module was replaced. the right front wheel bearing was replaced.

Dt*: the contact stated while driving 40 mph, the vehicle stalled. it was maneuvered off the road and restarted however, the vehicle would not accelerate past 20 mph and stalled again when the brake pedal was depressed. the vehicle was towed to the dealer who determined the pcm, six ignition coils and six spark plugs needed to be replaced.

At first start up of morning, while driving the idle kicks up to 2000 rpm's. when i stop the car and put it in neutral, that's where i notice the tach revving to 2000. after driving for 3 to 5 miles, it finally goes to normal. if i shut off car, and restart it, its fine. i had the car to the dealer several times to no avail, the put a recorder device in the car and when i noticed the problem, i was to push the button. they sent the box to ford, who in turn said it was supposed to do that. i am at a standstill right now, with no fix in site. the vehicle is harder to stop in the mornings due to the increased idle. this started right before the 3 year bumper to bumper warranty expired. it is continuing to happen to date. thank you. *nm

Dt*: the contact stated while driving 35 mph, the abs light and emergency brake light illuminated constantly. the vehicle was taken to a service dealer. while being inspected by the dealer, the vehicle began to smoke. the dealer determined that there was an electrical problem with the abs wiring and that all the wiring needed to be replaced at an estimated cost of $1600. the dealership refused to honor the extended warranty and the owner refused to pay for the repair costs out of pocket. dealer then refused to return the vehicle to owner without repair due to fire hazard. the dealer assisted the owner with the purchase of a 2006 mercury mariner by paying off the remainder of the loan balance on the ford escape updated 10/25/2006 - *nm

2002 ford escape xlt caught fire under the hood. *kb the vehicle was towed to the dealer who replaced the booster, hcu and hcu harness. after doing some research the consumer believes the fire was the result of a faulty cruise control deactivation switch. this switch had been recalled in 1994-2002 ford f150's, navigators and expeditions. . *nm

Follow up to an earlier report regarding a 2002 ford escape xlt with ignition coil problems. on may 30, the vehicle lost another ignition coil (3 previously had died) after sitting overnight in a rainstorm. this problem seems to manifest itself when it has been raining or very humid. the truck was taken to macquire ford and was again diagnosed with a failed number 1 ignition coil. the coil was replaced at a cost of $390. the truck was picked up friday, june 2, driven home and parked. when we went to drive the truck at 6pm that night, the check engine light came on and the truck ran rough. the dealer wasn't happy to see us back saturday morning. this time coil number 3 had gone. no one knows why 5 coils have now failed at the cost of $1300. the final original coil has also been replaced. no one at ford can give an answer and i am out a considerable amount of money and i somehow doubt this problem will be resolved. *nm

Dt*: the contact stated during the night, the vehicle alarm sounded. when the vehicle was approached, it was noticed that smoke was coming from under the hood. the police and fire department were alerted to the scene. a police report was filed. the fire department determined it occurred in the engine compartment and it was an electrical fire. the vehicle was operating normal prior to the fire. the vehicle is currently at a local dealership awaiting further inspection. the manufacturer has been alerted.

I own a 2002 ford escape xlt which i purchased new in 2001. last june, i did not use the vehicle for several days during which time it rained. when i went to start the engine, it ran sluggishly and shuddered. after a few moments, the engine light came on and the truck began emitting smoke. i turned the engine off, called my local dealer, varney ford, and had the vehicle towed there. i was told that the #3 "spark plug coil" (ignition coil) had burned out. i was told that moisture had entered the coil. no explanation for how that was happening was given. cost $180 to repair. yesterday, after several days of rain, i went to once again start my truck. it exactly repeated the previous incident. this time however, i drove the truck to the dealer...it could not travel more than 30 miles an hour. i was told that this time coils number 4 and 6 had failed. cost this time $325. once again i was told moisture had somehow gotten into the coil system. so in other words, i own a truck that cannot sit idle for even a day in rainy or damp weather without a coil burning out. from what i gather from reading the travails of other escape owners is that this is not an uncommon problem. ford says "there must be a pin hole somewhere that they will never be able to fix". while this wouldn't present a problem if i elected to live in a desert environment, it will continue to be an expense and render the truck useless in inclement weather. thank you. heidi robbins. *nm

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford escape. the contact stated that the vehicle had a slight odor, back fired on two occasions, and ran poorly. in october 2005 the vehicle hesitate d at 20 mph. the mechanic diagnosed the failure as the ignition coil and replaced it for $400. in may 2006 the vehicle ran poorly and back fired again. the mechanic diagnosed the failure as the coil once again and was replaced at 52,980 miles. in july 2006 the vehicle ran poorly for a third time. the ford dealer stated that two coils failed at 53,011 miles. in april o 2007 the contact felt the vehicle ran poorly again, and took it to the dealer, suspecting coil failure for the fifth time. the current mileage is 60,000 , and failure mileage was 47,000.*ak