Problems with 2002 Ford Escape VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

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

Accelerator stuck on 2002 ford escape. at 80mph i finally turned off ignition to stop. throttle cable broke. there was a recall for this in 2002 but not for my particular car. ford customer service and ford recall center refused to pay for repairs at dealer. i was lucky to survive this incident. who knows how many other 2002 ford escapes also have this problem?? *tr

(1) driving to work on route 18 south (2) lost use of accelerator pedal (3) cable broken to pedal that was replaced at ford dealer in shrewsbury/red bank nj. *tr

Unintended acceleration - 2002 ford escape xlt: driving on interstate accelerated for a hill and car continued to accelerate after foot removed from pedal. car continued to accelerate and gain speed up hill, hill peaked and speed exceeded 80 miles per hour. further acceleration down hill - transmission placed in neutral, and able to be stopped on side of freeway. engine continued to rev; turned off, and then revved when turned back on. cruise control was not being used at any time. dealer inspected and found and replaced defective cruise control cable. *jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford escape. while driving 80 mph, the contact applied the brakes, but the vehicle failed to decelerate or stop. the contact drove into a ditch, which stopped the vehicle. the contact turned off the vehicle. once it was restarted, the rpm's raced to 5 and the tires began smoking. the failure occurred three additional times. the manufacturer stated that the vin was not included in nhtsa recall # 04v574000 (vehicle speed control:cables). the current and failure mileages were 112,000. the consumer provided the repair invoice. updated 09/05/07 *tr

The vehicle in question a 2002 ford escape xl, threw a rod at about 47,000 miles due to a problem that became a recall concern ( ford recall id# 42319 december 7, 2004), i was sent a recall notice 2 months after the replacement by a used ( 43,000 miles), engine which my extended warranty company chose over a remanufactured engine that i wanted. it also threw a rod after the accelerator stuck, ( the recall item) 40,000 miles later. because the warranty had expired, no repairs were covered and i ended up paying repairs, rental cost and losing wages because i couldn't get to my next assignment. *tr

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 stated that the 2002 ford escape xlt had acceleration problems when trying to come to a complete stop. the throttle kicked off and the rpms went up to 4 she then would have to wait until the rpms went back to normal. when this happened it was very difficult to get the vehicle to stop completely. the contact has had 2 failures with the vehicle. when she put the vehicle in neutral the engine sounded like it was revving at a much higher rate. the contact stated that this was a leased vehicle that she will be returning in 2 months. the vehicle was at a dealership now for a diagnostic testing on what could be causing this problem. she contacted the manufacturer and was given a case # 1331070467. the current mileage was 64000.*ak updated 03/07/07.*jb

This is to report another suspected 2002 ford escape abs control module fire. the vehicle fire occurred jan. 9, 2007 at client's home. the vehicle is a 2002 ford escape xlt, and is currently stored at insurance auto auctions (iaa), 1710 starita road, charlotte, nc 28206-1286, phone: 704-596-5854, fax: 704-596-7492, stock number: 2799576. the house and car are insured by state farm, which has retained me as its subrogation counsel. the fire occurred while the car was parked in the garage in the "key off" position. larry helton for ford has already examined the vehicle and the scene on january 17, 2007. no one was injured, but the property damages could exceed $50,000.00. *jb

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

1) on saturday 18 at approximately 2:00 pm, my wife, linda, was driving approximately 50 miles west of broadus, mt when she passed another vehicle. 2) after passing the vehicle, her vehicle speed would not return to normal driving speed. instead, it stuck at nearly 80 mph. numerous attempts to release the speed, even applying maximum braking pressure, had no effect. linda turned off the ignition and coasted to a stop at the side of the road after negotiating a curve that could easily have caused a roll-over. linda tried restarting the motor, but it was still racing, and the tachometer reached 5000 rpms. 3) fortunately, another motorist who was familiar with automobiles, stopped to give assistance. he disconnected the cruise control. this allowed the motor to return to normal speed, and linda was able to continue and complete her trip home. the assisting motorist did indicate that the cable to the cruise control seemed to be loose. upon checking various web-sites,including the nhtsa site, i found that a recall had been issued in 2004 for this very problem (nhtsa campaign id number : 04v574000). i called the ford motor company recall information site (1-866-436-7332) but was told that because of where my escape was manufactured, it did not qualify for free repair. as of now my vehicles cruise remains disabled. i think this is a design flaw not a manufacturing problem based on place of manufacture. therefore, i believe ford should cover the cost of repair. *nm

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford escape. the contact stated that the vehicle hesitated to accelerate from a stop and would not accelerate beyond 2 mph. the vehicle eventually began to accelerate at normal rates of speed. the failure recurred whenever the contact accelerated from a stop. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and the contact was informed that a computer chip within the vehicle needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired and the failure continued. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and offered no assistance. the failure mileage was 58,448.

Defective cruise control cable will lock throttle in full open position when the gas pedal is fully depressed. polymer sleeve on cruise actuator cable has broken at the throttle connector. this allows the connector to rotate to a vertical position and catch on the engine cover when the foot pedal is pressed to the floor. *jb

If you could please forward me any other resources where i can seek a resolution i would greatly appreciate it. on 7-14-05 our ford escape v6 xlt (vin: [xxx]) was taken to galpin ford (van nuys, ca) for repairs. the problem was that while stopped the vehicle suddenly accelerated, resulting in the accelerator being stuck and the vehicle moving forward. the vehicle had to be put in park in order to avoid a collision. the vehicle was then taken in on 7-14-05 where tech's diagnosed the problem w/ an "stp sensor malfunction", resulting in the sensor being replaced. according to [xxx] (svc. advisor) he related that this may be a problem on newer ford escapes, but not on our specific vehicle. he said to contact ford corporate to seek reimbursement. on 7-17-05 i contacted corporate explaining them of the problem. although, they admitted it was a safety issue, they stated there was no recall for our specific model and year. they said at this time they could not assist with the matter. as stated before i am seeking assistance in this matter due to ford's poor history for automotive safety. *jb information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

7/5/2005. i was in baltimore, md in my 2002 ford escape. trafic was moderately heavy. i started to change lanes and noticed a car in the lane so i pulled back into my lane at which point, the throttle on my vehicle stuck open. the engine was racing and attempts to brake were useless. i threw the moving vehicle into park where it continued to move. i then tried to shift to neutral in hoipes of regaining braking, but i hit reverse first, at which point my car rapidly reversed into another vehicle. damage to the vehicles was limited as i hit a 3500 chevy silverado truck, however, it was one of the most unnerving experiences i have ever had. the police were called as the other vehicle belongs to the city of baltimore department of public works. no traffic report was written by the police officer, however, the baltimore city employee (darell powers) did fill out an accident report for the city. my vehicle was towed to carmax in white marsh md, where they told me the cause was the cruise control cable had frayed, causing it to butterfly and hold open the throttle. the escape has 53,002 miles on it, and cruise control is rarely used. i do have the replaced part and the bill i paid for $291. one other note, ihad to have the engine replaced on this same car 45 days after i purchased it last july. carmax paid for the replacement cost, close to $4,000 and the mechanic who serviced it this time insists this is not related.

As i was putting up to a red light, i applied the brakes and my automoblie would not slow down. it sped up resulting in me crashing into the car in front of me. when i applied the brakes the car did not slow down at all it sped up to at least 20 to 30 mph. i had recieved a recall for this exact thing happening. ford service manager jason preat has informed that there is nothing wrong with the accelerator cable (what the car has the recall for) and that is not why my car crashed. but i know what happen and ford is responsible for this accident, my loss wages, and other various expends. this car has done this in the past and i thought that i had imaged it. it was never as serve as the last time. the service manager jason preat has denied that the recall on my veichile is the cause of this accident and has told me i would be spinning my wheels to get ford to own up to this.*ak

I received a recall notice (ford recall # 04s25) on my 2002 ford escape because of the possibility of the accelerator sticking. i had the recall order worked on at low country ford in summerville, sc on 2/7/05. on 2/18/05 the accelerator stuck wide open. i was able to put the vehicle in neutral and stop without an accident. it was towed back to the dealership and they repaired it again. on 3/22/05 the accelerator stuck again while my son was driving. it was towed and repaired a third time. i refuse to drive this car again. fords recall fix does not solve the problem. *ak

2002 ford escape experiencing problems with accelerator even after recall repairs were performed.*mr recall campaign, performed on 02/07/05 and still having problem. the accelerator stuck wide open while traveling down the highway. on 03/22/05 the accelerator stuck again. *bf *nm

The vehicle accelerated uncontrollably into a cement wall while the driver's foot was still on the brake pedal. both frontal air bags deploy. the vehicle was towed to a dealer for inspection. the cause has not been determined at this time. *nm *nm

Consumer experienced two problem with this vehicle on two separated occasions. first, vehicle stalled while driving, consumer tried to restarted, but was unable to do so. secondly, while traveling vehicle started to accelerate uncontrollably. consumer was able to maintain control of the vehicle. applied the brakes and the pedal went to the floor. consumer was able to pull over. afterwards vehicle was towed on both occasions. mechanic determined that a head gasket blew out, and the speed control cable snapped. the head gasket, and speed control cable needed to be replaced. *ak

When starting off, or accelerating the gas pedal has a hesitant/sticking sensation. it requires more than normal pressure to depress it, and causes an unexpected increase in the engine speed. there is a current recall from the v-6 3.0 engines, but not for my 4-cyl. *jb

I-4 engine (38k mi)- throttle sticks in closed position. throttle cable is okay, but throttle plate will stick in throttle bore in an unpredictable manner, resulting in inconsistent pedal efforts / performance. sporadic throttle performance results in occasional sudden acceleration during low speed manuvers as throttle becomes "unstuck" from closed position. difficult to anticiopate behaviour in parking lot manuvers has resulted in driver avoiding use of vehicle whenever possible.*ak

Vehicle suddenly surged forward. vehicle is currently at the police garage waiting to be investigated. *ak the consumer was pulling into his driveway, put the vehicle in park and pulled up the emergency brake. the consumer exited the vehicle to retrieve her mail and got back into the vehicle. the consumer put the emergency brake down and proceed to shift the vehicle into drive. when the vehicle was shifted into drive the vehicle accelerated suddenly and could not be stopped, not even by applying the brake. the vehicle went through a garage wall, through a utility room and came out the back of the house and hit a small tree. the air bag did not deploy. the car was totaled. *nm

When stepping on the brake vehicle accelerated. consumer stated that engine roared. had to step on the brakes with great pressure and it still happened. consumer took vehicle to the dealer on 3 occasions, and each time, they were unable to detect the problem. consumer contacted manufacturer, who denied of the problem. manufacturer sent an engineer to diagnose the problem, and while in his possession, the problem did not duplicate itself. *ak

Consumer slowly pulled into the garage with foot on the brakes and stopped. she put the vehicle in park, and suddenly vehicle accelerated forward, causing it to crash into the back of the garage, damaging the refrigerator and the back of the garage, and knocking the garage 4-5 inches off the foundation. consumer was not injured but shook up. consumer and husband called the insurance company and the dealer. the insurance representative was suppose to come to the house to look at the vehicle. *ak

Driver put the vehicle into park and without warning vehicle surged forward. this caused consumer to lose control of the vehicle, and hit some objects head on inside of the garage before stopping. the driver and passenger sustained minor injuries. consumer will have the vehicle towed to the dealership.*ak the driver was in the process of placing gear from drive to park when vehicle lurched forward. upon impact, the shifter is between park and drive. *la

The consumer was having a problem with the brakes. the brakes did not stop the vehicle when moving in reverse. the driver applied the brakes, however, the brakes did not stop the car. *jb when backing by a gas station pump, the vehicle would not stop and nearly ended out on a busy road. the brakes were pumped twice and the parking brake was applied. less than a week later when backing out of the driveway, the vehicle suddenly accelerated uphill, across a road, over into the woods. *sc jb

While driving. the accelerator pedal sticks. consumer cannot make a smooth acceleration from a complete stop. the problem was intermittent, you have to depress the pedal so far until it gives, then the vehicle surges forward, and the tires spin. took the vehicle in for the repair. was told the throttle body has to be replaced. please provide any further information. *nm

I pulled into a parking space at a drug store, stopped, and as i was putting the car in park, it surged forward over the curb and into the building. the engine then returned to idle. i put the car in reverse to back out and it surged backward but i was able to stop it quickly. it again returned to normal idle. the car has 57k miles and had no prior problems with the engine.

While driving at any speed, the engine was rumbling. the dealer could not duplicate or correct the problem. *ak there was uncontrollable jumping and or kicking. the dealer replaced one defective part and was told that the rumbling noise would need to be investigated by ford engineers. ford did not know what was causing the noise, but say it was not dangerous. the vehicle would shake at certain speeds and cd's would get stuck in the cd player. *sc the rotors were replaced because they were out of round, the stabilizer end links were replaced *jb

Stiff accelerator pedel. cannot make a smooth acceleration from a complete stop. the pedal doesn't seem to "give" until it's pushed too much. when it's pushed too much. there is a surge of acceleration and usually the tires just spin, whether it's raining, snowing or just plain dry out.

The vehicle stalled. once while the vehicle was in the drive, the horn began to blow, and the lights started to blink. no one was in the vehicle or had touched the vehicle. the consumer took the vehicle to the dealership to be repaired, however they were unable to repair it because they could not duplicate the problems. *ak the vehicle also rolled away with the ignition locked, keys removed and vehicle in park. also the accelerator became stuck on four occasions. a representative from told the consumer the reason why the vehicle rolled away, was because the emergency brake had not been applied. *ph *jb

I was pulling into a parking space at a shopping center. as i took my foot off the accelerator preparing to stop, the vehicle suddenly lunged forward, hopping the curb and continuing forward into the patio area. i applied the brakes, but the car did not stop. it hit a trash can and tables and finally crashed into a pillar. in applying the brake, i had managed to slow the vehicle down so the impact was not severe and the airbags did not deploy. i was not injured but two people lunching in the patio area received minor injuries (a scratched/swollen leg and sore elbow). the vehicle has since been repaired and the cause of accident is being investigated by the insurance company. since i am paranoid about driving the vehicle, i am planning to have a diagnostic test conducted. *ak

High revving when in drive,neutral,park. rpm up to 4. noticed when at stop lights that it was revving very high, pulled over and put it in park and the car will rev to 4. i have reported this problem over 6 time to ford dealerships in valencia, ca. and palmdale, ca. they always say they no what the problem is and they fix it with no charge, however it always comes back. i have all my service repairs documented. i have taken my complaint to the ford customer service dept. and they have put me in touch with the district service manager, however, has never contacted me. i don't know what else to do. for a while my 16 year old was driving it and my concern for an accident was great. she does not drive it anymore. please advise. *la

2002 escape engine accelerates while driving. *ts consumer was informed of a recall notice (04v574000) and repairs were made. the problem resurfaced again in march 2006. the accelerator cable which was replaced in feb 2005 was only under warranty for 1 year/12000 miles. the customer service rep advised the consumer that she would be responsible for the cost of repair. the seat belts locked up when in use. *jb

2002 ford escape accelerates while driving. consumer was informed of a recall notice (04v574000) and repairs were made. problem resurfaced again in march 2006.*kb the accelerator cable which was replaced feb 2005 was only under warranty for 1 year/12000 miles. the customer service rep advised the consumer that she would be responsible for the cost of repair. the seat belts locked up when in use. *nm updated 09/11/06. *jb

My 2002 ford escape was bought new in march of 2002. the problem with it accelerating at low speeds started about 6-7 months later. returned to the dealership many times to have it checked but was told every time there was nothing wrong. i've had one accident as a result of this problem. i still own the same escape and still have the problem with it . i was told that there were no complaints of this nature with these models but have since learned that there have been many. i also as have many people had the problem with the air-bag light on .again many trips to the dealer and was told nothing was wrong about $300 later for labor costs. finally on one more attempt to find out what was wrong i returned to the dealer again and was told that a sensor in the seat-belt was the problem and it would cost approximately $300-$400 to repair it and that the air bags may or may not be working because of this sensor. i have personally lost all faith in ford canada and their products and some of the employees at the dealerships i've dealt with. i am in the process i buying a new car but it's not a ford. never again will i buy a ford

While driving down highway vehicle stalled, resulting in loss of steering and brake control.*ak dealer replaced defective idle air control valve. *tt

Consumer stated on july 2, 2002 the vehicle was taken back to the dealer for a broken headlight and missing equipment from the vehicle, on july 23, 2002 the vehicle began experiencing stalling, brake and odometer problems, the brakes were replaced due to a flaw, the stalling and the odometer problems could not be duplicated, also there were problems with the speakers and the clutch sticking, consumer stated while the vehicle was parked, the parking brake disengaged and the vehicle rolled into a hotel.*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

After 1st incident, ford replaced air idle control valve eec relay; after 2nd incident, ford replaced fuel pump relay and eec relay again. there is no warning when vehicle stalls, it occurs when driving and immediately steering and brakes fail.

All functions suddenly locked up. i had no functionality in steering, brakes, and acceleration. i had no control of the car and car slowly died. after a few minutes i was able to restart car with no problems. but this could potentially have caused a fatal accident if environment, speed, etc., were just slightly different.

On several occasions, while driving about 45-50 mph, stepped on gas pedal to accelerate and automobile was not responding. looked at dashboard and noticed that engine check light was lit up. tried to slow down to pull on side of road, but discovered that there were no brakes and no steering. consumer was able to come to a stop by releasing the emergency brakes, had no accident. consumer has since traded in vehicle. *ak *tt

On several occasions, while traveling on a steep curvy road at 25 mph, vehicle lost power brakes and power steering, consumer had to use both feet on brake pedal to control speed, oil and emission lights came on, consumer was able to turn off street onto parking lot and slow down enough to avoid crashing, engine was still on when vehicle came to a stop, dealer reflashed pcm and replaced mass airflow sensor, throttle body and iac solenoid. *ak *tt

I was pulling into a parking space at a shopping center. my foot was off the accelerator as i was preparing to stop. about 3/4 of the way into the parking slot, the vehicle suddenly surged forward, going over the curb, across the sidewalk and hit a concrete ramp with a metal railing on top. upon impact, the airbags deployed and the vehicle filled with smoke. i have no idea how fast the vehicle may have been going upon impact. i managed to turn off the iginition and exited the vehicle. i was panic-stricken and called 911. the police department sent an officer out. she inquired as to what may have happened and asked that we back the car away from the railing and clear the sidewalk. at the time the car was started, the officer commented that it sounded like the car was "still revving". fortunately, there were no injuries, no other vehicle was involved and thankfully no pedestrian. i am now afraid of this vehicle. i have submitted this report to ford motor company and, of course, my insurance company. i want the manufacturer (ford motor company) to investigate this problem and determine if the ford escape is a vehicle safe to drive. if they cannot give that assurance then ford must take steps immediately to replace it with a vehicle that is safe to drive. anything less is unacceptable! *ak

At 300 miles the vehicle surged and hesitated frequently. dealer replaced transmission. 1 week later after coming to a stop, consumer applied accelerator, vehicle hesitated. consumer then applied gas pedal harder, and vehicle surged to 20 mph and hit another vehicle. no injuries, damage to vehicle was $ 2200.00.*ak

After stopping at a light, i accelerated to approximately 30-35 mph when car stalled. all warning lights came on. car restarted, we took to the dealer. they advised us right away that ford is aware that these escapes have this type of problem- they just quit running for no reason. they checked it out and everything checked out ok. because i am now afraid to drive the car, as this is a major safety issue not knowing if car will stall unexpectedly going down a freeway or in the middle of a busy intersection, discussed returning car to dealer. they advise that ford will not do a recall at this time but are aware of the problems being reported. they have no solution to the problem as they can't find out why it happens on some escapes but not others. unless they buy the car back, we take a huge loss as it as depreciated in the 30 days we have owned it, plus our sales tax and licensing costs. from what we are told, ford has no intention of recalling. my question and complaint, is, if they know that the cars stall and they cant explain why, and therefore can't fix the problem, how can it be legal for them to leave us in this position where we have to fear for our lives every time we drive the car. i can't understand why they don't have to buy these cars back and compensate for the sales tax expense as well. how can they be allowed to leave these cars on the road, when we could be killed if the next time it stalls we are going 70 mph with a semi in back of us that hits us when the car stops in the middle of the freeway. or, we are starting to complete a turn when the car stops and the oncoming car can't stop in time. the dealer has told us we can complain to a toll free number at ford but basically they will do nothing for us. please help us.*ak