Problems with 2005 Ford Escape ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

Ignition spark plug coils (6) shorted out; shorting out the computer as told by the ford tech to the owner of the vechicle. the ford technician told the vechicle owner to keep the receipts because this should have been a recall.

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 ford escape. the contact stated that driving approximately 50 mph, the vehicle suddenly shut down; there were no power brakes or steering. she was able to restart the vehicle but it continued to stall on her way home. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact was informed that the power control module was the cause of the failure and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was being repaired. the manufacturer had not been notified. the current and failure mileages were approximately 105,000.

Traveling at highway speeds, 2005 escape with under 90,000 miles began missing and cutting out. was able to limp in to ford dealer (sam scism ford) where diagnosis indicated # 2 # 6 misfires with further diagnosis indicating no signal to coil. dealer determined need to replace pcm and did so at over $1100. less than 30 days later, similar symptoms and different dealer diagnosed #6 coil problems. replaced coila at $240. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 ford escape. while at a traffic light, the vehicle stalled without warning. the contact made several attempts to restart the vehicle, then it finally started. the failure began two months ago. the dealer was notified and informed the contact that there were no related recalls. the dealer also performed a diagnostic test which concluded that the coil failed and that the power control module needed to be repaired. the contact did not inform the manufacturer nor was the vehicle repaired due to the cost. the current mileage was approximately 77,958. the failure mileage was approximately 75,000. the vin was unavailable.

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford escape. the contact was driving 35-40 mph when the vehicle stalled. the check engine light illuminated prior to the failure. the vehicle restarted after the failure and was taken to the dealer. the dealer advised the contact that the number four spark plug failed to fire. the manufacturer was not contacted. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 140,000 and the current mileage was 170,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford escape. the contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated and the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the failure was diagnosed. the technician advised that the spark plug, coils and manifold would need to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired but was later towed to a second auto repair shop where the contact was informed that the catalytic converter and computer would need to be replaced. the manufacturer was contacted but provided no assistance. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 84,000. the vin was not available.

The computer short, because a water leak in the computer, the vehicle stalled on the bridge. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 ford escape. while driving approximately 55 mph, the check engine light illuminated on the instrument panel. the vehicle was taken to a local repair shop but the failure could not be diagnosed. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure occurred again and the vehicle jerked when the accelerator pedal was depressed. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer but the failure could not be diagnosed. the vehicle was not repaired. a few months later, the failure occurred again and the vehicle stalled. the vehicle was taken back to an authorized dealer where the contact was informed that an engine coil failed and the pcm needed to be replaced. the vehicle was being repaired. the failure mileage was approximately 90,000 and the current mileage was approximately 105,000. the vin was unavailable.

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford escape. while driving at speeds of 65 mph, the emission control warning light was illuminated and the vehicle stalled. the contact was able to move the vehicle from the roadway without incident. the vehicle was towed to the dealer. the dealer advised the ignition coils, spark plugs and power train control module would need to be replaced. the manufacturer would not offer any assistance. the vehicle was not repaired. the current and failure mileages are 102,585.

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 ford escape. while driving 65 mph, the vehicle began to vibrate. the contact drove onto the emergency lane and inspected the vehicle; yet, there were no visible failures. the vehicle was taken to a local mechanic who stated that a coil in the engine failed. the vehicle was being repaired by the dealer when the complaint was filed. the current and failure mileages were approximately 79,000.

While driving 50 mph without warning the vehicle shut off by itself. if it were not 5:30 in the morning i may have caused an accident or been killed. i was able to restart it, but the engine light came on and it ran very hard. it then gave me a service emissions warning. the mechanic states that all 6 spark plugs and 6 coils need replaced and that the computer system was fried (smv).furthermore, he stated that it was an error in manufacturing in regards to the spark plug installation. i now find that this is a common problem with the 2005 ford escapes but no recalls or notices have been made. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford escape. the contact stated that the vehicle would lose power while attempting to accelerate. the vehicle was taken to a local mechanic who performed a diagnostic that located the failure at the electronic control module. in addition, the spark plugs were defective. the vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure and current mileage was 100,000.

Vehicle fire on 2005 ford escape (vin [xxx]) on 3/23/2010, i noticed the vehicle suddenly (when driving) began to run rough. (like a spark plug had failed). we immediately pulled into a gas station and inspected the engine compartment (for broken belts and the like) no obvious issue was observed. when i started the vehicle again, i noticed the check engine light was on. immediately i drove the vehicle home and contacted a service garage. i was on my way to take the vehicle into service when i noticed an electrical smell. i pulled into the next gas station, opened the hood, and noticed a small fire located at the #1 cylinder coil pack. i used the gas station fire extinguisher to put out the fire. car was towed the rest of the way to the garage. car had been driven no more than 10 miles after first sign of failure. fire was small enough to not involve police or fire departments, so no fire or police report is available. no one was injured and no property damage occurred outside the vehicle. garage said that if i had limited the damage by extinguishing the fire when i did. garage replaced coil pack, wire pigtail (melted), and intake manifold (also melted by fire). old parts are available for inspection. car was repaired but check engine light came back on after 50 miles. care was immediately shut off and will be towed back to garage. failure code is p0351. (same coil that was replaced is showing bad again) car had approx 117,000 miles on it when fire took place. no other major service events in its lifetime. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

While vacationing in myrtle beach, my 2005 ford escape ran sluggish and was missing after a heavy rain. had it towed to the local dealer where they told me that the casing for the pcm had leaked and water had gotten into the pcm and caused the malfunction. this problem also caused the plugs and coils to need replacing. parts were not available and had to wait two weeks for repairs. received a call from dealer saying that it was also necessary to replace the exhaust manifold and the catalytic converter. another 3 days and the total bill from the dealer was $5,262.38. along with a rental car for 1.5 weeks and two additional days in hotel made for an expensive holiday. called ford customer service when i returned home and they were not even interested in my situation. needless to say, i will never own another ford, and am now driving japanese. *tr

2005 ford escape v-6 4wd stutters and stalls when it slows to a stop. at this time, able to restart again. vehicle has 105,000 miles on it. recent problem, appears to be worse in cold weather. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 ford escape. while the contact was driving approximately 8 mph. suddenly, the vehicle swayed across the road without assistance; and smoke was coming from underneath the hood. the contact was able to gain control when pressure was applied to the brake pedal. the vehicle was driven to the side of the road. the engine was turned off and restarted. the vehicle was able to resume travel normally. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for diagnostic testing. the technician stated the vehicle required a new water pump and a timing chain. the failure mileage was 147,000. the current mileage was 148,089.

The problem is when driving 2005 ford escape the engine cuts out. when driving on interstate 5 at 60 mph the engine will shut off and then start back up. the theft light lights up when this happens. also, at any speeds the engine will cut out. example is when at stop sign at intersection or cross street, while in drive and proceeding across intersection the cars engine and all electrical will turn off. i will then have to shift car into neutral and restart car and then shift into drive and proceed across intersection hopefully without getting hit from other cars. this has happened with a car full of grandchildren on several occasions. the cars engine cut out happens at greater occurrences when driving up inclines.

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford escape. the contact stated that while driving approximately 55 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. after coasting to the side of the road the vehicle was able to be restarted within a few moments. the vehicle stalled approximately three additional times as the contact proceeded driving and after the third stall, the vehicle could not be restarted. the vehicle was towed to the dealer who advised that the coils in the engine failed and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired for the coils. approximately 20,000 miles later, the failure recurred and the vehicle was towed back to the dealer where they advised the contact that the coils had failed once again. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was contacted and they offered no assistance. the failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

Over the past year, my vehicle would occasionally shake, stutter, and hesitate upon acceleration. each time this happened and i immediately brought it to be serviced by the dealership, it required a new coil pack and spark plug. depending on which one of 6 failed, the cost for repair varied greatly. i was told that it's not worth replacing all 6 at once, to wait until each individual one showed signs of having an issue or needing replacement. then, one day, i am driving on the highway at the posted speed of 65 miles per hour, when i noticed the car didn't have as much pep or pick-up as usual. as i was exiting from the left lane onto an on-ramp for a toll, the car completely died. with no warning, no indications, no stuttering as described above, no lights on the dashboard, nothing - it just died. this required all 6 coils and plugs to be replaced (including the 3 new within the past year) in addition to the pcm (power control module). i am told one of the coils/plugs failed, sent out a radio frequency, and caused damage to the entire system. *tr

2005 ford escape with 43,000 miles and the engine has a bad piston,lifter or valve knocking. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 ford escape. while driving approximately 55 mph, the check engine warning indicator illuminated and the engine completely stalled. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where one of the six coil packs was replaced in the engine. the failure continued after the repair. the vehicle was taken to the dealer three times. a total of eight engine coil packs had been replaced on the vehicle. also, the main computer and one spark plug was replaced by the dealer. the contact had concern of the safety risk involved. the failure mileage was 85,000.

2005 ford escape 94,000 miles, catalytic converter plugged, out of 8yr 80,000 mile warranty, about $2000 to fix. *tr

While driving 70mph on freeway on way to hospital, getting off freeway, the vehicle shut off by itself. luckily i was able to pull off road to avoid getting hit. if still on freeway, would have been killed. engine light came on and unable to restart. had to have towed to dealership due to computer shutdown affecting spark plugs and coils. cost to me from dealership is $2200. *tr

I have a 2005 ford escape xlt that has 46000 miles on it and i had both tone rings replaced and i think the one is bad again and it is only a year old. i only drive this vehicle on the paved roads and my short dirt road. i am not hard on the vehicle at all. the ford dealership replaced them for almost $400 parts/labor. the part is only $55 and the rest is labor. ridiculous! of course they are not covered by my warranty that came with the vehicle, which is a 6yr/75000. am i going to have to fork out this money every year, because these things break under normal driving conditions? i think the for company should have to pay to have them replaced, because apparently they are cheaply made and lots of people are having the same problem... the 1st one was replaced on 8/4/08 with 36735 miles and the second one was replaced on 1/8/09 with 40560 miles and i think one is bad again, because the abs light came on again and is flashing service brakes/4x4. apparently these things are defective. they replaced the abs sensing ring on the left and right axles..alot of good that did. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 ford escape. while driving 45 mph, the vehicle began making loud, horrible noises from the engine compartment. it sounded as if the engine would fall apart. the contact pulled the vehicle over and turned off the engine. the vehicle was towed to a dealer and they stated that a new engine was needed because the connection rod shattered in the engine. the dealer was convinced that the vehicle was not well maintained; therefore, they did not assume responsibility for the repairs. the contact believes that this was due to a manufacturer defect and they should be responsible for the repairs. the engine was removed by her husband and replaced with a new engine. the current and failure mileages were 62,000. updated 6/22/09 *cn the engine failed. updated 06/25/09.*jb

about 6 weeks ago, my wife called me at work to report her 2005 escape "made a funny noise" when she tried to start it. when i got home that afternoon, i went to investigate it. when i put the key in and turned it on, it exploded. the intake manifold disentergrated and schrapnel from it severed wiring harness, knocked parts off etc. having 39k miles on it i had it towed to a local top rated mechanic. after the mechanic repaired the mechanical damage, he sent it to beach ford for a pcm issue. they replaced the pcm (under ford warranty, admitting that the computer was ?fried? and this has been a problem with other escapes) but absolves any knowledge or responsibility as to why the explosion occurred in the first place because a ?third party person? repaired the car before beach ford saw it. a ?mike? at ford customer service who based on conversations with beach ford, said that repairs by a third party precludes ford from any responsibility as to why the car exploded in the first place. my mechanic has done internet research and found other reports of pcm issues with the escapes causing problems from failures to explosions. a tech at the ford dealer said it has to do with stray voltage being induced into the wiring and going back up into the pcm, but then ford and the service director denied any knowldege of this. ford said the car is repaired (at my expense) and washed their hands of this situation leaving me with a car that has only 39,000 miles on it and exploded in my driveway causing sever damage, and no attempt to investigate why it happened. i have all the damaged parts that were replaced and told ford that. no one will address why it exploded in the first place. what if this happened at 55 mph vice in my driveway, or my wife was home and i opened the hood and had her start the car so i could listen for that noise she said? please help me out. *tr

My 2005 ford escape was missing bad. ford replaced cap and plug, then called me to say that was not the problem it was "lack of maintenance" and wants me to pay 400.00 to fix it. first of all, my husband used to work for ford dealership and he takes care of all maintenance for me. what good is a manufacturer warranty then? also it will be a week or more before i receive my vehicle back. all i have to say is" this is ridiculous" they will not give me a loaner car while mine is being fixed and my vehicle wasn't that bad until the dealership received it. i feel they messed up my car and i should not have to pay for it when i have a manufacturer warranty. *tr

I bought a used 2005 escape with 40k miles. it has been pampered and now had just over 50k on it. i went to start it on a cold morning and it would not start. after it warmed up i tried again and it fired, but not running on all cylinders. it turns out the ignition coils are prone to failure. this car is only 3 years old and i need to replace three of the six ignition coils? this car is out of warranty so i am responsible for the repair. the car kept stalling and had a top speed of around 30mph on the way to the dealership to diagnose the problem. i will never buy another ford product again. i am disgusted! *tr

Tl*-the contact owns a 2005 ford escape. approximately fifteen minutes after parking the vehicle, flames erupted from the front end of the vehicle. the dealer did not inspect the vehicle to determine the cause of failure. the current and failure mileages were 50,000.

This case involves an engine fire to a 2005 ford escape that was being operated under normal conditions in urban driving in the greater atlanta, ga area. smoke was seen coming from the front part of the vehicle. the front seat passenger was burned after opening the glove box to investigate the smoke. the vehicle was almost totally consumed by the fire. *tr

I have had my oil pan fixed 3 times and i only have 21,000 miles on my vehicle. today it is in for the third time. also now i have to get oil spots off my driveway. i never though i would have to worry about my 2005 ford escape leaking oil on my driveway. *jb

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford escape. the contact stated that the vehicle stalled while driving 60 mph. the contact also stated that the failure occurred a total of at least four times. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and the computer system was replaced. the failure continued. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and offered no assistance. the failure mileage was 55,000.

Dt*: the contact stated while driving various speeds, the vehicle stalled without warning on several occasions. it was maneuvered off the road and later started. the vehicle was driven to the dealer, the first few times the stalling occurred, however the last time it was towed to the dealer. the dealership could not duplicate the problem. updated 10/18/2006 - *nm

New 2005 ford escape has numerous issues that are not being addressed by multiple dealer shops: - intermittent stalling, similar to problem causing recall of 2001 - 2003 escapes. car will suddenly lose power, resulting in loss of power sterring and brakes. dealer cannot reproduce, so will do nothing about it. - gasoline smell and loud knocking from engine in hot temperatures. - extremely low gas mileage, almost 50% below advertised mileage. these complaints appear in other reports as well, so this is not isolated. ford is doing its best not to address any of these issues and telling people to just deal with it. *nm

Engine pings (pre-detonation) when outside temp is over 85 degrees and speed is over 40 mph. dealer says no codes are thrown but suggested the latest pcm reflash and injector cleaning at 44,800 miles might solve the problem. a $278 charge and no difference. no refund since they now tell me this is a maintenance item but the dealership also mentions they've seen a lot of these issues with the new e10 gas in the ozone non-attainment region. i explained i do not use e10 since the county in which i reside does not sell e10. they suggest trying different gas brands which doesn't help. after explaining i have another brand of vehicle with a similar size engine that does not ping, they state ford needs to do something about this issue. *nm

Dt: the contact was traveling at 60 mph on the freeway and the vehicle lost power. there was no warning prior to the failure. the emergency brake was used to stop the vehicle. the vehicle was towed to a dealership, who determined it was the spark plugs. also the coil pack malfunctioned. the vehicle is at the dealership. *ak

Dt: while driving down the road vehicle shuts off without warning. as a result the steering wheel locked up. *ak *nm

Two times when i was driving under slow conditions (in parking lots) the engine on 2005 ford escape xlt lurched forward accelatorating on it's own. the first time i had just released the brake as i was turning a corner in a bank parking lot. the engine immediately reved up high and the vehicle "took off". i quickly applied the brakes which after a couple seconds seemed to knock the engine back down to a normal idle. the second time, again i was coasting in a parking lot, attempting to turn into a parking space, when the engine reved up high and the vehicle again took off. i slammed on the brakes and the engine returned to normal idle. but for the luck of no other vehicles or people around when the incidents happend, no accidents occured. i reported the problem and took the vehicle into the dealership service department but because the problem did not occur for the technician, no action was taken. i am reporting this, because i know the problem occurred, not once but twice and it is a very dangerous condition. *ak

I was driving on the interstate and my engine stalled. i took it to the local ford dealer and they indicate a loose battery cable was the cause. a few weeks later, the same thing happened on the interstate. the dealership is looking again and have called ford's engineering for advice, since they have yet to find the cause. this is a serious safety issue, especially if i cannot get to the emergency lane on the interstate. it does start again once i pull over. *ak

Oil leak from engine. gasket replaced.....oil leaked again. dealer said the crankshaft on the engine was out of specs....engine was replaced ( 2,741 miles ).since then numerous problems have arisen from an air vent tube hitting the fan belt to a loud noise and shaking of the engine that nearly caused a serious accident on the highway...trying to get to the breakdown lane. now the transmission ( left fron trans axel ) is leaking fluid. the only thing ford offers is an extended warrantee. this truck is a lemon. this car has been out of service 27 of the last 35 days. *ak