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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
64,115 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2002 Ford Escape engine problems

engine problem

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2002 Ford Escape Owner Comments

problem #15

Apr 082015

Escape

  • 215,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The accelerator cable appears to have gone out. The gas pedal goes directly to the floor and the engine is at 6rpm's. called Ford and even though they had nearly 500K cars recalled during the exact year my car was built they will not claim responsibility for it. In the meantime my two children were hurt because they couldn't accelerator on to the highway and then had to shut off the car. Fords solution was for me to take my car to their dealership and pay them to fix my vehicle, but to keep the receipts just in case they are "forced" to reimburse me for my costs.

- Colorado Springs, CO, USA

problem #14

May 222007

Escape 4WD 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 83,000 miles
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.

- Tucson, AZ, USA

problem #13

Mar 282008

Escape 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 73,000 miles
I went out to crank my vehicle and it ran wide open. I turned it off and tried it twice more with the same results. The security officer at my workplace came over and raised the hood to see what was going on. Twice more I cranked it with the same results. Then he found the problem my speed control cable was no longer connected. He got it back on and advised me to go to my dealer. The following day they had me bring it in, they informed me that my particular vehicle was not on the recall list. They were going to order the part, and when I asked the chances of it happening again, they replaced the regular speed cable and disconnected the cruise control one until they could get one in, just in case. I didn't get to see any list, I just know there was a recall on my type of vehicle for this. Am I to just take their word for it? I thank the lord that I was sitting in a parking lot when it happened and not out on the road where it could have been a very bad situation. Also when they said I was ready they asked how long my ABS light had been blinking--I told them it was blinking the day I test drove and the salesman was going to ask about it when we got back to the dealer. I never got an answer. If either of these are faulty and were never reported I'd like to know. Other people may experiencing the same thing. And if these cables have been replaced before and it's happened again, people need to know. I thank you for your help.

- Crandall, GA, USA

problem #12

Feb 072008

Escape 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 62,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

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

- Idyllwild, CA, USA

problem #11

Dec 152007

Escape 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 55,000 miles
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??

- Staunton, VA, USA

problem #10

Sep 272007

Escape 4WD 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 130,000 miles
(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.

- North Brunswick, NJ, USA

problem #9

Jun 302007

Escape 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 112,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

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

- Doerun, GA, USA

problem #8

Nov 012002

Escape 4-cyl

  • miles
2002 Escape engine accelerates while driving. 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.

- Middle Village, NY, USA

problem #7

Nov 012002

Escape 6-cyl

  • miles
2002 Ford Escape accelerates while driving. Consumer was informed of a recall notice (04V574000) and repairs were made. Problem resurfaced again in March 2006. 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. Updated 09/11/06.

- Middle Village, NY, USA

problem #6

Mar 182006

Escape 4WD 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 91,723 miles
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.

- Sturgis, SD, USA

problem #5

Nov 112004

Escape 4-cyl

  • Manual transmission
  • 42,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

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.

- Greenfield, IN, USA

problem #4

Apr 192005

(reported on)

Escape 6-cyl

  • miles
"recall campaign" - recall notice received for 2002 Ford Escape in reference to the accelerator cable. The consumer received recall notice Jan. 2005. The consumer called the deal in March to have the recall work done. The dealer informed the consumer that it was too late to get the repair. They stated if the vehicle was brought in Jan or Feb they would have done it. The repair were made at another dealer.

- Silver Spring, MD, USA

problem #3

Feb 182005

Escape 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 66,000 miles
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.

- Summerville, SC, USA

problem #2

Feb 192005

Escape 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 32,000 miles
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.

- Lake Worth, FL, USA

problem #1

Jan 052005

Escape

  • miles
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.

- Wamego, KS, USA

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