CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2005 Escape has problems where the engine shuts down while driving. Ford finally issued a September 2014 recall. Time will tell if the recall fix really solves the problem.
However the 2005 Escape also has a defect where the PCM (Power Control Module) fries at around 100k miles. Ford extended the PCM warranty to 80,000 miles, but only after most owners were past the mileage limit. Now owners are on the hook for the average repair cost of over $2,000 (!!)
10.0
really awful
Crashes / Fires:
4 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
86,878 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.
Was driving along city street when I went over a small bump, heard a loud thud! the wheel well on back passenger side was rusted away where the strut connects. Or where it was once connected... 155,673 miles, this is my only vehicle and unsafe to drive my family in.
Every morning the car alarm suddenly goes off until I press key fob. It happens routinely from 5 to 8 am and 8 to 9 pm. According to the internet, there are many Ford Escape owners who have the same issue. You can search it by "Ford Escape alarm goes off". this is really annoying not only for owners but also for their neighbors. Although this is not critical safety issue, this is absolutely manufacturer's defect.
This vehicle was maintained regularly... there were no leaks/ no burning....no warning...the oil magically disappeared...lucky we were only traveling local and and a low speed. Simply put...the engine blew/ceased with research I have found many owners having the exact same problem. I was am shocked at the sudden engine failure and that others have the same issue, means we didn't do anything to cause this problem.
A week ago I began to have a rattling in the right rear of my Escape. After tightening down and removing anything from the interior of the vehicle that could be "thunking", the noise continued to get worse. I investigated further and discovered that the right rear wheel well had completely corroded and the shock had broken free with a large chunk of what used to be the wheel well/frame. I began researching for a recall notice and found that Ford minivans from 2004-2007 also had wheel well rust problems that resulted in a recall...but nothing for the Escape. My mechanic said it should not be driven until fixed because it is a safety concern. I further looked at complaints from other Escape owners (at least 50 posted on line) and have learned that this exact same right rear wheel well corrosion on the 2005 model is common, dangerous and expensive to repair (my estimates range from $1000 but the frame shop will not commit until they begin work on it- they did state that this is not a new problem on Ford - they have repaired others). Ford seems to be dismissive to those who have approached them, stating there is no recall so there is nothing they can do. Is anyone looking into this?
- Richfield, MN, USA
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Every morning for the past year the car alarm is triggered and goes off for approximately 2 mins or until I press the "alarm" button on my key fob. It happens routinely at approximately 9am-10:30am every morning. When researching online what the possible cause is, I saw that there are multiple owners of Ford Escapes from years 2005-2007 that are having the same issues. Many people have stated that it is a faulty door sensor that is malfunctioning. Some people reported spending upwards of $800 to get the problem diagnosed and then faulty sensors in various doors replaced. Although this is not a life threatening "issue" it is highly inconvenient to myself, and the neighbors in my area where the vehicle is a constant source of annoyance. As there are so many people reporting this exact same issue, it is clearly a manufacturer defect.
Sub-frame rust problem. There was a recall on 2001 to 2004 Ford Escape for this problem. Ford Motor Company has recalled Escape crossovers from model years 2001-2004 in states that use a lot of road salt. In affected vehicles, part of the car could suffer damage from rust and even lose steering control.
While driving I hit a pothole and the rear shock tower broke away from the car due to excessive rust.after doing reserch on this I have found that isn't an uncommon thing with this year and make and model of car but nothing is being done about it. No recalls nothing and of course its not an easy or cheap fix and my insurance at least will not cover it cause it was mechanical and didnt happen in an accident. So now I will have a car I can't fix but still have to pay forand cant drive. I would love to post the pictures of the damage but I'm unable to do so cause I would love for you to see the danger this is causing.
While driving in livonia, Michigan out of no where my sun visor burst, getting glass on me, but more important it burst on the seat where my toddler daughter usually sit. There was no one around and no truck where an object could have dropped something on my car, I had to take the car to avis Ford in southfield, Michigan. They told me to take the car down the street to avis body shop. I filed an claim with my insurance company, and it is being fixed now. I want Ford to be notified about this. Because from what I hear, this is one of many instances that has happened with a sunroof on an 2005 Ford Escape and other Ford cars. This is dangerous! my wife has just had major surgery. And there were many runs for her that I could not make because of this. Please investigate. Thank you. And be blessed. [xxx]
I was washing my Ford Escape when I noticed there was rust on all of the doors on the inside I just bought itand checked the carfax it said there was no rust and it looked liked a new car until about three week of haveing it and now I'm founding rust on the all of thee doors and on one of the wheel well I checked online by going to google.com and putting in 2005 Ford Escape rust and found a lot of people haveing problems with rust some of them even say they can see the inside of there Escape and Ford will not recall it and it cost a lot to fix. Some cost more then the value of there Escape
Noted at a local car repair shop that my passenger rear inner fender is rusted so bad that the metal where the shock is attached to is coming away. While driving on bumps, am now hearing loud clunking sound and no longer driving the vehicle for fear of the shock falling off. Car shop stated that they've seen 12 Escapes come through their place with the same issue on the same side that were 8-10 years old.
Passenger side rear wheel well (hidden area only) rusted out at the shock mount causing the shock to punch into the interior. Expensive repair. Sad part is that the rest of the vehicle is in very good shape, never suspected such a rusting issue like that. I see it is a common flaw of this vehicle. Poor engineering of a critical mounting point. Fortunately no injuries in this case, but could easily have caused panic resulting in an serious accident. Very surprised this is not a Ford recall item with an available manufactured reinforcing part.
We recently purchased a 2005 Ford Escape. The car was working perfectly. On 5/29/15 we noticed a sound coming from the right rear wheel well. We parked and looked at the car and found the entire wheel well has rusted out so much so that the the shock mount and actual shock has separated from the car. There is now a hole where we can see through the car into the cargo area. The car is unsafe to drive and we are at a loss as to how to repair it. Many other people have had this same problem (only with the right rear wheel well, the left is perfectly fine). Ford has not offered any assistance to anyone and has in fact refused to acknowledge that it could be any kind of defect.
The right rear fender wheel well has rusted through also affecting the shock mount creating a loud banging in the cabin. My local Ford dealer has never seen this and did not want to attempt the repair because of the cost. They also referred me to a reputable body shop in town and he also never saw this before. He suggested this website to file a complaint. I have now researched this and see a lot of other people have experienced this too. Has Ford done anything to fix this problem?
The driver's front door began causing problems. Occasionally, it does not open, period. Additionally, the lock mechanism is inoperable. I removed both driver's and passenger's front door panels to inspect, compare and finally determine the issue. There seems to be a problem, which a friend temporarily fixed. It--the exterior door handle--after tweeking, worked for a while. Fast forward, 2015, I cannot open nearly 3 of my doors. One will not open at all (rear pass.) the driver's front door is doing the same thing the rear door handle--it lost tension and won't open at all. After looking it up on youtube, I determined the locking system is the culprit. In order to repair this inoperable door handle situation, apparently I need to pull the interior panels, remove the exterior handles and replace them entirely. Currently, I have the driver's door panel removed because in the event the handle doesn't work at all, I'd have to climb over from the passenger side just to drive my 2005 Ford Escape.
According to your list of recalls there is a compliance recall for the roof the my Escape and a door latch. I called Ford and they state it's not on my car even though it is listed, I have a door ajar light that's stays on and doesn't allow me to lock my car because the alarm goes off. I was told that there are Escapes with the proper VIN number with that recall. They took my information and told me if I pay for it to be repaired and there is a recall at some point that I would be reimbursed. Couldn't it be possible that the part was installed that's is faulty? I just wanted to vent and let your site known of this problem. Thank you.
Excessive rust in the passenger rear wheel well (only on passenger side); completely broke away from the frame and is hanging by just the spring. Unsafe to drive. Ford recalled for this issue on 2001-2004 models and did not recall 2005 model, which they should have just by researching there have been many with this exact same problem. The assembly line on the passengers side did not coat the wheel well properly.
The rear right upper shock mount felt off so there is no where we can put the shock. Therefore, it has a big hole on the fender well that you can see the inside this is something that should not had happen plus on the left side you can see rust cracks in the fender well and continues to the upper shock mount. I think this is something that the company has to address and fixed it because it is a safety issue.
We noticed a rattling/banging noise coming from the right rear of vehicle, my wife rode in the rear seat and could feel the shock mount hitting against the back of the interior trim panel. Looking into the wheel well, we could see where the wheel housing had completely rusted out, revealing the interior. The upper shock mount can be wiggled by hand. Today 12/31/2014, I went to see my "friends" at our local Ford dealership, the service writer said I was in "luck" as he remembered researching the same issue for another customer. He found a diagram with the replacement panel & wheel house, part# 7L82-7827886-a, with a list price of $150, then we went to talk to another "friend" in parts, he said that the price had recently increased and now listed at $700. They offered to have me talk to another "friend" in sales, but I informed them my wife refused to buy another Ford, and if we were to buy a new vehicle it would be a Toyota. With that said, my "friends" suggested to unload (trade) it at a Toyota dealer. They also informed me our 2005 Ford Escape was "unsafe" to drive. I went to our local body shop to get his recommendation. He said, they had just done one, in 10/2014 for just under $900 and he got the part from my "friends" at the dealership for $120. In apparent disbelief he called our "friends" and they confirmed the price increase. We searched online and found many 7L82-7827886-a for $20-$180, after ordering from several different vendors, each vendor cancelled the orders for various reasons; unavailable, part number change and is more expensive, due to the size and fragile nature we are unable to ship, not available, etc. What is Ford's objective with this price increase " ? " there was clearly a defect in manufacturing, craftsmanship, and/or materials, that created this severe defect in safety of the 2005 Ford Escape ! ! !
The entire shock tower on the rear passenger side had rusted out. The shock has nothing to hold on to. I am told the vehicle is unsafe to drive. On line there are a number of complaints of the same problem with the 2005 Ford Escape. I think this widespread problem should be investigated immediately.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Shakopee, MN, USA