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8.3

pretty bad
Typical Repair Cost:
$430
Average Mileage:
54,650 miles
Total Complaints:
37 complaints

Most Common Solutions:

  1. throttle body replaced (14 reports)
  2. replace throttle body (12 reports)
  3. not sure (6 reports)
  4. turned car off and on (5 reports)
2011 Ford Escape engine problems

engine problem

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2011 Ford Escape Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #37

May 202018

Escape Limited 3.2L V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 92,049 miles

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

Car lost power again, second time on May 20, 2018. We finally made it home after several starts.

- Thomas T., Altamonte Springs, FL, US

problem #36

May 202018

Escape Limited 3.2L V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 92,056 miles

I knew nothing about this problem before today. Mullinax Ford was supposed to send us a letter several years ago to inform us of the issue. No such letter ever arrived. They had numerous opportunities to bring it to our attention over this time during visits to both their Quick Lane and standard Repair Department. There was no mention of the issue, or offer to replace the part. Instead, we were put in harms way 4 times.

- Thomas T., Altamonte Springs, FL, US

problem #35

May 162017

Escape

  • Automatic transmission
  • 51,100 miles

3 times in 3 weeks I would get a "turn off engine immediately" message and then the car would not allow you to use gas at all. Completely shut down. First time was on a 35 mph road--- manage to pull off safely. Ford said it was recall item and fixed it. (allegedly), a week later exact same issue- this time middle of the highway going 70 mph--- had a hard time getting it safely to the side, AGAIN ford said "oops" and fixed it again. THIRD time it happens at my home. That seems like a great place for it to happen EXCEPT for the fact that I live on the side of a mountain! Almost went over the edge of the driveway since I had no control over the car when it does this and was barely able to keep it safely on the driveway.

At this point I am SCARED to drive it! Ford keeps on saying it is fixed but do I have to risk dying if this happens again in an even worse scenario?!?! UGH!!!!

- Heather W., Loveland, OH, US

problem #34

Sep 062016

Escape

  • Automatic transmission
  • 140,125 miles

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

Has happened several times. Last time it almost caused a major accident on a major highway. It has been sitting in the driveway since. On major interstate, I-4 in Orlando, in fast lane with lost of construction barriers had sudden total loss of acceleration, mechanic wrench dashboard light came on. Was able to coast to side of road, shut it off, restarted on side of highway. Drove to mechanic next a.m. (2 on-off cycles total), mechanic unable to find any codes, didn't know what to tell us but "watch and see." Now also surges when sitting in gear and dies but still no codes to trouble shoot. Parked until solution found. Have gotten several suggestions of what it could be however no repairs as of yet!!! This is VERY dangerous!!!!

- Kim H., Casselberry, FL, US

problem #33

Jul 112016

Escape XLT V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 65,330 miles

This car has lost acceleration three times; I took it to Ford and they found no problems with it. I looked online and found this model has a "field service action" for the throttle body. I called Ford Customer Relationship center on Fri 7/8/16, explained symptoms, and told them that the local dealer took it in for 3 hours, didn't "find" anything and because they found no codes would not replace the throttle body. I wanted to lodge a complaint against that dealership. The lady took my info, told me that they would replace it whether or not a code was present. She then passed me on to a "customer service representative." I told him the whole story again and he told me that unless the code is present, Ford will not replace the throttle body for free (but I could pay to have it replaced).

I told him the code resets once you shut off the engine, so you can't actually get the code to the garage. He suggested driving it around until the deceleration happened and the wrench light came on, then driving it to the dealer. I explained that the car doesn't drive when this deceleration happens. You have to shut off the car to unstick the throttle, which also resets the code. I also don't think that a tow service will load a car that is still running. Even if they did, the tow truck would have to get there A) before you ran out of gas and B) get the car to a ford garage while it was still open, and before you ran out of gas. Highly unlikely combination of events.

This also seems to happen at a certain mileage I'm told. My car was very close to 65,000 miles when it first happened to me.

I fail to see why I should take this car to Ford for a repair if I have to pay for the repair. I called my original mechanic and made an appointment to replace the throttle body. It cost me nearly $300, but I was out of the garage in less than 1/2 hour.

- bealpa, Knox, PA, US

problem #32

Jun 172016

Escape XLT V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 64,650 miles

1st of 3 incidents of sudden deceleration: 20 yr old daughter driving my car on the interstate, sudden shudder then total loss of acceleration, mechanic wrench dashboard light came on. Was able to coast to side of road, shut it off, call dad. Dad arrived, started up, no light, and ran perfectly fine. Drove it home, parked it. Drove to mechanic next a.m. (2 on-off cycles total), mechanic unable to find any codes, didn't know what to tell us but "watch and see."

Update from Jul 11, 2016: sorry, mileage at this point was 64,920mi when I first took it to mechanic.

- bealpa, Knox, PA, US

problem #31

Jun 222016

Escape XLT V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 64,993 miles

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

Episode 2 of 3: 18 year old son took my car, pulled out of the dooryard, traveled less than 1/4 mile, experienced sudden loss of throttle, put the car in neutral, rolled back down incline to dooryard. Wrench light came on, but turned off when he shut off the car and turned it back on.

Called garage, told them it happened again, could receptionist talk to mechanic, ask for ideas? Mechanic had no idea, so receptionist looked online and found ford throttle body recall, and recommended my calling Ford garage.

Called Ford, described the problem and she said they would change out the throttle body, they had one in stock. I asked if there was a charge for this, she said "no, if that is what the problem is." Scheduled an 8:00a.m. appt. Fri 6/24/16 and sent my son to the appointment. By 11:00 he still hadn't heard from Ford.

I called Ford and asked what was going on and was told that they couldn't find a code, and without the code, Ford wouldn't cover the repair. I told her I sent it in for recall work, why wasn't that being completed? She told me it was not a recall, but a "customer satisfaction extended warranty" (or something to that effect). She said they had emailed Ford and were waiting to hear back from them. I gave her my opinions on their idea of customer service, and told her my son had no money on him to pay for any non-covered repairs. The woman got snippy with me and said she'd call me back. She called back 5 minutes later and told me it was "all buttoned up and ready to go, He can pick it up." There was no charge, and no repair completed. She never did tell me what they had emailed Ford to ask.

- bealpa, Knox, PA, US

problem #30

Jul 072016

Escape XLT V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 65,300 miles

Episode 3 of 3: 18 year old son drove it to work, car experienced sudden loss of acceleration going up a hill, wrench light came on. He pulled off, shut off, restarted, ran fine, light off.

- bealpa, Knox, PA, US

problem #29

Jun 152016

Escape LX 3.2L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 51,759 miles

Was driving in fast lane 270 highway St. Louis, when car decelerated, no warning other than orange wrench light comes on. Struggled to get to side of highway because of heavy traffic, luckily no accident. Turned off car, waited 5 minutes, tried to restart and successful---resumed driving as before. The car has repeated twice same problem. Took to regular mechanic, says light has to be ON to computer code the fix!! Have read other complaints that throttle body is culprit. Off to Sinclair Ford for consult 7-6-16.

- Gordon S., Creve Coeur, MO, US

problem #28

Jul 092015

Escape XLT 3.0L V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 89,000 miles

The Escape lost throttle response and slowed to a stop. Check engine light came on. Turned off the car let it sit a few minutes then restarted.

Has happened in the past, I purchased this vehicle used 1 year ago and purchased an extended warranty, took it back to the dealer I bought it from, a Nissan dealer, they diagnosed as a problem with the mass air flow sensor, they replaced this unit and I paid a $100 deductible. This was in December 2014.

I feel this more of a Ford issue than an issue I can get taken care of at my Nissan dealer that I purchased the car from.

- gilsieg65, Tempe, AZ, US

problem #27

Jun 022015

Escape LX V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 42,400 miles

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

Purchased car a year ago from Car Max. They went through history of vehicle but did not mention a recall or service notice about the throttle linkage. While driving down expressway, suddenly no power, no RPMs to engine as I coasted to shoulder. Pulled over and shut engine off (wrench light was on), was in process of calling for a tow but decided to try again, car started and seemed fine.

Was able to get to my local service guy who did a diagnostic and told me it was the throttle linkage and the good news it was under a one time 100,000 mile 10 year warranty and they would get it to Ford dealer for replacement. I think once that light comes on, even if it goes out later, it records the problem in the cars computer. Disappointed in dealership for not making me aware of potential problem, but grateful for the help of Titan Auto here in Chesterfield for all their help. Hopefully the dealership will quickly swap out the bad part. (we know they have the part in stock).

- David U., Chesterfield, VA, US

problem #26

Jan 072015

Escape V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 41,000 miles

I own a 2011 Ford Escape. Earlier this month, as I was pulling out of my driveway, my car jerked, service light came on, and I lost almost all function of my vehicle. I was able to get it pulled off of the side of the road. As I put the car in park my engine was jerking badly. I turned the vehicle off, let it sit and turned back on and there was no issue.

A couple weeks later the vehicle did the same thing while I was driving down the road. Luckily I had no one behind me and I was able to get pulled over. I decided to take my vehicle and have someone look at it. It was hooked to a computer and no codes were found. I was told that if it happened again to take it to a dealership because it was still under warranty. On my way home, that same day, during rush hour traffic and crossing a bridge the car did the same thing. I was lucky to get out of the way in time for someone to miss my vehicle as they came speeding by.

I turned the car around and took it to Rivertown Ford in Columbus, GA. I was told by the girl at the front desk that there was a "recall" on the throttle body. I explained what was happening and was told that that could very well be the throttle body. I scheduled an appointment to drop my car off. I was under the impression that since the part was under recall that it would be replaced. The day I drop my car off we go through the same thing and I am still under the impression that the part will be replaced because it is under recall. Rivertown Ford had my car for 9 hours. They drove 1/4 tank of gas out of it and then I received a call saying that the part cannot be replaced because the technician cannot prove that there is an issue. And due to them not being able to prove the issue, Ford will not cover the replacement. Had I been told this in the very beginning I would not have left my vehicle there. I could have told them up front that they would most likely not be able to duplicate the issue because it does not happen everyday.

So because Ford can't prove the issue they continue to put my life and the life of my 4 year old in danger. I pray to God that the next time it happens I am able to get out of the way before someone hits me. I think it is ridiculous that a technician has to prove/duplicate and issue before a recalled part can be replaced. The whole reason the part is under recall is because there has proven to be an issue with it from other vehicles. The is the first and will be the last Ford I will ever own. Ford cares more about saving money than protecting the life and well being of their customers.

Update from Apr 1, 2015: After several complaints to the dealership and Ford Motor company the part was finally replaced and I no longer have any issues.

- wyrosdick, Valley, AL, US

problem #25

Aug 042014

Escape Limited V6

  • Manual transmission
  • 77,500 miles

I was driving on the freeway at approximately 70mph when, without warning, I lost all acceleration. I was able to get across 4 lanes of traffic without getting run over or causing an accident. I pulled over on the shoulder and turned the car off. I was in the process of calling AAA when I turned the key to see if the car would start back up. It did, but with a very rough idle. I was able to "limp" to a repair shop near my home.

It turned out the throttle body was bad. I had it replaced at a cost of $569. A few days after the repair I remembered I had received a Customer Satisfaction Program notice from Ford. It said my vehicle could "develop contamination on the internal motor contacts of the Throttle Body, resulting in intermittent electrical connectivity." It was not a recall notice and made no mention that the vehicle could lose all power to the drivetrain.

I called Ford to see if I could get reimbursed for the repairs and am basically being told that I'm SOL. In fact, I was told that even though I had the throttle body replaced, I still need to bring it so they can install an updated powertrain calibration. There is something seriously wrong with these cars but they don't seem like they are concerned. It appears they are employing the same defense as with the Pinto. They knew the car had major safety defects but the accountants and lawyers calculated it was cheaper to pay some wrongful death lawsuits than to recall the cars and fix the problem.

- Jeff S., Columbus, OH, US

problem #24

Jul 222014

(reported on)

Escape Limited V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 51,660 miles

The engine stalled when pulling out from a stop onto a highway, it sputtered briefly then everything went dead, then we coasted to side of road. Frightened the heck out of me, I was shaking like a leaf. We were about to call for tow when we tried to start the car and it started again. I am glad no one was hurt, but really this could have turned out very badly. Thought it was a fluke, then it happened again. I have an appointment to take in tomorrow.

Will someone be seriously hurt, disabled or die before the Ford Co. announces a recall?

- sindeeo, Azusa, CA, US

problem #23

Sep 052014

Escape V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 29,000 miles

I was driving on the George Washington Bridge to NYC and my car completely lost power and the wrench light came on. It was so bad, there is no shoulder on the bridge where I had to stop. I finally shut off the car and then it started up like there was never a problem but 15 minutes later it happened again!! After I Googled this I found out it is happening all the time!! Someone is going to DIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

- Jason Y., Carlstadt, NJ, US

problem #22

Aug 212014

Escape XLT 4 cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 30,927 miles

My warranty expired on August 10th and this happened on August 21st (30,921 miles) seems like planned obsolesce, no more Ford vehicles for me. I should have sold it after the starter went out with only 5,000 miles and listened to my friends that said to trade it in for another Japanese car but I wanted to support American auto manufacturing. Thanks a lot Ford.

- hcl01, Miami, FL, US

problem #21

May 282014

Escape LX V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 57,000 miles

I was driving 70 mph on the interstate while passing a semi when my car lost all power. Thank goodness there was nothing behind me and I was able to coast to the side of the road. It wouldn't move and was shaking really bad. I noticed the wrench light was on. I put it in park and turned it off and sat there at 4:30 am wondering what to do. I started it again and it drove like nothing was ever wrong. Luckily I was not late for work. On my way home from work I made it all the way to my driveway and it did the same thing.

I took it to the Ford dealership the next day, and they couldn't find anything wrong with it. They knew it was the throttle body, but Ford said without a code, they would not pay to fix it. They kept my car for 2 days, taking turns driving it around and nothing happened. I am very upset with Ford that they know of the problem, but if it does not produce a code they will not replace it. It's going to take someone to get killed before they do a recall, then its gonna cost them a lot more than replacing a throttle body. Shame on you Ford for risking families lives!!!

- overbay, LaFollette, TN, US

problem #20

May 102014

Escape Limited 3.2L, V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 47,005 miles

Ford Motor Company SHOULD do a formal recall. This is one very dangerous problem, especially for interstate and freeway drivers. Has occurred twice in 4 days: once on I71 in a rain storm and again today on a beautiful sunny day on a two-lane highway here in Oldham County. Taking the car in tomorrow morning at 9:30 a.m. To Tri- County Ford in Buckner, Ky

Will post the results when I get back from the dealership. I also called the Ford Motor Company and spoke with a representative named Chris.

- Cheryl B., Crestwood, KY, US

problem #19

Jan 152014

Escape Limited 3.0L V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 24,533 miles

First of all I shouldn't have this problem with a 2011 vehicle, especially with only 24,566 miles on it. Bought it new and only put about 8,000 miles a year on it. Secondly the throttle body is only covered under the basic warranty and not the power train warranty?! The throttle is completely gone with this problem........that sounds more like a power train issue, not an emission problem! They also have a light that specially says "throttle body/power train" that lights up when this issue occurs. I would rather have the old throttle cable back instead of this crap electric throttle system that seems to break easily. I did some research, apparently about 750,000 vehicles have been affected by this (Escape and Fusion).

- evi6660, Mount Sinai, NY, US

problem #18

Dec 182013

Escape XLT 3.0L V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 49,550 miles

On the interstate and engine lost all power and would not go above 100RPM

Update from Jan 13, 2014: Quick fix. Bought a new throttle body, $167 from Ford Parts. Took less than 10 minutes to install. Requires only a screwdriver and a 5/16 socket and ratchet. I did not do as Ford suggested and have it plugged into their computer. Disconnect the battery first and I have had no problems. If a recall is issued Ford will refund the cost of the part.

- Michael W., Pensacola, FL, US

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