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.
The car went into limp mode while driving... gas pedal would not do anything until I pulled over and restarted. Wrench light and check engine come on, but go off after car is restarted. Took to dealer today after about 6 occurrences in the past month. It seems to be happening more frequently.
I was traveling on interstate at 65-70 mph, when my Escape's RPM's all of a sudden dropped to 1 and would not react to the gas pedal, luckily I was in the slow lane and managed to coast off the interstate. There was an 18-wheeler behind me and I started to panic at the speed he was gaining on me. I finally managed to get my hazards on to notify him that I was having issues. If I had not have been in the slow lane I would not have been able to get off the interstate before the car stopped completely. This is very dangerous, if I had been in the far left lane or the middle lanes the car could have stopped in the middle of the interstate. I took the vehicle to the Ford store and they informed me that it was the throttle body. I then googled the problem and found out that this is a real issue with a large majority of the vehicles not just a limited faulty part. I don't understand how Ford cannot see that this is a safety issue if someone goes to make a left turn and this happens another car could crash into them. Anytime your car does not react properly it becomes a safety issue. When an 18-wheeler is behind a vehicle that responds the way mine did today it is a safety issue. As you know a fully loaded tractor trailer cannot stop as easily as a passenger vehicle and if the vehicle in front of them all of a sudden looses power and cannot get out of their way there is going to be an accident. Once I got stopped my car did restart but getting to that point was very scary.
While driving home from work on the highway out of nowhere the check engine light came on and the throttle stopped working. I put the vehicle in neutral and still no throttle response, had to pull over on the highway, turn the vehicle off, turned it back on and ran fine O the way home. 2 days later drove the vehicle to work again and drove fine but on the way home from work the exact same thing happened 7 times! after the 4th time it happened on the way home the check engine light stayed on even though the throttle came back after turning the vehicle back on. Stopped at the local auto parts store to get the code and found out it was the throttle body stuck closed. The fact that this has happened that many times on the highway is a real danger to myself and others on the road way.
At first, while driving, the car would shut down and not respond to throttle movement, a huge safety issue in traffic. After pulling over and restarting the car, the problem seemed to go away for a while. The problem seemed to be intermittent the first few times. Finally the car shut down to an idle and would not respond to throttle movement and the wrench and engine lights came on. The car would only run limp mode. The odb codes read a P2111 and P2112 (throttle actuator control stuck open, and throttle actuator stuck closed) respectively. We had to tow the vehicle to the dealer. We were told that the entire throttle body had to be replaced at a cost of $666. The problem is that the part is unavailable for 2 weeks and maybe up to a month. We have 39000 miles on the vehicle, the warranty ran out at 36000. This issue is also not covered under the power train warranty. This seems to be a widespread issue and I am disappointed that Ford is unwilling to make this right and produce a recall.
Vehicle abruptly stalled, wrench light came on, no accelerator pedal. Dangerous situation in traffic, leaving driver stranded. Forced to call for tow truck and have vehicle towed to dealer for repair. Very lucky to be able to steer vehicle to relatively safe location. Dealer replaced electronic throttle body. E-mailed Ford, but no response at this time.
- Collierville, TN, USA
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Engine loss of power, would. Not accelerate, got out of traffic, put on 4ways, engine would only idle very rough, check engine light and wrench were on, shut off engine restarted after long cranking, started resumed trip, about 5 miles happened again, I did same, after restarted drove 12 miles home. This issue is extremely dangerous. I have found over 2 hundred reports of the same problem upon first try and I was using 2011 Escape. Ihave since become aware that this problem affects multiple models and years. Ford talks about safe mode" how safe is a 5 mph or less vehicle in a 70 mph belt way????? how about a 1 minute to stall mode??? or get off the road now?" it would appear they are aware of the issues and more concerned as to the ones that are in warranty!!! in other words protect the engine let the passenger fend for themselves. This has occurred multiple times at multiple speeds. Went to Ford they suggested appointment, 1 week was first available, if problem is throttle body part may be on back order, lovely,
Engine lost power but did not die. It would still creep along about 2 mph. The gear light was showing on the dash. The obd code was read by a local auto parts shop as P2112 -- throttle actuator control system - stuck closed. Recommended action from Ford was to replace the throttle body. I purchased the part from a local Ford dealer for $324 plus tax and installed myself. Problem was resolved.
I was driving back from lunch and as I accelerated up a slight interstate hill, I experienced no acceleration. I immediately went to neutral and tried to rev the engine, nothing. I coasted to the emergency lane where I safely stopped and placed the car in park. Once in park, it was vibrating, sputtering and slightly lunging so I turned the car off. I sat for a few minutes, then restarted my vehicle. I was concerned about merging into traffic, so I turned on my emergency flashers and rode with them on for the remainder of my 15 minute drive. I immediately called my dealer and scheduled an appointment for the next morning. On my way home, the same scenario occurred 2 more times. Thank heavens for emergency lanes!
Engine loss of power, would. Not accelerate, got out of traffic, put on 4ways, engine would only idle very rough, check engine light and wrench were on, shut off engine restarted after long cranking started resumed trip, about 5 miles happened again did same, after restarted drove 12 miles home. This issue is extremely dangerous. I have found over 2 hundred reports of the same problem upon first try.
While driving at interstate speeds (65 mph), the vehicle just seemed to stop, but the engine was still running. I had just gone over a bridge and was able to coast down and pull off the side of the road. A yellow wrench was displayed in the instrument panel. I turned the vehicle off and removed the key. After waiting for a minute, I was able to start the vehicle and return home. This has happened three times now. I called the dealership who informed me that this was not covered by warranty and they have had several repairs related to this. So much that the technician knew the part number by heart and was able to provide a quote without doing any paperwork or even looking at the vehicle. I live on the coast where there are several bridges and tunnels. Had I chose to drive through the tunnel instead of taking the bridge, I have no doubt that this issue would have caused a very bad accident. There needs to be a recall on this and Ford needs to step up and fix the problem instead of making a killing off the unsuspecting consumer at the sum of over $400 a pop.
I was driving on a mayor highway a 65/70 mph when the vehicle lost power, was not able to accelerate, coasted to the side, an orange wrench sign and check engine sign appear on the dash, after turning vehicle on and off several times it went back to normal, this happened several times over the last year and a half, the first time dealer claimed there was nothing wrong with the vehicle and charged me $ $74.95 for a" throttle body service" ( thank you hemborg Ford - norco, California ) took vehicle back to dealer a year later 7-23 2013 and was informed that the etb (electronic throttle body ) needed to be replaced ( same part that I paid $74.95 to have it "cleaned" before) now this vehicle misfire and jerks on take off from a dead stop. I call Ford, but was told that there is not an service call or recall for this particular vehicle.
From a dead stop at a light, pressed on gas peddle and engine didn't die, but would only crawl along at 1 or 2 mph. Made it to a gas station, then turned off engine, restarted, and everything seemed fine. This however happened several times since. Took it to Ford dealership the service rep said it was probably the throttle body. (upon researching, it appears Ford has put defective throttle body parts in several model year's of the Escape.)
Driving home on 4 lane highway at posted speed limit of 45 mph. Suddenly engine seemed to loose power and began to slow down. Pushing down on accelerator had no effect. Finally engine died. Restarted engine but car only jerked and jolted as it tried to go forward. Engine died and restarted a couple more times, then didn't want to restart at all. Warning light on instrument panel showed an orange wrench. A city patrolman came soon and called for a tow truck as it was dark and we were on a narrow shoulder of the road. He said we were in a dangerous place. After repairs at Ford dealer, we were told it was a failed throttle body. This is the second Ford Escape in our immediate family to incur this throttle body problem/failure in just a few short months. The other one stopped in the middle of a busy intersection.
Driving to work on the freeway in the express lane and trying to accelerate and got no response from the engine. Had to coast over to the side during morning rush hour. Shut car off. Tried to restart and it worked. Took off again and it happened again about three miles down the road. It just cuts off with no warning. Happened about 4 more times before I could get it in the shop. It was the throttle body.$291.91 for the parts and $296.0 for labor.
Engine suddenly reduces to high idle - throttle totally unresponsive. Turning engine off and restarting temporarily restores performance. I endorse the ongoing NHTSA investigation of this well known problem which is a severe safety threat as the vehicle unpredictably looses all power in the middle of other traffic.
Car died while crossing four lane highway- no throttle response, almost got hit B Y semi suppose to have 60000 mile warranty on drive train Ford garage said no to warranty claim. Throttle body had to be replaced at my expense.
While driving on an expressway around 35-40mph, vehicle experienced a sudden loss of power and went into limp mode (less than 1000rpm) with a wrench indicator illuminated on the dashboard. Pulled over, shut down vehicle and then restarted engine. Vehicle was driven home and taken to the dealership the next day. Ford diagnosed and is replacing the throttle body under powertrain warranty.
I was driving on the interstate when all of a sudden lost power and accelerator became inoperative and small wrench light came on indicating a problem.. pull over to side of highway and turned off motor. Waited several minutes and started vehicle back up and was fine again. Drove vehicle several days later in city traffic and same thing occurred. Took vehicle to Ford dealer and they said it needed an electronic throttle body. This is definitely a safety issue and needs an immediate recall.
When trying to accelerate into traffic, the engine dropped to idle and the gas pedal had no affect. Temporary solution was to pull over, turn engine off, restart (which required excessive cranking) which seemed to resolve the issue. Throttle works again. This issue has now happened 3 additional times and we have parked the car as it is unsafe and unreliable. Ford dealer has no clue about the issue and can't schedule getting it into the shop for at least 2 weeks.
I was driving my 2011 Ford Escape late at night, when I completely lost power on my vehicle. I was able to safely pull off to the side of the road. As I brought the car to a stop (braking), the car jerked forward before stopping. I shut off the car, and sat for a few moments, wondering what to do. The dash showed a wrench symbol, so I checked the manual to see what it meant. It said something about a fault and the powertrain. I checked to see if the car would restart and it did. I continued to drive, and approximately 10-15 minutes later it did it again. This time at a speed of over 60mph. I made it to my destination and called my husband. He checked the internet to see if anyone else had this problem and was shocked to see all the complaints about this. Thankfully, he read that if I stayed under 60 mph and didn't drive too long it shouldn't happen again. I took the back way home and although it was much longer I made it without a further problem. Why is this problem part(throttle valve) not recalled. And most importantly, and for safety reasons why aren't the owners of these 2011 Escape's made immediately aware of this hazard. This was the closest I came to a fatal accident and not necessarily my own.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Roselle, IL, USA