2003 FORD ESCAPE Complaints

WHILE DRIVING FROM I66 TO VA28 N AFTER REGAINING 60 MPH THE CAR KEPT SPEEDING UP, APPLIED BRAKES BUT BRAKES OVERHEATED AND CAR KEPT GAINING SPEED. THEN REALIZED GAS PEDAL WAS STUCK OPEN AND WOULD NOT RELEASE. SHUT ENGINE DOWN, RESTARTED AND QUICKLY MOVED TO RIGHT SIDE OF ROAD (HAD TO, CROSS 2 LANES OF TRAFFIC) RATHER DANGEROUS SITUATION. HAD CAR TOWED TO FORD DEALER WHO SAID THEY WOULD REPLACE THROTTLE CABLE. THEY SAID CABLE BECAME JAMMED. I CAN FIND NO RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM IN THE ONLINE DATABASE. I THINK THIS COULD BE A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION TO A LESS EXPERIENCED DRIVER AND PERHAPS NEED TO BE INVESTIGATED.*AK

FORD ESCAPE XLT 2003 RAKE PADS WORN TO LESS THAN 4 MPH AND ROTORS WORN TO .910 AT 15,153 MILES. I CONSIDER THIS EXCESSIVE WEAR.*AK

WHILE ACCELERATING AT A STOP VEHICLE STALLED. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP, BUT DEALERSHIP DID NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. *AK

1. VEHICLE HAD RECALL 04S13 PERFORMED FOR POSIBLE LOSS OF POWER WHEN DECELERATING. VEHICLE IS A 2003 FORD ESCAPE. VEHICLE WAS 19 MONTHS OLD WITH 3600 MILES AND HAD NOT HAD ANY PRIOR PROBLEMS.*AKI 2. 2 WEEKS AFTER RECALL WAS PERFORMED THE VEHICLE WAS IN AN ACCIDENT DUE TO THE EXACT CONDITIONS THAT THE RECALL WAS TO PREVENT. THE VEHICLE WAS RETURNED TO SERVICE DEPT. AND THEY SUPPOSEDLY REPAIRED PROBLEM. VEHICLE NOW UNEXPECTEDLY ACCELERATES USUALLY WHEN BRAKING. THIS HAS HAPPENED 5 TIMES AND CONTINUES TO GET WORSE EVERY TIME. THE LAST INCIDENT THE VEHICLE WAS IDLING AND ABOUT HALF WAY INTO A PARKING SPACE AND IT ACCELERATED OWN ITS OWN, THE FRONT WHEELS JUMPED A 6 INCH VERTICLE CURB, AND LEFT 5 FOOT SKID MARKS IN THE GRASS WHILE TRYING TO STOP. 3. THE DEALER HAS DRIVEN THE VEHICLE BUT THE PROBLEM DID NOT OCCUR. DEALER INSTALLED FLIGHT RECORDER FOR TWO WEEKS. THE PROBLEM DID NOT OCCUR. THEY REMOVED FLIGHT RECORDER AND A TECHNICIAN RODE IN VEHICLE THE PROBLEM OCCURED AND TECHNICIAN HAD VEHICLE TAKEN BACK TO SHOP. THEY COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING AND RETURNED VEHICLE. ACCELERATION OCCURED AGAIN THEY REINSTALLED FLIGHT RECORDER AND SAID THEY NEEDED THREE RECORDING TO DIAGNOIS PROBLEM. THIS HAS NOT OCCURED YET AND DEALER IS CALKLING TO GET FLIGHT RECORDER BACK.

ON 10/15/04 I HAD JUST ENTERED A 6 LANE INTERSTATE (HIGH SPEED URBAN TRAFFIC) AND HAD TO QUICKLY MOVE OVER 3 LANES AS THE RIGHT 2 LANES WERE EXIT ONLY ABOUT ONE HALF MILE FROM MY ENTRANCE POINT. AFTER ACCELERATING TO MERGE INTO A GAP TO THE LEFT I FOUND THAT THE CAR WAS CONTINUING TO ACCELERATE EVEN THOUGH I WAS NOT DEPRESSING THE ACCELERATOR, AND WAS ABOUT TO REAR END A FLATBED TRUCK. THE BRAKES HAD LITTLE EFFECT ON SLOWING THE CAR. AFTER SOME VIOLENT MANEUVERING AND SEVERAL NEAR COLLISIONS I WAS ABLE TO GET TO THE SHOULDER AND SWITCH THE IGNITION OFF. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO A LOCAL FORD DEALERSHIP, WHERE THEY FOUND THE PROBLEM WAS A DEFECTIVE ACCELERATOR CABLE. THE PLASTIC COVERING HAD FRAYED/DISINTEGRATED, JAMMING THE CABLE SUCH THAT THE THROTTLE RETURN SPRING(S) WERE UNABLE TO CLOSE THE THROTTLE. THE SERVICE WRITER SAID HE HAD NOT SEEN THIS PROBLEM BEFORE. HOWEVER, I DID A CURSORY SEARCH ON THE NHTSA WEBSITE AND FOUND A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF SIMILAR AND IDENTICAL INCIDENTS (ONLY SEARCHED 2003 MODEL YEAR AND ONLY "VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: ACCELERATOR PEDAL" COMPONENT). THERE WERE 8 INCIDENTS THAT WERE CLEARLY THE RESULT OF DEFECTIVE ACCELERATOR CABLES (10068000, 10015965, 10047388, 10023519, 10051175, 10024424, 10026817 AND 10082787) AND 6 THAT WERE PROBABLY/POSSIBLY THE RESULT OF DEFECTIVE ACCELERATOR CABLES (10018602, 10043060, 10062971, 10015506, 10092028 AND 10040552). THE SERIOUSNESS AND NUMBER OF INCIDENTS WOULD SEEM TO WARRANT INVESTIGATION/RECALL. I REQUESTED THE DEFECTIVE CABLE FROM THE SERVICE WRITER, BUT HE INDICATED THAT AS IT WAS A WARRANTY ITEM IT HAD TO BE RETURNED TO FORD. HOWEVER, I DID TAKE 2 PICTURES IF THEY WOULD BE OF ANY HELP.*AK

WHEN STOPPING AT A STOP SIGN, THE VEHICLE RACED AND SURGED INTO THE INTERSECTION. DEALER STATED THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *AK *JB

I AM NOT SURE IF THIS IS A DEFECT, BUT SEEMS TO ME WITH A 2003 SUV SHOULD NOT HAVE PAINT CHIPPING OFF (VERY SMALL ) , SO I WAS WONDERING IF ANYONE ELSE HAS HAD THIS PROBLEM. 2003 FORD ESCAPE. *AK

THE CONSUMER WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT YET THE VEHICLE'S AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE CONSUMER SUSTAINED A SPRAINED NECK AND HEMATOMA CAUSED BY THE SEAT BELT. *NM THE CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE IN FOR SERVICE DUE TO THE AIRBAG LIGHT INTERMITTENTLY COMING ON AND EVENTUALLY STAYING ON. CONSUMER SUFFERED INJURIES TO THE NECK AS A RESULT OF THE AIR BAG NOT DEPLOYING. POLICE REPORT WAS TAKEN. CONSUMER WAS TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL BY AMBULANCE. *TC

NHTSA RECALL 04V165000 SUBJECT: ENGINE STALLING. AFTER HAVING THE POWER CONTROL MODULE (PCM) WITH THE APPROPRIATE CALIBRATION REPROGRAMMED, THE VEHICLE STALL. THE CONSUMER TRIED TO RESTART THE VEHICLE AND WAS UNABLE TO DO SO. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER DETAILS. *JB

2001-2003 FORD ESCAPE RECALL FOR ENGINE STALL DOES NOT EXTEND FAR ENOUGH. DEALER SAYS MY VEHICLE WAS MADE AFTER THE PROBLEM VEHICLES - BUT I PERIODICALLY EXPERIENCE THIS PROBLEM, AND FORD WON'T DO A THING ABOUT IT. I JUST HAPPENED TO LEARN OF THE RECALL THROUGH YOUR WEBSITE.*AK