Seven problems related to fuel injection have been reported for the 2001 Ford Escape. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2001 Ford Escape based on all problems reported for the 2001 Escape.
Smell of gaoline coming through heater vents. Engine stalls or hesttates at around 35-40 mph. Dealer has been unable to fix either problem.
I was driving about 40mph, and the engine turned off, I had no steering, no brakes, almost wrecked my truck with my smallchild in the car, had to pull emergency brake to get truck stopped, I fear for my life now, dealership said it was a bad relay system.
Traveling at approximately 35mph -car did not shut off, but lost steering and brakes. From time to time time there is a gas odor coming from air vents. Also, in the morning vehicle hesitates when pulling out from a stop sign. Car was towed to local Ford dealership and they were unable to determine problem.
Fuel smell after restarting vehicle when engine is warm. Fuel odor very strong! this has been shown to be a problem on numerous Escapes and tributes, as seen on the yahoo Fordescapeclub and in the edmunds. Com discussion thread for the Ford Escape. If I turn the vent off for a few minutes after starting the vehicle, the smell goes away. Note that my dealership and several others have claimed not to be able to find the cause, but several people on the Fordescapeclub site have been able to tighten the bolts on the left side of the intake manifold (as facing engine) to limit the smell. My dealer eventually reported that this was caused by a "weeping" intake manifold gasket. I am concerned that under certain conditions the fuel seeping from the gasket could ignite and cause an under-hood fire.
Fuel vapor entering passenger compartment.
Poor gas mileage. Averaging 16 mpg. Dealer tested and found that under perfect conditions (no wind, no hills, no acceration, no stopping, etc) at 65 mph it got only 19. The vehicle doesn't get anywhere near the epa of 19 city and 24 highway. Told me this is normal for Ford vehicles.
There is a problem with the o rings, which leaks fuel into the interior of these cars. Ford says they do not have a fix and people should just continue to drive the Escapes and Mazda tributes with the gasoline fumes, even though they are highly toxic.