Three problems related to alternator/generator/regulator have been reported for the 2003 Ford Escape. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2003 Ford Escape based on all problems reported for the 2003 Escape.
The car was parked in a shopping center parking lot no one was in it. It some how caught on fire, when we got the fire out and towed to the shop, it was the alternator that caused the fire and did several $1000. 00 damage. There were no issues with the car no warning lights.
I had the alternator go out in the middle of a busy intersection in the middle of rush hour traffic. I was very fortunate not to have gotten hit. However, there was an accident involving 2 other vehicles due to my being stopped. An alternator going out is not normally something to file a complaint on. It went out again in 4 days. Ok, bad alternator, it happens. I get on google to find out that this is an ongoing problem with the 2003 Escapes and it's listed all over the internet. I had no advanced warning that this was going out. I'm almost afraid to drive out of town. I don't know about you all, but, I am financially in bad shape due to the economy. I am working full time for the same wages I made in the 1980's I can't afford multiple automobile repairs for a problem that requires as much time to replace as this does. The front axle has to be removed in order to replace it so it is not a cheap repair. Why would a repair shop want to honor a faulty part when evidently it's an ongoing problem with the vehicle. I sure wouldn't!!! when is this alternator defect going to cause a serious accident and someone's kids get killed. Had I been farther into the intersection, it would have been much worse. Ifmyu03123kb801 like I said, I had no warning, it just died. I have 160,000 miles on the vehicle so I can understand the first one going out. But what about the 2nd 4 days later? and this is a nationwide problem that has been going on for several years and Ford is aware of it!!!.
When I am driving my car will try to die and all gauges will go to the highest rpm, speed, and full gas, then it will go back to zero and then proceed to the speed I was going, the battery light will keep flashing but no check engine light comes on. When I researched it, it seems that on more than ten occasions if not more are having the same electrical problem and no garage can figure out, they try replacing alternators, batteries, and wires and grounds and nothing is working, it can't be read on codes because nothing is showing up. If you ask me this should be a recall because if you search it in bing over two hundred matches comes up with the same complaint!!!.