Five problems related to engine have been reported for the 2005 Ford Escape. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2005 Ford Escape based on all problems reported for the 2005 Escape.
I started my car at work and left to go pick up my daughter, I wasn't driving hard or fast just going slow, and all of a sudden I heard a large explosion, I had to pull my car over because it had become loud and unable to drive. I opened the hood and found that a spark plug had shot out of the hole in the head of my car. The spark plug had actually dented the hood of my car when it shot out. My car has been very very well maintained. This has never hapened before. This is an unsafe and scary experience. They say that it could cost $3500 to $4000 to fix by replacing the head because the threads stripped and Ford knows this is a problem. Ford needs to fix this, before someone does get hurt!.
Traveling at highway speeds, 2005 Escape with under 90,000 miles began missing and cutting out. Was able to limp in to Ford dealer (sam scism Ford) where diagnosis indicated # 2 # 6 misfires with further diagnosis indicating no signal to coil. Dealer determined need to replace pcm and did so at over $1100. Less than 30 days later, similar symptoms and different dealer diagnosed #6 coil problems. Replaced coila at $240.
Over the past year, my vehicle would occasionally shake, stutter, and hesitate upon acceleration. Each time this happened and I immediately brought it to be serviced by the dealership, it required a new coil pack and spark plug. Depending on which one of 6 failed, the cost for repair varied greatly. I was told that it's not worth replacing all 6 at once, to wait until each individual one showed signs of having an issue or needing replacement. Then, one day, I am driving on the highway at the posted speed of 65 miles per hour, when I noticed the car didn't have as much pep or pick-up as usual. As I was exiting from the left lane onto an on-ramp for a toll, the car completely died. With no warning, no indications, no stuttering as described above, no lights on the dashboard, nothing - it just died. This required all 6 coils and plugs to be replaced (including the 3 new within the past year) in addition to the pcm (power control module). I am told one of the coils/plugs failed, sent out a radio frequency, and caused damage to the entire system.
2005 Ford Escape with 43,000 miles and the engine has a bad piston,lifter or valve knocking.
Two times when I was driving under slow conditions (in parking lots) the engine on 2005 Ford Escape XLT lurched forward accelatorating on it's own. The first time I had just released the brake as I was turning a corner in a bank parking lot. The engine immediately reved up high and the vehicle "took off". I quickly applied the brakes which after a couple seconds seemed to knock the engine back down to a normal idle. The second time, again I was coasting in a parking lot, attempting to turn into a parking space, when the engine reved up high and the vehicle again took off. I slammed on the brakes and the engine returned to normal idle. But for the luck of no other vehicles or people around when the incidents happend, no accidents occured. I reported the problem and took the vehicle into the dealership service department but because the problem did not occur for the technician, no action was taken. I am reporting this, because I know the problem occurred, not once but twice and it is a very dangerous condition.