Vehicle Speed Control Problems of Ford Escape - part 1

Purchased certified vehicle from wray Ford on 2/23/24. Car was previously leased by fmcc and still listed as a Ford fleet vehicle in michigan as of 9/12/25. VIN confirms it falls under Ford safety recall 24s79, which was never performed. Vehicle experienced unintended acceleration and non-responsive braking, behaving autonomously. Fordpass connect, fmcc, and wray Ford all confirmed it was unsafe to drive based on 38 diagnostic codes from July/August 2025. June 2025 data and other dates were blacked out. No warning lights or alerts appeared in the Fordpass app prior to the crash on 8/25/25. Allstate insurance removed the vehicle from wray Ford without authorization, falsely claimed a $10,000 salvage offer, and altered the accident date in the online portal. Damage estimates were manipulated: initial $4,500 based on five photos, later inflated to $13,195 using the same photos. Shreve collision’s manager confirmed no estimate was performed, contradicting allstate’s claims. Allstate appears to be shielding Ford from liability. The vehicle is no longer in my possession, but documentation and diagnostic records are preserved. I believe Ford concealed a critical defect and suppressed diagnostic data, putting my safety and others at serious risk. I have contacted Ford and they are stalling and have misrepresented to me many things. They admitted that they can access Fordpass connect data remotely and their agent stated driving this vehicle is not an option. I have almost been involved in prior accidents because of hidden defect in my car. My son has audio recordings, transcripts, Ford pass connect data. We believe allstate changed the date of the accident to throw off a forensic examinator. I have proof of allstate changing the accident date and removing documents. This is really a serious breach by allstate and Ford. I am 80 years old, and if it was not for my son I would have never known this and my son is half owner of the car and is very concerned for my safety.

See all problems of the 2020 Ford Escape 🔎.

While driving, the car hesitates changing gears. Sometimes the car will not go in gear or go into park. Had a recall in 2022 for some bushings and cable shifter. The car is too dangerous to drive and mechanics have stated a new transmission is needed.

See all problems of the 2015 Ford Escape 🔎.

While accelerating the vehicle I felt a massive kickback via the gas pedal, I was able to drive for half a mile more before the vehicle would no longer accelerate at all. The gas pedal was no working. The engine was overheating and a new warning popped up, upon the kickback with a wrench, and engine warning, along with a coolant over temp warning among others and service engine soon. The vehicle had just had an oil change not even a full month prior. My safety was put as risk as I could not accelerate in the middle of a high way and it just stopped out of no where. I saw another Escape 5 minutes later, stopped in the middle of a busy intersection with the same issue. No this problem was not confirmed, but we saw another vehicle with the same issue. No inspection, although my boyfriend is a mechanic and noticed the coolant was just below the minimum line. There were no warnings prior to failure.

See all problems of the 2024 Ford Escape 🔎.

Car sometimes has trouble accelerating does not want to go over 65 on cruise control for a very long time. Cruise control was shut off by itself. Car doesn’t want to accelerate over steep hills rpms go up to four.

See all problems of the 2018 Ford Escape 🔎.

The car won’t shift into the intended gear. The car stalls as well. The transmission fault service now light is on.

The vehicle experienced multiple critical system failures within one week of purchase: transmission failure (slipping, delayed shifting, and stalling during acceleration) braking system malfunction (brakes jump or pulse when pressed, inconsistent stopping) fluid leakage inside the cabin near the gas and brake pedals (believed to be either brake fluid or transmission fluid) the vehicle is currently undrivable and can be made available for inspection upon request. The vehicle became a severe safety hazard while I was operating it with my infant child in the car. The brakes were unresponsive and unpredictable, creating near-miss situations when trying to stop. The transmission failure caused stalling at intersections and hesitation when accelerating, putting me at risk of being rear-ended. The fluid leak near the pedals presents a possible fire hazard or the risk of further brake failure. I feared for my life and my child’s safety. The problem has not been confirmed by a mechanic yet because the dealership, platinum auto sales in arlington, va, refused to take the vehicle back or inspect it after I reported the issues. I was dismissed when I returned to report the failures. I am currently seeking an independent inspection, but I want this formally documented as an urgent safety matter. I am in the process of filing reports with the federal trade commission, state consumer protection, and local police regarding fraud and sale of a dangerous vehicle. I can make the vehicle available for inspection by NHTSA or a certified safety inspector. There were no warning lights or error messages at the time of purchase. The problems appeared within 24–48 hours of driving the vehicle: difficulty shifting and hesitation when accelerating began almost immediately brake issues and pedal fluid leakage appeared by day 3 by day 5, the vehicle became unsafe to drive altogether.

See all problems of the 2016 Ford Escape 🔎.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving and coming to a stop, the brake pedal was depressed, but the vehicle accelerated unintendedly. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 41,000.

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds and attempting to make a left or right turn, the steering wheel made an abnormal whining sound. Additionally, the contact stated that while accelerating from a stop, the vehicle hesitate. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed. The contact was informed that the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 160,000.

See all problems of the 2012 Ford Escape 🔎.

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated while depressing the accelerator pedal, the rpm increased; however, the vehicle failed to properly accelerate. Additionally, there was a whining sound coming from the engine compartment while attempting to accelerate and the vehicle was jerking and vibrating abnormally. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 110,000.

Coolant is leaking into the cylinders, causing misfire. Per this document that you guys posted: "customer satisfaction program 21n12", this is a known manufacturing defect in the engines that are in the model of car that I am driving currently. This is a safety issue and an environmental issue. Coolant gets into the cylinders and burns, emitting into the atmosphere. But the coolant also runs low, and the engine could overheat or catch on fire. The mechanic is estimating currently that the repairs to either change the head gasket or take the engine apart and rebuild it will cost around 7-9k, money we don't have. Ford should fix this manufacturing defect at not cost to us, as their csp 21n12 document states. The only caveat is that the car has 98k miles on it while the cutoff for these repairs ends at 84k miles.

See all problems of the 2017 Ford Escape 🔎.

All vehicles screens including the speedometer turned off multiple times while driving. When screen came back online a large number of warning lights popped up including that there was a shift system fault. The light showing that the vehicle was in drive was no longer lit up. Immediately stopped vehicle. The electrical system on the vehicle has failed at least 5 times previously with several documented instances of going to the dealer for repairs with no solutions.

See all problems of the 2022 Ford Escape 🔎.

The abs, anti-lock braking sytem symbol came on about 3 or 4 months ago. Other symbols that came on were the brake system (circle with exclamation point in it), the red word "brake", the stability control light, and the speedometer stopped working/ the information display stopped working. We have taken the car to three local Ford service departments to have it checked only to be told the abs part is on back order. Furthermore, I've read that the brakes could be compromised. No speedometer or display functions is dangerous. The only receipt I have tells me it is the abs module that is on back order.

See all problems of the 2014 Ford Escape 🔎.

The front camera/ adaptive cruise control, pre collision assist, seems to have spontanteoulsy cut out while driving- a large bump in the road seems to have shook less the coaxial cable connections for the front camera in this car. This caused a fast and immediate deceleration that almost got me rear ended by the truck that was behind me. The car is at the dealership for a faulty cable/ ipma module. This seems to be a very common issue for these cars. There were no messages prior to the failure but the messages I am getting now are the front camera fault, and pre collision assist is no longer working. Adaptive cruise and even regular cruise control are no longer working either. Additionally, I am getting a system off to save battery message, even though I just installed a new battery. This faulty camera/ connection to the camera seems to be creating a parasitic draw. This car is not even 5 years old and only has 40,000 miles. Cruise control and pre collsion are massive safety features that are no longer functioning.

My vehicle had been driving great up till about three or four months ago. It started losing speed, stalling and would not accelerate unless I pressed the pedal to the floor which I had to do in order to avoid an accident. All while this was happening the service light with the ?? would comes on, but once I cut the car off and started it up again the next day or after running multiple errands the service light would be gone and my car would drive normal so I thought it was just a fluke and I didn’t worry about it again. Until now!!! just today my car would not start and at the same time I would also get a warning saying, start the car or cut the engine off as I was trying to start the car so that was crazy. And in order to get it started I had to get the battery jumped, after that it would start right up. But later if I tried starting the car up again it would barley start up without multiple attempts of me pressing the push start, and pressing down hard on the brake pedal and to top it all off my car is losing speed and stalling again. . So because of this I had the battery, terminals, starter, and alternator tested and they said everything is fine so none of that is causing my car not to start up. While trying to find a solution and get a estimate on repairs, I found out my car model has three recalls on it but from what I can see non of these recalls should cause any of these issues. Still I made a appointment to drop it off tomorrow so they can fix the recalls and hopefully figure out what the problem is and fix these other issues. Any who, I thought I should share this just in case others are having these problems and maybe Ford will correct these hazards. Thank you.

I was driving to work like normal this morning when an error message popped up that stated my all wheel drive had been turned off. It then gave another error message stating my hill parking assist had been turned off, and my cruise control is no longer functioning. Due to this I feel unsafe driving. This has happened to many other friends and family members that have owned this vehicle.

I have had car a month bought used and saw the recall for the transmission shifter bushing which I had done today at the Ford place . But it didn't fix the shifting problem . So took had hooked up to a machine to tell me it's the transmission solenoid b that's inside the trans mission and not covered by the recall which is insane because it's the main reason these cars are having this problem so now I can't get it fixed have had car a month and will be parking it as junk because Ford can't fix under the recall. This needs to be changed this is the main culprit not the bushings.

See all problems of the 2013 Ford Escape 🔎.

While driving warnings for adaptive cruise, blind spot, forward collision, front camera, park aid etc start and then all the system quit. I have pictures. I took my car to dealership to be checked. At first I was told they could find nothing wrong. I showed them pictures of my alerts and messages on my Ford pass app. I was told a software patch would be sent. I contacted them again to ask if there was more news. I was told not at this time. I saw there was a problem with this module on the 2025 Escape.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving 25 mph, the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was slow to accelerate. There was white smoke coming from the exhaust, with the check engine warning light illuminated and flashing on and off. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that there was a crack in cylinders #3 and #4. The dealer recommended that the engine be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 136,000.

Driving along at 60 mph suddenly my car stops going in heavy traffic and won't move,, then it accelerated to high rpms and was stuck, then it hard shifted into gear and it lundged forward fast and went about 5 feet then it wouldn't move. Almost got killed on a busy hwy. Because of it accelerating on its on out into traffic while it was in park, then just came to a dead stop. The only way I can describe is it was not moving in park, then it was like it shifted by itself and lundged forward and stoped like it was slammed into park from a high speed but it did it this on it's own while the shifter was in park. It took off again and I drove it to the side of the hwy, and turned it off. Called and got a friend who has a trailer to come tow me. I cranked my car to see if it would move to get it on the trailer. I slowly drove it up on the ramps and got about half way up, then it stopped wouldn't move again, still in drive it rolled back down the ramps on its own, I was just sitting there and it was idling was like the rpms were higher than normal so I shut it off for a minute. Got back in it cranked it up put it in drive and it wouldn't move, put in in reverse it backed up but it was revved up and shifted hard, so I put it back in park and it spit and spuddered so I shifted to neutral an then car just shifted into drive and took off on it's on and drove up missing the ramps and ran into the back of his trailer, crushing my front end. Then it wouldn't move again. Winched it on the trailer, got home and it drove to get it off the trailer, but I'm terrified to drive it.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 35 mph, the transmission was slipping. The contact stated that the rpm increased, and the vehicle decelerated. The vehicle was shifted into neutral and pushed out of the roadway. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the third gear had an incorrect ratio. The fluid condition was filled with material, and an overhaul of the transmission was recommended. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

Over the past 4 months the powertrain malfunction light has illuminated 4 times on random occasions. The first time it came on while I was driving home from shopping. I did not notice the light until I stalled in the intersection trying to get on to the interstate. Stopped at the Ford dealership and insisted they scan it while the light was on. They refused and kept it for 2 days to tell me there was nothing wrong. Two weeks later, I was again traveling at an average speed. The light illuminated. Stopped at advanced auto parts as it was late evening and Ford was closed. They could not pull a code with the light on stating it could be electrical. Towed the car home on a trailer from 45 minutes away. Upon inspection we discovered the coolant was low, added coolant and light went away. No issues for 3 months after that. The third time it came on I was accelerating on to the interstate. The engine was still pretty cold. The car went into limp mode and struggled to accelerate to highway speed. I parked the car and the light went away after sitting for a few hours. I thought it could be the oil was low or dirty. Took vehicle for oil change at Ford and they could see the light triggering but no code. Light did not come back for about 3 weeks. Fourth time I was driving at an average speed. Light came on and I was able to take vehicle directly to Ford again. Ford scanned the car while running with the light on and got a code for throttle/pedal sensor issues. The throttle position sensor was changed in July 2023. The car is currently at Ford awaiting a diagnosis and replacement of the issue. The powertrain light illuminating is a repeated issue with this vehicle.

See all problems of the 2021 Ford Escape 🔎.

My 2019 Ford Escape eco boost titanium vehicle is currently loosing antifreeze at an alarming rate. I had the error codes read and I have four. The first, p0303, states cylinder #3 is misfiring. The second, p0141, says the heater in 02 sensor is taking too long to warm up. The third, p0016, states the camshaft position a correlates to bank 1 and finally, p04db, says the crankcase ventilation system in the vehicle is disconnected. From what I have read online the system that is failing is that there is an engine coolant leak. I am fine providing the car for inspection upon request. The safety of myself and my family is at risk because should I not keep the coolant filled and full Ford states that the vehicle engine may overheat, catch fire, damage the pistons, and possible misfires while driving. I reported the issue to Ford via their social media link x (twitter) on March 16, 2025 but I will also be calling the Ford contact phone number tomorrow, March 17. I hope to have the vehicle or component inspected by the manufacturer soon but based on the complaints online I am one of many having this failure on my vehicle. My engine warning light came on about 2 months ago but when I had it read for error codes at that time it only stated the code, p0141, the heater in 02 sensor is taking too long to warm up. At that time I called Ford service to see how I could get it repaired and was told that even though I had previously had the error codes read they would start by charging me $250 to read the error codes.

See all problems of the 2019 Ford Escape 🔎.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his wife pulling into a parking spot, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle unintendedly accelerated and crashed into the wall of a dollar general store. The contact stated that his wife sustained injuries and bruises to both legs from the deployment of the air bags underneath the steering wheel. Medical attention was not sought. A police report was filed; however, the police report number was not available. The vehicle was towed to a dealer but was not diagnosed. The contact retrieved the vehicle, and the vehicle was taken to an auto body shop to be diagnosed and an estimate for the repair was provided. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was 45,000.

I’m having trouble accelerating when the vehicle is stopped at a stop sign or when making a left or right turn. This has been dangerous because I end up stuck in the middle of intersections without being able to move. The vehicle is new and has 1400 miles on it.

Needing throttle body replace though the car is 6 years old. Car will not get up to speed and engine fault light comes on. Got diagnosis and need to replaced. Also motor mounts have deteriorated despite lack of miles on car. Numerous complaints.

I was driving on I 95 and my check engine light came on, then the transmission light came on followed by no hill assist light. As I was driving home all of a sudden without warning my SUV dropped to 10 miles an hour while driving at at speed of 55 miles per hour. . For safety reasons I pulled over on to the shoulder, shut the SUV off a waited , and then I restarted the engine. The same lights came on and again I couldn't drive over 10 miles an hour. After sitting for over 5 months waiting for a recall because Ford said that's the only way they will fix the problem. I hired someone to look at my SUV, I called the Ford hotline and asked if there was a recall, because I remember 2 months before it broke down someone came out to my home to fix the bushings that were also being recalled. I was told no , but was advised to wait to see if there would be a recall. Within the last 2 weeks I asked a mechanic to look at my SUV, I was told the issue is an electrical problem, something about control module/ that caused the computer system to fail. The compute is telling the SUV that it's in park. , that's why the SUV went into limp mode and won't go over 10 miles per hours the problem has been determined by a mechanic .

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at 30 mph, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment; the vehicle suddenly loss automotive power and came to a complete stop and there was white smoke coming from the exhaust. The failure occurred on several different occasions. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer and was not diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was 115,572.

I'm getting warnings all of a sudden that the pre collision assist, advance trac and awd are either not available or have a fault and need service. There were some other warnings which I don't recall as when driving I wanted to keep my eyes on the road as much as possible. Right now, it is not showing those. I have lost all safety features like backup sensors, forward sensors, lane wandering and blind spot warning. I have lost convenience features such as cruise control and parking assist. Mileage is 29,726.

The vehicle has coolant leaking into the cylinders. The dealership shows that it was due to overheating but the vehicle has not overheated. The dealership states that the engine needs replacement but is unable to verify any damage in the cylinders. The vehicle was taken in due to misfiring and the vehicle dying upon starting after a short period of time being turned off.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that immediately after driving into a parking space and stopping, the vehicle suddenly experienced unintended acceleration and drove forward over a median curb before crashing into another parked vehicle. During the incident no injuries were reported and no police report was taken. The vehicle was driven to the home and later towed to the collision center for body repairs to be performed. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 33,437.

Awd module not working was on screen after starting vehicle plus other codes about adaptive cruise control.

My son was driving this car home from school and while going through a busy street, the car suddenly buckled and stalled and he was almost t-boned. Thankfully he was not hit. We later found out that this vehicle was assembled in a plant that has a known line issue with their engine blocks. This issue caused one of the cylinders to crack and fluid to leak in causing the issue that almost caused the accident. We were made aware that this is a known issue by our service person. Ford is aware of it as they have issued csps and tsps regarding the issue but have yet to issue a recall and will not cover repair costs or offer to fix vehicles before they have the issue. Ford should have a safety recall to prevent possible accidents as these vehicles age and the problem occurs more regularly.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle sputtered. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion and engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 189,000.

The car accelerates without pressing the accelerator. While driving at any moment or when hitting the brakes the car will speed up on its own. I have no problem with the car stopping when I hit the brakes. It just seems as though sometimes it will accelerate when first touching the brakes. I have noticed this for maybe about a year. I researched and found at least 3 reported cases of this being an issue during a car accident. I did take my vehicle to the Ford dealership to have it checked and was told they couldn’t find anything wrong according to their test results. However, there is definitely an issue.

The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 55 mph, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The contact stated that the vehicle then failed to accelerate above 10 mph. The accelerator pedal was depressed, but the vehicle failed to respond. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the intake manifold needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. Additionally, the transmission was previously replaced by the same local dealer. The manufacturer was contacted, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 88,000.