Service Brakes. Review the 57 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Engine. Review the 43 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Electrical System. Review the 36 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

6 crash reports1 fire reports3 injury reports

Engine complaints

43 reports

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121,000 miles · Jul 30, 2012

Electrical SystemEngineVehicle Speed Control

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AT 65 MPH ON HWY 5 IN LOS ANGELES THE VEHICLE DIED AND THE " STOP SAFELY NOW" MESSAGE CAME ON. FORTUNATELY, I WAS ABLE TO SAFELY GET FROM THE 3RD LANE TO THE SHOULDER. AFTER PUTTING THE CAR IN PARK AND TURNING OFF THE KEY I WAS ABLE TO RESTART AND CONTINUE. ABOUT 15 MILES LATER IT DID THE SAME THING AGAIN WITH THE SAME MESSAGE. AGAIN ABLE TO SAFELY PULL OFF THE FREEWAY AND AFTER PUTTING IT IN PARK TURNED THE KEY OFF AND BACK ON AND WAS AGAIN ON MY WAY. BOTH TIMES THE CRUISE CONTROL WAS ON SO AFTER THAT I DID NOT USE THE CRUISE AND HAVE NOT HAD ANOTHER OCCURRENCE. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10468285

61,000 miles · Jul 25, 2012

Engine

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I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY IN MY 2006 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID GOING ABOUT 65 MPH AND STARTED TO ACCELERATE TO PASS ANOTHER VEHICLE AND MY CAR SUDDENLY SHUT DOWN. IT WAS AS IF I SLAMMED ON THE BRAKES. AND I COULD NOT PICK UP SPEED AFTER THAT. THERE WAS NO WARNING ON MY DASHBOARD ONLY THE DISPLAY SAYING TO "STOP SAFELY NOW". I PULLED OVER AND LET THE CAR IDLE FOR A MINUTE. THERE WAS STILL NOT OTHER WARNING AND THE CAR WAS NOT MAKING ANY NOISES AND NO STEAM COMING FROM HOOD. I SHUT IT DOWN, WAITED A MINUTE, THEN RESTARTED IT. IT STARTED BACK UP FINE. NOTHING ON THE DISPLAY NOW AND STILL NOT MAKING ANY NOISE. I PULLED AHEAD A LITTLE TO SEE IF IT WOULD MOVE AND IT DID. I LET IT IDLE FOR ANOTHER MINUTE THEN PROCEEDED BACK ONTO HIGHWAY TO TRY TO GET HOME. I GOT UP TO ABOUT 40 MPH AND THE SAME EXACT THING HAPPENED. I PULLED BACK TO SIDE OF HIGHWAY AND CALLED AAA FOR A TOW TRUCK. WHEN THE TOW TRUCK CAME ABOUT 1 1/2 HOURS LATER, MY CAR WOULD NOT START AT ALL AT THAT POINT. TOWED IT TO A SHOP WHO THEN SAID THE CAR'S OIL WAS NOT READING ON THE DIPSTICK. I HAD MY OIL CHANGED IN MARCH BY A REPUTABLE COMPANY AND HAVE ALWAYS HAD MY OIL CHANGED CONSISTENTLY. THEY TOLD ME MY ENGINE WAS GONE AND I NEEDED A WHOLE NEW ONE. I THEN HAD MY CAR TOWED TO A FORD DEALERSHIP, WHERE I BOUGHT, IT FOR A SECOND OPINION AND HE SAID THE SAME THING THAT I NEEDED TO HAVE MY ENGINE REPLACED DUE TO INTERNAL ENGINE NOISE. THEY ALSO TOLD ME I NEEDED THE THROTTLE BODY AND COOLANT PUMP REPLACED. THEY ALSO SAID NO VISIBLE EXTERNAL OIL LEAKS AND NO INDICATION OF INTERNAL ENGINE USE SUCH AS "BLOW-BY". THEIR OVERALL ESTIMATE TO FIX MY CAR, INCLUDING A NEW ENGINE, IS $8000.00. I NEVER HAD AT ANY POINT ANY INDICATION THAT SOMETHING WAS WRONG WITH MY CAR. NO NOISES, NO WARNING LIGHTS. I BOUGHT IT BRAND NEW. I CAN'T AFFORD REPAIRS OF THAT MAGNITUDE. I CALLED FORD AND THEY SAID THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10467701

140,000 miles · Jun 22, 2012

Electrical SystemEngine

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AUGUST 2011 - HAD DRIVEN APPROXIMATELY 200 MILES TN INTO VA WHEN STOP SAFELY NOW MESSAGE APPEARS. PULLED OVER, WAITED A FEW MINUTES AND STARTED THE ENGINE. NO HELP AVAILABLE LOCALLY AS IT WAS SMALL TOWN LATE SATURDAY. DECIDED TO CONTINUE TRIP HOME - DROVE SLOWLY IN RIGHT LANE FOR LAST 200 MILES. NO RECURRANCE THE REST OF THE WAY. MY MECHANIC COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG UPON RETURN HOME. DID NOT OCCUR AGAIN UNTIL JUNE 9, 2012 - ABOUT 150 MILES FROM HOME. SAME SCENARIO - STOPPED FOR A MINUTE THEN WENT ON. HAPPENED AGAIN ON JUNE 20, 2012. AFTER STOP AND GO TRAFFIC THEN RUNNING AT 70 MPH WHEN MESSAGE APPEARS, THIS TIME THE ENGINE SHUT DOWN IMMEDIATLY AND I BARELY GOT ONTO THE SHOULDER WITH TRAFFIC SPEEDING BY ABOUT 2 FEET OFF MY RIGHT. TRIED TO START AGAIN BUT MESSAGE THAT THE ENGINE WAS DANGEROUSLY HEATED APPEARED. AFTER SITTING FOR ABOUT 10 MINUTES, IT STARTED, I TURNED ON THE HEAT (DESPITE 90+ OUTSIDE TEMP) AND GOT OFF AT NEXT EXIT AND PARKED FOR ABOUT AN HOUR. STARTED UP AND DROVE HOME. NO OTHER OCCURANCE SINCE. MY MECHANIC TELLS ME NOW THAT I NEED A COOLANT PUMP BASED ON THE STORED SERVICE CODE. WILL COST OVER $700 PART AND LABOR. JUST HOPE IT FIXES IT. IT IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS WHEN THE ENGINE SHUTS DOWN WITH ONLY SECONDS OF WARNING. IN THE AREA I LIVE, I WOULDN'T ALWAYS BE ABLE TO EVEN GET ONTO A SHOULDER SAFELY. *TT

NHTSA ODI #10462757

Official recalls

No recalls in this snapshot.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

DP22005 · Pedestrian Alert Sounds

Opened Jan 27, 2023 · Closed Aug 7, 2023

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Electrical System:propulsion System

NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, NHTSA opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matter described in the petition. On June 24, 2023 and as supplemented on June 25, 2023, the petitioner notified NHTSA he was withdrawing his petition. The petitioner indicated that, based on his review of data, there is no justification for asserting potential benefits that could be derived from actions sought by my petition. Based on the petitioner's withdrawal, DP22-005 is closed. Closure of this DP does not represent a determination by NHTSA regarding the subject matter of the petition.

DP12006 · Electronic Throttle Body Malfunction

Opened Oct 2, 2012 · Closed Feb 21, 2013

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Engine

In a letter dated August 30, 2012, The North Carolina Consumers Council (NCCC) petitioned the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to initiate a defect investigation of alleged electronic throttle body failures resulting in engine stall or surge while driving in model year (MY) 2005 through 2012 Ford Escape vehicles. On October 2, 2012 the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Defect Petition DP12-006 to evaluate whether to grant or deny the petition. The petition is hereby granted on certain model years. The NCCC letter cites two complaints of stall while driving in MY 2009 Ford Escape vehicles that were diagnosed as failed throttle bodies with diagnostic trouble codes (DTC) P2111, Throttle Body Stuck Open, and P2112, Throttle Body Stuck Closed. The petitioner indicates that the owners of both vehicles reported experiencing repeated incidents of stalling and engine surging. According to Ford, Escape non-hybrid vehicles are equipped with Electronic Throttle Body (ETB) assemblies beginning with MY 2009. Vehicles manufactured between June 22, 2009 and October 15, 2009 may contain contaminated printed circuit boards (PCB) with plating variations. Plating variations could lead to a lack of continuity in the throttle position sensor circuit where P2111 and/or other DTCs would be generated and stored. Ford and its electronic throttle body supplier, Delphi, modified the PCB manufacturing process and issued a technical service bulletin (TSB) 09-23-5. Vehicles produced after October 15, 2009 incorporated ETBs manufactured with a PCB process that resolved this condition. ODI's analysis identified a total of 123 unique reports indicating allegations of reduced motive power or vehicle stall. Depending on the condition of throttle control system malfunction, a driver may experience varying levels of reduced engine performance associated with three limp home modes. In two limp modes, reduced engine performance may maintain vehicle speeds above 20mph while the third is a limited limp home mode with engine speeds limited to approximately 900 RPM. Allegations of stall appear to be related to the limited limp home mode. Vehicles are not likely to unexpectedly stall as a result of this condition, but drivers may characterize the reduced functionality as a stall, even though their vehicle may still has motive capability. Allegations of vehicle surge appear to be related to limp home mode operation. Complaints alleging surge are most likely related to engine RPM fluctuations at low vehicle speeds or idle as the control system engages to prevent engine stall. In limited limp mode, rough-idle conditions may exist while the control system attempts to modulate engine RPMs once the vehicle reaches a reduced speed to maintain approximately 900 RPM. Separately, ODI received 59 complaints alleging incidents of engine stall while driving in model year (MY) 2010-2011 Ford Fusion vehicles. Approximately 60 percent (36) of the incidents occurred at speeds of 40 miles per hour or more. Eighty percent of complaints (47) were received beginning March 2012 and 14 complaints reported that the throttle body was replaced or DTCs associated with limp home modes. Additionally, Ford issued TSB 10-21-6 addressing DTCs associated with idle speed drops and limited limp home mode. The petition is granted on certain model years.Preliminary Evaluation PE13-003 has been opened to assess the scope, frequency and potential safety consequences associated with the alleged defect.See full copy of the closing resume for this defect petition for list of the VOQs associated with the defect petition analysis.