Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
1010–25K
16725–50K
28050–75K
24175–100K
408100–150K
219150K+
1,416 reports with mileage · 276 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
Steering. Review the 827 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Power Train. Review the 301 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Vehicle Speed Control. Review the 279 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
34 crash reports2 fire reports8 injury reports
What owners actually said
1,692 reports
Mileage unknown · Jun 27, 2022
Service Brakes
Vehicle was driving on I 75 North bound upon passing Micanopy Rd, and prior to Williston road exit. Driving between 73 to 75 MPH the ABS light came on. ahead of me a semi truck and in my left a car was passing, I tap the brake and the brake system fail to respond. I let the car role and veer to move move to the right, hunk t…
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Vehicle was driving on I 75 North bound upon passing Micanopy Rd, and prior to Williston road exit. Driving between 73 to 75 MPH the ABS light came on. ahead of me a semi truck and in my left a car was passing, I tap the brake and the brake system fail to respond. I let the car role and veer to move move to the right, hunk tat the truck, shoot the emergency brakes and the SUV stop, I called Ford Public relation with no resolution although I was not looking for any compensation or repair cost. The claimed that the warranty of the vehicle was expired. I responded that I was not looking for any compensation, rather I was looking to report a problem that might has cost human lost..... I took the car to the ford dealership in Gainesville Florida to get an authentic report, in order to submit a safety concern to The Ford Motor Safety Department. Dealer and public relations office claimed that Ford Motor Company does not have a safety Department. I am an Industrial Hygienist who Work for OSHA as a COSHO and although I explained no action action seem to indicate that they know,,,,,,,, I question if they understood the issue. This failure may has cost loses, my vehicle is parked at my house This is a 2009 Ford Escape Hybrid VIN [XXX]. PLEASE NOTIFY ME OF ACTION TAKEN. Sincerely, [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
NHTSA ODI #11471237
Mileage unknown · Jun 24, 2022
Steering
The contact owns a 2009 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, an abnormal clicking sound was coming from the steering wheel as the power steering assist failed to operate as designed without warning. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic where the power steering motor was re…
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The contact owns a 2009 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, an abnormal clicking sound was coming from the steering wheel as the power steering assist failed to operate as designed without warning. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic where the power steering motor was replaced; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was then taken to a dealer and the contact was informed that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering). The manufacturer was also notified of the failure and the contact was provided a case number. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.
NHTSA ODI #11470809
Mileage unknown · Jun 22, 2022
Fuel/propulsion SystemService BrakesWheels
I change my brakes twice in not even a full month My alternator belt came off I replaced it when I put it in park it rolls it shakes and it takes a minute to go faster once I go 40 mph the acceleration pedal vibrates tire pressure sensor stays on and also it keep saying check fuel tank injector
NHTSA ODI #11470548
Mileage unknown · Jun 14, 2022
Service Brakes
Ford 2009 Ford Escape VIN #[XXX] We took our 2009 Ford Escape to Jimmy's Automotive located at 4524 Pacific Ave Lacey Wa We have taken our Ford Escape here for years for service Jimmy's notified us that our ABS brakes were defective (a defect from installation in China) The cost would be over $2000 to repair I called our local F…
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Ford 2009 Ford Escape VIN #[XXX] We took our 2009 Ford Escape to Jimmy's Automotive located at 4524 Pacific Ave Lacey Wa We have taken our Ford Escape here for years for service Jimmy's notified us that our ABS brakes were defective (a defect from installation in China) The cost would be over $2000 to repair I called our local Ford Dealership in Olympia and they stated that our VIN # did not qualify for the ABS brake problem I then called the Ford Company in Detroit MI they stated the same that our VIN # did not qualify for the ABS brake defect I contacted an attorney at Legal Zoom and he recommended contacting you My question how can we not qualify for the defective ABS problem when our vehicle has the defective ABS brake SEE INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
NHTSA ODI #11469195
81,000 miles · May 31, 2022
Steering
The contact's friend owns a 2009 Ford Escape. The contact's friend was reversing out of her driveway at approximately 2 MPH, when the power steering failed to make it difficult to turn the wheel in either direction. The contact's friend stated she noticed no warning lights were illuminated. The contact's friend had the vehicle t…
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The contact's friend owns a 2009 Ford Escape. The contact's friend was reversing out of her driveway at approximately 2 MPH, when the power steering failed to make it difficult to turn the wheel in either direction. The contact's friend stated she noticed no warning lights were illuminated. The contact's friend had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the electric power steering assist had failed and needed to be replaced. The mechanic stated that the manufacturer had issued a recall related to the failure; under NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 81,000.
NHTSA ODI #11466855
Mileage unknown · May 24, 2022
Service Brakes
The contact owns a 2009 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the brake pedal would depress to the floorboard without warning. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic who initially replaced the brake master cylinder; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back t…
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The contact owns a 2009 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the brake pedal would depress to the floorboard without warning. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic who initially replaced the brake master cylinder; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the mechanic and was diagnosed with a defective ABS module. The manufacturer was also notified and informed him that there were no recalls on his vehicle; he was then transferred to the NHTSA for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.
NHTSA ODI #11465918
Mileage unknown · May 23, 2022
Steering
The electric power steering malfunctions and yes it would be available for inspection upon request. No I have not had a dealer or service center confirm this problem and it's not been inspected by police, insurance representative etc. There was no warning lamps, or symptoms of any kind prior to the failure. The first time thi…
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The electric power steering malfunctions and yes it would be available for inspection upon request. No I have not had a dealer or service center confirm this problem and it's not been inspected by police, insurance representative etc. There was no warning lamps, or symptoms of any kind prior to the failure. The first time this occured I was backing out of a parking spot and it was extremely hard to turn my steering wheel and the vehicle had no issues when I parked. I found that if the battery was unhooked for several hours the steering would work properly again for a period of time but, I never know when it's going to stop working again. It's my understanding there has been a recall on some vehicles for this issue but unfortunately my vehicle didn't fall under the recall. I have saw several complaints of this online when investigating the problem and really wish something would be done because I don't undetstand why some 2009 Ford Escape have a recall for this problem but not all 2009 Ford Escape when it's obviously a problem for more Escape's than just the ones with the recall.
NHTSA ODI #11465783
181,000 miles · May 13, 2022
Steering
The contact owns a 2009 Ford Escape. The contact stated while reversing out of her driveway, the vehicle lost power steering functionality and locked. The contact could not turn the steering wheel to the left or right. The contact stated an unknown warning light illuminated and was flashing. The contact had not taken the vehicle…
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The contact owns a 2009 Ford Escape. The contact stated while reversing out of her driveway, the vehicle lost power steering functionality and locked. The contact could not turn the steering wheel to the left or right. The contact stated an unknown warning light illuminated and was flashing. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering). The failure mileage was approximately 181,000.
NHTSA ODI #11464587
178,000 miles · Apr 28, 2022
Steering
The contact's girlfriend owns a 2009 Ford Escape. The contact stated while his girlfriend was pulling out of a parking space, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact's girlfriend was able to drive to her residence by using excessive force to steer the vehicle. The dealer…
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The contact's girlfriend owns a 2009 Ford Escape. The contact stated while his girlfriend was pulling out of a parking space, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact's girlfriend was able to drive to her residence by using excessive force to steer the vehicle. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 178,000.
NHTSA ODI #11462668
Mileage unknown · Apr 23, 2022
Electrical SystemSteering
I recently purchased this vehicle, have had it for about 3 to 4 weeks. The vehicle belonged to a gentleman whom deceased and vehicle came from Canada. The vehicle was running great and I was happy, however, on Easter 2022 my 1yr old daughter and I were leaving the emergency room due to us both being very ill and all of a sudden…
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I recently purchased this vehicle, have had it for about 3 to 4 weeks. The vehicle belonged to a gentleman whom deceased and vehicle came from Canada. The vehicle was running great and I was happy, however, on Easter 2022 my 1yr old daughter and I were leaving the emergency room due to us both being very ill and all of a sudden I was unable to steer the vehicle without having to use my entire body and all my strength. So, I immediately went to the auto part store and purchased steering fluid. Well, come to find out this vehicle has an electric steering system which I never heard of before in my life. Thankfully there was a mechanic on site and he told me about this along with changing a steering fuse??? The new fuse did not fix the issue. This nice man looked up and seen this vehicle has a steering, air bag and few more recalls out there. So, I called a ford dealership to inquire about getting these recalls taken care of and replaced, she basically told me that they would charge me for the diagnostic test and charge me for any and all recall repairs. I seen that this vehicle has never had any of the recalls taken care of. Now, is there a time frame for replacing recalls, especially if safety related!? Thanks [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2008-2011 Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner vehicles manufactured August 18, 2006, through September 11, 2010. The affected vehicles have a steering torque sensor that may not be able to properly detect driver steering input. As a result, the system could remove the Electric Power Steering (EPS) assist.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If power steering assist is lost, greater driver effort would be required to steer the vehicle at low speeds, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will update the software for the power steering control module (PSCM) and the instrument cluster module, free of charge. If a vehicle shows a history of a loss of the torque sensor signal or fault codes relating to the PSCM when the vehicle is brought in for the recall remedy, the affected components will be replaced, free of charge. The recall began on July 18, 2014. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-800-392-3673. Ford's number for this recall is 14S05.
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
3
DP15001 · Loss Of Power Steering While Driving
Opened Apr 1, 2015 · Closed Jun 14, 2018
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Steering:electric Power Assist System
On May 27, 2014, amended June 2, 2014, Ford Motor Company (Ford) submitted a Defect Information Report (DIR) to NHTSA describing a safety defect that may result in a sudden loss of power steering assist while driving in approximately 746,067 model year (MY) 2008 through 2011 Ford Escape vehicles equipped with electric power assisted steering (NHTSA 14V-284, Ford 14S05). Ford's DIR described the defect condition as a poor signal to noise ratio [SNR] in the torque sensor within the Electric Power Assisted Steering (EPAS) system [which] does not allow the PSCM to determine the driver's steering input. When the system detects this fault condition, it transitions the EPAS system to the fail-safe/manual steering mode.Ford's DIR indicates that loss of power steering assist while driving would require higher steering effort at lower vehicle speeds, which may result in an increased risk of a crash.Ford's remedy instructs dealers to check the Power Steering Control Module (PSCM) for Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs) to determine the proper repair procedure. If no DTCs are present, dealers are to update the PSCM and instrument cluster module software. The updated PSCM software changes the torque sensor fault strategy so that the SNR condition does not result in a loss of power steering assist while driving.In addition, audible and visual warnings are provided for torque sensor faults.If DTCs indicating faults in the torque sensor, PSCM or Power Steering Motor (motor) are present in the initial recall inspection, the dealer performs the following repairs: 1) replaces the torque sensor for torque sensor faults (DTC B2278); or 2) replaces the steering column for faults related to the PSCM (DTC B1342) or motor (DTC B2277).Continued in attachment pages
PE13003 · Electronic Throttle Body Malfunction
Opened Feb 21, 2013 · Closed Feb 28, 2014
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Engine
On February 21, 2013, the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation PE13-003 to investigate allegations of electronic throttle body (ETB) failures resulting in sudden reduction of engine power in model year (MY) 2009-2013 Ford Escape, Fusion, Mariner and Milan vehicles. During this investigation, Ford identified a condition in subject vehicles equipped with 2.5L and 3.0L engines that may result in a sudden reduction of engine power.According to Ford, the ETB internal motor contacts may develop a high resistance material buildup condition on the commutator, resulting in intermittent electrical connectivity and reduced engine power. When this condition occurs, the Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) or Wrench light will illuminate and the vehicle may enter a limited limp home mode.Ford?s trade name for the feature is Failure Mode Effects Management (FMEM) mode.In this mode, engine power and vehicle speed are reduced, while full function of the power steering, power braking, lighting, and climate control systems are maintained.ODI?s complaint analysis indicate that the predominant failure mode involved reduced motive power associated with the limited limp home mode with engine speeds limited to approximately 900 RPM. Analysis of warranty claims provided by Ford identified 59,807 claims related to ETB replacements and approximately 50 percent of claims are associated with diagnostic trouble codes (DTC) P2111, Throttle Body Stuck Open, and P2112, Throttle Body Stuck Closed.Ford described several factors where the ETB motor may fail resulting in DTCs P2111 or P2112 but the failure is not an existing stuck open or closed ETB valve position.According to Ford, the ETB control strategy provides the driver with three FMEM modes that allow varying degrees of vehicle mobility depending on the severity of the fault detected.DTCs associated with stuck open or closed throttle valves are designated the highest failure severity resulting in engine speeds limited to high idle corresponding 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.Other FMEM limp modes may result in reduced engine performance but will maintain vehicle speed above 20mph. During this investigation, Ford and its suppliers, Delphi and Igarashi, updated the powertrain control module (PCM) software to include a throttle body motor cleaning cycle during key-on and modified the ETB internal motor components design, surface finish and material composition to improve durability. Additionally, Ford developed a remedy procedure and issued a special Customer Satisfaction Program (CSP) 13N03 extending the ETB warranty coverage and instructing dealers to update the powertrain calibration to improve vehicle performance in the event that intermittent electrical connectivity of the throttle body motor contacts occurs. The program extends the coverage for up to 10 years of service or 150,000 miles from the warranty start date of the vehicle, all vehicles are eligible for the program through January 31, 2015 regardless of mileage.Owners of the affected vehicles will be contacted by mail to take their vehicle to a Ford dealer who will reprogram the PCM to the latest calibration. The bulletin was sent to dealers on January 17, 2014 and the owner letter mailing began on January 27, 2014. See the investigative file for copies of Ford's bulletin and owner letter. This preliminary evaluation is closed. The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding that
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.
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