VEHICLE CUTS OUT WHILE DRIVING - NO GAS PRESSURE - ENGINE RUNNING, PEDAL TO FLOOR, NO REV., OR EXCESSIVE REV WHILE DRIVING. ADVISED BY ASE MECHANIC - THROTTLE BODY NEEDS REPLACED. *TR
2012 Ford Escape
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2012 Ford Escape do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 996.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Escape years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
413 reports with mileage · 185 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.
- Fuel/propulsion System. Review the 137 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Steering. Review the 137 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine. Review the 72 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
Vehicle Speed Control complaints
69 reports2012 FORD ESCAPE. CONSUMER WRITES IN CONCERN REGARDING LETTER RECEIVED ABOUT THROTTLE BODY FAILURE. *SMD THE CONSUMER ALSO STATED THE REAR TAILGATE WINDOW HAD TO BE REPLACED 3 TIMES, DUE TO A LEAK. *JB
2 MONTHS PRIOR TO THIS DATE, I WAS GOING HOME, 50MPH MERGING TOWARDS ANOTHER LANE WHEN THE CAR, ALL OF A SUDDEN, BEGAN SHAKING AND THE ACCELERATION SLOWED DOWN TREMENDOUSLY. I THOUGHT I WAS GONNA STALL SO I DECIDED TO PUSH MY HAZARD LIGHTS AND PARKED ON THE RIGHT SHOULDER AND TURNED OFF THE ENGINE. IT WAS TRAFFIC TIME, BUT LUC…
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2 MONTHS PRIOR TO THIS DATE, I WAS GOING HOME, 50MPH MERGING TOWARDS ANOTHER LANE WHEN THE CAR, ALL OF A SUDDEN, BEGAN SHAKING AND THE ACCELERATION SLOWED DOWN TREMENDOUSLY. I THOUGHT I WAS GONNA STALL SO I DECIDED TO PUSH MY HAZARD LIGHTS AND PARKED ON THE RIGHT SHOULDER AND TURNED OFF THE ENGINE. IT WAS TRAFFIC TIME, BUT LUCKILY I WAS NOT HIT. A MINUTE LATER, I TURNED ON THE ENGINE AND DROVE, AND I WAS ABLE TO GET HOME. ON APRIL 1, 2014, I WAS DRIVING TO WORK ON I-5, SAN DIEGO, CA GOING 60, I HEARD A THUD, AND WHEN I LOOKED AT THE DASHBOARD, THE WRENCH LIGHT WAS ON. IN HEAVY TRAFFIC WITH MY HAZARD LIGHTS ON I WAS ABLE TO COAST VERY SLOWLY TO THE RIGHT, NARROW SHOULDER AND TURNED OFF THE ENGINE. EVERY DRIVER BEHIND ME WAS SO MAD, BLOWING THEIR HORN. A MINUTE LATER, I TURNED THE ENGINE BACK ON AND LEFT. I ARRIVED AT WORK VERY UPSET, DISTURBED, AND STILL A BIT SHAKING. I COULD HAVE CAUSED A MAJOR PILE-UP, AND PERHAPS I COULD HAVE BEEN IN SEVERELY INJURED. THAT AFTERNOON, WHEN I DROVE HOME, I TOOK THE INLAND STREET TO BE A LITTLE SAFER. AND LO AND BEHOLD, THE WRENCH LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN. SO WITH MY HAZARD LIGHTS ON, I QUICKLY PARKED THE CAR AND TURNED OFF THE ENGINE. THEN I PROCEEDED DRIVING HOME WITHOUT ANY PROBLEMS. I HAVE NOT BROUGHT MY CAR TO THE DEALER YET BECAUSE I WANT TO ENSURE THE PROBLEM IS COVERED BY MY WARRANTY. ON APRIL 8, 2014, I WILL DRIVE MY CAR TO PERRY FORD IN NATIONAL CITY, CA. I ALSO CALLED CUSTOMER SATISFACTION PROGRAM TWICE, AND I HOPE THEY COULD RELAY MY MESSAGE TO THE DEALER I WAS GOING TO DRIVE MY CAR TO FOR REPAIR. IN GOOGLE, NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS MENTIONED THE EBT, AND I'M SURE IT'S THE PROBLEM. I AM A 67 YEAR OLD DRIVER WHO NEEDS THE SAFEST CAR TO DRIVE TO WORK ON THE FREEWAY, MONDAY TO FRIDAY. *TR
VEHICLE LOST POWER ON HIGHWAY FOR APPROX 5-10 SECONDS, POWER CAME BACK SLOWLY AND THEN HAPPENED AGAIN A FEW MINUTES LATER FOR 5-10 SECONDS. DEPRESSING ACCELERATOR HAD NO EFFECT. *TR
I WAS DRIVING THE CAR, CAME TO A STOP SIGN, STOPPED AND PROCEEDED TO PRESS GAS AND TURN INTO LANE. THE CAR JUMPED FORWARD AND ALMOST STALLED. IT DID NOT STOP RUNNING HOWEVER IT WOULD ONLY MOVE APPROX 1 MPH. JUST ENOUGH TO PULL OF ROAD AND PARK. WHEN I RESTARTED, THE ENGINE WAS SHAKING. WHEN IN LOW GEAR, THE CAR WOULD JUMP FORWA…
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I WAS DRIVING THE CAR, CAME TO A STOP SIGN, STOPPED AND PROCEEDED TO PRESS GAS AND TURN INTO LANE. THE CAR JUMPED FORWARD AND ALMOST STALLED. IT DID NOT STOP RUNNING HOWEVER IT WOULD ONLY MOVE APPROX 1 MPH. JUST ENOUGH TO PULL OF ROAD AND PARK. WHEN I RESTARTED, THE ENGINE WAS SHAKING. WHEN IN LOW GEAR, THE CAR WOULD JUMP FORWARD AND STOP, JUMP FORWARD AND STOP. IN DRIVE, IT WOULD ONLY GO 1 MPH.I TOOK CAR TO FORD AND THEY SAID IT WAS THE THROTTLE BODY POSITION SENSOR AND THAT IT WASN'T COVERED UNDER THE DRIVE TRAIN/POWER TRAIN WARRANTY AND WOULD COST ME $520. *TR
INTERMITTENT VEHICLE STALLS, WHICH IS TYPICALLY MORE COMMON AS WELL AS SURGES WHEN ENTERING TRAFFIC FROM A STOPPED POSITION OR WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. ALSO, WHILE DRIVING AT A CONSTANT SPEED (BETWEEN 15 AND 25 MPH) THE CAR WILL SLOW DOWN EVEN THOUGH I HAVE NOT LIFTED MY FOOT UP FROM THE GAS PEDAL. THIS HAS BEEN GOING O…
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INTERMITTENT VEHICLE STALLS, WHICH IS TYPICALLY MORE COMMON AS WELL AS SURGES WHEN ENTERING TRAFFIC FROM A STOPPED POSITION OR WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. ALSO, WHILE DRIVING AT A CONSTANT SPEED (BETWEEN 15 AND 25 MPH) THE CAR WILL SLOW DOWN EVEN THOUGH I HAVE NOT LIFTED MY FOOT UP FROM THE GAS PEDAL. THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON EVER SINCE I BOUGHT THE CAR IN JANUARY OF 2012, REGARDLESS OF THE WEATHER OR THE SEASON. I HAVE GONE TO TWO DIFFERENT DEALERS AND THEY CLAIM NOTHING IS WRONG WITH THE CAR. OTHER PEOPLE HAVE DRIVEN MY CAR AND HAVE COMPLAINED ABOUT THE STALLS AND SURGES WHILE DRIVING THE CAR. THANK YOU YOUR HELP WOULD BE APPRECIATED. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FORD ESCAPE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE FAILURE WAS EXPERIENCED SEVERAL TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE A DIAGNOSTIC WAS PERFORMED, WHICH LOCATED THE FAILURE AT THE THROTTLE TOWER. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE MANU…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FORD ESCAPE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE FAILURE WAS EXPERIENCED SEVERAL TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE A DIAGNOSTIC WAS PERFORMED, WHICH LOCATED THE FAILURE AT THE THROTTLE TOWER. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE WARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 36,600.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FORD ESCAPE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 75 MPH, THE VEHICLE DECELERATED AS THE WRENCH WARNING LAMP ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE THROTTLE BODY WAS DEFECTIVE AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE.…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FORD ESCAPE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 75 MPH, THE VEHICLE DECELERATED AS THE WRENCH WARNING LAMP ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE THROTTLE BODY WAS DEFECTIVE AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 42,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 44,000.
THE FIRST TIME THIS HAPPENED I WAS DRIVING HOME AND TURNED ONTO A STREET AS I ACCELERATED THE VEHICLE SLOWED DOWN. I HAD MY FOOT AS LOW AS THE PEDAL WOULD GO AND IT WOULD NOT MOVE. I SWITCHED IT TO PARK TURNED IT OFF AND BACK ON AND IT STARTED UP AND WAS FINE AT ACCELERATING. SO THE SECOND TIME THIS HAPPENED ABOUT A MONTH LATER …
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THE FIRST TIME THIS HAPPENED I WAS DRIVING HOME AND TURNED ONTO A STREET AS I ACCELERATED THE VEHICLE SLOWED DOWN. I HAD MY FOOT AS LOW AS THE PEDAL WOULD GO AND IT WOULD NOT MOVE. I SWITCHED IT TO PARK TURNED IT OFF AND BACK ON AND IT STARTED UP AND WAS FINE AT ACCELERATING. SO THE SECOND TIME THIS HAPPENED ABOUT A MONTH LATER I WAS DRIVING ABOUT 30MPH WHEN MY ESCAPE SLOWED DOWN AND COMPLETELY STALLED OUT WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON A VERY BUSY STREET. I PUSHED SO FAR ON THE ACCELERATOR THAT THE PEDAL WAS AS LOW AS IT COULD GO BUT STILL NO MOVEMENT. I QUICKLY SWITCHED IT INTO PARK TURNED OFF THE VEHICLE AND TRIED TURNING IT BACK ON BUT IT JUST MADE THE NOISE LIKE IT WAS TRYING TO START. SO I TRIED AGAIN AND IT FINALLY TURNED ON, SWITCHED TO DRIVE AND WAS ABLE TO GET OFF THE STREET AS A SEMI WAS FLYING UP BEHIND ME. VERY SCARY MOMENT IN MY LIFE. I GOOGLED ABOUT THE ISSUE AND FOUND THAT AN INVESTIGATION IS GOING ON REGARDING THE THROTTLE ON 2012 ESCAPES. I THINK MY VEHICLE MAY BE A PART OF THIS. *TR
I HAVE A 2012 FORD ESCAPE LIMITED. THE FIRST INCIDENT HAPPENED WHILE I WAS ON THE FREEWAY. THE LITTLE WRENCH LIGHT CAME ON AND THE CAR WAS STUCK IN IDLE. AFTER PULLING OVER AND PUTTING IT IN PARK, I TRIED TO REV IT UP BUT IT WOULDN'T REV. I TURNED THE CAR OFF AND WAITED A FEW SECONDS THEN CRANKED IT UP. IT STARTED UP AND WHEN IN…
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I HAVE A 2012 FORD ESCAPE LIMITED. THE FIRST INCIDENT HAPPENED WHILE I WAS ON THE FREEWAY. THE LITTLE WRENCH LIGHT CAME ON AND THE CAR WAS STUCK IN IDLE. AFTER PULLING OVER AND PUTTING IT IN PARK, I TRIED TO REV IT UP BUT IT WOULDN'T REV. I TURNED THE CAR OFF AND WAITED A FEW SECONDS THEN CRANKED IT UP. IT STARTED UP AND WHEN INTO GEAR. THE SECOND TIME IT HAPPENED, I WAS TURNING ONTO ANOTHER STREET. IT HAPPENED TWO DAYS LATER. I DID THE SAME THING. THAT SAME NIGHT, IT HAPPENED TO ME TWO MORE TIMES ON THE WAY HOME FROM WORK. THE LAST TIME, NOT ONLY DID MY CAR DO IT AGAIN, BUT THIS TIME IT ACTED LIKE IT WAS TRYING TO KICK IN GEAR SO IT WAS JERKING FORWARD. I THEN PUT IT IN NEUTRAL AND IT JUST IDLED BUT WOULD NOT REV UP. SO I TURNED IT OFF AND BACK ON AGAIN AND PUT IT INTO GEAR AND IT WENT. I'VE TAKING IT IN TO GET LOOKED AT AND A FEW DIFFERENT PEOPLE ARE TELLING ME ITS THE SAME THING, THE ACCELERATOR OR THROTTLE IS STICKING. AND THAT ITS A THROTTLE BODY MALFUNCTION. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED. I BOUGHT MY CAR BRAND NEW SO I WOULDN'T HAVE TO DEAL WITH CAR REPAIRS. I'VE HAD MY ESCAPE FOR ONLY A YEAR AND I ALREADY HAVE TO DO REPAIRS ON IT. *TR
Official recalls
116V777000 · Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:fuel Pump
Oct 26, 2016
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2010-2012 Ford Escape vehicles manufactured February 26, 2009, to April 29, 2012, and 2010-2011 Mercury Mariner vehicles manufactured February 25, 2009, to December 12, 2010. On vehicles with a 3.0L engine, the Fuel Delivery Module (FDM) may crack, causing a fuel leak.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the FDM flange with one that has a redesigned fuel supply port, free of charge. Remedy parts are currently unavailable. Interim notices were mailed to owners on December 13, 2016. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 16S41.
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
2PE13003 · 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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