2003 Ford Escape Engine
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
WHILE DRIVING CONSUMER MADE A TURN AND VEHICLE LOST POWER. FORD STATED THAT RECALL04V165000 WAS ISSUED. *AK
WHILE DRIVING AT LOW SPEEDS THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. PLEASE PROVIDE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. *JB
WHILE DRIVING DOWN RT 10 W AT 50 MPH MY 2003 FORD ESCAPE STALLED. I HAD TO SIT WITH MY HAZARDS ON, IN THE LEFT LANE OF THIS BUSY HIGHWAY, UNTIL THE POLICE COULD COME AND MOVE ME TO A SAFE PLACE. I COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED AND THE DEALERSHIP HAS HAD IT IN REPAIR FOR15 DAYS PRIOR TO THIS.*AK
WITHOUT WARNING VEHICLE STARTED SMOKING FROM UNDERNEATH. THE SMOKE WAS COMING FROM VENT AREA INSIDE OF VEHICLE. ALSO, THERE WAS A BAD SMELL. *AK
ENGINE STALLING. *AK
ESCAPE STALLED FOR THE FOURTH TIME. I DID HAVE A VDR IN THE VEHICLE FOR 5 WEEKS BUT IT DID NOT STALL DURING THAT TIME. THE DEALER SAID IT WAS SAFE TO TAKE IT OUT BECAUSE IT DID NOT SEEM LIKE IT WAS GOING TO DO IT AGAIN. WELL IT DID AND I LOST ALL BRAKING AND STEERING ABILITY. *PH
WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS ENGINE SHUT DOWN AND CAUSED LOSS OF POWER STEERING. *NLM *SCC
MY ESCAPE STALLED 2 TIMES LAST MONTH. I TOOK IT INTO BE SERVICED WHERE I WAS ASSURED THEY DID EVERYTHING NECESSARY ON THE TSB. IT STALLED AGAIN TODAY AND I TOOK IT BACK. I WAS TOLD THEY DON'T KNOW WHY IT IS STALLING AND THEY HAVE EQUIPPED THE CAR WITH A BUTTON THAT I AM TO PUSH WHEN IT HAPPENS AGAIN AND THEN RETURN. THIS DOES NOT SOUND SAFE TO ME CONSIDERING I DRIVE ALMOST 50 MILES A DAY, PLUS IT IS A MAJOR INCONVENIENCE. *NLM
AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS TURNED OFF FOR ABOUT 2 MINUTES A "SIZZLING" NOISE WAS HEARD. THE MUFFLER LOOKED LIKE IT TURNED A REDDISH COLOR. CONSUMER SUSPECTED THAT MUFFLER WAS CORRODED. *AK
WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED AND WITHOUT WARNING THE VEHICLE STALLED AND IT WOULD BE HARD TO START UP THE VEHICLE AGAIN. *TT
I'VE HAD MY NEW SUV FOR 4 DAYS (270 MILES) - IT STALLED WHILE SITTING IN TRAFFIC. LOST ALL POWER. MANAGED TO GET IT OVER IN A EMPTY TURNING LANE, TURNED EVERYTHING OFF, PUT IT BACK IN PARK AND IT STARTED RIGHT UP. LUCKILY I WAS ONLY 2 MILES FROM THE DEALERSHIP. BEFORE PURCHASING, SALESMAN ASSURED ME THAT THE "STALLING" PROBLEM THAT OCCURRED ON EARLIER MODELS WAS CORRECTED WITH THE 2003 MODEL. APPARENTLY NOT. I DRIVE IN HEAVY TRAFFIC TO AND FROM WORK - THIS HAPPENED GOING TO WORK, BEEN IN VEHICLE ABOUT 30 MINUTES. *NLM
EXHAUST SYSTEM COMPONENTS RADIATE EXCESSIVE HEAT WHEN VEHICLE IS PARKED. HEADER, MANIFOLD, AND CATALYTIC CONVERTER COMBINED TEMPERATURES CAUSE SCORCHING OF GRASS WHEN PARKED IN A LOWLY-CUT, GRASSY AREA. RAMIFICATIONS COULD BE SAFETY IMPACTS TO OCCUPANTS AND ENVIRONMENTAL.
Trend Over Time
Complaints by year
Other Issues
Common problems reported
Quick Summary
The 2003 Ford Escape has 37 Engine complaints on file. 1 crashes have been reported. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.