Some of the worst issues 1st generation Escape owners have to deal with.
ETB Puts Escape in Limp Home Mode
It's been a long road for electronic throttle body (ETB) complaints in Ford and Mercury vehicles. It's been an even longer road for owners with ETBs that are prone to sudden surges, dangerous stalls, and being sent into 'limp home mode' whi…
Sometimes it helps just to tally up the complaints and see where the biggest stacks are. Use this information to learn about troublespots or to run for the hills.
Overall reliability rank out of 94 eligible generations.
Recent 1st Generation (2001–2007) Escape News
There's a lot of news out there, but not all of it matters. We try to boil down it to the most important bits about things that actually help you with your car problem. Interested in getting these stories in an email? Signup for free email alerts over at CarComplaints.com.
Most lug nuts are one piece of hardened steel, but Ford chose a design that puts an aluminum cap over a steel core.
The cap is notorious for swelling and delaminating when it gets hot. It’s also a great place to trap moisture and encourage corrosion. The end result? A lug nut that’s either too big for a standard wrench or fused so tight you need a drill, welding torch, and 7 Hail Marys to remove it.
A 2017 class-action lawsuit accused Ford of cost-cutting when switching to the two-piece design. It also said the automaker is aware of the problems, but won’t honor its warranty by denying any lug nut related claims.…
Ford wants the lug nut lawsuit tossed because "the plaintiffs never allege the swollen lug nuts have ever caused physical injuries to any person or damage to any property."
Ford also says the plaintiffs talk about swollen lug nuts as if the lug nuts should be indestructible and the warranties should last forever, then wrongly "attempt to cast their product-defect allegations as warranty, fraud and unjust-enrichment claims."
Should lug nuts last forever? Of course not. But they also shouldn't fuse into something harder than a diamond after 10,000 miles on the road.…
Ford has been sued for switching to a 2-piece lug nut design that features an aluminum cap.
When exposed to the elements, the cap swells in the heat, cracks and delaminates, and corrodes from moisture. This leaves owners and lessees who get flat tires often stranded on the roads without the ability for even tow truck drivers to remove the swollen lug nuts. This means a tow to the shop just to have the lug nuts removed and the tire replaced.
The two-piece capped lug nuts are cheaper than a one-piece stainless plug, but they look nice because of the cap. Most owners never think twice about the lug nut when buying a vehicle, only to be met with this headache down the road.
435,000 Escape SUVs have a subframe that can rust and cause the lower control arm to break off.
If your control arm is dragging on the ground, steering suddenly gets a lot more difficult -- go figure. The problem affects 2001-2004 Escape SUVs that are sold or registered in the "salt belt" states, where large quantities of road salt are used during the winter. The states include Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia and Wisconsin, as well as Washington, D.C.
This recall also affects vehicles in the Canada because in case you didn't know, it snows up there sometimes and they're pretty familiar with road salt as well. The following provinces are affected: New Brunswick, Newfoundland & Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, and Quebec.
Ford is aware of at least one crash related to this issue, but thankfully no injuries occurred. Dealers will install a cross-brace reinforcement to make sure the lower control arm stays in place. No word yet on when that will start.
