2007 Ford Escape Owner Complaints

My 2007 Ford Escape Hybrid (mileage currently 180,000 but the issue started around 150,000 miles) will occasionally (varies from once a week to once every 3 months) not respond properly when I'm accelerating from a stop. When this happens, I can push the accelerator all the way to the floor, but the car will accelerate very slowly for the first 5 seconds or so, and then start accelerating normally again. When this issue first began, it nearly resulted in multiple crashes when I was pulling out into traffic, but now I leave lots of extra space when pulling into traffic in case this happens. I've taken the car to an independent mechanic to try to diagnose the issue and they were unable to observe it since it doesn't happen frequently or predictably enough. There were not any warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms of the problem prior to the issue starting.

NHTSA ID

11645558

Incident

Feb 28, 2025

While driving, a red triangle to safely stop came up and the vehicle engine shut down. I could not accelerate since the engine was shut down, I could only coast and brake. After the vehicle has been cooling down for 20 min, I’m able to restart the vehicle and drive again until the same issue occurs again. No light on dashboard. Very dangerous issue as it often happens when driving on the freeway for a while. You have no way to accelerate the vehicle and need to slowly pull over on a busy freeway, endangering others and yourself. The issue has not been reproduced by a dealer or independent service center. No, the vehicle has not been inspected by anyone. Please note that this is a known recall for this vehicle but my VIN is NOT included in the recall. Please see the details of the recall below: NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID: 14V526000 Report Date: SEP 03, 2014 Vehicles Affected: 70,209 Consequence: If the hybrid electronics system overheats, it may shut down the powertrain, resulting in a stall-like condition, increasing the risk of a crash. What You Should Do: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the original Motor Electronics Coolant (MEC) Pump with an improved brushless pump, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin on October 27, 2014. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 14S19.

NHTSA ID

11629431

Incident

Dec 6, 2024

Rear frame rails rotting thru from the inside out, causing potential suspension issues

NHTSA ID

11610361

Incident

Aug 23, 2024

The contact owns a 2007 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while the vehicle was at an independent mechanic for an inspection, the contact was informed that the subframe was severely corroded and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V165000 (Structure); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 105,000.

NHTSA ID

11558831

Incident

Dec 6, 2023

Mileage

105,000 mi

When accelerating on the vehicle it would run fine till about a couple minutes driving then it would jerk and the rpm gauge would go to 0 and then back up the the right rpm

NHTSA ID

11543504

Incident

Aug 21, 2023

The contact owns a 2007 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering assist. The transmission warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the power steering module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 152,000.

NHTSA ID

11521118

Incident

Mar 1, 2023

Mileage

152,000 mi

The contact owns a 2007 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his wife was driving 10 MPH, the brakes failed with the brake pedal depressed to the floorboard. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that his wife was able to coast the vehicle off the roadway. The contact arrived at the scene and drove the vehicle to an independent mechanic. The mechanic discovered that both front brake lines were severely corroded and that the front passenger’s side brake line was leaking brake fluid due to the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed him that there were no recalls on the vehicle. The vehicle had been repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 170,000.

NHTSA ID

11512443

Incident

Jan 10, 2023

Mileage

170,000 mi

The torque converter was failing in my 07 escape. When I switched gears from park to drive or reverse the car would shake and sometimes stall out. Or if I had to stop at a stop sign or traffic signal while in drive the same issues would happen. The old torque converter is not available for inspection unfortunately because I gave it back to autozone to get the core charge money back. But when we installed the new torque converter it completely solved the issues and the transmission is running great again. It put myself and my passengers at risk since my car would completely turn off at traffic lights sometimes. This problem has been reproduced by others and I actually found out the torque converter was the issue by finding a technical service bulletin (TSB 07-5-6) so I know other shops have discovered this issue. There were no warning lights or anything and no parts were inspected by others. I completed the whole replacement.

NHTSA ID

11505703

Incident

Jan 22, 2023

The contact owns a 2007 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds a clunking noise was present coming from the rear passenger’s side of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who discovered that the rear passenger’s side wheel well was severely rusted causing the rear passenger’s side shock absorber to puncture the wheel well of the vehicle. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The local dealer was not notified. The failure mileage was 109,000.

NHTSA ID

11483652

Incident

Aug 1, 2022

Mileage

109,000 mi

ABS service system warning came up on my dash along with the brake light and the abs light, immediately after the lights came on the ability to stop and stay stopped vanished.

NHTSA ID

11471084

Incident

Jun 2, 2022

ABS service light comes on intermittently, when light is on a "service brake system" warning comes across the guage cluster. While this service light is on the escape has little to no braking and requires upwards of 300ft to stop when going 45mph. Once the vehicle is brought to a stop you can hear the brake system attempting to pressurize but only making a repeated grinding noise directly in front of the driver in the engine bay. Once vehicle is parked and shut off the brakes continue to make the same grinding noise. After allowing the vehicle to sit over night you may get lucky and have fully functioning brakes or you may unlock the door and hear the grinding noise letting you know the abs warning will be illuminated once the car is started. I have currently rear-ended another vehicle while stopped at a red light because no matter how hard I pressed on the brakes my vehicle continued to roll forward into another vehicle. My vehicle passed inspection with zero obdII codes the day I bought the escape Friday, May 27, 2022. Exactly a week later on June 2, 2022 I experienced severe brake failure and rear ended a 2021 Toyota 4runner. No major damage was caused to either vehicle. Two days later on June 4, 2022 the brake system failed once again causing me to drive my vehicle off the road into the median to avoid an impact at 65mph on interstate I-85. I am a father to my 3 year old daughter, but I am unable to transport my daughter in fear of endangering her life because of a faulty brake system Ford refuses to recall.

NHTSA ID

11467587

Incident

Jun 2, 2022

The contact owns a 2007 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while the vehicle was receiving routine maintenance by an independent mechanic, the contact was informed that underneath the rear of the vehicle was rusted. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 121,000.

NHTSA ID

11459731

Incident

Apr 4, 2022

Mileage

121,000 mi

Front tires bald and worn out in a circular pattern in less then about 4000 miles tires were brand new then purchased another set of 2 new front tires and again tires were bald and in some area they had a circular pattern after 2000 miles

NHTSA ID

11455357

Incident

Mar 17, 2021

The contact's mother owns a 2007 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his brother was driving at 60 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently downshifted and decelerated to 40-45 MPH. The check engine warning light illuminated. The contact's brother depressed the accelerator pedal however, the pedal felt soft and remained on the floorboard. The contact's brother veered to the side of the road. The contact stated that upon turning off and restarting the vehicle, he was able to continue to drive; however, the failure reoccurred while exiting the highway. The contact stated that the vehicle would fail to go into gear while attempting to shift into drive and depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that the vehicle would start but would not move. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 195,000.

NHTSA ID

11454522

Incident

Feb 7, 2022

Mileage

195,000 mi

This Escape is an AWD Hybrid. When driving in slippery snow, sand, ice, etc., the front wheels spin, but there is no power transmitted to the rear wheels, causing serious control and traction problems. An "all-wheel-drive-locked" signal appears on the info display, followed instantly by "AWD disabled". After a while (a couple minutes), the system then comes back and says "Automatic AWD restored". Which is simply not true—AWD never engages, but a driver going into a snowstorm or other difficult situation has no way of knowing this until it's too late. Problem was diagnosed by a good mechanic as a faulty transfer case—a very common problem in 2002—2011 AWD Ford Escapes. There is a serious design problem—the transfer case is too close to the exhaust, which cooks the internal lubricant, causes it to leak out completely, and kills the bearings inside the case. There are many cases on forums of this problem causing locked wheels at speed, sudden lack of drive on highways, etc. Not to mention the problem (as in my case) of drivers entering dangerous driving situations where they are counting on AWD for safe driving, but having just front wheel drive, with absolutely no warning from the car. I have no idea why this has not resulted in a. recall so far, but it is an serious, obvious (and worsening) safety issue. Parts and labor cost will be over $1000. Dissection of fragged transfer cases destroyed by this problem is easily available online: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yLkr609bfI

NHTSA ID

11451963

Incident

Feb 1, 2022

On 12/10/21 the accelerator stuck. I had to pull off the road, because I was losing power. But what if it got stuck at a high rate of speed? How would I stop, other than the hand brake and pray that it works. It had happened another time that week, but I thought it was a fluke as the car only has 85000 miles on it. I bought it in Sept 2021. It happened again on the 11th. Had my family member look at it and they lubricated the accelerator and a cable in the engine compartment. It has not done it since. Here is the VIN # [XXX]. 12/18/21 Drove to church. No problem with anything. No lights on.... the dash. Family member left to go home for the afternoon and stated that they almost hit a herd of deer, because the brakes went straight to the floor. They drove back for the evening program, with the same problem. I drove home about 35 miles an hour, and the brake pedal goes straight to the floor. No noise of any kind, no warning, no puddles where the car was parked at church or at home. The brake light is on now. What in the world. This could be fatal... both of these issues. FORD just told me there are no recalls, and then sent me to a survey. They need to look into these issues....Poor customer service in my opinion and could be a fatal situation. Last week was unable to get in for an appointment within a 50 mile radius to get that problem looked at. NOT able to be seen till after the new year.... INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

NHTSA ID

11444360

Incident

Dec 18, 2021

The theft system randomly sounds off for no reason. The theft light keeps blinking as the key is placed in the run position. The vehicle is having issues starting and there's no sound at all when turning the key. When the vehicle does start it stalls, so the gas pedal must be pushed almost to the floor. I must apply strong pressure to the breaks, so that I can stop and not crash. The problem is not changing and other ownsers are having these same issue with this truck. I've already had the battery checked, starter replaced, purchased a new key , and fob.

NHTSA ID

11438395

Incident

Mar 20, 2019

Vehicle lost power unexpectedly in traffic several times. Once stopped it started after a pause and ran fine for a considerable time until if failed again. When researching online noticed that this year and model had a recall but that is not reflected when I ran the VIN of my 2007 Ford Escape Hybrid. My concern is the diagnosis at the dealer will not detect this and could result in needless expense which I am not prepared for. The NHTSA has this issue documented and I feel should qualify me to have the coolant pump replaced on a recall before a serious accident.

NHTSA ID

11428201

Incident

Jul 30, 2021

PURCHASED THIS PRE-OWNED WITH ONLY 40K MILES. IT'S NOW ONLY AT 45K MILES AND RANDOMLY THE ABS LIGHT AND SERVICE BRAKES NOTIFICATION CAME ON THE DASHBOARD. TOOK IT TO A GARAGE AND HAD THEM SCAN AND IT SEEMS TO BE ABS RELATED. STILL HAVE NO REPAIRED BUT FROM READING ALL OVER FORUMS, REDDIT, GOOGLE SEARCHES, AND MORE THIS SEEMS TO BE AN EXTREMELY COMMON PROBLEM THAT COSTS A TON TO REPAIR. FORD SHOULD HANDLE THIS AS A RECALL IF IT IS A REGULAR ISSUE WITH THIS MAKE AND MODEL. HOW IS THERE NO CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT YET? IT SEEMS COUNTLESS PEOPLE ARE MENTIONING THAT THE BRAKES OUTRIGHT FAILED WHILE DRIVING ON THE ROAD OR EVEN HIGHWAYS. WHAT IF SOMEONE DIES? THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE.

NHTSA ID

11407415

Incident

Apr 3, 2021

Mileage

45,000 mi

HELLO, I HAVE A 2007 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. THE CAR IS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION INSIDE AND OUT EXCEPT FOR THE BRAKING SYSTEM. THE BRAKING SYSTEM HAS BEEN SYSTEMATICALLY HARD TO PRESS THE PEDAL SINCE I HAVE OWNED IT DUE TO BEING A HYBRID, HOWEVER, THE BRAKING SYSTEM IS FAILING AS OF 2 DAYS AGO. CONSISTENT WITH MANY, MANY OTHER FORD ESCAPE HYBRIDS, THE BRAKING SYSTEM WARNING LIGHTS, ABS WARNING LIGHTS AND BRAKE SYSTEM SERVICE WARNING WILL SPORADICALLY ENGAGE ON THE VEHICLE. EVEN WITHOUT THE WARNING LIGHTS, THIS VEHICLES BRAKES WILL NOW FAIL, OFTEN DROPPING COMPLETELY TO THE FLOOR OF THE VEHICLE WITHOUT WARNING. AS THE BRAKES ARE A VITAL COMPONENT OF THE VEHICLE THE FAILURE HAS COME DURING CRITICAL TIMES, VIA STOP SIGNS, STOP LIGHTS, STOPPED TRAFFIC, NEARLY CAUSING SERIOUS INJURIES OR FATALITIES. WHEN THE WARNING LIGHTS ENGAGE, THE BRAKING PEDAL IS HARD, BUT DOES FAIL AS WELL. AN IMMEDIATE SERVICE PERFORMED AT THE LOCAL GARAGE DETERMINED THE CAR MALFUNCTIONING BRAKE SYSTEM IS DUE TO THE MASTER BRAKE CYLINDER AND HYDRAULIC BRAKE PUMP, CONNECTED TO THE HYBRID SYSTEM WHICH IS HIGHLY CONSISTENT WITH ALL EARLY MODEL FORD ESCAPES. REPAIR ESTIMATES EXCEED $5000-7000 USD. THE BRAKING PROBLEM WITH THE EARLY GENERATION FORD ESCAPE PROBLEMS IS ENDEMIC, AND DESERVING OF ADDITIONAL SCRUTINY AND ATTENTION FROM THE NTHSA. THESE CARS ARE DEADLY AS SET, AND THANKFULLY MY FAMILY HAS NOT HAD AN ACCIDENT OR DEATH. PLEASE GIVE THESE VEHICLES ADDITIONAL SCRUTINY, AS IT IS NOT OBSCURE TO SEE WIDESPREAD BRAKING MALFUNCTIONS NATIONWIDE. FORD WILL NOT ACKNOWLEDGE THE PROBLEM.

NHTSA ID

11395498

Incident

Feb 7, 2021

Mileage

142,000 mi

THE ALARM GOES OFF AT ALL HOURS EVERY DAY FOR NO APPARENT REASON WHILE LOCKED & PARKED. THE DEALERSHIP HAD NO WAY TO FIX IT UNLESS THE HORN WAS DISARMED. I FEEL THAT IS UNSAFE TO HAVE NO HORN.

NHTSA ID

11394501

Incident

Jun 3, 2020

Mileage

50,000 mi

THE RIGHT REAR UPPER SHOCK TO BODY AREA IS 85% RUSTED OUT AND IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE. DOZENS OF USED CAR LOTS HAVE TOLD ME THIS IS A WELL KNOWN & DOCUMENTED ISSUE WITH THIS VEHICLE. I FEEL FORD MOTOR CO. IS AWARE OR SHOULD BE AWARE OF THIS, AND SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR IT'S REPAIR AS WELL AS ANY DAMAGES RESULTING FROM THE VEHICLE BEING DRIVEN. I HAVE NO OF THAT NATURE. I CHECKED AROUND AS TO THE COST OF REPAIR; AND IT IS EXPENSIVE. APPROX: $600-1,000) THAT IS A LOT OF MONEY WHICH IS CLOSE TO THE VECHILE'S VALUE. I FEEL THIS SITUATION IS NOT FAIR DUE TO THIS HARD TO DETECT SHODDY WORKMANSHIP DURING THE VEHICLE'S DESIGN PROCESS. I AM SURPRISED IT WAS NOT LISTED ON THE RECALL LKIST. ACTUALLY I AM STUNNED. PLEASE RESEARCH THIS MATTER, AND GIVE ME YOUR FINDINGS. THANK YOU MUCH. HARRY J. CARTER, LLL

NHTSA ID

11377747

Incident

Nov 30, 2020

Mileage

125,000 mi

WHILE DRIVING ESCAPE AT APPROX 70MPH THE OVERDRIVE SENSOR SES LIGHT CAME ON AND ENGINE WAS MAKING A WHINING NOISE. STOPPED AND BORROWED A SCAN TOOL FROM A LOCAL GARAGE WE KNOW. CODES P0741 AND P1744 FOR TCC WERE FOUND. DROVE HOME APPROX 40 MILES. ESCAPE WAS SHIFTING POORLY AFTER EXITING EXPRESSWAY. LIMPED VEHICLE HOME. NEXT DAY 11/14/2020 ATTEMPTED TO TAKE ESCAPE TO MECHANIC. ESCAPE HAD TOTAL TRANSMISSION FAILURE AFTER ABOUT 5 MINUTES. ODOMETER READS APPROX 110,500 MILES ESCAPE WAS TOWED TO ACCURATE TRANSMISSION IN BELLEVUE, MI FOR POSSIBLE REPAIR. DIAGNOSIS WAS THAT THE VEHICLE NEEDED A TOTAL REBUILD OF THE TRANSMISSION FOR $2900. HEARD THAT SOME FORD ESCAPES WERE RECALLED FOR TRANSMISSION ISSUES AND WONDERED ABOUT 2007 FORD ESCAPE ISSUES.

NHTSA ID

11376846

Incident

Nov 13, 2020

Mileage

110,500 mi

AT 75,000 MILES THIS VEHICLE RECENTLY FAILED NH STATE SAFETY INSPECTION DUE TO EXCESSIVE RUST ON THE UNIBODY AND SUBFRAME/ CONTROL ARM PASSENGER SIDE. THE INSPECTION WAS PERFORMED AT OUR LOCAL FORD DEALERSHIP. OTHERWISE VEHICLE LOOKS DATED BUT NEW, TAKEN CARE OF WELL. EVEN THE ORIGINAL STEP BARS ARE IN GOOD SHAPE WITH LITTLE TO NO RUST.FORD HAS A RECALL ON THE 2001-2004 MODEL YEARS FOR WHAT APPEAR TO BE THE SAME ISSUE AND WILL REMEDY BY INSTALLING AN ADDITIONAL BRACE. THIS DOES NOT SOUND LIKE A GOOD/ SAFE IDEA TO ME

NHTSA ID

11374092

Incident

Nov 7, 2020

Mileage

75,000 mi

PASSENGER REAR FRAME RUSTED THROUGH AND THE SHOCK CAME RIGHT THROUGH THE TRUNK.

NHTSA ID

11361878

Incident

Sep 14, 2020

Mileage

145,000 mi