2006 Ford Escape Hybrid
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
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Vehicles › Ford › Escape Hybrid › 2006
These records cover every 2006 Ford Escape Hybrid. To see whether one car still needs a recall repair, decode its VIN or check it with NHTSA.
Owner complaints
219 complaints6 involved a crash1 involved a fire4 injuries
What owners report most
Latest complaints
- Hybrid propulsion system
The contact owns a 2006 Ford Escape Hybrid. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who informed the contact that the brushless Motor Electronics Coolant (MEC) pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not…
The contact owns a 2006 Ford Escape Hybrid. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who informed the contact that the brushless Motor Electronics Coolant (MEC) pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V526000 (Hybrid Propulsion System). The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.
- Hybrid propulsion system
The contact owns a 2006 Ford Escape Hybrid. The contact stated that on multiple occasions while attempting to start the vehicle, the engine turned over for two seconds and stalled. The contact stated that an unknown service warning light was illuminated, indicating to pull the vehicle over. The…
The contact owns a 2006 Ford Escape Hybrid. The contact stated that on multiple occasions while attempting to start the vehicle, the engine turned over for two seconds and stalled. The contact stated that an unknown service warning light was illuminated, indicating to pull the vehicle over. The contact notified an independent mechanic and he was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to confirm any recalls; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 157,000. The VIN was invalid.
- Hybrid propulsion system
The contact owns a 2006 Ford Escape Hybrid. The contact received a recall notification for NHTSA Campaign number: 14V526000 (Hybrid Propulsion System). The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. The part was available for the repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
- Structure › Body
TL* the contact owns a 2006 ford escape hybrid. When the contact took the vehicle to an unknown dealer in fenton, michigan for maintenance, it was diagnosed that the shock tower frame was rusted. The vehicle was deemed unsafe to drive. The contact was informed that the vehicle was not included in…
TL* the contact owns a 2006 ford escape hybrid. When the contact took the vehicle to an unknown dealer in fenton, michigan for maintenance, it was diagnosed that the shock tower frame was rusted. The vehicle was deemed unsafe to drive. The contact was informed that the vehicle was not included in a recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that there was no recall. The contact was referred to nhtsa. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.
- Fuel/propulsion system
The hybrid electronics system overheated, the dashboard lights went on and the alert system said to "stop car slowly" and then "check emissions system". The car slowed down and lost almost all power. After turning it on again, the car had no power and could not accelerate. It was like this for…
The hybrid electronics system overheated, the dashboard lights went on and the alert system said to "stop car slowly" and then "check emissions system". The car slowed down and lost almost all power. After turning it on again, the car had no power and could not accelerate. It was like this for several minutes (this has happened before but the car seemed normal after the initial stall). The car was towed to a nearby mechanic's garage and they told us the problem was with the mecs pump which was causing the hybrid system to overheat. this seems remarkably similar to recall #14s19 and I don't understand how my car IS not covered under it. I also chatted with a rep from ford who couldn't tell me why my car wasn't covered. While I understand that recalls are vin specific I believe there IS an error on ford's end. The rep told me my vehicle was built on july 29, 2005 and the recall includes vehicles manufactured from 2005 to june 20, 2008. She said she couldn't find an exact date for the start of the "build date" range, but she thought it included all of 2005. So I said "shouldn't mine be covered?" similarly, the 14s19 recall notice states: "model year 2005-2008 ford escape hybrid electric vehicles manufactured october 13, 2003, to june 20, 2008". I bought the car in late 2015, after the initial recall date was issued and the dealer stated that there were no outstanding recall matters with the vehicle. However, the car only had 60,000 miles on it and was lightly used so I wonder if the previous owner was even aware of the mecs issues. thank you for your time. I am currently facing $1,300 in repair costs and this looks exactly like the recall problems mentioned in 14s19. I hope someone at nhtsa can help because I think ford should reimburse me for the damages. Thanks again. please contact me at [xxx] if you have any questions. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(B)(6). *tr
- Service brakes
As I was approaching an intersection and red light, my brakes suddenly stopped working. I literally had to stand on the brake and it finally stopped moving. I continued to drive home at less than 10 mph and had to let off the gas in order to slow the vehicle down to attempt to use the brakes and car would shake when brake was applied. took to mechanic who checked the code and it was the travel sensor.
- Engine · Fuel/propulsion system
2006 ford escape hybrid with approx. 140,000 miles. Initially, had problems with vehicle's gas engine stalling out while in motion and at various speeds from 35 to 55 mph. Message in dash said to pull over safely. This happened 5 times in one day and each time the vehicle would restart and run for…
2006 ford escape hybrid with approx. 140,000 miles. Initially, had problems with vehicle's gas engine stalling out while in motion and at various speeds from 35 to 55 mph. Message in dash said to pull over safely. This happened 5 times in one day and each time the vehicle would restart and run for only a few minutes. Next day it ran for about 15 minutes before occurring once again. Eventually the hybrid battery had no more juice and I have to be towed. Garage, not dealer dx sticking throttle linkage assembly. They cleaned it, recharged the hybrid battery and reprogrammed the computer. Vehicle worked well for 6 weeks and then problem returned. Only difference was that after initially stalling out when the engine was warm, on 2 occasions occurred when engine was cold. Returned it to garage where it stalled when cold one of those times. After that IS didn't stall for them again. Garage looked on line and saw a number of possible causes for the problem, but no conclusive diagnosis or fix. They suggested that changing the throttle linkage assembly might fix the problem, but they were not confident of this. Vehicle not repaired.
- Service brakes
ABS break light came on and the car failed to stop. Was driving on the road in a small town and was stopping to turn on to a road. The problem had also happen when someone has stopped suddenly in front of me and I needed to break suddenly. Had break fluid changed at ford dealership and did not fix…
ABS break light came on and the car failed to stop. Was driving on the road in a small town and was stopping to turn on to a road. The problem had also happen when someone has stopped suddenly in front of me and I needed to break suddenly. Had break fluid changed at ford dealership and did not fix the problem. when you need to stop suddenly and hit the breaks hard, the pedal hard it stiffens up and will not stop the car. If you turn off the car and wait a few minutes and turn it back on, it seems to reset it until you hit the breaks hard again.
- Engine
TL* the contact owns a 2006 ford escape hybrid. While driving 55 mph, the engine stalled and failed to accelerate when the accelerator pedal was depressed. In addition, the "stop safely now" warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the…
TL* the contact owns a 2006 ford escape hybrid. While driving 55 mph, the engine stalled and failed to accelerate when the accelerator pedal was depressed. In addition, the "stop safely now" warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the cooling pump needed to be replaced. The contact called day ford (located at 2124, 3696 william penn hwy, monroeville, pa 15146, (412) 856-0600) and was informed that the vehicle needed diagnostic testing. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was 187,621.
- Electrical system · Hybrid propulsion system
TL* the contact owns a 2006 ford escape hybrid. While driving at an unknown speed, an unknown warning icon displayed on the instrument panel. When the contact powered off the engine and restarted the vehicle, the warning indicator no longer appeared. The vehicle was taken to wilson ford lincoln…
TL* the contact owns a 2006 ford escape hybrid. While driving at an unknown speed, an unknown warning icon displayed on the instrument panel. When the contact powered off the engine and restarted the vehicle, the warning indicator no longer appeared. The vehicle was taken to wilson ford lincoln (328 main st, logan, ut 84321, (435) 752-7355) to be diagnosed, but a failure code could not be found. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was later taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the hybrid battery failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 113,533.
- Steering
Power steering fail no dash codes e s p failed no power assist to turn the steering
- Electronic stability control (esc) · Engine · Power train
Stop safely now & service soon - wrench. *tr
- Steering
Power steering failed during very cold temperature. Could not turn the wheel
- Electrical system · Steering
As my seventeen years old daughter was pulling out of the driveway for school she noticed the steering was hard to turn. She took my car to school. I went to try and move the car back up the driveway and could barely turn the wheel myself. Luckily she was at home and not on the road. There IS no assisted steering anymore, it just went out.
- Electrical system · Fuel/propulsion system · Power train
Car shuts off with little or no warning, 3 times now, once on interstate 64. Dealer first said hybrid battery bad, 2ND opinion from hybrid battery company said battery good. Dealer said, 2ND time with car, need a $600 repair that will resolve. Now, dealer says no, the battery IS still the issue.…
Car shuts off with little or no warning, 3 times now, once on interstate 64. Dealer first said hybrid battery bad, 2ND opinion from hybrid battery company said battery good. Dealer said, 2ND time with car, need a $600 repair that will resolve. Now, dealer says no, the battery IS still the issue. They still cannot state why the car does it, what will make this car safe to drive and if they truly know it IS the battery, why did they do the $600 repair and tell us that would fix the problem. I have asked wynne ford in hampton va, the dealer, for a poc at ford motor company to be able to get answers on how to make/know our12 yr old car IS safe to drive, been over a month, but have recieved no information from wynne ford. I guess I need to drive to michigan to see mr. William clay ford jr for answers. I do not know the exact mileage on the vehicle, vehicle IS at the dealership. Also, the issue has happened 3 times but the latest was around oct 2018. Each incident, we had to get vehicle towed.
- Steering
Power steering just went out. No warning until it was out. I was on my way to work driving and the power steering just went out completely. Almost caused an accident when it went out do to how hard it IS to steer! It's not hydraulic system. It's all electric assist steering. There are many other…
Power steering just went out. No warning until it was out. I was on my way to work driving and the power steering just went out completely. Almost caused an accident when it went out do to how hard it IS to steer! It's not hydraulic system. It's all electric assist steering. There are many other people with this same issue. Some mechanics could not find the issue. Including people that have taken it to a ford dealership. Some people have spent over $1,000 and the issue has came back within a few months. Also this issue has caused some accidents. Ford needs to find the problem and fix it on all cars!
- Service brakes
I was driving at a normal speed, approximately 35 mph, on a city street. As traffic slowed I began to depress the brake pedal and suddenly I got several alerts on my instrument cluster (brake, ABS, and regen disconnect). At the same time I lost all or most of my braking power. I was forced to use…
I was driving at a normal speed, approximately 35 mph, on a city street. As traffic slowed I began to depress the brake pedal and suddenly I got several alerts on my instrument cluster (brake, ABS, and regen disconnect). At the same time I lost all or most of my braking power. I was forced to use the park brake to stop the vehicle, and barely avoided a collision with another vehicle.this was a very frightening experience. After the vehicle sat for a short time, with the engine off, the system apparently reset itself and when I re-started the engine all functions were operational once again, and all the alerts were gone. However, this period was brief. Thinking this might be a system glitch, I cautiously drove the vehicle home. The next day this failure returned after about 20 miles of driving. At this time I realized that there IS a serious flaw in the hybrid braking system of this model year ford escape, and possibly other model years. I contacted a local ford dealership and I was shocked when they informed me there are no recalls on this vehicle for this particular failure. As a mechanic I find this ridiculous. After a brief search online I found many hybrid ford escape owner's that had the same problem as I did. At this point I deemed my vehicle unsafe to drive and decided the best thing to do was to report this failure to the nhtsa with the hopes that the ford motor company will do something about this failure before somebody gets seriously injured or killed. My opinion IS the problem IS in the hydraulic control unit. (Hcu). This IS a complex electronic brake control unit that IS specific to the ford escape hybrid. For the record my vehicle had about 146,000 miles on it when this happened.
- Service brakes
Intermittent ABS and brake warning light with almost complete loss of braking.
- Engine and engine cooling › Cooling system
TL* the contact owns a 2006 ford escape hybrid. While driving various speeds, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact stated that the "stop for safety/high motor - cooling" warning indicator illuminated. The contact stated that the failure occurred on more than one occasion. The vehicle…
TL* the contact owns a 2006 ford escape hybrid. While driving various speeds, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact stated that the "stop for safety/high motor - cooling" warning indicator illuminated. The contact stated that the failure occurred on more than one occasion. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the coolant pump was faulty. A dealer and the manufacturer were not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 173,300.
- Service brakes
Vehicle was failing to stop when brakes applied. Codes came back from dealer that hcu and master cylinder needs to be replaced $7100 which IS more than the vehicle IS worth. Other year modes have been recalled and should be included in the recall
- Electrical system · Engine · Fuel/propulsion system
The vehicle hesitates when accelerating after coming from a stop, it IS not transmission, it IS like it IS not getting fuel. the vehicle suddenly without warning or reason shuts off all power while driving. the red triangle with exclamation light comes on with a warning to stop safely now on the…
The vehicle hesitates when accelerating after coming from a stop, it IS not transmission, it IS like it IS not getting fuel. the vehicle suddenly without warning or reason shuts off all power while driving. the red triangle with exclamation light comes on with a warning to stop safely now on the dashboard and you are stranded. This has happened both while accelerating from a stop and while driving both freeway and surface street speeds, suddenly. I am afraid not only to not only drive the vehicle but having anyone in the car with me, especially making a left turn. it IS not a safe vehicle. it has left me stranded on a dark street around 9PM, cutting off on the freeway leaving me no choice but to coast off the side of the freeway. again it just shut down again while driving straight @ 40 mph, while driving on the surface streets, this time it was early evening but once again left alone stranded until the tow truck comes. the dealer can find nothing wrong with the vehicle and indicated there are no recalls that would address this problem. but I can see through the complaints there IS an obvious problem with this vehicle, which IS an extreme safety issue that IS not being addressed.
- Electrical system · Service brakes
The ABS light comes on, and after driving it for a few minutes, the brakes completely do not work. After bringing it to a ford dealership, the part itself IS about $5,000 not including labor. (Hydrocolic control unit). They didnt recommend fixing it because of how expensive it IS. I still owe $5,000 so im stuck paying for a part that IS worth more then the car itself.
- Engine · Vehicle speed control
TL* the contact owns a 2006 ford escape hybrid. While driving various speeds, the throttle body malfunctioned. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled intermittently on more than one occasion. Landmark ford in tigard, oregon was made aware of the failure and stated that the throttle body needed…
TL* the contact owns a 2006 ford escape hybrid. While driving various speeds, the throttle body malfunctioned. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled intermittently on more than one occasion. Landmark ford in tigard, oregon was made aware of the failure and stated that the throttle body needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vin was invalid. The failure mileage was 124,000. *Tt the consumer stated the vehicle was repaired. *Tr
- Engine
See attached repair invoice # 68143 dated 01/04/2018. landmark ford tualatin, or 97281 defective high voltage battery cooling fans & defective throttle body assy paid invoice amt $2208.95. *Js
- Service brakes
When applying brakes pedal has to be pressed all the way to the floor and the car continues to move forward almost causing an accident. At this point the ABS light comes on. *Tt updated 9/12/18*jb
Defect investigations
NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened these reviews into vehicles including this one.
- Pedestrian alert sounds
NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for…
NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, NHTSA opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matter described in the petition. On June 24, 2023 and as supplemented on June 25, 2023, the petitioner notified NHTSA he was withdrawing his petition. The petitioner indicated that, based on his review of data, there is no justification for asserting potential benefits that could be derived from actions sought by my petition. Based on the petitioner's withdrawal, DP22-005 is closed. Closure of this DP does not represent a determination by NHTSA regarding the subject matter of the petition.
- Electronic Throttle Body Malfunction
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…
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.
Service bulletins
Technical service bulletins and other communications the manufacturer sent dealers about this vehicle. Ask a dealer for the full document by its number.
- 10109070The Powertrain Control/Emissions Diagnosis (PC/ED) manual has been revised for diagnosing electronic throttle bodies (ETBs). The ETC_ACT and ETC_DSD PIDs should not used to diagnose possible ETB concerns. The IDS has a limited refresh rate when reading these PIDs and cannot display quickly enough to validate a concern. The PCM automatically monitors these inputs more accurately and will set diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) when appropriate. Using these PIDs for diagnostics will lead to inaccurate results and improper ETB replacements. If a concern is intermittent and no DTCs are present, refer to historical DTCs and the PC/ED, Section 3 No DTCs Present Index chart for further information.
- 10109036Some 2005-2012 Escape Hybrid and 2006-2011 Mariner Hybrid vehicles may set DTCs P0A81 (battery pack cooling fan 1 control circuit) and/or P0A96 (battery pack cooling fan 2 control circuit) in the traction battery control module (TBCM). These codes by themselves normally do not result in any symptoms that are noticeable to the customer. DTCs P0A81/P0A96 are typically found when diagnosing other drivability concerns. Follow the Service Procedure steps to correct the condition.
- 100810142005-2008 escape/mariner hybrid - anti-lock brake system (ABS) warning indicator illuminated with dtc(s) c1478, c1479, c1480 and/or c1481
- 10044212Ford/mercury: some hybrid vehicles may require a unique bleed procedure after a replacement for one or more of hydraulic brake system components.
- 10033035Ford/mercury: some vehicles may set diagnostic trouble codes (dtcs) p0a81 (battery pack cooling fan 1 control circuit) and/or p0a96 (battery pack cooling fan 2 control circuit) in the traction battery control module (tbcm). These codes by themselves normally do not result in any symptoms that are noticeable to the customer. Replace both high voltage traction battery (hvtb) cooling fans.
- 10029164Ford/mercury: vehicles may exhibit a red triangle light and codes indicating a transaxle overtemp. Condition may result in reduced power as system activates fail safe operation.
Every Ford Escape Hybrid model year
Bars are owner complaints, dots mark years with recalls. Select a year to open its report.