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Fuel systemPart report

2004 Ford Escape Fuel system Problems

Complaints
17about this part
Share
3%of 499 total for the year
Median mileage
82,000miles
Trend
FallingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.

NHTSA recorded 17 complaints about the fuel system of the 2004 Ford Escape, 3% of the 499 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 82,000 miles. 1 a fire, according to the filers.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“Driving 25 to 30 miles per hour throttle sticks at 3 rpms . I had to ride brake to pull over safely. I shut car off and restarted, idle went up to 3 rpms and slowly went to 1 RPM I drove car home with no problem. I started car today with idle sticking on 2 to 3 RPM before going back to 1.”

NHTSA complaint #10725099, filed 2015-06, 282,000 miles

“My 04 Ford Escape has a 4 cylinder and is a manual. It has begun to accelerate by itself. It will accelerate whether it is in gear or in neutral. I assumed there would recall for this problem, as I know other vehicles have been in serious accidents with similar problems. I can take my foot off of the pedal and it will stay at a steady speed, or accelerate, on its own. Often when I'm switching gears, put it in neutral, it will self-rev itself up to 4000+ rpms! …”

NHTSA complaint #10994399, filed 2017-06, 120,000 miles

“As I was accelerating to pass a slow moving vehicle, I pressed on the gas petal and after I was back in my proper lane, my vehicle kept speeding and not backing off on the gas. I then put the car in neural and the engine continued to keep racing. I tried to stomp lightly on the gas petal to see if it would come back up but it didn't. I then shut off the engine and called the tow truck company.”

NHTSA complaint #10466470, filed 2012-07, 157,100 miles

“I would like to add my complaint to the acceleration problems of the 2001-2004 Ford escapes which my 2004 has also experienced. There have been a few situations over the last 2-3 years where my cars engine would suddenly start racing while parked at idle. When the issue first began I was able to tap the gas pedal with my foot and the car would return to a standard idle. The more recent instances now require turning the vehicle off and it would idle normal again after being restarted. …”

NHTSA complaint #10466369, filed 2012-07, 76,000 miles

“At first, my Escape only started hesitating on rainy days when I got to about 45-55 MPH. At first I thought I had bad gas so I stopped at auto zone to get dry gas for it. This seem to work like a charm and I thought the problem was fixed. Then it happened again; spudering, not accelerating, car shaking, and engine light began to flash once I reached 45mph. This had been an issue for a few months on and off, then one sunny day its began hesitating and misfiring very badly now not only in 5th gear but at idle and 1st gear. …”

NHTSA complaint #10459090, filed 2012-05, 120,000 miles

Fuel system: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
202528%
202457%
202377%
20228737%
20217521%
202019912%
2019264%
2018573%
2017943%
2016716%
2015575%
20141377%
201328710%
201216026%
201128422%
201050724%
200920312%
2008603%
2007239%
2006368%
2005624%
2004173%
2003143%
2002374%
2001556%

Other parts of the 2004 Ford Escape

Suspension
154 complaints
Body and structure
138 complaints
Vehicle speed control
98 complaints
Air bags
45 complaints
Wheels
34 complaints
Brakes
32 complaints
Electrical system
31 complaints
Engine
31 complaints
Transmission and drivetrain
27 complaints
Steering
26 complaints
Engine cooling
18 complaints
Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
16 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2004 Ford Escape

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 29, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology