2004 Ford Escape Vehicle speed control Problems
- Complaints
- 98about this part
- Share
- 20%of 499 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 90,000miles
- Trend
- RisingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% higher than in the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 98 complaints about the vehicle speed control of the 2004 Ford Escape, 20% of the 499 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 90,000 miles. 23 of these say a crash was involved and 4 a fire, according to the filers. 2 recall campaigns on record are filed under a similar system.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“Driving down the road about fourty five miles per hour I pushed the gas to go up a hill and lost all power to the engine. I removed my foot from the engine and it picked up enough speed to get to the side of the road. After being towed home it would crank but if you moved shifter knob or pressed gas it woukd die out.”
NHTSA complaint #11014790, filed 2017-08, 206,100 miles“When pressig on the gas pedal to pass another vehicle , my vehicle began to incress in speed and would not stop.the pedal stuck and I had no control of the speed of this vehicle. Speed reduced when gear shift placed in netural and then when slow enough into reverse. Whew!!!! Wife and I thought we were a gonner. This happen on the highway. Seed reached colse to 90 mile an hour befor brought under control.”
NHTSA complaint #10972070, filed 2017-04, 160,270 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“While driving home last winter my accelerator pedal stuck open and would not release. I approached the exit at approximately 55 MPH and had to push the brakes to the floor to stop the vehicle. After letting the car set for approximately 10 minutes everything worked fine again until the morning when I started the engine and it stayed at 3000 RPM until the car warmed completely up.”
NHTSA complaint #10265495, filed 2009-04, 95,000 milesRelated recalls
- 12V353000Jul 26, 2012Ford Motor Company is recalling certain model year 2001 through 2004 Escape vehicles equipped with 3.0L V6 engines and speed control manufactured from October…Covers: Ford Escape 2001–2004
- 04V574000Dec 7, 2004On certain sport utility vehicles built with 3.0l v6 engines, the accelerator cable may prevent the throttle from returning to the idle position.Covers: Ford Escape 2002–2004
Vehicle speed control: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2 | 8% |
| 2024 | 4 | 5% |
| 2023 | 7 | 7% |
| 2022 | 9 | 4% |
| 2021 | 5 | 1% |
| 2020 | 20 | 1% |
| 2019 | 8 | 1% |
| 2018 | 23 | 1% |
| 2017 | 31 | 1% |
| 2016 | 32 | 3% |
| 2015 | 14 | 1% |
| 2014 | 42 | 2% |
| 2013 | 92 | 3% |
| 2012 | 70 | 12% |
| 2011 | 245 | 19% |
| 2010 | 558 | 27% |
| 2009 | 279 | 16% |
| 2008 | 175 | 9% |
| 2007 | 40 | 16% |
| 2006 | 99 | 21% |
| 2005 | 149 | 11% |
| 2004 | 98 | 20% |
| 2003 | 90 | 16% |
| 2002 | 100 | 10% |
| 2001 | 107 | 11% |
Other parts of the 2004 Ford Escape
154 complaintsBody and structure
138 complaintsAir bags
45 complaintsWheels
34 complaintsBrakes
32 complaintsElectrical system
31 complaintsEngine
31 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
27 complaintsSteering
26 complaintsEngine cooling
18 complaintsFuel system
17 complaintsVisibility (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 30, 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