Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2005 Ford Escape owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the brake indicator illuminated while exiting a parking area and the vehicle suddenly accelerated at a high rate of speed. As a result, the vehicle drove over a median and crashed into a concrete wall. There were no injuries. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer was not notified. The vehicle was not included in NHTSA action number: dp12006 (engine). A police report was filed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 119,000.
Whenever the outside temperature dips below freezing, my gas pedal will suddenly get stuck and the car coasts to a stop and will just sit there idling. The first time it happened I was able to "stomp" on the pedal and it freed up, that is no longer the case. When the temperature dips into the 20's it is even worse and will get stuck, eventually free up and be fine....unless I then enter highway speeds, it will do it again. I have found that warming the car several extra minutes seems to eliminate the problem at slower 35mph speeds. However, upon entering highway speeds, even after warming the vehicle for ten minutes, it will get stuck after several minutes of travel at highway speed. It will free up after coasting to the side of the freeway and sitting for several minutes with car idling, but can then get stuck yet again after several minutes at highway speeds. …
The gas pedal will get stuck down. The vehicle will stall. I would have to use my foot to try to lift the acceleration pedal up. Sometimes it would pop into place quickly while other times, I had to keep lifting it up with my foot. This happened while on the freeway and other cars were coming full speed behind me, but I was unable to get the vehicle back in motion in a speedy manner. This has occurred early morning, midday, and night. It has been on the city street and the highway. I researched and saw that Ford had a recall for 2001 - 2004 for the throttle body issue which is due to the sticking acceleration pedal. When I went to Ford, they said that my VIN was not included in the recall nor the consumer appreciation for certain models although it was the exact same issue. My vehicle is a 2005 Ford Escape. …
Was driving at highway speed (appx 55mph) in 5 o'clock traffic in raleigh, nc on us 1 and the vehicle lost speed. All emergency lights came on. Forced to pull the vehicle off onto the shoulder and was almost rear ended. The vehicle sputtered and totally cut off. Attempted to restart the vehicle but it kept cutting off. I was unable to restart the vehicle and was stranded on the highway. After a call to a family member and to aaa, the car was towed home 3 hours later. The next day, the car was towed to crossroads Ford in cary, nc. They determined that the PCM, spark plugs and ignition coils all failed at once and charged me $2700. Error codes p0351, p0354 and p0353 appeared on the diagnostics. The vehicle was repaired the next day. This is a huge safety issue since the vehicle suddenly undergoes a catastrophic failure with loss of power and acceleration and could lead to an accident.
Vehicles gas pedal gets stuck up and cannot be depressed at all while car is on and I am driving. It happened this week several times on very cold days. While driving or while stopped at light and trying to go I cannot depressed the pedal, even when pushing hard. Eventually it depressed for me after several tries. Vehicle gas pedal has also gotten stuck down twice previously with car accelerating uncontrollably, which happened for almost a minute then it popped up - resulted in near collision { thank goodness its a manual transmission]. I have read in many on-line discussion boards of many other individuals having their gas pedal on Ford escapes stick up or down also.
The contact owns a 2005 Ford Escape. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle and shifting into drive, the accelerator pedal was depressed however, the vehicle failed to respond. The failure also occurred after stopping at a stop sign and then attempting to drive off, where the accelerator pedal was depressed however, the vehicle failed to respond and stalled without warning. The vehicle was pushed out of the roadway and restarted after waiting for five minutes. The vehicle was then driven to the residence. The vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 172,586.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Ford Escape. While entering a parking space she lightly applied pressure to the accelerator pedal, and then the vehicle accelerated without intention. Brake application would not stop the vehicle as a consequence she crashed into cables of a wall. The vehicle was towed to a local repair facility. A mechanic concluded that should would have to pay up to $2000.00 in repairs. The model year was excluded from recall # 04V574000 (vehicle speed control:cables). The failure and current mileages were 60000.the vehicle identification number was unavailable.
I was driving on an interstate and I noticed that the car was going faster than it should as I was heading towards an exit ramp. I pulled over on the shoulder amd the car was revving up like 4000 RPM all by itself. I drove the vehicle alternating between neutral and drive as it was revving up too high. I parked in a lot. Turned the car off... It was revving up like a race car... All by itself. Very scary. Could have died. The floor boards were clean. Nothing could have stuck to the accelerator pedal.... No way this could be operator error
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Ford Escape. When the accelerator pedal was depressed, the vehicle failed to respond without warning. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 100,000. ..updated 05/23/17 the consumer stated the accelerator pedal was solid when attempted to be depressed. It was difficult to press. The throttle body cause build up of carbon. Updated 12/4/2017
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving 30 MPH, the accelerator pedal became stuck and the vehicle accelerated. As a result, the contact crashed into a tree. A police report was not filed and there were no injuries reported. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 43,000.
Acceleration complaints in other Escape years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2005 Ford Escape?
NHTSA has 149 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2005 Ford Escape, 11% of the model year's 1,394 complaints. The component named most often is accelerator pedal (18 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2005 Ford Escape acceleration problems?
No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for the 2005 Ford Escape, though it has 4 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2005 Ford Escape acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 86,000 miles, and 12% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 5 crashes, 0 fires and 1 injury to speed control & acceleration problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.