Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).
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).
The contact owns a 2005 Ford Escape. The contact stated while his son was driving 30 MPH, the vehicle turned off inadvertently. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact's son shifted into neutral(N) and veered to the side of the road. The contact's son was able to restart the vehicle after several attempts. The contact's son then drove to his residence. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.
I was heading back to Louisville Ky from bowling green Ky when my suv started to slow down and started running rough and check engine light flashed then stayed on I pulled off the road called aaa to have the suv towed back to bowling green to where I could have it checked the next day when I went to start it it was knocking and smoking and wouldn't take gas. Talked to a local shop and was informed that my motor was blown after he came and looked at it.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Ford Escape. While driving various speeds, oil leaked from the oil housing into the coolant of the vehicle. In addition, the contact smelled a burning odor in the vehicle at the time of purchase. Auto connection in raleigh, north carolina was made aware of the failure and stated that the failure could be corrected with regular oil changes; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 71,000.
I was driving home from work and my car would not switch gears, the car stalled and caused me to get into an accident causing damage to the back of my car and the front. I had not had the car for a year.
First occurrence of problem: 48800 miles, 5/2012. Engine light on and engine misfiring. Ford dealership determined faulty ignition coil in # 6 cylinder. Replaced ignition coil and spark plug. $295 second occurrence of problem: 74,400 miles, 11/2013. Engine light on and engine misfiring. Mechanic replaced sparkplugs in cylinders # 1-3 all at once since it is difficult to access those. $276 additional occurrences of same problem: upon misfiring in 2014 I bought a code reader which indicated cylinder #5 misfire - replaced ignition coil and spark plug. More misfiring indicated cylinder #4 misfire - replaced ignition foil and spark plug. Major problem update. 2/2/2015 - travelling 55 MPH car shuts off, all warning lights come on, coast to shoulder. Restart car, seems fine, no warning lights. Again cylinder # 4 misfiring - replaced spark plug. …
Ford customer care case #cac-4150994-b2g8c6 & #4151017-n07b9 this was the 2nd major incident; the first occurred in 1/2009. The second major occurrence was 2/2014, when the check engine light came on and the vehicle very quickly lost all power and engine shut off, the power steering and power brakes also did not respond. The vehicle would not restart and had to be towed a Ford dealership. The dealer stated the PCM had failed causing the coils and spark plugs to also fail. The vehicle was at the dealership for 2 weeks waiting for a replacement PCM; dealer stated there was a shortage of PCM availability due to an extremely high nationwide demand for the part. Dealer replaced the PCM, as well as all coils and spark plugs in mid March 2014; the total cost of was, $2,875.70. The PCM, coils and plugs had also been replaced in 1/2009 for the same failures. …
Our daughter was driving her 2005 Ford Escape. She had just gotten on the turnpike - as she was driving the dash board lights started flashing and the car started slowing down - the steering wheel locked up and the car died. She luckily was able to get to the side of the highway and was not hurt. It was about 99 degrees outside at 2:00 in the afternoon. We had to have a tow truck take the vehicle to a car repair shop. It was determined that the spark plugs and coil had burned up and it would be $2,200 to repair the car. After looking online, this is s common problem with 2005 Ford escapes. There are no recalls. Ford has said to keep the receipt in case there are recalls in the future. That is little relief from the fact that we are out $2200 now and don't feel safe having our daughter driving this vehicle any longer. She has had regular maintenance on her car. …
The vehicle began to stall and die while driving. Before the incident no previous warning signs had been present. The day the incident occurred the vehicle began to rock back and forth during a complete stop. When the vehicle began driving again everything seemed fine, until the several warning lights flashed on and then off (engine, tire pressure..) and the vehicle speed began to reduce. After a moment the speed returned to normal, and then the vehicle lost power and died on a city street. I restarted the car and resumed driving, but within 5 minutes the warning lights flashed on/off again and the car lost power and died again. This happened 3 times within an 30 minutes as I drove to the Ford service center. On the 3rd time the car was stopped at a red light and began to move back and forth, and started to lose power. …
On several ocassions, vehicle security alarm sounded several times while trying to start engine. Alarm horn eventually deactivated after pushing key button during several starting attempts. Drove vehicle out of parking lot slowing for stop light and vehicle completely shut off. Major safety concern. Restarted engine and gauges swing minimum to maximum continually with air bag light on, check engine light on, theft light on. Gauges worked alternately during min-max swings, then stopped working completely. Day after occurence, new battery was completely drained and would not hold a charge. When trying to charge battery, vechicle had clicking sound in gauge console. Had vehicle towed to auto electrical mechanic who tells me it is a faulty dash console and not the vehicle computer and dash gauge console needs to be replaced at a new part cost of $700. …
Was driving my car to work - at first if didn't want to start but cranked fine. Let it sit idle and headed to work - 1/2 to work stopped at a light where it started to shudder like it was going to stall (never had any issues before and still no warning lights). Got thru the intersection and loss all power on the busiest street in bowling green. I didn't even have enough power for my emergency blinkers. Stuck where I was was a hazard of me being hit - had it towed to mechanic thinking it was the alternator. Alternator and starter both good - once put on the diagnostic machine - the car started smoking and sparking. End result - I have at least 3 coils, potential fried wire harness and PCM failure (a logged complaint but never a recall). The potential fix with no guarantee that this wouldn't happen again is 5-8K. …
NHTSA investigations
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 Escape vehicles.
Engine complaints in other Escape years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2005 Ford Escape?
NHTSA has 220 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2005 Ford Escape, 16% of the model year's 1,394 complaints. The component named most often is engine (15 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2005 Ford Escape engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling 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 engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 103,000 miles, and 5% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 3 crashes, 12 fires and 3 injuries to engine & cooling 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.