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 2006 Ford Escape owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2006 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle started to lose motive power. Additionally, the contact stated that the accelerator pedal remained floored after being depressed. The contact drove to a parking lot and turned off the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 118,199.
06 Ford Escape , 4 cylinder, front wheel drive. The gas pedal sticks and won't accelerate when the vehicle is colder. Today I was on the road in traffic and went to hit the gas and gain some speed as I was still under the speed limit after slowing down behind a car that was turning and the pedal was stuck, couldn't go! People driving behind and at me and I'm just stuck! It took a good 15-20 pumps of the foot to get the thing unstuck and moving again. It's happened and was easier to get going a couple other cold mornings seems to stop once car is warmer and has been moving for a while. Looked online and there are numerous complaints about the same problem all the way back to 2009 with this cars make and model for both 05 and 06. Seems Ford never recalled it and some ppl online are even saying they ended up in accidents and stranded.
The contact owns a 2006 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the accelerator pedal was sticking while being depressed. The contact had to continually depress the pedal to release the accelerator pedal. The failure occurred mostly during cold temperatures. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was unknown.
My friend borrowed my 06 Ford Escape, which had not shown any mechanical issues. Shortly after getting on the interstate hwy, the gas pedal stuck to the floor and rapidly excellerated to 85 MPH plus, without warning. It is a 6 lane hwy and was Saturday. Putting the vehicle in neutral and using both the brake and the e brake, while trying to maneuver traffic to get to the shoulder, as a tractor trailer rig was barreling by unaware. This was an extremely dangerous situation. It is miraculous that no one was hurt. The brakes smoked and the fire department was called as a precaution. It had to be towed. Upon researching further, we discovered all the complaints about the throttle body problems. I am disappointed that there have been no warnings about this issue. Will someone have to die, before any actions are taken? …
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while parking at 5 MPH, the vehicle suddenly accelerated and crashed into a wall. The air bags failed to deploy. The contact sustained bruises to the chest that did not require medical attention. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the failure was unable to be determined. The vehicle was then taken to a dealer who stated that the failure might be related to the throttle body. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 75,000. The VIN was not available.
I was driving my 2006 Ford Escape home from a friend's house with the cruise control on when I noticed a strange odor, like something was burning. I came to a stop behind another vehicle. I wasn't sure the smell was coming from my truck until I turned onto my street and noticed smoke. I grabbed some bags out of the truck and popped the hood. White smoke started pouring out. I went into the house and called 911. I went upstairs to let my aunt know to move her car and within a matter of 5-8 minutes, we heard a loud bang. I ran down the stairs to find the front of the truck burning. I started pulling things out of the truck until the flames quickly spread to the inside roof interior. The fire department arrived and put out the fire but the entire front of the truck was destroyed. The dashboard and steering wheel melted completely. …
I was driving with my cruise control on. I tapped my brakes to disengage my cruise control and they locked long enough to send me into a fishtail. I over-corrected to come out of the fishtail and the Escape started rolling. The airbags never deployed even though the Escape rolled six times and was totaled while still under factory warranty. My daughter received some minor scratches on her hands. I dislocated my left thumb, broke my left shoulder in four places, snapped my left femur in half, shattered the bottom third of my left tibia, and had a hairline fracture to my right tibia just below the knee. I was also thirty-five weeks pregnant and the baby died do to trauma from the crash. The accident occurred October 7, 2008 and I am still in the hospital as I am writing this complaint on January 4, 2009. Ford refuses to come look at the Escape to figure out why the airbags never deployed.
1) accelerator pedal sticks in an upward position cannot push down to accelerate as if it is frozen. After about a half hour pushing with my foot it will releases. When stopped the pedal stick again but will release but vehicle goes in a jerking motion because it is trying to stick again this happens upon being parked or driving in the city or country it happens whenever I need to accelerate. It has started doing this within the past month but as of 11/10/17 it was completely stuck in the up position and not budging 2) electrical issues- when lights are on or anything inside the vehicle lightsaber are flickering and become slightly dim
"Takata recall" our 2006 Ford Escape has always revved up weird when pushing or holding the gas pedal,jerks and drives differnt,recently though it has died on us four times it used to have a p122 code or some code on it I will have to find receipt when auto place found it,but we were almost hit 2 times first times and luckily 3rd time I was parked infront of store with car on it died then tried dieing while trying to get it home,now I would not be sending this but I do see you have a recall for this problem!so I would like to know what can be done about this?please let me know thanks for your time.
ABS failure. The car brakes May at times lock-up without notice. Transmission failure: the transmission acts as if it's in neutral when in both forward gear or reverse. Transmission appears to be in good repair but this issue persist. This issue appears to occur from a beginning acceleration such as putting car in reverse and accelerating or putting car in drive and accelerating. This also happens when you May be stopped at a traffic light and attempt to proceed only to have the car act as if it's in neutral. This slipping in and out of gear issue seems to only happen from a take off speed.
Acceleration complaints in other Escape years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2006 Ford Escape?
NHTSA has 99 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2006 Ford Escape, 21% of the model year's 464 complaints. The component named most often is accelerator pedal (8 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2006 Ford Escape acceleration problems?
No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for the 2006 Ford Escape, though it has 3 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 2006 Ford Escape acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 70,000 miles, and 9% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 3 fires and 4 injuries and 1 death 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.