Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (service brakes, ABS, rotors and pads, parking brake).
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).
Well to put it lightly my rear axial the whole rear end is a mess this did not happen from normal were there is not that many miles I am very confident that if I was mot train on how to control a car if it were to go out of control at a high speed this would be a whole different story just thank how many are still on the road this year 2006 escape is a ticking time
About a week after i bought this car and i bought it used but the abs light came on i took it to have it check out and was told the complete suspendtion system front and back was shot and that it all had to be fix i don't have the money for that i am a disabled veteran and i am scraping by as it is
Driving down a street in my neighborhood when the brakes failed. In previous occurrences I was told that the calipers froze up and that the brakes would make a grinding noise. Also the computer system on the vehicle would never record the proper amount of fuel in the tank or at times engage the brakes. I am not a professional but I know this vehicle did have issues. The vehicle was in motion on a city street and when I applied the brakes nothing happened. Upon impact it appeared I hit the steering wheel before the airbag deployed. I had my seat belt on. I have driven down that city road thousands of times but it appeared this time there was a issue with he vehicle that caused this accident. Injuries were airbag related.
Tl* the contact owned a 2006 Ford Escape. While driving 62 MPH over a pothole, the brakes seized and the vehicle skidded sideways. The vehicle struck the barriers on the side of the highway and spun around twice before stopping, facing the opposite direction. The driver's side and window were smashed in and the alignment was damaged. The vehicle was totaled. A police report was filed and there were no injuries. The vehicle was towed to a friend's business. The manufacturer was contacted and provided a case number. The dealer had not been contacted. The cause of the failure was not determined. The failure mileage was 36,000.
On 12/23/14, vehicle cut out after backing out of parking to enter moving traffic on highway. The second time it cut out,12/24/14, the vehicle was being driven down the roadway. That time, the vehicle sputtered, sounded like a winded horse, running on three legs. My car was always well maintained, including oil changes every 3,000 miles, transmission flushes every year, fuel injection cleaning every other year. With the double timing chain, I was assured at purchase, that they rarely break. I could not understand what had caused this. Then, I am told it is a PCM failure caused by spark plugs , coils, that were not compatible with the PCM, or where the resistor was ineffective to combat the feedback from the coils/ spark plugs, and therefore caused the computer to shut down three cylinders of my engine. …
While driving (not braking) the car on an interstate highway for about one hour, the ABS and brake lights illuminated on dash along with the message "service brake system" and a ping sound. When brakes were next applied they had become very soft and not as responsive. I pulled into a safe area and turned the ignition off. After waiting a few minutes, the car was restarted and all of the above mentioned lights and messages were gone and the brakes were working correctly. Continued to drive again and the message didn't reoccur for several hours. The problem has happened several more times on both highways and rural roads and always fixed by turning the car off and letting it sit for a couple of minutes. The problems don't initiate when we are actually braking. Took the car to our Ford dealers service department where they ran a diagnostics test. …
While driving at lower speeds and city speeds, ABS light come on with service brake system message appears while driving and turning. Braking is tough and barely stops even with hard foot pressure on pedal. This is an ongoing problem that intermittently happens. Once you let the car sit for awhile (since you are scared of driving it), the braking system resets and problem is not seen for months...until it occurs again. Inquiries to Ford about problem estimate the cost of replacing cylinder, hcu, and bleeding brakes far exceeds the value of vehicle. Annoying as this brake problem was identified as a weakness of this car's braking system as far back as 2005! Why does Ford not recall and fix a known problem in a timely manner? May have to scrap an otherwise excellent working vehicle because it is unsafe to drive and unsafe to fellow drivers since it May not reliably stop.
Since I have had this Ford Escape 2006 I have it has been in the shop for brakes tire pressure light steering pumps broken and the most in two months I had two accidents because brakes will stop and then release. I keep up on the maintenance which requires brakes check my complaints and after the first they accident in March we asked Ford to check brakes the said it was fine less than a month later another accident same thing brakes stop and release we took it back in and the master cylinder had been broken I have children I drive children and this could definitely have hurt us or someone else my car is nothing but trouble and dangerous actually the body shop said it was broken before. The dealers conveniently say I did not complain but all service checks my brake drums are check I complain of parking brake and excessive noise.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH when they attempted to brake the vehicle due to needing to come to an abrupt stop, however, the vehicle failed to immediately brake. Instead, the vehicle veered to the left towards the concrete barrier in the middle of the freeway. The contact then attempted to counter steer the vehicle. Fortunately, the vehicle stopped just before hitting another vehicle. The contact took the vehicle to a certified mechanic who diagnosed that the subframe had rusted and needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and informed the contact that the recall that related to their failure was NHTSA campaign number: 14V165000 (structure). The approximate failure mileage 139,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Ford Escape. While driving 45 MPH and depressing the brake pedal, the service brake system warning indicator illuminated. The brake pedal traveled to the floorboard and the vehicle failed to stop. The contact had to apply the emergency brake to stop the vehicle. The contact powered off the engine. The vehicle was restarted, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence and was later taken to hertrich Ford Lincoln (1427 bay rd, milford, de 19963, [phone]) where it was diagnosed that the ABS hydraulic control unit needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the repair fees. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not under warranty. The approximate failure mileage was 107,405.
Brake complaints in other Escape years
Frequently asked questions
How common are brake problems on the 2006 Ford Escape?
NHTSA has 68 complaints about the brakes of the 2006 Ford Escape, 15% of the model year's 464 complaints. The component named most often is antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip (3 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2006 Ford Escape brake problems?
No. NHTSA lists no brakes 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 brake problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 75,000 miles, and 13% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 4 crashes, 0 fires and 3 injuries to brakes 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.