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 2009 Ford Escape owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2009 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, there was an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle then lost motive power and stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to pull over on the side of the roadway. The contact stated that there was smoke coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was turned off and the smoking ceased. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that a spring inside the piston was fractured and that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and informed of the failure but provided no additional assistance. The contact was then referred to the NHTSA Hotline to file a complaint. The failure mileage was 107,573. The VIN was not available.
The contact owns a 2009 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who determined that the failure was caused by the EGR valve. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed there was no recall coverage on the VIN for the repair. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and confirmed that the VIN was not under recall. The approximate failure mileage was 129,082.
The contact owns a 2009 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. The contact replaced the camshaft sensor himself; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the camshaft sensor and another unknown sensor had been previously replaced. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.
I was driving down the road about 35 mph and it jerked me clean off the right side of the road. Here the driver side and passenger side subframe/engine cratle is completely rotted out bad . This needs fixed before someone dies.
On several occasions my 2009 Ford escape xlt completely died as I was driving 1. On the highway at 60mph I had to pull over and restart vehicle. 2. Going through town at 30mph I had to put in neutral to restart as I was moving uphill. 3. As I was at a stop light, again putting in neutral was necessary to restart as vehicle would not move until restarted. I have not had it inspected by anyone yet as I have not had the funds to pay mechanic for service inspection. This was very scary and almost caused a serious accident on 4 out of 5 times this has occurred. On the highway I was in the fast lane to pass a semi truck with several vehicles following close behind and when my vehicle suddenly shut off no long able to move I was afraid the vehicle behind me was going to hit mine. I had no idea what was happening as that was the first time about 6 months ago. …
Vehicle will stop running instantaneously. car will restart after several seconds. No engine warning light so there are no codes to read. The frequency had increased from every few days, but now happens every time you drive.
I have had to spend over $5,000 in repairs for this vehicle and I've had it for over a year. It was listed at $6,999 at a used car dealership so I got it as is and have had issues ever since. There is no recall on my car according to the VIN# however I strongly disagree with that. When I first got it, it drove great for a week and then the problems started to arise. Every time I came to a complete stop the car would turn off completely. So I would have to put it in park and turn the key off then restart it and keep it moving a little. This kept going on for 11 months, until it turned off at a stop light and I couldn't get it to start back up. I was almost hit by traffic coming up behind me (going no less than 45 mph) because of where the car was located. Turns out the motor basically combusted from the inside out. …
Vehicle stalled and went into "limp-home" mode after accelerating from a stopped condition.("limp-home" mode is a mode programmed by Ford engineers to only allow the vehicle to move forward under limited power, generally only 1-2 MPH.) I later found out that this was due to a faulty electronic throttle body. The vehicle then stalled an additional two times about two weeks apart from the first incident. I was able to use my own OBD ii code scanner to detect the error code p2111. I found out that this component was determined to be faulty and Ford motor corporation issued an extended warranty coverage for this component. However, Ford will only replace this part if they are able to document the error code themselves on their code scanner. The problem lies in the design of this vehicle in that it won't store this particular code. …
Was driving on i80 in traffic, with the traffic speeds were roughly 35 MPH. After a short period in traffic, when I went to accelerate I noted that the engine had died. This left me unable to accelerate or do anything other than break or cruise in a very busy interstate. I then stopped the car, put it in park, cycled the key, the engine fired and the vehicle was able to complete the 10 mile drive home. This is a very dangerous scenario. And honestly it probably wouldn't be a big deal but this has happened on this vehicle in the past and is a known issue on Ford's in general. This happened with the same vehicle roughly 10 times in 2013. The engine would unexpectedly turn off, sometimes on the interstate, sometimes in my work parking lot, sometimes on a residential street. Highly unpredictable in terms of the speed or driving conditions. …
I was driving home on a 6 lane highway yesterday after work. Posted speed limit 65 MPH. My cruise control was set at 65, I was in a center lane when my vehicle made a loud clunk and the cruise control cut off and I started losing power to the car.the engine was on but pushing the gas pedal did nothing. I was trying to get out of traffic to the side of the highway with cars speeding and swerving all around me. I was petrified. I called the dealer and the car was taken for service today. They told me it was the throttle body and motor and it was on an extended warranty so I did not have to pay for it. The receipt clearly states this is recall notice 13n03. I have now read about this online and you guys are letting Ford call this a "customer service satisfaction program". Well, you should know that someone is going to be killed. …
NHTSA investigations
Electronic Throttle Body Malfunction
On February 21, 2013, the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation PE13-003 to investigate allegations of electronic throttle body (ETB) failures resulting in sudden reduction of engine power in model year (MY) 2009-2013 Ford Escape, Fusion, Mariner and Milan vehicles.
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 2009 Ford Escape?
NHTSA has 289 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2009 Ford Escape, 17% of the model year's 1,693 complaints. The component named most often is exhaust system (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2009 Ford Escape engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling recall for the 2009 Ford Escape, though it has 1 recall 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 2009 Ford Escape engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 70,000 miles, and 4% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 3 crashes, 0 fires and 0 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.