NHTSA Complaint #769808 — 2001 FORD ESCAPE

I PURCHASED THIS FORD ESCAPE IN MARCH 2001 AND HAVE HAD NOTHING BUT PROBLEMS WITH IT SINCE. ON MARCH 26 2001, TWO DAYS AFTER I RECEIVED MY NEW VEHICLE, IT WOULDN'T START. THE SAME PROBLEM OCCURRED THREE MORE TIMES IN A PERIOD OF TWO WEEKS BEFORE I BROUGHT THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALER ON APRIL 9 2001. THE DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE BATTERY WHICH WAS OBVIOUSLY DEFECTIVE. SINCE THEN I HAVE HAD NUMEROUS OTHER PROBLEMS WITH MY FORD ESCAPE. I REPORTED THAT THE THROTTLE WAS STICKING (5/17/02) AND IT WAS REPLACED, BUT IT CONTINUES TO HAPPEN. I ALSO REPORTED THAT THERE WAS A VIBRATION AND HESITATION WHEN SHIFTING GEARS AROUND 45 MPH (5/17/02). NOTHING WAS DONE AT THAT TIME TO REMEDY THE PROBLEM. I LATER (8/29/02) REPORTED THE SAME PROBLEM TO THE DEALER, BROUGHT THE VEHICLE BACK FOR SERVICE ON 9/27/02 AT WHICH TIME THE TORQUE CONVERTER WAS REPLACED. THERE IS STILL A HESITATION AND LOSS OF POWER AS I DRIVE THE VEHICLE. ALSO ON 5/11/02, THE "SERVICE ENGINE SOON" LIGHT CAME ON. THE FUEL EMISSIONS VALVE WAS REPLACED ON 5/17/02. ON 10/28/02, I REPORTED TO THE DEALER THAT MY VEHICLE ALMOST STALLED AT AN INTERSECTION ON 10/26/02 AND LATER THAT DAY IT WOULD NOT START. I ALSO TOLD THE SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE THAT THERE CONTINUED TO BE A "LOSS OF POWER" AS I DRIVE THE VEHICLE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. I BROUGHT THE ESCAPE BACK TO THE DEALER ON 10/30/02 AND THE TECHNICIAN FOUND "NOTHING WRONG" WITH THE VEHICLE FROM THE TESTS HE PERFORMED. I AM NOT SATISFIED WITH THESE RESULTS THERE IS SOMETHING OBVIOUSLY WRONG WITH THIS VEHICLE! DT