2006 FORD ESCAPE — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data
N/A
Safety Rating
626
Owner Complaints
5
Recalls
7
Service Bulletins
0
Investigations
Overview of the 2006 FORD ESCAPE
The 2006 FORD ESCAPE has received a total of 626 safety complaints filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). There have been 6 recall campaigns affecting this vehicle, covering issues with POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:LEVER AND LINKAGE:FLOOR SHIFT, POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:GEAR POSITION INDICATION (PRNDL), SUSPENSION:FRONT:WHEEL BEARING. 7 technical service bulletins have been issued by Ford Motor Company for this model year. The most commonly reported problems involve the Vehicle Speed Control (92 complaints), Suspension (60 complaints), and Power Train (55 complaints).
Recalls for the 2006 FORD ESCAPE
NHTSA has recorded 6 recalls for the 2006 FORD ESCAPE, potentially affecting up to 271,135 vehicles.
Recall 15V606000 — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:LEVER AND LINKAGE:FLOOR SHIFT
| 57 vehicles affected
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2001-2008 Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner vehicles manufactured March 31, 2001, to September 1, 2009. The affected vehicles are equipped with either a 2.3L or 3.0L engine and have had their CD4E transmission replaced with remanufactured one that was rebuilt between June 11, 2015 through July 15, 2015. These service repair...
Consequence: If the shift lever disengages from the transmission, a driver may be unable to shift gear positions and the indicated shift position may not represent the gear position the vehicle is in. Should a disengagement occur while the vehicle is being driven, when the driver goes to stop and park the vehicle, the gear selection indicator may show that the transmission is in the "PARK" position, but the vehicle transmission may not actually be in the "PARK" gear position. If the vehicle is not in the "PARK" position there is a risk the vehicle will roll away as the driver and other occupants exit the vehicle or anytime thereafter. A vehicle rollaway increases the risk of injury to exiting occupants and bystanders.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the transmissions and either tighten the manual shift lever bolt or replace the manual shift lever assembly. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on October 23, 2015....
View full details →Recall 15V606000 — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:GEAR POSITION INDICATION (PRNDL)
| 57 vehicles affected
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2001-2008 Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner vehicles manufactured March 31, 2001, to September 1, 2009. The affected vehicles are equipped with either a 2.3L or 3.0L engine and have had their CD4E transmission replaced with remanufactured one that was rebuilt between June 11, 2015 through July 15, 2015. These service repair...
Consequence: If the shift lever disengages from the transmission, a driver may be unable to shift gear positions and the indicated shift position may not represent the gear position the vehicle is in. Should a disengagement occur while the vehicle is being driven, when the driver goes to stop and park the vehicle, the gear selection indicator may show that the transmission is in the "PARK" position, but the vehicle transmission may not actually be in the "PARK" gear position. If the vehicle is not in the "PARK" position there is a risk the vehicle will roll away as the driver and other occupants exit the vehicle or anytime thereafter. A vehicle rollaway increases the risk of injury to exiting occupants and bystanders.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the transmissions and either tighten the manual shift lever bolt or replace the manual shift lever assembly. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on October 23, 2015....
View full details →Recall 15E045000 — SUSPENSION:FRONT:WHEEL BEARING
| 576 vehicles affected
Defect: The Timken Company (Timken) is recalling certain aftermarket front wheel bearings, part number 510072, sold from January 22, 2015, to May 21, 2015, to be used as service parts on 2001-2012 Ford Escape, 2001-2011 Mazda Tribute, and 2005-2011 Mercury Mariner vehicles. The affected wheel bearings have incorrect dimensions of a 42mm bore, 76mm outer dimension, and 39mm width, instead of...
Consequence: Use of an incorrectly sized wheel bearing can adversely affect the braking and steering of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Timken has begun notifying distributors who will offer purchasers replacement wheel bearings, free of charge. The recall began on May 21, 2015. Owners may contact Timken customer service at 1-866-984-6536.
View full details →Recall 14V526000 — HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM
| 70,209 vehicles affected
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2005-2008 Ford Escape hybrid electric vehicles manufactured October 13, 2003, to June 20, 2008, and 2006-2008 Mercury Mariner hybrid electric vehicles manufactured June 10, 2005, to June 20, 2008. The coolant pump for the hybrid system may fail resulting in the hybrid electronics overheating.
Consequence: If the hybrid electronics system overheats, it may shut down the powertrain, resulting in a stall-like condition, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the original Motor Electronics Coolant (MEC) Pump with an improved brushless pump, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin on October 27, 2014. Owners may contact Ford customer...
View full details →Recall 10E043000 — EQUIPMENT
| 294 vehicles affected
Defect: MARATHON IS RECALLING CERTAIN SEAT COVERS, BRAND SUPERHIDES WITH PART NUMBERS 593, 594, 578, 960, 228, 228-09, 267-08, 333, 625, AND 630, SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE SEAT COVERS ARE MADE OF HEAVIER THREAD AND ARE NOT COMPATIBLE WITH SEATS CONTAINING SIDE AIRBAGS. THE HEAVIER SEAT COVER COULD INTERFERE WITH FULL DEPLOYMENT OF THE...
Consequence: AN IMPROPERLY DEPLOYED AIRBAG COULD RESULT IN SERIOUS INJURY.
Remedy: MARATHON WILL NOTIFY OWNERS OF RECORD AND REPLACE THE SEAT COVER FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 14, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT MARATHON AT 1-800-735-2769.
View full details →Recall 05V520000 — VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:MOTOR
| 199,942 vehicles affected
Defect: ON CERTAIN TRUCKS, PASSENGER CARS AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, THE WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR MAY HAVE BEEN PRODUCED WITHOUT GREASE BEING APPLIED TO THE OUTPUT SHAFT GEAR.
Consequence: AFTER A PERIOD OF CONTINUOUS USE ON THE HIGH SPEED SETTING, LACK OF GREASE ON THE OUTPUT SHAFT GEAR MAY CAUSE THE GEAR TO DISTORT OR FRACTURE DURING OPERATION RESULTING IN A LOSS OF WIPER FUNCTION. INOPERATIVE WIPERS UNDER INCLEMENT WEATHER CONDITIONS COULD CAUSE A CRASH DUE TO IMPAIRED VISIBILITY.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE WIPER MOTOR FOR THE PRESENCE OF GREASE AND GREASE THE WIPER MOTOR GEARS IF NECESSARY. THE RECALL BEGAN ON NOVEMBER 22, 2005. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FORD AT 1-800-392-3673 OR LINCOLN/MERCURY AT 1-800-521-4140.
View full details →Owner Complaints for the 2006 FORD ESCAPE
626 complaints have been filed with NHTSA for the 2006 FORD ESCAPE. Below is a breakdown by vehicle component.
Most Recent Complaints
Sunroof on the vehicle just shattered. No impact related cause. Maybe heat.
Sunroof on the vehicle just shattered. No impact related cause. Maybe heat.
Sunroof on the vehicle just shattered. No impact related cause. Maybe heat.
I was driving on the highway, when the car steering started to pull to the left, and an alarm chime was heard from the dash, and a wrench light on the dash came on, as well as a service steering system soon message appeared on the message display. This happened multiple times. I contacted the local Midland Ford Dealer about this issue, as they had replaced the Electronic Rack & Pinion Assembly previously. The same dealer diagnosed the problem as a corroded electrical connection in the harness connector, to the Electronic Rack & Pinion Assembly. I was hoping that they would have covered this issue under a warranty, seeing as they replaced the Rack & Pinion, and that did not fix the original problem. I was charged $624.00 to have the problem diagnosed and the Electronic Rack & Pinion electrical harness connector replaced. The problem has not reoccurred since this repair was done. I am wondering if other 2006 or after Ford Escape vehicles have experienced this same dangerous condition?.
The idler pulley on the subject vehicle has failed numerous times, with the mounting bolt shearing at the connection to the timing cover. Upon failure of the pulley the serpentine belt will either fail or become dislodged; when this occurs the steering, alternator, and water pump all stop operating. The vehicle becomes difficult to handle due to the loss of power steering, and is subject to shutting off due to the lack of an alternator and water pump. This particular issue has happened to me on four separate occasions in the last two years; the first time occurred while operating in traffic; the subsequent occasions were noted during startup and were detected before driving. New replacement pulleys will only last approximately 4000-5000 miles before they fail. The power steering pump and air conditioning compressor have been replaced due to concerns that they could be placing extra strain on the serpentine belt, however the issue has occurred even after replacing these components. Internet research notes that this is a common problem of the 2.3L engine in the Escape and other Ford/Mercury models of the same time frame. Nobody has reported a permanent solution; later model vehicles using the same or similar issue came equipped with electric power steering, which likely reduced the load on the pulley and its undersized mounting bolt. The idler pulley on this vehicle has proven to be an Achilles heel and should have been addressed by Ford via a recall and redesigned pulley.
Safety Rating for the 2006 FORD ESCAPE
NHTSA has not yet tested the 2006 FORD ESCAPE in its New Car Assessment Program.
Technical Service Bulletins for the 2006 FORD ESCAPE
Ford Motor Company has issued 7 technical service bulletins (TSBs) for the 2006 FORD ESCAPE. TSBs are notices sent by manufacturers to their dealers describing a known issue and the recommended repair procedure.
TSB-10-18-10 — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE (TCM/PCM/TECM)
FORD/MERCURY: MIL ON WITH DTC P0351-P0356; MULTIPLE COIL PRIMARY CIRCUIT. BUILT ON OR BEFORE 10/03/05. SOME VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A 3.0L ENGINE MAY EXHIBIT A MULFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP (MIL) ON WITH TWO OR MORE DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODES (DTCS) FOR COIL ON PLUG (COP) PRIMARY CIRCUIT FAULTS. *PE
08-3-1 — SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:CONTROL UNIT/MODULE
MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP (MIL) ON WITH DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE (DTC) U2062 (HYBRID ONLY). *NJ
19536 — FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY:FILLER PIPE AND CAP
SLOW FUEL FILL DUE TO CLOGGED VENT. *KB
19026 — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
MIRFIRE DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODES P0316, P0300, P0301, P0302, P0303, OR P0304 - SERVICE TIP. *TT
04208 — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
CAMSHAFT TICK NOISE - 3.0L 4V ENGINE ONLY. *TT
0667 — EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TURN SIGNAL
TURN SIGNALS - RAPID FLASHING. *TT
052213 — VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER
WINDSHIELD WASHER INOPERATIVE - HOSE DISCONNECTED. *TT
NHTSA Investigations for the 2006 FORD ESCAPE
There are no NHTSA defect investigations on record for this vehicle.
Other Model Years of the FORD ESCAPE
- 2001 FORD ESCAPE — 1,387 complaints
- 2002 FORD ESCAPE — 1,394 complaints
- 2003 FORD ESCAPE — 736 complaints
- 2004 FORD ESCAPE — 714 complaints
- 2005 FORD ESCAPE — 2,030 complaints
- 2006 FORD ESCAPE (current)
- 2007 FORD ESCAPE — 350 complaints
- 2008 FORD ESCAPE — 2,395 complaints
- 2009 FORD ESCAPE — 2,333 complaints
- 2010 FORD ESCAPE — 3,166 complaints
- 2011 FORD ESCAPE — 1,863 complaints
Other FORD Models
- FORD F-150 — 45,660 total complaints
- FORD EXPLORER — 42,140 total complaints
- FORD FOCUS — 29,539 total complaints
- FORD FUSION — 28,243 total complaints
- FORD TAURUS — 23,867 total complaints
- FORD WINDSTAR — 19,456 total complaints
- FORD EDGE — 17,247 total complaints
- FORD MUSTANG — 11,551 total complaints