2001 Ford Escape Vehicle Speed Control Problems
Owners have filed 107 complaints with NHTSA about vehicle speed control problems on the 2001 Ford Escape, 11% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 99,405 miles. The words owners use most often: “cruise control” (13% of reports).
- 107vehicle speed control complaints
- 99,405median miles at failure
- 16mention a crash
- 8mention an injury
- 2related recalls
- 45%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Cruise control: mentioned in 14 of 107 complaints (13%)
- Throttle body: mentioned in 8 of 107 complaints (7%)
At what mileage do vehicle speed control problems happen?
Based on 63 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 107 complaints, 16 mention a crash, 5 a fire, 8 an injury.
Ford Escape vehicle speed control complaints by model year
| Model year | Vehicle Speed Control complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 Escape | 2 | 8% | 30,099 |
| 2024 Escape | 4 | 5% | 4,500 |
| 2023 Escape | 7 | 7% | — |
| 2022 Escape | 9 | 4% | 20,252 |
| 2021 Escape | 5 | 1% | — |
| 2020 Escape | 19 | 1% | 13,500 |
| 2019 Escape | 8 | 1% | 3,889 |
| 2018 Escape | 23 | 1% | 29,682 |
| 2017 Escape | 31 | 1% | 14,642 |
| 2016 Escape | 32 | 3% | 22,000 |
| 2015 Escape | 14 | 1% | 78,700 |
| 2014 Escape | 42 | 2% | 54,000 |
| 2013 Escape | 92 | 3% | 57,500 |
| 2012 Escape | 70 | 12% | 43,050 |
| 2011 Escape | 245 | 19% | 45,000 |
| 2010 Escape | 558 | 27% | 52,000 |
| 2009 Escape | 279 | 16% | 68,000 |
| 2008 Escape | 175 | 9% | 76,500 |
| 2007 Escape | 40 | 16% | 75,500 |
| 2006 Escape | 99 | 21% | 70,000 |
| 2005 Escape | 149 | 11% | 85,500 |
| 2004 Escape | 98 | 20% | 90,000 |
| 2003 Escape | 90 | 16% | 87,450 |
| 2002 Escape | 100 | 10% | 85,000 |
| 2001 Escape | 107 | 11% | 99,405 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (2)
Vehicle speed control:cables; engine and engine cooling
Problem: Ford Motor Company is recalling certain model year 2001 through 2004 Escape vehicles equipped with 3.0L V6 engines and speed control manufactured from October 22, 1999, through January 23, 2004. Inadequate clearance between the engine cover and the speed control cable connector could result in a stuck throttle when the accelerator pedal is fully or almost-fully depressed. This risk exists regardless of whether or not speed control (cruise control) is used.
Risk: A stuck throttle may result in very high vehicle speeds and make it difficult to stop or slow the vehicle, which could cause a crash, serious injury or death.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will repair the vehicles by increasing the engine cover clearance, free of charge. The safety recall began August 3, 2012. Remedy parts are expected to be available in mid-August 2012. Until then dealers will disconnect the speed control cable as an interim remedy, if parts are not available at the time of an owner's service appointment. Owners may contact Ford at 1-866-436-7332.
Vehicle speed control
Problem: Vehicle description: sport utility vehicles equipped with speed control. The speed control cable can have a cracked or missing speed control cable servo cap locating tab. The locating tab could enter the servo clutch cavity and interfere with the speed control servo clutch. Also, water could enter those units that contain a cracked or missing servo cap locating tab, eventually causing corrosion that could interfere with the function of the speed control.
Risk: If either of these conditions occurs and the speed control is used, the speed control could prevent the throttle from returning to idle, resulting in a stuck throttle. A stuck throttle could result in a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the speed control cables. Vehicles with speed control cables from cavities 3 and 4 will have the cable the speed control servo replaced.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
I tried to speed up getting on the highway and it would not accelerate passed 60 mph and shift down and stalled out. When i let off the gas it does not slow down on its own. It backfires. *tr
I bought this vehicle used recently. This didn't happen until it got cold but, the gas pedal sticks when i am driving making it extremely hard to stop even if my vehicle had been warmed beforehand. The vehicle has done this more than once. The most notable ones were when i was driving to work on…
Tl* the contact owned a 2001 ford escape. The contact stated that the vehicle was included in nhtsa campaign numbers: 12v005000 (service brakes, hydraulic), 12v353000 (engine and engine cooling), and 14v165000 (structure, vehicle speed control). The contact did not receive any recall notifications…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2001 Ford Escapes have vehicle speed control problems?
No. NHTSA has 107 owner complaints about vehicle speed control for the 2001 Ford Escape (11% of the 996 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2001 Ford Escape vehicle speed control?
Yes: 2 safety recalls list vehicle speed control. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
At what mileage do vehicle speed control problems start?
The median reported mileage is 99,405 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about vehicle speed control problems on the 2001 Ford Escape?
The most frequent phrase is “cruise control”, in 14 of 107 complaints, followed by “throttle body” (8).
Other 2001 Ford Escape problems
See all 2001 Ford Escape problems or vehicle speed control problems across all Escape years.