2009 Ford Escape Vehicle Speed Control Problems
Owners have filed 279 complaints with NHTSA about vehicle speed control problems on the 2009 Ford Escape, 16% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 68,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “throttle body” (51% of reports).
- 279vehicle speed control complaints
- 68,000median miles at failure
- 7mention a crash
- 0mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- $760typical repair cost reported by owners
- 46%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.
- Throttle body: mentioned in 143 of 279 complaints (51%)
- Off restarted: mentioned in 22 of 279 complaints (8%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical vehicle speed control repair on the 2009 Ford Escape at $760, and half of them between $710 and $1,250.
Based on 6 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2013), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.
At what mileage do vehicle speed control problems happen?
Based on 269 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 279 complaints, 7 mention a crash.
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 (0)
No safety recall lists vehicle speed control for the 2009 Ford Escape. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
I started to hear a grinding and cracking and popping sound I checked the vehicle and the front left ball joint is bad there is an obvious crack in the joint that is easily visible when inspecting the area of the front left wheel and itâs components
Auto credit never fixed the recalls. *tr
Highway speeds. Wrench light comes on and vehicle loses all power/throttle response. Pull off road, put vehicle in park, restart and computer seems to reset. Had been 1-2 times per year over the last couple of years and struggled to diagnose problem. Happened 8 times in 150 mile trip today.
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2009 Ford Escapes have vehicle speed control problems?
No. NHTSA has 279 owner complaints about vehicle speed control for the 2009 Ford Escape (16% of the 1,693 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 2009 Ford Escape vehicle speed control?
No recall currently lists vehicle speed control for this vehicle.
At what mileage do vehicle speed control problems start?
The median reported mileage is 68,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix vehicle speed control problems on the 2009 Ford Escape?
Owners report a typical cost of $760 (half paid between $710 and $1,250), from 6 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about vehicle speed control problems on the 2009 Ford Escape?
The most frequent phrase is “throttle body”, in 143 of 279 complaints, followed by “off restarted” (22).
Other 2009 Ford Escape problems
See all 2009 Ford Escape problems or vehicle speed control problems across all Escape years.