Problems · by component
2005 Ford Escape Hybrid electrical system problems
169 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2005 Ford Escape Hybrid cite electrical system, 11% of all 1,584 complaints for this model year.
Complaints
169
11% of all complaints
Crashes
0
Reported by owners
Fires
6
Reported by owners
Injuries
0
Reported by owners
What owners say about the electrical system
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2005 Ford Escape on November 25, 2025. The contact discovered a mileage and VIN discrepancy after the purchase. The vehicle was a dealer sale. At the time of purchase, the mileage was 199,500. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for a routine inspection, and the dealer informed the contact that during the diagnostic test there was another VIN was associated with the vehicle, and the mileage listed on the diagnostic test was 199,345. The other VIN linked in the diagnostic test for the vehicle was associated with a 2006 Ford Escape, and the mileage was 199,345. It was later discovered that the dealer who had sold the vehicle to the contact had purchased the vehicle in 2018, and the mileage was 199,876. The contact stated that the mileage on the reverse side of the Title was 199,876. The Police were notified; however, no assistance was provided.”
“Drove vehicle to drop off dog at sitters, started vehicle began to make u-turn and vehicle stalled. Attempted to restart, cranks but won't run. Recently purchased from used car dealer, new battery was installed, no trouble up to this point. Began checking usual problems, fuel delivery, crank pos.sensor, cam pos sensor, have no spark. Upon further research this appears to be faulty coils, spark plugs and pcm from factory but no recall has been employed. Possibility of collision during u-turn very likely. Loss of power to all systems could cause extreme risk to life at higher speeds. Ford Motor Company is aware of this problem, with the high number of similar problems in the NHTSA data base it is impossible for them not to know. The NHTSA should force Ford to fix this. If you make a product that can be dangerous if faulty, you are responsible to the public to do the right thing. I think that if the governmental agency responsible for traffic safety won't do their job then a class action lawsuit should be started. I bet I could find a good lawyer in the SF Bay area.”
“The contact owns a 2005 Ford Escape. The contact stated while his son was driving 30 MPH, the vehicle turned off inadvertently. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact's son shifted into neutral(N) and veered to the side of the road. The contact's son was able to restart the vehicle after several attempts. The contact's son then drove to his residence. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.”
“MY 2005 FORD ESCAPE V6 STALLS OUT SKIPS SPUTTERS AND MY TRUCK JERKS REALLY BAD THEN ANTI THEFT SYMBOL ON DASHBOARD COMES ON AND TRUCK SWITCHES OFF AND BACK ON IN THE MIDDLE OF HIGHWAY WITH TRAFFIC WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD .VERY DANGEROUS.ALSO MAKING A THUMPING NOISE FROM IN THE AIR INTAKE.GAS PEDAL CABLE WIRE BROKE .SO MANY PROBLEMS WITH THIS VEHICLE.I BELIEVE THERE ARE SEVERAL RECALLS.PLEASE LET ME KNOW SO THE FORD COMPANY CAN FIX WHATEVER IT IS THAT MAY BE UNDER RECALL. THANKS!”
“2005 FORD ESCAPE. PURCHASED WITH A CAR LOAN IN 2012. @ 40,000 MILES.$$ KEPT ALL REGULAR MAINTENANCE UP. $$REPLACED BATTERY & HAD $$ALL BRAKES DONE FRONT & BACK IN 2014. $$PAID OFF LOAN IN 2015, & 2016 ROLLED OVER TO 95,000 MILES.. $$HAD TO REPLACE ALTERNATOR & BATTERY & $$REDO THE BRAKES IN 2016. $$IN 2018 HAD TO REPLACE ALTERNATOR AGAIN..(NOTE: DURING ALL THESE YEARS THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS CONSTANTLY COMING ON & SHOWING 'CHECK EMISSIONS SYSTEM'.. BRINGING UP ALL SORTS OF FUEL & EMISSIONS CODES. $$REPLACED 4 DIFFERENT FUEL RELATED PARTS AS WELL). IN 2019 ALL BRAKES FAILED! & HAD A NEAR CRASH! $$HAVING TO REPLACE THE BRAKE LINES. THEN IN APRIL 2019 DRIVING AN ALASKA MOUNTAIN PASS IN A SPRING WINTER STORM! MAJOR BREAKDOWN!! LOST ALL POWER WITH NO CONTROL OF STEERING OR BRAKING.. PANEL WAS LIGHTING UP ON & OFF LIKE A CHRISTMAS TREE! ENGINE CHUGGING & SPUTTERING LIKE GETTING NO FUEL BUT ALSO NOT GETTING THE POWER TO KEEP RUNNING.. $$LEFT STRANDED 500 MILES FROM HOME. $$HAD TO GET TOWED BACK HOME! TO HAVE A PCM BURN UP! $$NEW/REMANUFACTURED PCM, $$NEW ALTERNATOR, $$NEW BATTERY, $$NEW COILS!! STILL DID NOT RUN RIGHT! CHECK ENGINE LIGHT STILL COMING ON ONLY…”
“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 FORD ESCAPE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE'S ALARM SOUNDED AFTER LOCKING THE DOORS WITH THE KEY FOB. WHEN THE CONTACT MANUALLY INSERTED THE KEY INTO THE DOOR AND TURNED IT TO THE LEFT, THE ALARM WOULD TURN OFF. WHEN THE KEY WAS TURNED TO THE RIGHT, THE ALARM WOULD SOUND. IN ADDITION, THE ALARM WOULD SOUND A HALF HOUR TO 45 MINUTES AFTER LOCKING THE DOORS. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 142,000.”
Showing 6 of 169 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 8, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.