The 2006 Ford Escape Hev has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 6,164 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 48 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the electrical system. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
POWER TRAIN06V3820002006-10-056,164 affected
Defect
ON CERTAIN FRONT WHEEL DRIVE HYBRID VEHICLES, THE INTERMEDIATE SHAFT MAY NOT HAVE BEEN PROPERLY HEAT TREATED AND MAY FRACTURE WHILE THE VEHICLE IS BEING DRIVEN.
Consequence
IF A FRACTURE OCCURS, THE POWERTRAIN WILL LOSE THE ABILITY TO TRANSMIT TORQUE TO THE DRIVE WHEELS AND THE TRANSMISSION WILL NOT HOLD THE VEHICLE STATIONARY WHEN PLACED IN THE PARK POSITION, WHICH COULD RESULT IN A CRASH.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE DRIVETRAIN INTERMEDIATE SHAFT AND REPLACE IT IF NECESSARY. THE RECALL BEGAN ON OCTOBER 23, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FORD AT 1-800-392-3673.
Complaints by component
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
8
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
8
SERVICE BRAKES
7
STEERING
4
ENGINE
2
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
2
SUSPENSION
2
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL
1
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL:AUTOMATIC (ASC)
1
1crashes
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM
1
Total complaints48
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“My son and I were leaving a parking lot when suddenly and without warning the power steering went out. I got a warning chime and the wrench light came on with the message "service pwr steering" on the dash. Luckily (I thought) I was near a auto parts place so I slowly drove there. I pulled in,…”
“Driving on city street when "service brake system" message was displayed as well as abs and brake lights on dash. Vehicle had no brakes and emergency brake had to be used to stop vehicle.”
“I was driving on the 495 beltway (approx 55mph) in the right lane when suddenly my car lost power and the fail safe message appeared saying stop the car immediately. Fortunately, I was able to take a nearby exit off the beltway without injuring myself or someone behind me and causing a multiple…”
“I was driving on the 495 beltway (approx 55mph) in the right lane when suddenly my car lost power and the fail safe message appeared saying stop the car immediately. Fortunately, I was able to take a nearby exit off the beltway without injuring myself or someone behind me and causing a multiple…”
“I was driving my ford escape and I started to hear a banging noise come from my right rear tire. To later find out that it is my strut tower is rusted out. It is ridiculous that so many people have the same problem and that ford has not done anything to fix the matter, it is irresponsible.I…”
“Our ford escape engine stopped suddenly on the highway. We brought it to cypress coast ford lincoln in seaside california. I had not received a recall notice from ford about the recall, but upon researching the symptoms online, I found out about the recall and informed the service advisor at…”
“***door ajar/car alarm/dome light/ issues*** 5/18/15 2006 ford escape xlt 4wd 3.0l 6 cylinder has intermittent false door ajar/car alarm/dome light issues all three symptoms caused by faulty door latch sensors. The suspect part has a temperature coefficient. That is to say when you park your car,…”
“Wife and I were enroute home from vero beach, fl traveling west on fl hiway 60 about 10 miles east of the fl turnpike around 8:30 am. Traveled over short stretch of repaved road. At that time heard beep, noticed red brake light and amber abs light on. Cruise control on moving 60 mph. Tried brakes,…”
Defect investigations
InvestigationDP12006 Opened 2012-10-02 · closed 2013-02-21
Electronic Throttle Body Malfunction
In a letter dated August 30, 2012, The North Carolina Consumers Council (NCCC) petitioned the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to initiate a defect investigation of alleged electronic throttle body failures resulting in engine stall or surge while driving in model year (MY) 2005 through 2012…
InvestigationDP22005 Opened 2023-01-27 · closed 2023-08-07
Pedestrian alert sounds
NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for…
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2006 Ford Escape Hev as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.