I've been fighting this sticking throttle for awhile, I'll try the "clean the butterfly area of throttle body" fix and see if that works.

 

This morning before starting I took the tube off that goes from air cleaner to throttle body, cleaned the butterfly area and inside of throttle body with starting fluid and a soft rag, I didn't have carb cleaner. I did notice there was a lot of carbon buildup. After cleaning throttle responds nice and smooth, no more sticking.

 

I have a 2008 with the same problem it only does it on cold days is this a normal problem for escapes I love mine but and concern about the gas petal sticking

 

2006 Ford Escape XLS 2.3L I4
-----------------------------

At ~55,000 miles, the vehicle seemed to lag at times when the accelerator was stepped on. Later, at 85,000 miles, there was a definite "sticking" of the accelerator pedal, which led to power loss and abrupt power increase when the pedal would respond.

Eventually, it was deduced that the Throttle Body was sticking at the Butterfly Valve. When the accelerator pedal was stepped on (with the engine off), there would be creaking sounds (like a rusty hinge) coming from the throttle body itself.

The vehicle would usually have this sticking problem when it had been sitting for several hours, but then would smooth out when operating for about 15 minutes.

Anyway, the Throttle Body was removed, cleaned, reinstalled, then the vehicle was road tested. Not only did the sticky pedal feel go away, the accelerator pedal provided refreshingly smooth operation, near instantaneous results to the engine, AND produced a significant power gain when accelerating. The pedal would snap back quick like new.

The can of Throttle Body cleaner cost me < $5 US and about an hour of my time (including road testing). The Butterfly Valve had been collecting fine grime with slight coking around the edge of the valve, all due to normal wear and tear. Clean your Throttle Body every ~20,000 miles. I recommend you remove it to clean it, as opposed to spraying it down while still installed on the engine.

To remove it you will need:
1) Flat-head screwdriver.......................to loosen two hose clamps.
2) Ľ"-drive ratchet with a 3" extension...to easily remove the bolts.
3) #8 metric shallow socket...................to grip the 5 bolts.
4) Large Pliers or small Channel Locks......to pop off the throttle cable.
5) Can of Throttle Body Cleaner..............to clean the Throttle Body.
6) Several shop rags.............................to wipe the grime off T/B.
7) Ventilation....................................... to not inhale the T/B cleaner.
8) About 60 minutes..............................to remove, clean & reinstall.
9) A camera.........................................to take before and after pics!

 

In Feb 09 Ford Dealership inspected gas pedal and found throttle body sticking and cable binding replaced throttle body and cable, mileage at that time was 69,999. It's now Aug 2010 and the gas pedal is sticking again, mileage at this time is 105,000. Sounds like a defect to me. Why haven't they had a recall? Should I call the dealership or go to Ford Corporate Office?

 

Like I stated in the previous posting. I would recommend having your T/B cleaned at about every 20,000 miles to avoid getting to that point of unwanted operation.

I strongly believe that Ford has not a bad part here, but they are in my opinion at fault for not addressing this issue. They SHOULD have a checkout for this in a maintenance interval, they SHOULD INCORPORATE a maintenace procedrure in the Owner's Manual that states CLEAN THROTTLE BODY AT EVERY 20,000. The T/B is exposed to oil and fuel mists and over time this will grime up and eventually coke up, interfering with the operation of the T/B in that the Butterfly Valve will slightly grow in diameter from the coking and begin to rub heavily against the inner wall of T/B. Just like all things engine, filters are changed and oils are changed regularly, if not you would have problems.

You went from 69,999 miles to 105,000 miles. That is 35,001 miles right there. I believe they sold you a part that you didn't need, maybe two. They should have cleaned your T/B and the T/B Cable is simple, like that of a bicycle brake cable and there was probably nothing wrong with it. They call them "stealerships" for a reason.

I am with you, in the sense that I don't want a piece of junk on my car, but I think this is an easy fix and not a mechanical blunder on Ford's behalf. If you feel strongly about the T/B issue, though, see below.

Good Luck,
Peter

nThe following is right out of the Owners Manual (2006 Ford Escape XLS 2.3L I4), page 234:


REPORTING SAFETY DEFECTS (U.S. ONLY)
If you believe that your vehicle has a defect which could cause a crash or could cause injury or death, you should immediately inform the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in addition to notifying Ford Motor Company.

If NHTSA receives similar complaints, it may open an investigation, and if it finds that a safety defect exists in a group of vehicles, it may order a recall and remedy campaign. However, NHTSA cannot become involved in individual problems between you, your dealer, or Ford Motor Company.

To contact NHTSA, you may call the Vehicle Safety Hotline toll-free at
1–888–327–4236 (TTY: 1–800–424–9153); go to http://www.safercar.gov;
or write to:

Administrator
NHTSA
400 Seventh Street, SW
Washington, D.C. 20590
You can also obtain other information about motor vehicle safety from
http://www.safercar.gov.

 

My son was driving with my wife in our 2005 Escape on Thanksgiving Day, when the gas pedal failed. They were not in an accident because they were lucky to be going downhill and there was a place to pull off the road into a parking lot. But in quite a few everyday scenarios, the sudden inability to accelerate could have dire consequences, such as merging onto a highway with a tractor-trailer barreling down the road, or crossing a busy intersection where the cross-traffic doesn't have to stop.

When I looked under the dashboard, at the top of the articulating arm of the gas pedal something had broken that connects the cable to the articulating arm; the cable wasn't being engaged when the arm moved. I attached a pair of needle-nose vise grip pliers to the cable end, and drove it to the dealership. The dealership says the throttle body was binding which caused the cable to fail, and that the entire assembly must be replaced. They will have my car for about a week while waiting for parts. The bill will be over $500.

I've had all services performed by the dealership. If routine cleaning could have prevented this, then the maintenance regimen is not adequate given the assembly's apparent susceptibility to binding. If routine cleaning would not have prevented it, then the design is flawed. Either way, Ford has to take ownership of the problem. This is not something relatively "benign" like a defective door latch on a hatchback; this is a disaster waiting to happen.

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by timo

My son was driving with my wife in our 2005 Escape on Thanksgiving Day, when the gas pedal failed. They were not in an accident because they were lucky to be going downhill and there was a place to pull off the road into a parking lot. But in quite a few everyday scenarios, the sudden inability to accelerate could have dire consequences, such as merging onto a highway with a tractor-trailer barreling down the road, or crossing a busy intersection where the cross-traffic doesn't have to stop.

@timo: I'm sorry your family had to experience something like that, my wife drives around with our daughters in her Ford Escape.

The binding starts out gradually, then begins to make creaking sounds (like a rusty hinge) when the butterfly valve begins to coke over and begin to rub and bind within the throttle body venturi. This happens to all cars...some more prevalent than others, such as our Escapes. The throttle body, once thoroughly cleaned, allowed the car to perform like new.

The problem here, that there is no routine cleaning/inspection interval on these symptomatic throttle bodies, is that Ford Motor Company has not amended such a procedure in the Service intervals.

For example: There was a Volkswagen of America case where several owners filed a class action against VWoA for not including a routine cleaning/inspection of the Sun Roof gutters to prevent water from flooding into the passenger compartment. I believe VWoA settled and we VW owners with sun roofs got a procedure for cleaning/inspecting the sun roof gutters, to be placed within our Owner's manual...furthermore, any Owner who had paid to repair damage due to this type of flooding was awarded reimbursement for the repair(s) or if recently occurring, the repairs were paid for by VWoA.

That case and its outcome were possible because enough people made their voices heard. VWoA doesn't want the bad publicity and it cost them peanuts to make it right, as opposed to a ruling in the Owners’ favor.

I encourage you to make your voice heard, if you have not done so already, timo.

Do keep in mind that you can find throttle body cleaner in any auto parts store or hardware store, this is how common this issue is with many cars. However, if it occurs far too often, specifically in a Ford Escape, you are right, a design flaw should be addressed. In the aviation industry, these improvements are referred to as Service Bulletins...the option for a better/improved part is there...and if the Pre-Service Bulletin aircraft part issue is chronic, the Service Bulletin becomes mandatory per the Feds (FAA) and it is then referred to as an Airworthiness Directive (AD), and all the maintenance manuals will incorporate the new design/part number.

Ford has a lot of chassis on the roads of America…they really need to take care of their patrons.

 

I do not recall hearing any creaking while driving. Is it loud enough to be heard in the passenger compartment? Or does the hood have to be up? The car sometimes appeared to lack "oomph" when we backed out of our driveway and then put it into drive, and the pedal seemed a little harder to push down. I brought those symptoms to the attention of the dealership on more than occasion, and each time they said they could not duplicate the problem.

If cleaning/inspection at the appropriate interval fixes the sticking problem, which appears to be a consequence of the design, then the lack of such cleaning/inspection is criminal negligence. I would have no qualms whatsoever sending the CEO of Ford to the pokey if someone should lose life or limb as a result of the inadequate preventive maintenance regimen.

Sidebar: if this nation's laws recognized Shareholder Liability, we'd see such issues fixed...pronto.



I will take the ubiquity of these throttle-body cleaners as an indication that the commonly used design requires periodic preventive maintenance. That these cleaners are available retail does not shift the responsibility for doing such maintenance onto the consumer, however; it should be part of the manufacturer's maintenance regimen. I don't think you were suggesting that the responsibility is shifted onto the consumer, but one might draw that inference. God knows, Ford's defense lawyers might even try to make that specious argument. But gas caps are readily available retail too, yet that doesn't exempt manufacturers from having to supply one.

... or their patrons will take care of them, amen.

Thanks for your reply.

 

Not necessarily. The noise we experienced was audible while the engine was off, simply by pumping the accelerator, no matter the rate of depression. Honestly, at first I thought it was the linkage behind the accelerator pedal that was causing the creaking sound...so I sprayed it with WD-40, which didn't do a darn thing for it. The pedal had a bit of resistance to it, as you mentioned with yours. However, the noise was difficult to pick up while the engine was running, especially above idle engine speed. The dealership found nothing because they don't take the time to look for the root of the problem. They probably hoped in the driver's seat, turned the engine on, pumped the accelerator, and called it a fluke. Though, there are some very very good mechanics out there, dealerships run a money-making operation, period.


As I have stated, Ford Motor Company MUST, not should, MUST incorporate procedures to address these issues before they actually become a problem for us. Just like an oil change will lengthen the life of your engine or transmission, the cleaning of these Air Intake Components is cruicial to a well running engine, whether at Idle or Full Throttle. There are similarly many folks out there with Idle problems, the car runs fine until they take their foot off the accelerator...the prime culprit is the Idle Air Control Valve (essentially a bypass valve that lets air into the Air Intake Manifold while the Butterfly Valve on the Throttle Body rests in the Idle position (the Butterfly Valve is closed when the accelerator is let go). If you do a Google Search on Ford Escape (multiple year models) for Rough Idle and/or Sticking Gas Pedal, you will see that you are definitely not alone. This, to say the least, makes me quite upset...and I will tell you why.



And I agree with you. I'm not sure of your age, so let me put it this way. There was a time when Carburators and simple electrical switches were a standard on automobiles, and if you were mechanically inclined you took the initiative to save some vacation money by doing preventive work and sometimes minor if not major repair to your automobile. Today, with the advent of the more smarter, leaner, cleaner, smaller yet inversely more powerfull engine, the automobile requires a significant amount of training if not research and dedication to troubleshoot some of the formerly easy systems. I cannot expect my wife to work on her car, she just has not a single clue, but merely a cue to her confusion. I actually always had the car sent to the dealership, but after seeing the rediculous repair rates, I decided to put more work into our vehicles. However, I don't think this is for everyone. That's the part that upsets me. The system is set up to give you (the owner) the information for oil changes, filter changes, preventive maintenance, etc., but when something breaks down you feel as though only the dealership can fix your car. If the dealership is good to you, they will fix the problem right away and charge you what they quoted you. If they need to make a quota, at your expense, they shotgun parts at your car and fail to fix your problem on the first attempt in order to meet their quota with your second visit. Basically, the system is set up so that it is indeed the responsibility of the consumer to bring the automobile to the dealership when something doesn't work right. If it was designed for the consumer to do the work, they would have listed ALL of the OBD II codes within the Owner's Manual and maybe even provided an OBD II scanner with the price of the vehicle...but they do not.


There was a time when the average Joe worked on his straight-forward car, and Carburator cleaner was there to make that job easier and cheaper...nowadays, start researching.


Good luck, timo.