As if scary fires weren’t enough, it seems Ford is having even more problems with its Escape SUVs. This time the problem is focused on an issue with some models having sticky gas pedals — not quite ideal if you’d like to slow down your car at some point. Ford is now recalling 484,600 Escapes from 2001 to 2004 after discovering the problem.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is already on the case, after a slew of complaints recently. Including in those were 13 accidents which resulted in nine injuries and one  fatality, reports the Los Angeles Times.

The affected vehicles are from the 2001 to 2004 model years, and are left-hand drive with the 3.0-liter V-6 engine. According to Ford, the problem happens because there isn’t enough clearance between the engine cover and the cruise control cable, which can cause the throttle to stick if the driver fully or almost fully depresses the accelerator pedal. Which means if you’re the kind of driver who just loves to push the pedal to the metal, well, you might just have to stick with that until you run out of gas. Unsafe!

Customers will eventually be able to bring their cars in to Ford dealerships in order to replace a fastener — however, those parts won’t quite be ready to ship to dealers for a few more weeks. In the meantime, Ford is telling customer who are worried about sticky gas pedals to bring in their Escapes anyway to have the cruise control cable disconnected entirely and secured until a permanent fix is made.

Just last week Ford had a bit of a snafu with 2013 Escapes, announcing a recall after only 5,000 vehicles were delivered to customers. The problem? Oh, just the possibility that the engine compartment fuel line might split, leak and perhaps cause a fire if the engine is already running.

As with the previous recall, any customers with questions as to whether their vehicle is part of the recall or what steps they need to take should contact Ford at 1-866-436-7332 or the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration at 1-888-327-4236.

Pull yourself together, Escapes!

Ford recalls older Escape SUVs to fix sticking gas pedal [Los Angeles Times]

 

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