US looking at sticking throttles on Escape, Tribute SUVs DETROIT -- Federal safety regulators are investigating complaints that the throttles can stick on Ford Escape and Mazda Tribute SUVS and cause them to crash. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says in documents that the investigation includes 730,000 Escapes and Tributes from the 2001 to 2004 model years. The recalled SUVs all have six-cylinder engines. The safety agency says it has received 99 complaints about the problem. The agency says there were 13 crashes, nine injuries and one death. The throttles on the SUVs can fail to return to idle when the driver takes their foot off the gas pedal. The agency is investigating whether some of the complaints stem from repairs made on a previous recall.