Ford (F) is having a difficult time keeping the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration satisfied these days as the automaker's Escape model is now under investigation for unintended acceleration. The news comes just a few days after Ford recalled thousands of 2013 Escapes.

According to The Detroit News, both the Escape and the Mazda Tribute SUV are under investigation after a 17-year-old girl died in a crash in January. The NHTSA has been examining the collision since.

This is not the first time Ford has experienced issues with the popular Escape. The company recalled nearly 500,000 Escapes in 2004 because of a sticky throttle in the 2002-04 models. Mazda also recalled its nearly identical Tribute SUV at the time for the exact same reasons. The vehicles are being investigated now for similar a problem.

What's more, there are similarities between Ford's small SUV acceleration problem and Toyota's (TM) massive recalls in recent years because of a similar problem. Just this June Toyota recalled another 154,000 Lexus SUVs because of a sticky gas pedals that could cause involuntary acceleration.

Toyota may face yet another investigation following the latest recall. According to The Los Angeles Times, regulators warned the Japanese automaker that it may be investigated for whether or not it conducted the Lexus recall in a timely manner.

The constant recalls and investigations for both Ford and Toyota beg the question, how attentive are these motor companies' to the safety of those who drive their cars? Further, is Ford the new problem-child of vehicle safety and consumer loyalty?

It appears the public won't know for a while as the investigation is ongoing. For now, the Center of Automotive Safety is working to persuade the companies to recall the models .

"We ask that you exercise that moral leadership by recalling all Ford Escapes with the defective cruise control cable in the 2002-04 model years to avoid more deaths and injuries which would otherwise occur if Ford waits," Clarence Ditlow, executive at the CAS said in a letter to Ford's CEO Alan Mulally on July 10. There has been no definitive answer from the companies yet,

Meanwhile, Ford is down nearly 30% year-over-year, up nearly 1% Wednesday morning trading.

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