Ford Escape

Where it stands out against its peers

• Engine: more complaints than 91% of 2013 cars — 46% of its 2,748 complaints, where an ordinary 2013 car has 21%.
• Engine and engine cooling: more complaints than 95% of 2013 cars — 6% of its 2,748 complaints, where an ordinary 2013 car has 1%.
• Latches/locks/linkages: more complaints than 90% of 2013 cars — 2% of its 2,748 complaints, where an ordinary 2013 car has 1%.

Same model year only, at least 30 peer cars, zeros included. Every car has a worst part; this shows which, and how far from ordinary it is. A high share means more to check, not a verdict.

Before you buy one

Built from what this car fails on, not from general knowledge of the model.

• ENGINE — 803 owners reported this, 2 involving a crash, 41 involving a fire
• STEERING — 256 owners reported this, 4 involving a crash
• POWER TRAIN — 224 owners reported this, 7 involving a crash
• ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING — 143 owners reported this, 2 involving a fire
• ELECTRICAL SYSTEM — 104 owners reported this, 1 involving a crash, 4 involving a fire
• FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM — 83 owners reported this, 4 involving a fire
• ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE — 73 owners reported this, 4 involving a fire
• POWER TRAIN,ENGINE — 65 owners reported this, 1 involving a crash, 3 involving a fire
• ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM — 58 owners reported this, 2 involving a fire
• STRUCTURE — 54 owners reported this, 1 involving a crash
• LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES — 50 owners reported this, 1 involving a crash

Crash test

Crash-tested by NHTSA, the American road safety agency.

Specification

Recalls

Filed by the manufacturer with a regulator. A recall is repaired free of charge, whoever owns the car now.

3% of 2022 cars have more recall campaigns than this one, and an ordinary one has 3. More of them means more to check the service record for, not a worse car.

• Do not drive

  12V336000

  If this leak occurs in the presence of an ignition source, there is an increased risk of a fire and/or personal injury.

  Ford will notify and instruct owners to stop driving their vehicles and contact a Ford or Lincoln dealer to arrange pick-up of their vehicle. Customers will be provided with a rental vehicle if needed. The dealer will replace the engine compartment fuel line, free charge. The recall began on August 10, 2012. Owners may contact Ford at 1-866-436-7332.

• 12V319000

  THE REDUCED CLEARANCE MAY RESULT IN THE DRIVER?S FOOT CONTACTING THE SIDE OF THE BRAKE PEDAL WHILE TRANSFERRING THE FOOT FROM THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL TO THE BRAKE PEDAL, INCREASING STOPPING DISTANCES AND THE RISK OF A CRASH.

  FORD WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL REMOVE THE CARPET PADDING AND LEFT-SIDE CONSOLE TRIM PANEL REPLACED WITH A NEW PANEL, FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 20, 2012. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FORD AT 1-866-436-7332.

• 12V431000

  As leaking engine coolant evaporates on the hot engine, the glycol may ignite causing an engine compartment fire.

  Ford will notify owners, and dealers will seal the existing plug and add a secondary plug cover, free of charge. The safety recall began on September 11, 2012. Owners may contact Ford at 1-866-436-7332.

• 12V551000

  If flammable engine fluids come in contact with the vehicle’s hot exhaust system, a vehicle fire could occur.

  Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the engine for coolant system leaks and reprogram the vehicle’s powertrain control module and instrument cluster with an updated calibration and overheat strategy software. There will be no charge to owners for this service. Owners were recently notified to contact dealers to arrange for alternative transportation as Ford developed a remedy. Owners will be shortly receiving notifications to contact Ford dealers to schedule the free remedy repair. Owners may contact Ford Motor Company Customer Relationship Center at 1-866-436-7332.

• 13V085000

  The operator may incorrectly believe the child lock is engaged. However, the door may be opened from the inside, increasing the risk of injury to an unrestrained child.

  Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the affected rear door latches, and replace them as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on March 27, 2013. Owners may contact Ford Motor Company Customer Relationship Center at 1-866-436-7332.

• 13V583000

  Leaking engine oil may come into contact with a hot engine surface potentially resulting in an engine compartment fire.

  Ford will notify owners, and dealers will modify the engine shielding, cooling and control systems, free of charge. An interim notice will be mailed to owners during January 2014. The recall began on April 9, 2014. Owners may contact Ford at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's recall number is 13S12.

• 13V584000

  A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source may result in a fire.

  Ford will notify owners and dealers will inspect the engine compartment fuel line, and if necessary, replace it, free of charge. An interim notice will be mailed to owners during January 2014. The recall began on April 9, 2014. Owners may contact Ford at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's recall number is 13S12.

• 14V164000

  The back of the subject seats may become loose or lean while driving and potentially increase the risk of injury in certain crashes.

  Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the seatback, free of charge. The recall began on May 30, 2014. Owners may contact Ford at 1-800-392-3673. Ford's number for this recall is 14C03.

56 more campaigns have been filed against this model. A dealer can check by VIN which apply to one car.

Regulator investigations

Opened by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. An investigation is a question the regulator asked about a possible defect, not a fault it found — most end without a recall.

• Underhood fires caused by fuel leak

  Recall query, opened April 2024, closed October 2025.

• Failed Door Check Arm Attachment Point

  Preliminary evaluation, opened July 2023, closed January 2024.

• Pedestrian alert sounds

  Defect petition, opened January 2023, closed August 2023.

• Healey Brothers Ford / Open Recall Sale

  Audit query, opened June 2022, still open.

• Rearview Camera FMVSS 111 Noncompliance

  Recall query, opened August 2021, still open.

• Door Latch Failures

  Recall query, opened December 2019, closed February 2022.

• Loss of Motive Power

  Preliminary evaluation, opened July 2018, closed December 2024.

• Door Latch Failure

  Preliminary evaluation, opened January 2016, closed October 2016.

• Loss of power steering while driving

  Defect petition, opened April 2015, closed June 2018.

• Electronic Throttle Body Malfunction

  Preliminary evaluation, opened February 2013, closed February 2014.

• Electronic Throttle Body Malfunction

  Defect petition, opened October 2012, closed February 2013.

• Stuck Throttle

  Preliminary evaluation, opened July 2012, closed February 2013.

• Cruise Control Cable

  Defect petition, opened July 2012, closed July 2012.

• Rear Liftgate Window Glass Breakage

  Preliminary evaluation, opened April 2011, closed August 2011.

• Fleet Vehicle Recall Completion Audit

  Audit query, opened November 2010, closed December 2015.

• Engine Compartment Fire

  Engineering analysis, opened January 2010, closed February 2012.

• Engine compartment fire

  Recall query, opened April 2009, closed January 2010.

• Engine compartment fire

  Defect petition, opened April 2009, closed April 2009.

• Tire valve cracking

  Preliminary evaluation, opened October 2008, closed April 2009.

• Engine compartment fire

  Preliminary evaluation, opened October 2006, closed April 2007.

• Engine stalling

  Investigation RP, opened June 2004, closed August 2004.

• Safety belt buckle failure

  Preliminary evaluation, opened July 2003, closed December 2003.

• Engine stalling

  Engineering analysis, opened September 2002, closed April 2004.

• Engine stalling

  Preliminary evaluation, opened December 2001, closed September 2002.

• Gasoline vapor intrusion

  Recall query, opened February 2001, closed December 2001.

What the maker told its dealers

Service bulletins are the manufacturer's own repair guidance to dealers, filed with NHTSA. A bulletin is not a defect finding; the count rises with how many things a maker writes down, not only with how many go wrong.

Ford filed 26 bulletins about the 2026 Escape.

• Electrical system: 11
• Fuel/propulsion system: 6
• Power train: 4
• Engine: 2
• Back over prevention: 1
• Visibility/wiper: 1
• Other: 1

• Some 2021-2026 Ford/Lincoln vehicles may exhibit various symptoms including but not limited to the auto start/stop system not operating as intended with a "Check Charging System" message in the… · July 2026
• Quality improvements include: -Resolves SiriusXM disk memory usage · July 2026
• Some of the vehicles listed in the model statement above equipped with SYNC4 may experience a blank center display screen or black center display after welcome animation. The rear-view camera will… · June 2026
• Some 2025-2026 Escape vehicles equipped with an 8-inch IPC display (minor feature code HCAAN), may exhibit a fuel gauge showing the tank is filled to the 8th mark below full when the fuel tank is… · June 2026
• Some 2020-2026 Corsair/Escape, 2021-2026 Bronco Sport, and 2022-2026 Maverick vehicles equipped with an 8F35 transmission may exhibit a shudder condition, most noticeable at speeds below 60 mph (100… · June 2026
• Some of the following vehicles: 2025-2026 Mustang Mach-E vehicles built on or before 27-Jan-2026 2025-2026 Maverick/Bronco Sport vehicles built on or before 20-Jan-2026 2024-2026 Nautilus vehicles… · June 2026
• 2020-2026 Explorer/Escape/Corsair, 2021-2026 Bronco Sport/Bronco, 2022-2026 Maverick, 2024-2026 Mustang/Ranger/Nautilus vehicles equipped with a 2.0L or 2.3L EcoBoost engine may require removal of… · May 2026
• Some 2023-2026 Escape vehicles equipped with an 8F35 transmission may exhibit an illuminated malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) with diagnostic trouble codes (DTC) P0767, P0766 and/or P2703 stored in… · May 2026

18 more.

Grouped by NHTSA's top-level system; a bulletin filed under a sub-heading counts toward its system.