2004 Ford Escape

Family: Escape · filed with NHTSA as ESCAPE

Summary

In its first three years the 2004 Escape drew 60 complaints — 0.5× the median of its generation (2001–2007). It is among the least-complained-about years of this generation.
These are complaint counts, not failure rates: they are not divided by how many cars were sold, because no public source reports U.S. sales by model year.
Complaints are spread across systems: the largest, Suspension, holds 31% of the 492 that name a component.
8 recalls filed for this model year.
6 federal defect investigations cover this model year.

At a glance

Owner complaints: 499
Recalls: 8
Investigations: 6
NCAP overall: Not rated
Combined MPG: 18–22
Annual fuel cost: $2,850–$3,450
Median mileage at complaint: 108,001 mi (n = 426)
Crashes / fires / injuries / deaths: 29 / 14 / 16 / 1

What owners report

Suspension

154 complaints · 31% of complaints that name a component · median 123,481 mi (n = 139)

Owner report COLLEGE AGE DAUGHTER RECEIVED A CAR FROM GRANDPARENTS, 2004 FOR ESCAPE GARAGED ITS ENTIRE LIFE. RECEIVED AT 88,000 MILES. OVER THE PAST FEW DAYS, NOTICED A BANGING IN TRUNK AREA. REAR PASSENGER WHEEL WELL AND SHOCK TOWER MOUNTING AREA HAS RUSTED OUT AND THE SHOCK IS "FLOATING" IN PLACE. CAR CURRENTLY ONLY HAS 109,0…

Owner report TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 FORD ESCAPE. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH, THE VEHICLE STARTED TO VEER TO THE RIGHT AND THE FRONT PASSENGER WHEEL STARTED TO MAKE A LOUD NOISE. THE CONTACT PULLED THE VEHICLE OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND DISCOVERED THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE LOWER CONTROL ARM HOUSING WAS SEVERELY CORR…

Body & Structure

138 complaints · 28% of complaints that name a component · median 120,000 mi (n = 123)

Owner report The contact owned a 2004 Ford Escape. The contact's son stated while driving at approximately 45 MPH, he lost control of the vehicle and rolled. The contact stated that her son had gone unconscious and did not remember any details. The contact arrived at the scene and saw that the vehicle had rolled into a ditch. The c…

Owner report TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 FORD ESCAPE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SUBFRAME WAS RUSTED. THERE WERE NO WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO ASHEVILLE FORD LOCATED AT (611 BREVARD RD ASHEVILLE NC 28806 828 253 2731) BUT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE CONTACT REFERENCED THE FAILURE TO NHTSA CAMPAI…

Accelerator & Cruise Control

98 complaints · 20% of complaints that name a component · median 90,000 mi (n = 81)

Owner report WHEN PRESSIG ON THE GAS PEDAL TO PASS ANOTHER VEHICLE , MY VEHICLE BEGAN TO INCRESS IN SPEED AND WOULD NOT STOP.THE PEDAL STUCK AND I HAD NO CONTROL OF THE SPEED OF THIS VEHICLE. SPEED REDUCED WHEN GEAR SHIFT PLACED IN NETURAL AND THEN WHEN SLOW ENOUGH INTO REVERSE. WHEW!!!! WIFE AND I THOUGHT WE WERE A GONNER. THIS …

Owner report UNABLE TO ACCELERATE CAR WHILE DRIVING FORWARD ON A CITY STREET. AFTER GETTING THE VEHICLE TO A SAFE LOCATION WE NOTICED THE CABLE CONNECTING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL HAD SHEARED AND COMPLETELY DETACHED FROM THE PEDAL. *TR

1% of complaints name no specific component and are left out of the shares above.

Across the generation (2001–2007)

To compare years fairly, each year is counted over the same span: complaints received up to two calendar years after its model year. A year is compared only when that span is over and it holds at least 50 complaints. Median of the comparable years: 118.

Model year	All complaints	First three years	Note
2001	996	468	most complaints
2002	1,027	418	most complaints
2003	558	121
2004	499	60	fewest complaints
2005	1,584	115
2006	720	64	fewest complaints
2007	393	45	not compared

Recalls

Whether a recall has been fixed on a specific car depends on its VIN; check it at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

15V606000 · POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:LEVER AND LINKAGE:FLOOR SHIFT | POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:GEAR POSITION INDICATION (PRNDL)

Filed 2015-09-29 · 57 vehicles

Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2001-2008 Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner vehicles manufactured March 31, 2001, to September 1, 2009. The affected vehicles are equipped with either a 2.3L or 3.0L engine and have had their CD4E transmission replaced with remanufactured one that was rebuilt between June 11, 2015 through July 15, 2015. These service repair part transmissions have a shift lever bolt that may not be properly tightened. As a result, the shift control lever could disengage from the transmission without warning.

Risk: If the shift lever disengages from the transmission, a driver may be unable to shift gear positions and the indicated shift position may not represent the gear position the vehicle is in. Should a disengagement occur while the vehicle is being driven, when the driver goes to stop and park the vehicle, the gear selection indicator may show that the transmission is in the "PARK" position, but the vehicle transmission may not actually be in the "PARK" gear position. If the vehicle is not in the "PARK" position there is a risk the vehicle will roll away as the driver and other occupants exit the vehicle or anytime thereafter. A vehicle rollaway increases the risk of injury to exiting occupants and bystanders.

Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the transmissions and either tighten the manual shift lever bolt or replace the manual shift lever assembly. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on October 23, 2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15S28.

15E045000 · SUSPENSION:FRONT:WHEEL BEARING

Filed 2015-06-03 · 576 vehicles

Defect: The Timken Company (Timken) is recalling certain aftermarket front wheel bearings, part number 510072, sold from January 22, 2015, to May 21, 2015, to be used as service parts on 2001-2012 Ford Escape, 2001-2011 Mazda Tribute, and 2005-2011 Mercury Mariner vehicles. The affected wheel bearings have incorrect dimensions of a 42mm bore, 76mm outer dimension, and 39mm width, instead of a 42mm bore, 78mm outer dimension and a 45mm width.

Risk: Use of an incorrectly sized wheel bearing can adversely affect the braking and steering of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Timken has begun notifying distributors who will offer purchasers replacement wheel bearings, free of charge. The recall began on May 21, 2015. Owners may contact Timken customer service at 1-866-984-6536.

14V165000 · STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS

Filed 2014-04-02 · 348,950 vehicles

Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2001-2004 Escape vehicles manufactured October 22, 1999, through January 23, 2004, originally sold, or currently registered in, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia. These vehicles may experience excessive corrosion at the forward attachment of the lower control arm.

Risk: A separation of the lower control arm can result in a significant loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will install a newly designed reinforcement cross-brace, 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 14S02.

12V353000 · VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:CABLES | ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

Filed 2012-07-26 · 529,719 vehicles

Defect: Ford Motor Company is recalling certain model year 2001 through 2004 Escape vehicles equipped with 3.0L V6 engines and speed control manufactured from October 22, 1999, through January 23, 2004. Inadequate clearance between the engine cover and the speed control cable connector could result in a stuck throttle when the accelerator pedal is fully or almost-fully depressed. This risk exists regardless of whether or not speed control (cruise control) is used.

Risk: A stuck throttle may result in very high vehicle speeds and make it difficult to stop or slow the vehicle, which could cause a crash, serious injury or death.

Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will repair the vehicles by increasing the engine cover clearance, free of charge. The safety recall began August 3, 2012. Remedy parts are expected to be available in mid-August 2012. Until then dealers will disconnect the speed control cable as an interim remedy, if parts are not available at the time of an owner's service appointment. Owners may contact Ford at 1-866-436-7332.

07V156000 · SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:CONTROL UNIT/MODULE

Filed 2007-04-10 · 446,460 vehicles

Defect: ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH ANTILOCK BRAKES (ABS), THE ABS MODULE CONNECTOR MAY HAVE MISSING OR DISLODGED WIRE SEALS. THIS CONDITION COULD ALLOW CONTAMINATION TO ENTER THE MODULE CONNECTOR, CREATING A POTENTIAL FOR AN ELECTRICAL SHORT.

Risk: AN ELECTRICAL SHORT MIGHT CAUSE AN ABS MALFUNCTION THAT WOULD ILLUMINATE THE ABS WARNING LIGHT, AND IN SOME CASES, THE MODULE MAY OVERHEAT RESULTING IN BURNING ODOR, SMOKE, AND/OR FIRE. THIS CONDITION COULD OCCUR EITHER WHEN THE VEHICLE IGNITION SWITCH IS IN THE OFF POSITION OR WHILE THE VEHICLE IS BEING OPERATED.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE WIRE HARNESS CONNECTOR TO THE ABS MODULE FOR MISSING OR DISLODGED WIRE SEALS, AND REPAIR OR REPLACE THE HARNESS CONNECTOR AS APPROPRIATE. THE DEALER WILL ALSO INSPECT THE CONNECTOR ON THE ABS MODULE AND REPLACE IT IF IT IS FOUND TO BE CORRODED OR DAMAGED. THE RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 23, 2007. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FORD AT 1-800-392-3673.

07E023000 · SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:MASTER CYLINDER

Filed 2007-03-29 · 13,128 vehicles

Defect: CERTAIN CARDONE MASTER CYLINDERS WITH PART NUMBERS 10-2925, 10-2987, 10-2987MZA, 10-3083, 11-3015, 11-3042, 11-3044, 11-3045, 11-3047, 11-3064, AND 11-3156, AND WITH DATE CODES LOWER THAN DCA7078 SOLD AS REPLACEMENT EQUIPMENT FOR USE ON THE VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE. THE SEAL ON MASTER CYLINDER CAN FAIL AND LEAK BRAKE FLUID.

Risk: LOSS OF BRAKE FLUID CAN RESULT IN POOR BRAKING PERFORMANCE, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH.

Remedy: CARDONE WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER TO REPURCHASE ANY DEFECTIVE MASTER CYLINDERS. THE RECALL BEGAN DURING APRIL 2007. OWNERS CAN CONTACT CARDONE AT 1-800-777-4780.

04V602000 · LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH

Filed 2004-12-20 · 262,113 vehicles

Defect: CERTAIN 2004-2005 SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES AND CERTAIN 2001-2003 SPORT UTIITY VEHICLE HAVING REAR LIFTGATE COMPONENTS SERVICED WITH 2004 EQUIVALENT COMPONENTS FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 206, 'DOOR LOCKS AND DOOR RETENTION COMPONENTS.' THE REAR LIFTGATE LATCHING SYSTEM DOES NOT MEET THE INERTIA LOAD REQUIREMENT IN ONE DIRECTION.

Risk: IF THE LIFTGATE IS LEFT UNLOCKED, THERE IS THE POTENTIAL THAT IT MAY OPEN DURING A CRASH.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE REAR LIFTGATE LATCH RELEASE ROD, THE RELEASE ROD ATTACHMENT CLIP AND THE DOOR HANDLE RETURN SPRING. THE RECALL BEGAN ON MARCH 31, 2005. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT FORD AT 1-800-392-3673.

04V574000 · VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:CABLES

Filed 2004-12-07 · 470,245 vehicles

Defect: ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES BUILT WITH 3.0L V6 ENGINES, THE ACCELERATOR CABLE MAY PREVENT THE THROTTLE FROM RETURNING TO THE IDLE POSITION.

Risk: AN UNEXPECTED INCREASE IN ENGINE IDLE SPEED MAY INCREASE STOPPING DISTANCE AND MAY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE ACCELERATOR CABLE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JANUARY 10, 2005. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT FORD AT 1-866-436-7332.

Federal investigations

Action	Component	Opened	Closed	Recall
DP12005	VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL	2012-07-17	2012-07-17
PE12019	VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:CABLES	2012-07-17	2013-02-21	12V353000
AQ10001	UNKNOWN OR OTHER	2010-11-18	2015-12-28
EA10002	SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:CONTROL UNIT/MODULE	2010-01-14	2012-02-29	12V005000
RQ09002	SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:CONTROL UNIT/MODULE	2009-04-15	2010-01-15
DP09003	SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:CONTROL UNIT/MODULE	2009-04-14	2009-04-15

DP12005: Cruise Control Cable

PE12019: Stuck Throttle

AQ10001: Fleet Vehicle Recall Completion Audit

EA10002: Engine Compartment Fire

RQ09002: ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE

DP09003: ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE

Engines and fuel economy

Version	Engine	Transmission	Drive	City	Hwy	Combined	Fuel cost / yr
Escape 2WD	2.0L 4cyl	Manual 5-spd	Front-Wheel Drive	20	25	22	$2850
Escape 2WD	3.0L 6cyl	Automatic 4-spd	Front-Wheel Drive	17	23	19	$3300
Escape 4WD	3.0L 6cyl	Automatic 4-spd	4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive	16	22	18	$3450

Fuel cost is EPA's estimate at the fuel prices of its last update, not today's.

Crash test ratings (NCAP)

Variant	Overall	Frontal	Side	Rollover
2004 Ford Escape 4-DR.	Not Rated	Not Rated	Not Rated	Not Rated

Service bulletins

Ford issued 47 service bulletins listed against this model year, most often about power train.

A bulletin tells dealers how to fix a known condition. It is not a recall and not a defect finding. Most bulletins cover several model years at once, so one listed here may not be specific to this year. The number of bulletins tracks how long and how widely a model was sold, so it is not a measure of reliability.

Date	Component	Summary
2016-09-21	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:OTHER FUEL TYPES:TURBO/SUPERCHARGER	The Powertrain Control/Emissions Diagnosis (PC/ED) manual has been revised for diagnosing electronic throttle bodies (ETBs). The ETC_ACT and ETC_DSD PIDs should not used to diagnose possible ETB concerns. The IDS has a limited refresh rate …
2016-04-21	STRUCTURE	2001-2004 Escape vehicles Safety Recall 14S02 has been issued for vehicles that are operated in high corrosion areas for an extended period, where a corrosion-related separation of the forward attachment of the lower control arm (LCA) from …
2016-04-21	SUSPENSION	Safety recall 14S02 - Corrosion at forward attachment of lower control arm - requests for recall service action
2014-08-11	SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER ARM	FORD: THE LOWER CONTROL ARM (LCA) FORWARD ATTACHMENT WILL SEPARATE FROM SUBFRAME, CAUSING DIMINISHING DIRECTIONAL CONTROL, DUE TO OPERATING IN HIGH CORROSION AREAS FOR EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME. MODEL 2001-2004 ESCAPE. *PE
2006-01-01	TRAILER HITCHES	NEUTRAL TOW CAPABILITY -- SERVICE KIT REQUIREMENTS. *TT
2006-01-01	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE:BELTS AND ASSOCIATED PULLEYS	REPLACE TIMING BELT IDLER PULLEY DURING 2.0L ZETEC ENGINE CYLINDER HEAD REPLACEMENT - SERVICE TIP. *TT
2006-01-01	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE	CAMSHAFT TICK NOISE - 3.0L 4V ENGINE ONLY. *TT
2006-01-01	POWER TRAIN	NEUTRAL TOW CAPABILITY - SERVICE KIT REQUIREMENTS. *TT
2006-01-01	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	PCM FAILURE - ELECTRICAL ACCESSORIES INTERMITTENT - INOPERATIVE. *TT
2006-01-01	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE	POSSIBLE ENGINE DAMAGE - INSTALL SPECIAL SERVICE TOOLS PRIOR TO REMOVING CRANKSHAFT PULLEY BOLT - SERVICE TIP. *TT

How to read this page

Complaint counts are not failure rates. A model that sells more cars draws more complaints, and owners file more often after news coverage or a recall. That is why this page compares a model year only with other years of the same generation, never with other models.

Each complaint is counted once, even when it names several components; a complaint that names several systems appears under each of them. Owner reports are quoted as filed and have not been verified by NHTSA or by us.

Every model year of this Escape, including the ones without a page of their own, is listed on the Ford Escape model page.

Sources

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation: complaints, recalls and investigations (bulk files, data as of 2026-10-28).
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program: crash test ratings.
U.S. EPA / DOE fueleconomy.gov: engines, transmissions and fuel economy.

MotorAlmanac is independent and not affiliated with NHTSA, EPA or any manufacturer. This page summarises public records; it is not a mechanical inspection. Before buying a used car, check its VIN for open recalls and have it inspected.