Ford Escape 2001–2026
Summary
- 26 model years in 4 generations, 29,474 owner complaints in total.
- Within their own generation, 2001, 2002, 2011, 2013 and 2017 drew the most complaints in the first three years.
- 2004, 2006, 2009, 2019 and 2023 drew the fewest complaints of their generation over the same span.
- 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.
- Half of the complaints that give a mileage were filed by 78,000 miles (18,794 of them give one).
- Owners reported 831 crashes, 535 fires, 713 injuries and 17 deaths across these model years.
- 103 recalls and 25 federal investigations cover these model years; 2 investigations are still open.
2001–2007
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 | Most reported system | Note |
|---|
| 2001 | 996 | 468 | Engine | most complaints |
| 2002 | 1,027 | 418 | Engine | most complaints |
| 2003 | 558 | 121 | Body & Structure | |
| 2004 | 499 | 60 | Suspension | fewest complaints |
| 2005 | 1,584 | 115 | Suspension | |
| 2006 | 720 | 64 | Brakes | fewest complaints |
| 2007 | 393 | 45 | Brakes | not compared |
Engine is the largest group in 2 of the 6 compared years.
2008–2012
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: 168.
| Model year | All complaints | First three years | Most reported system | Note |
|---|
| 2008 | 2,417 | 227 | Steering | |
| 2009 | 1,846 | 90 | Steering | fewest complaints |
| 2010 | 2,129 | 168 | Accelerator & Cruise Control | |
| 2011 | 1,355 | 451 | Steering | most complaints |
| 2012 | 619 | 123 | Fuel & Propulsion | |
Steering is the largest group in 3 of the 5 compared years.
2013–2019
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: 141.
| Model year | All complaints | First three years | Most reported system | Note |
|---|
| 2013 | 2,758 | 389 | Engine | most complaints |
| 2014 | 2,089 | 193 | Engine | |
| 2015 | 1,133 | 104 | Powertrain | |
| 2016 | 1,172 | 141 | Powertrain | |
| 2017 | 2,702 | 221 | Engine | most complaints |
| 2018 | 1,822 | 110 | Engine | |
| 2019 | 599 | 71 | Engine | fewest complaints |
Engine is the largest group in 5 of the 7 compared years.
2020–2026
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: 193.
| Model year | All complaints | First three years | Most reported system | Note |
|---|
| 2020 | 1,910 | 197 | Body & Structure | |
| 2021 | 498 | 189 | Body & Structure | |
| 2022 | 386 | 203 | Engine | |
| 2023 | 139 | 86 | Electrical System | fewest complaints |
| 2024 | 88 | 88 | Electrical System | not compared |
| 2025 | 31 | 31 | Electrical System | not compared |
| 2026 | 4 | 4 | Engine | not compared |
Body & Structure is the largest group in 2 of the 4 compared years.
Every model year
A model year gets its own page when four sources cover it, it holds at least 50 complaints, and it either compares with the other years of its generation or shows one system in 40% or more of the complaints that name a component. The rest are listed here with their figures.
| Model year | Complaints | Recalls | Investigations | Bulletins | Combined MPG | Page |
|---|
| 2001 | 996 | 15 | 11 | 158 | 18–23 | yes |
| 2002 | 1,027 | 10 | 10 | 109 | 18–22 | yes |
| 2003 | 558 | 9 | 8 | 72 | 18–22 | yes |
| 2004 | 499 | 8 | 6 | 47 | 18–22 | yes |
| 2005 | 1,584 | 5 | 3 | 84 | 17–29 | yes |
| 2006 | 720 | 6 | 2 | 43 | 19–29 | yes |
| 2007 | 393 | 4 | 3 | 30 | 19–30 | listed here |
| 2008 | 2,417 | 5 | 4 | 47 | 19–32 | yes |
| 2009 | 1,846 | 3 | 4 | 50 | 20–32 | yes |
| 2010 | 2,129 | 5 | 5 | 53 | 20–32 | yes |
| 2011 | 1,355 | 3 | 5 | 53 | 20–32 | yes |
| 2012 | 619 | 2 | 3 | 49 | 20–32 | yes |
| 2013 | 2,758 | 18 | 4 | 158 | 24–26 | yes |
| 2014 | 2,089 | 16 | 2 | 146 | 24–26 | yes |
| 2015 | 1,133 | 9 | 2 | 127 | 23–26 | yes |
| 2016 | 1,172 | 4 | 0 | 176 | 23–26 | yes |
| 2017 | 2,702 | 4 | 0 | 249 | 23–26 | yes |
| 2018 | 1,822 | 4 | 0 | 173 | 23–26 | yes |
| 2019 | 599 | 3 | 0 | 128 | 23–26 | yes |
| 2020 | 1,910 | 25 | 3 | 293 | 26–41 | yes |
| 2021 | 498 | 21 | 3 | 229 | 26–41 | yes |
| 2022 | 386 | 21 | 3 | 172 | 26–41 | yes |
| 2023 | 139 | 13 | 0 | 208 | 26–40 | yes |
| 2024 | 88 | 10 | 0 | 165 | 26–39 | yes |
| 2025 | 31 | 10 | 0 | 92 | 26–40 | listed here |
| 2026 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 33 | 26–40 | listed here |
What owners report across all years
| System | Complaints | Share | Median mileage |
|---|
| Engine | 9,774 | 35% | 73,000 mi |
| Powertrain | 4,842 | 17% | 68,955 mi |
| Steering | 4,230 | 15% | 107,323 mi |
| Electrical System | 2,829 | 10% | 68,000 mi |
| Fuel & Propulsion | 2,705 | 10% | 63,800 mi |
Shares are over complaints that name a component; a complaint naming several systems is counted under each.
Engine
Owner report I have a 2019 Ford Escape. With the EcoBoost 1.5-liter engine. The engine has a well-documented engineering defect that causes coolant intrusion into the cylinders. And ultimately engine failure. Ford created a customer assistance program to deal with this. Its limits are seven years and 84,000 miles. My vehicle is 7 1…
Owner report We received an "engine failure- service now" error message on our vehicle and our mechanic told us it is a known issue with this year, make,model, engine and to take it to the dealership for repair. The dealer, and Ford Motor Company said though the recall is for 2017-2019 Ford Escape EcoBoost engines and for the EXACT…
Powertrain
Owner report I was driving to work and the transmission faltered, grinded, tried to shift, and I thought the vehicle was going to crash. There were cars around me, and I was going about 30 to 35 miles per hour. I was able to pull over and turned off the car. I then drove it to an auto shop and the mechanic stated that it is the tra…
Owner report Engaging & disengaging while parked and turned off. Lost of power while driving. Check engine light & wrench came on. Tried to get dealer to diagnose but they didn’t understand me with the engaging. Taking on dealer today’s for both issues. It went from about 50 mph to 25 mph
Steering
Owner report The steering wheel assist failed when I turned the car on to leave work. I had to get it towed to a car repair shop and they told me the entire steering rack had to be replaced because the assist is built into the rack.
Owner report [XXX]. We were pulling away from the gas pump with our children and the steering wheel suddenly stiffened on my husband and we almost hit another car! There was absolutely no warning and it was a scary experience. This should be fixed and it known issue. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (…
Largest recalls
| Campaign | Component | Filed | Vehicles |
|---|
| 22V413000 | POWER TRAIN:SHIFT LINKAGE/CABLE/ROD | POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:GEAR POSITION INDICATION (PRNDL) | 2022-06-10 | 2,925,968 |
| 20V331000 | LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH | 2020-06-08 | 2,147,323 |
| 16V643000 | LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH | 2016-09-06 | 2,046,297 |
| 25V695000 | BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA | 2025-10-13 | 1,448,655 |
| 25V315000 | BACK OVER PREVENTION:SOFTWARE | 2025-05-09 | 1,076,138 |
Whether a recall has been done on a specific car depends on its VIN; check it at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Open investigations
| Action | Component | Opened | Subject |
|---|
| AQ22002 | FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP:CONTROL/DRIVE MODULE | 2022-06-03 | Healey Brothers Ford / Open Recall Sale |
| RQ21002 | BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA | 2021-08-03 | Rearview Camera FMVSS 111 Noncompliance |
Service bulletins
Ford issued 3,144 service bulletins covering these model years, most often about electrical system.
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 a bulletin listed here may not be specific to one 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 |
|---|
| 2026-10-14 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | This bulletin supersedes 26-2297. Reason for update: Add 2022-2025 Transit vehicles. Some of the vehicles listed in the model statement above equipped with SYNC4 may experience a blank center display screen or black center display screen af… |
| 2026-10-06 | POWER TRAIN | For 20222026 vehicles equipped with a 8F35 transmission, a revision to the Road Testing Vehicle procedure has been made in the WSM, Section 307-01 > Diagnosis and Testing. This updated procedure improves the diagnosis of customer reported … |
| 2026-10-02 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 2023-2026 Escape and 2025-2026 Bronco Sport vehicles equipped with a 1.5L EcoBoost engine may require removal of the turbocharger wastegate control actuator linkage for various reasons. The Workshop Manual (WSM), Section 303-04 Fuel Chargin… |
| 2026-09-29 | FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | This bulletin supersedes 25-2326. Reason for update: update the service procedure to include the fuel tank isolation valve replacement, update the causal part number, and increase the labor time allowance to include the fuel tank isolation … |
| 2026-09-16 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Quality improvements include: -Addresses a bug that may cause updates to fail |
| 2026-09-09 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Quality improvements include: -ePrivacy enhancements |
| 2026-08-28 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Customer Satisfaction Program 26N15 Certain 2020-2026 Model Year Escape and 2021-2026 Model Year Corsair Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV) – High Voltage Battery Replacement |
| 2026-08-22 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | For Various Ford and Lincoln vehicles, if diagnostics lead to the replacement of the front seat cushion cover J-clips, lower-level service parts are now available. Use service part W709919-S901 if the J-clip is completely detached from the … |
| 2026-08-18 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Customer Satisfaction Program 25M03 Certain 2020-2025 Model Year Escape, 2021-2025 Model Year Corsair and 2022- 2025 Model Year Maverick Vehicles equipped with a 2.5L Hybrid or Plug-In Hybrid engine - Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) Differe… |
| 2026-07-23 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 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 instrument panel cluster (IPC) while the charg… |
How to read this page
Complaint counts are not failure rates. A model that sells more cars draws more complaints, and owners file more after news coverage or a recall. That is why years are compared only with other years of the same generation, over the same span, and never with other models.
Sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation: complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer communications (data as of 2026-10-28).
- U.S. EPA / DOE fueleconomy.gov: engines and fuel economy.
This page summarises public records; it is not a mechanical inspection.