Ford Escape problems: recalls, complaints and what they cost

What goes wrong with the Ford Escape?

Across 11 model years sampled between 2010 and 2024, NHTSA records 99 recall entries — one campaign counts once for each model year it covers, so the number of distinct campaigns is lower — and 13,346 owner complaints for the Ford Escape. Counts track how many were sold as much as how good the vehicle is, so the useful signal is which components the complaints cluster on and which years stand out against the rest of the run.

Where complaints concentrate

Engine draws the most reports on this nameplate. That is a starting point rather than a verdict — a component can dominate because it genuinely fails or simply because it is the part owners notice. Match it against what your own vehicle is doing before spending anything.

By model year

Model years 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021 are not in this retrieval, which means no records were returned for them — not that there were none. Use the year selector above to query those years live.

Older years accumulate more complaints simply by being on the road longer, so compare a year against its neighbours rather than against the newest one.

Recent safety recalls

Recall repairs are free with no mileage or ownership limit. Take the campaign number to any franchised dealer. How recalls work.

Recall text above is abridged from the NHTSA record. Search the campaign number at nhtsa.gov/recalls for the full notice, affected VIN ranges and dealer instructions.

Source: NHTSA (US Department of Transportation), public domain, retrieved 2026-10-08. Use the year selector above for the current live figures.

How does a SUV or crossover typically fail?

Most modern crossovers are unibody cars underneath, so they inherit car failure patterns rather than truck ones — with two differences. The extra weight over the same platform works the suspension and brakes harder, and all-wheel-drive systems add transfer cases, couplings and driveshafts that a front-wheel-drive car simply does not have. Those extra driveline parts are where the segment-specific complaints concentrate.

What should I check first?

For a SUV or crossover, the systems worth ruling out before anything else are all-wheel-drive driveline noise and uneven tyre wear. Match what the vehicle is actually doing to the guide below — each one opens with a safety verdict, not a parts list.

• Clunk over bumps
• Humming rises with speed
• Grinding when braking
• Transmission slipping
• Shaking at highway speed

What is the difference between a recall and a complaint?

A recall is a defect the manufacturer must fix free of charge, forever, with no mileage limit and regardless of how many owners the car has had. A complaint is one owner’s report filed with NHTSA. One complaint is an anecdote; two hundred naming the same component is a pattern, and patterns are what you want before you buy or before you authorise a large repair. Read the complaint list by concentration, never by total — a model that sold three times as many units collects roughly three times as many complaints while being no worse.

What should I check before buying one?

On any all-wheel-drive example, check that all four tyres match in brand, model and tread depth. Mismatched rolling diameters quietly destroy couplings and differentials, and it is the single most common expensive mistake previous owners make on this segment.

Beyond that, the checks that find expensive problems are the same on any vehicle: see it started from stone cold, look under the oil cap, smell the transmission fluid, and scan it for stored and recently-cleared codes. Our used car inspection checklist walks through each one, and why cars fail explains how systemic defects emerge in the first place.

Questions people ask