Ford Escape
Owners filed 27,307 complaints across 27 model years of the Ford Escape. The 2013 drew the most (2,749); the 2026 the fewest (3).
Model years27
Complaints27,307
Recalls223
Fires520
Deaths17
Every Ford Escape model year compared
Complaints per year| Year | Complaints | Relative volume | Recalls | Fires | Crashes | Most reported | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 3 | 2 | — | — | Engine | Routine | |
| 2025 | 23 | 9 | — | — | Electrical System | Routine | |
| 2024 | 76 | 8 | — | 5 | Electrical System | Fatalities reported | |
| 2023 | 95 | 11 | 3 | 2 | Electrical System | Routine | |
| 2022 | 231 | 19 | 4 | 7 | Fuel System, Gasoline | Above average | |
| 2021 | 343 | 19 | 9 | 9 | Structure › Body | Above average | |
| 2020 | 1,595 | 23 | 4 | 20 | Structure › Body | Above average | |
| 2019 | 586 | 3 | 3 | 24 | Engine | Above average | |
| 2018 | 1,791 | 4 | 5 | 25 | Engine | Above average | |
| 2017 | 2,678 | 4 | 15 | 39 | Engine | Above average | |
| 2016 | 1,115 | 4 | 10 | 36 | Power Train | Above average | |
| 2015 | 1,093 | 9 | 19 | 29 | Power Train | Above average | |
| 2014 | 2,083 | 16 | 103 | 47 | Engine | Fatalities reported | |
| 2013 | 2,749 | 18 | 90 | 49 | Engine | Do not drive | |
| 2012 | 598 | 2 | 3 | 37 | Fuel/Propulsion System | Above average | |
| 2011 | 1,316 | 3 | 7 | 38 | Steering | Above average | |
| 2010 | 2,069 | 5 | 3 | 29 | Vehicle Speed Control | Above average | |
| 2009 | 1,692 | 3 | 2 | 34 | Steering | Above average | |
| 2008 | 1,974 | 5 | 6 | 59 | Steering | High concern | |
| 2007 | 254 | 4 | 2 | 15 | Power Train | Fatalities reported | |
| 2006 | 464 | 5 | 9 | 16 | Vehicle Speed Control | Fatalities reported | |
| 2005 | 1,394 | 5 | 20 | 40 | Suspension | Fatalities reported | |
| 2004 | 499 | 8 | 14 | 29 | Suspension | Fatalities reported | |
| 2003 | 558 | 9 | 27 | 43 | Suspension | High concern | |
| 2002 | 1,027 | 10 | 104 | 66 | Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine › Gasoline | Fatalities reported | |
| 2001 | 996 | 15 | 58 | 76 | Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine › Gasoline | Fatalities reported | |
| 2000 | 5 | 0 | — | 1 | Air Bags › Frontal | Routine |
Which Ford Escape years should you avoid?
On raw complaint volume the 2013 is the weakest year on record, with 2,749 complaints concentrated in the engine. It carries 18 recalls.
Read these numbers with sales volume in mind. A model year that sold in huge numbers naturally accumulates more reports than a rare one, and older cars have had more years to fail. The stronger signal is the severity columns and whether the same component keeps coming up year after year.
Data: NHTSA complaint and recall files, September 2026. Complaints are unverified owner reports.