2025 Ford Escape

Routine

Owners filed 23 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the electrical system. It has been recalled 9 times.

What fails
ComponentReportsCrashesFiresInjuries
Electrical System5
000
Unknown or Other4
000
Engine and Engine Cooling4
000
Engine4
000
Visibility/Wiper1
000
Vehicle Speed Control1
000
Structure › Body1
000
Lane Departure1
000
Forward Collision Avoidance › Adaptive Cruise Control1
000
Air Bags1
000

9 safety recalls

Part 573 reports
Engine and Engine Cooling › Exhaust System › Emission Control › Gas Recirculation Valve (egr Valve)26V122000
Filed Mar 3, 202647,804 vehiclesFord Motor Company

Defect. Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2025 Ranger, Lincoln Nautilus, Mustang, Maverick, Explorer, Escape, Lincoln Corsair, Bronco Sport, and Bronco vehicles. The exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) valve may fail, resulting in an unexpected loss of drive power.

Risk. An unexpected loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash.

Remedy. Dealers will replace the EGR valves, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 31, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S10. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on March 4, 2026.

Seat Belts › Rear/Other › Retractor25V862000
Filed Dec 12, 2025780 vehiclesFord Motor Company

Defect. Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2025-2026 Corsair and Escape vehicles. The seat belt retractors for the left and right rear passenger seats may not be securely fastened.

Risk. An improperly secured seat belt retractor may not restrain an occupant as intended, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.

Remedy. Dealers will inspect and secure, or replace the seat belt retractor bolts, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 26, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25C68. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on December 15, 2025.

Structure › Body › Hatchback/Liftgate › Hinge and Attachments25V829000
Filed Dec 1, 2025108,762 vehiclesFord Motor Company

Defect. Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Escape and 2025 Escape vehicles. The liftgate hinge covers may not be properly secured and detach from the vehicle.

Risk. A detached liftgate hinge cover can create a distraction or a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy. Dealers will inspect and reinstall, or replace any missing liftgate hinge covers as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 3, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25SD6. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on December 3, 2025.

Electronic Stability Control (esc)25V787000
Filed Nov 14, 20252 vehiclesFord Motor Company

Defect. Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2025 Maverick and Escape vehicles. The cover for the electric brake booster's ECU may cause the printed circuit board to overheat and result in a loss of vehicle stability control systems (anti-lock braking, electronic stability control, and traction control) or a loss of brake power assist.

Risk. Loss of vehicle stability control or brake power assist can increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy. Dealers will replace the electric brake booster, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on November 28, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25SC6. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on November 17, 2025.

Engine25V372000
Filed Jun 3, 2025404 vehiclesFord Motor Company

Defect. Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2023-2025 Escape, and 2025 Bronco Sport vehicles. The cylinder head may have been improperly manufactured, which can cause the ball plugs to fail, resulting in an oil leak.

Risk. An oil leak can result in loss of drive power, increasing the risk of a crash. In addition, an oil leak in the presence of an ignition source such as hot engine or exhaust components, can increase the risk of a fire.

Remedy. Dealers will replace the cylinder head assembly as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 8, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S61.

Equipment › Electrical › Engine Block Heater25V343000
Filed May 23, 20256,781 vehiclesFord Motor Company

Defect. Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2024-2025 Lincoln Nautilus, 2023-2025 Escape, 2023 Lincoln Corsair, 2025 Lincoln Corsair, Maverick, and Bronco Sport vehicles equipped with a 1.5L or 2.0L MPC engine and an engine block heater. The engine block heater may overheat when the vehicle is parked with the block heater plugged in.

Risk. An overheated engine block heater can increase the risk of a fire.

Remedy. Dealers will replace the block heater element and inspect the electrical cord, replacing it if necessary, free of charge. Owners will also have a alternative option to replace engine block heater element with a threaded blanking plug coupled, and remove the block heater electrical cord. Owner notification letters were mailed June 9, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S52.

Back Over Prevention › Sensing System › Camera25V161000
Filed Mar 14, 20254,721 vehiclesFord Motor Company

Defect. Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2025 Escape vehicles. The rearview camera may incorrectly display an inverted image when the vehicle is in reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."

Risk. An inverted rearview camera image will not accurately display what is behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.

Remedy. Dealers will inspect and replace the rearview camera as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 28, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25C08.

Electrical System › Instrument Cluster/Panel25V049000
Filed Jan 31, 2025298 vehiclesFord Motor Company

Defect. Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2025 Bronco Sport, Escape, and Lincoln Corsair vehicles. The Instrument Panel Cluster (IPC) may not illuminate at startup or while driving. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard numbers 101, "Control and Displays" and 102, "Transmission shift lever sequence, starter interlock, and transmission braking effect" as well as FMVSS numbers 126, 108, 135, 138, 208, and 305.

Risk. An instrument panel display that fails to show critical safety information, such as the speedometer or warning lights, increases the risk of a crash.

Remedy. Dealers will replace the instrument panel cluster, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 17, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25C02.

Electrical System › Instrument Cluster/Panel24V850000
Filed Nov 8, 202415 vehiclesFord Motor Company

Defect. Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2024-2025 Escape vehicles. The passenger side instrument panel cover may have been manufactured incorrectly, which can cause the air bag not to deploy as intended. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."

Risk. During air bag deployment, the air bag cover may break and project fragments into the vehicle, or the air bag may deploy improperly, increasing the risk of occupant injury.

Remedy. Dealers will replace the passenger side instrument panel cover, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on February 18, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 24C38.

What owners reported

Newest filings
Structure › Body
Filed Sep 13, 2026WA

Several spots on the body are misaligned which could indicate underlying assembly issues down to the frame which could impact crumple zones and safety.

Forward Collision Avoidance › Adaptive Cruise Control
Filed Sep 2, 2026IL

Multiple computer related problems, including sensing objects that do not exist while using automated cruise control. Automatic braking engagement when car senses objects that do not exist both in the front and rear while driving. Rear sensor occupancy alert randomly triggered when it has been turned off, And when there is nobody in the back seat. GPS unable to locate signal even in wide open spaces, randomly drops service. Various climate control components read improperly, or do not display appropriately. Numerous morning messages both before and after incidents. The vehicle has been to Ford dealer, they have been unable to reproduce or determine what caused these faults.

Engine and Engine Cooling
Filed Jul 23, 20264,000 milesNC

The contact owns a 2025 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH, the message that the engine was overheating was displayed, and the vehicle drove under reduced power. The contact exited the highway, pulled into a gas station, and waited for the engine to cool down. The contact resumed driving, and the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was driven to the residence. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer with the check engine warning light illuminated. The dealer later informed the contact that the warning light was no longer illuminated, and the failure could not be duplicated while test-driving the vehicle for an hour. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 4,000.

Unknown or Other
Filed Jul 2, 2026TN

My Ford Pass notified me that it detected an issue with the EGR valve. The dealership said I have to pay for this because it was not part of the recall. It is a 2025 Ford Escape which to my understanding most were included under a recall but my car is not part of this but clearly is an issue with my car. The day I got the warning I made appt to have fixed the following week but on my way to work the next day which is today XXX the car started misfiring and sporadically moving. When I got to stop light, car died and I had to start it 5 times for it to stay running. People were honking because the light changed and I couldn't get the car to move.Then it started sputtering again and I drove it to Airport Ford in [XXX]. They took my car in and drove me to work. I called for an update and they said it was going to be finished shortly and sent someone to pick me up. When I got there they said 1 of the spark plugs they put was bad and they couldn't get another 1 until next day and gave me a loaner. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Visibility/Wiper
Filed Jun 11, 2026NC

While driving, the hood of my vehicle flew up and broke my windshield and caused damage to body by the hood hinge on both sides. There were no warning lamps or signals that warned me that the hood was loose. I had limited visual to pull over and close the hood. Fortunately I was going slow and there were not other vehicles that were impacted. Because the hood is opened inside with the double pull mechanism it is too easy to open the hood without the secondary safety hook outside like most vehicles have. I have had the windshield replaced and am working with insurance to complete repairs on the body.

Engine
Filed May 24, 2026GA

I bought this vehicle in mid April 2026 with 9,500 miles. It has the 1.5L Ecoboost engine. I drove the car for 3,000 miles and noticed the coolant was at ‘minimum’ and wondered why a car with so few miles is using coolant. I took the car to my dealer and they confirmed coolant intrusion into the engine due to a bad head gasket. The vehicle is now at the dealer waiting on either a new head gasket or other more intensive repairs due to internal damage. I wanted to flag this because the engine is the 3rd version of this engine but the same issues as previous versions. The repair is under warranty.

Vehicle Speed Control
Filed May 14, 202625,198 milesAZ

The contact is currently renting a 2025 Ford Escape . The contact stated while attempting to park the vehicle, he took his foot off the accelerator pedal and the vehicle unintendedly accelerated independently. No warnings light illuminated. An independent mechanic or dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic for diagnoses. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact mention this failure has occurred on two different occasions. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 25,198.

Electrical System
Filed Apr 13, 2026CA

The contact owns a 2025 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V091000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

Engine and Engine Cooling
Filed Apr 2, 2026MI

The contact owns a 2025 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V122000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The dealer was contacted, and the contact was informed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the recall notification stated that in the event of a failure, the vehicle could crash. The manufacturer was made aware of the concern, and a case was filed. The contact had not experienced a failure.

Engine and Engine Cooling
Filed Apr 2, 20265,000 milesNJ

The contact owns a 2025 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and depressing the brake pedal, the engine revved up unexpectedly. Additionally, more effort was needed to depress the brake pedal, causing the braking distance to become extended. The dealer was notified of the failure, but the vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V122000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 5,000.

Engine and Engine Cooling
Filed Mar 26, 20265,000 milesIL

The contact owns a 2025 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds and turning the steering wheel, the vehicle stalled. The failure also occurred while making a turn from a complete stop. The vehicle was restarted. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer on several occasions; however, the dealer informed the contact that no failure was found. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V122000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); and associated the failure with the recall. However, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the dealer had been unable to diagnose the vehicle. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 5,000.

Air Bags
Filed Mar 12, 2026PA

1. Passenger airbag fails to activate randomly. Passenger airbag light shows "off" with a passenger in the seat. Sometimes it works but often stays off for a whole day. 2. Transmission shifts gears by itself. Drive to neutral, Reverse to park. A software update changed the behavior but did not eliminate the fault. Now goes from Drive to Park. One time the vehicle shut off by itself after shifting from Drive to Park. It has been to the dealer 3 times for these problems, now scheduled for a fourth time. They keep saying they can't find the fault.

Engine
Filed Mar 5, 2026ME

The engine continues to have a burning smell or rotten egg smell at high speeds, the car continues to hesitate when taking off from a red light like it is going to shut off and then jumps forward, and the engine continues to lag as does the battery or power when turning on the vehicle most mornings. I have brought the car in several times to the dealership and due to there being no codes showing, they will not diagnose it further and as soon as I get the vehicle back, the same issues and problems happen over and over again. I have had 4 service appointments now with no resolutions. I feel as though this car is a lemon and worry that it will continue to become more unsafe from ongoing engine, powertrain, and mechanical issues that cannot be fixed or diagnosed.

Electrical System
Filed Mar 3, 2026MI

The contact owns a 2025 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V091000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not informed of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

Unknown or Other
Filed Mar 2, 2026WI

Turn signal volume is too low to hear.. Dealer say's that's how it is.

Electrical System
Filed Feb 18, 2026MI

Electrical/Motor~ Yes, Myself, [XXX] daughter and others safety is at risk from stalling in a busy intersection. yes, its happened multiple times. The dealerships says its not throwing a code and have nothing to go off of. No, the manufacturer hasnt checked it. the RPM went up and down. No other lights on the dash. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Electrical System
Filed Nov 7, 2025NY

Turn Signal is barely audible when turning. If the radio is on, or at higher speeds on the highway, it is impossible to hear the turn signal. Sometimes, you may miss hit the turn signal when changing lanes, and may not actual signal, when you meant to.

Unknown or Other
Filed Oct 31, 2025TN

Driver's door locks when keys are left inside the vehicle. Other door locks are not affected.

Unknown or Other
Filed Oct 13, 2025WI

Audible sound from turn signal too low.

Engine
Filed Sep 3, 2025MA

Car experienced intermittent check-engine light accompanied by "lugging" and inability to accelerate quickly, especially when driving uphill. I felt this was safety related because highway driving in heavy traffic often calls for the ability to accelerate suddenly to merge or to avoid other cars. Dealer finally diagnosed the problem as caused by all four ignition coils being defective.

20 of 23 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 2013
YearComplaintsRecallsFiresDeathsAssessment
20263200Routine
2025 — this page23900Routine
202476801Fatalities reported
2023951130Routine
20222311940Above average
20213431990Above average
20201,5952340Above average
2019586330Above average
20181,791450Above average
20172,6784150Above average
20161,1154100Above average
20151,0939190Above average
20142,083161034Fatalities reported
20132,74918900Do not drive
2012598230Above average
20111,316370Above average
20102,069530Above average
20091,692320Above average
20081,974560High concern
2007254422Fatalities reported
2006464592Fatalities reported
20051,3945202Fatalities reported
20044998141Fatalities reported
20035589270High concern
20021,027101042Fatalities reported
200199615583Fatalities reported
20005000Routine

Compare every Escape year →

Reading this record

No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.

Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.

Recall repairs are free for as long as the recall stands. Check whether a specific car still has open work at NHTSA's VIN lookup.

Most recent recall on file: Mar 3, 2026. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.