Reliability & cost of ownership
Ford Escape Reliability & Common Problems
How reliable is the Ford Escape? Compare every model year side by side — NHTSA recalls, owner complaints, and crash-test stars — then open the year you're shopping for a full reliability and repair-cost forecast.
Ford Escape problems by model year
211 recall entries and 26557 owner complaints on file across 27 model years, sourced from the federal NHTSA database.
Most-complained-about components
Owner complaints filed with NHTSA against the Ford Escape, grouped by the component each complaint names — the fastest read on where this model gives trouble.
- engine6887 complaints
- power train4529 complaints
- steering3914 complaints
- electrical system2449 complaints
- engine and engine cooling2295 complaints
- vehicle speed control2289 complaints
- structure2210 complaints
- unknown or other2008 complaints