Ford Escape Complaints

29,499 consumer complaints on file.

#11761984September 3, 2026
ENGINE
My Ford Escape Titanium 2.0L 2017 started overheating. The coolant had just disappeared. The car sputtered in the morning with large plumes of white smoke. Due to the overheating my thermostat failed. I brought my car to the Art Hill Ford dealership in Merrilville Indiana for service. After a 5 hour pressure test, Tiffany A Depowski at Art Hill Ford Lincoln brought me to her desk and notified me and confirmed that I need a new engine due to Coolant Intrusion. The check engine light had been on for a couple months. I kept bringing the vehicle to my local mechanic. After he couldn't fix it I brought it to the dealer where they told me my engine needs to be replaced. Fortunately safety wasn't a direct factor. The risk of the engine seizing up while driving was a key factor with safety. The Ford invoice states verified coolant leak, recommend new engine is on the upload I sent under the section J#2
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11761514September 2, 2026
WHEELS:LUGS/NUTS/BOLTS/STUDS
Was told the lugnuts were swollen when I tried to have tires rotated. The repair shop is mainly and oil repair shop. I took it to the dealership I purchased the car from and was told this is a major issue they deal with everyday and Ford has not issued a recall. I have to replace with my own money and labor costs. I have to have it done but think Ford should address this issue as if I had a flat tire somewhere in a remote area I could not get tire off with wrench provided with spare tire.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11761551September 2, 2026
ENGINE
Coolant is going into the cylinder. Car was starting rough and exhaust smelled strange. No warning lights came on. Service center reproduced issue. It’s an issue Ford has been aware of but hasn’t issued a recall. Now I need a new engine on my vehicle that only has 41,000 miles on it. Estimate is $10,000.00
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11761582September 2, 2026
ENGINE
Ford has known about a flaw with this engine and coolant intrusion. I have owned the vehicle for 5 months and they are refusing to cover the cost of a new engine. I know there is a lawsuit going on right now with Ford (21N12) This was my daughters first purchase that she financed and now she is on the hook financially for a vehicle that is not running.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11761617September 2, 2026
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
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.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11761637September 2, 2026
BACK OVER PREVENTION
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while attempting to reverse, the rear-view camera became inoperable. The contact stated that the rearview camera image intermittently fluctuated, with the message "Camera Not Available" displayed. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 42,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11761646September 2, 2026
BACK OVER PREVENTION
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while shifted in reverse(R), the rear-view camera failed to display a clear image. The contact stated that the back-over prevention camera displayed a blank white screen. The failure mileage was unavailable.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11761701September 2, 2026
BACK OVER PREVENTION
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention). The contact stated that while in reverse(R) on several occasions, the rear-view camera went blank and the message "Camera not Available" was displayed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11761740September 2, 2026
ENGINE
I have a 2018 Ford Escape with the 1.5L engine with 108k miles purchased new in 2018. Noticed the car recently stuttered at times upon vehicle start up and then would smooth out shortly after starting. Check engine light came on, checked the code and it indicated P0301 which is a misfire on cylinder 1. Since it would run I thought it was probably a spark plug misfire so I made an appointment with a dealer to change the plugs. While traveling to the dealer the car quickly overheated and issued a warning to turn the car off. Luckily I was only a half mile from home and not on the main highway yet so I did not have to deal with safety in traffic. Had the car towed to the dealer and they diagnosed coolant intrusion into cylinder 3 and that a new engine would be required to fix the car. Cost will be about $11k they quoted. I am recently retired so coming up with that amount of money is a big hit on our retirement savings. After consulting with my wife we decided we really did not have much choice but to replace the engine, given the cost of new vehicles and being on a fixed income to not create a car payment (this car was paid off two years ago). I did notice about a week before this incident happened that the car was low on coolant in the reservoir so I took it to the place I have the car serviced to top off the coolant. When they opened the reservoir the coolant returned to the bottle and showed full. I did not want to overfill it so I thought since it showed full, it must be normal on these newer engines. This had to be the beginning of the problem, wish Ford would have said something earlier so would have known what to watch out for. At any rate, I will be out of $11k to fix this problem that I am finding out Ford knew about. Ford should step up and take care of this since it apparently has been a problem for several years. We have been a Ford family for 40 years but not sure I can recommend them moving forward. Truly disappointed.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11761752September 2, 2026
ENGINE
The vehicle suffered catastrophic engine failure at 72,000 miles due to a known Ford EcoBoost manufacturing defect where engine coolant leaks internally into the cylinders. Upon starting the vehicle in the parking lot, the engine began misfiring violently with blinking check engine light. The vehicle suddenly began misfiring, lost power, and became completely inoperable, creating a severe driving hazard. Code P0301 indicates Cylinder 1 Misfire detected. A professional mechanic ran diagnostics and confirmed a permanent Cylinder 1 Misfire caused by internal engine failure. The internal heating was so severe it cracked the spark plug on cylinder 1 rendering the car inoperable at 72, 000 miles. The mechanic said evidence of moisture was detected in the chamber.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11761770September 2, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, STEERING
Electronic power steering went out a couple times on me .
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11761180September 1, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
I consistently get an AWD failure warning and then it turns off multiple different safety features of the car, traction control, hill assist, AWD, collision detection etc. I have seen a lot of people complain about the same thing. This is dangerous and ford needs to provide a solution to the bad ground of the AWD module.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11761188September 1, 2026
ENGINE
Engine light and cylinder four misfire code happened on Easter Sunday 4/5/26 while warming up in the driveway shuddered and stalled. I did not drive had vehicle towed to my mechanic the following day. Had vehicle towed 8/27 to the dealership where it was purchased (brand new 4/5/2019) at the recommendation of our mechanic due to the coolant intrusion and known defect. Was informed by the dealer today that i will need a new engine block with only 35,000 miles driven.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11761195September 1, 2026
STRUCTURE:BODY, POWER TRAIN, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Vehicle purchased from dealer with concealed total loss history and federal/state odometer fraud. Official state title records show the odometer froze at 73,539 miles between Tennessee title issued March 2025 and Ohio title issued January 2026. Live OBD-II scanner diagnostics confirm true vehicle mileage exceeds over 86,278 miles. Vehicle was in a severe crash (December 2024) resulting in a Junk/Salvage total loss declaration at auction, later fraudulently rebranded and re-titled as Rebuilt without mandatory consumer disclosure. Vehicle has undisclosed structural and mechanical damage presenting serious safety risks.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11761224September 1, 2026
ENGINE
The vehicle experienced a severe engine failure caused by coolant intrusion into cylinder #3, which requires a complete engine short block replacement. The vehicle became entirely unsafe to drive, presenting a sudden mechanical failure that put the safety of the occupants and other drivers at risk on the road. Prior to this catastrophic failure, the timing belt and water pump were replaced. The failed components and the vehicle are currently preserved and available for inspection upon request.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11761239September 1, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Been having a problem with the transmission where it would jump like it launched roller coaster and then slammed into parking because the emergency brake would just automatically engaged without even being touched
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11761321September 1, 2026
BACK OVER PREVENTION
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while reversing, the rear-view camera displayed an upside-down image. The contact stated that the failure was persistent. The rear-view camera later displayed a black screen and failed to power on. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The contact was informed that parts were unavailable to repair the vehicle. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part was unavailable for the recall repair. The failure mileage was unknown.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11761325September 1, 2026
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V467000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); 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 stated that there was a misfire coming from the engine. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for another recall repair. The contact stated that the check engine light illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle hesitated. Additionally, after refueling, the vehicle almost shut off unexpectedly. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The dealer confirmed that the failure was associated with the recall. The vehicle was not repaired.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11761326September 1, 2026
BACK OVER PREVENTION
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact received notice of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention). The contact stated that while in reverse(R) on several occasions, the rear-view camera went black, or the message "Camera not Available" was displayed. The contact stated that after the vehicle was shifted into drive(D), while accelerating, the black screen was occasionally displayed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired; however, the dealer was contacted, and the contact was informed that the part was not available for the repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11761055August 31, 2026
VISIBILITY
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V374000 (VISIBILITY); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and a mechanic was sent to the residence to perform a software update, but the mechanic was unable to complete the software update. The vehicle was later driven to the local dealer, who was unsuccessful in completing the software update. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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