What breaks most · 2000 to 2026 model years
Ford Escape problems by year
Owners have filed 27,238 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Ford Escape across model years 2000 to 2026. Three years stand out: 2013 for engine complaints, 2017 for engine complaints and 2014 for engine complaints. The quietest years are 2000, 2024 and 2023.
- Years to check closely: 2013, 2017, 2014
- Fewest complaints: 2000, 2024, 2023
- Complaints on file
- 272382000 to 2026, all trims
- Worst year
- 20132745 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 775519 fires · 685 injuries · 17 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 78kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 223Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 1 | 0 | Air bags (1) | |
| 996 | 76 | 15 | Engine and cooling (282) | |
| 1027 | 66 | 10 | Engine and cooling (294) | |
| 558 | 43 | 9 | Body and structure (121) | |
| 499 | 29 | 8 | Suspension (154) | |
| 1394 | 40 | 5 | Suspension (459) | |
| 464 | 16 | 5 | Speed control and throttle (99) | |
| 254 | 15 | 4 | Powertrain and transmission (44) | |
| 1974 | 59 | 5 | Steering (1127) | |
| 1692 | 34 | 3 | Steering (827) | |
| 2068 | 29 | 5 | Speed control and throttle (558) | |
| 1316 | 38 | 3 | Steering (409) | |
| 598 | 37 | 2 | Steering (137) | |
| 2745 | 49 | 18 | Engine (1264) | |
| 2078 | 47 | 16 | Engine (719) | |
| 1082 | 29 | 9 | Powertrain and transmission (285) | |
| 1104 | 36 | 4 | Powertrain and transmission (319) | |
| 2670 | 39 | 4 | Engine (1559) | |
| 1782 | 25 | 4 | Engine (1137) | |
| 580 | 24 | 3 | Engine (304) | |
| 1590 | 20 | 23 | Body and structure (670) | |
| 338 | 9 | 19 | Body and structure (92) | |
| 228 | 7 | 19 | Fuel system (60) | |
| 95 | 2 | 11 | Electrical system (38) | |
| 76 | 5 | 8 | Electrical system (27) | |
| 22 | 0 | 9 | Electrical system (6) | |
| 3 | 0 | 2 | Electrical system (2) |
What fails on the 2013 Ford Escape
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 46% |
1264 | 8 | Shop engine parts for the 2013 Ford Escape |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 15% |
400 | 10 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 12% |
339 | 3 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2013 Ford Escape |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 11% |
302 | 5 | Shop steering parts for the 2013 Ford Escape |
| Unknown or other | 11% |
299 | 3 | — |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 9% |
246 | 1 | Shop fuel system parts for the 2013 Ford Escape |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 6% |
175 | 0 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 2013 Ford Escape |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 3% |
92 | 5 | Shop speed control and throttle parts for the 2013 Ford Escape |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
Engine Coolant Intrusion. During normal operation coolant leaks into the engine cylinders causing power loss and eventual overheating once the coolant system runs out of coolant. This prompts an emergency shutoff of the vehicle into "limp mode"
-
The 'Engine fault, service now' warning came on. Car started sputtering and in reverse engine shuts off. Car shakes while driving and loss of power. Upon further inspection looks like a coolant intrusion.
-
Coolant leak into the cylinder causing engine failure and need to replace the engine, it is not possible to fix this, must replace engine.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Ford Escape years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2013, 2017, 2014 carry the most filings on the Ford Escape. The 2013 alone has 2745 complaints, led by engine.
What is the most common Ford Escape problem?
On the 2013 model year, the most-reported component is engine with 1264 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Ford Escape problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Ford Escape complaints that include mileage is about 78,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.