Car Defect Radar
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Built from NHTSA complaints and recalls collected for this model, generated October 26, 2026. Totals reflect what has been collected, not every complaint ever filed.
Confirm 3 recalls before you buy.

Ask the seller for proof the repair was completed, or run the free VIN check. Recall repairs are done at no cost by a dealer.

Recalls

3 total · 3 to confirm

Safety issues the manufacturer must repair for free. A recall means confirm the fix was done, not walk away.

Fuel system recall

Confirm it was repairedRecall 16V777000 · Oct 2016

A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.

Remedy
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the FDM flange with one that has a redesigned fuel supply port, free of charge. Remedy parts are currently unavailable. Interim notices were mailed to owners on December 13, 2016. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 16S41.
Status
Remedy available. Confirm by VIN that this repair was completed.
What to do
Enter the VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup to confirm this car was repaired.

Suspension recall

Confirm it was repairedRecall 15E045000 · Jun 2015

Use of an incorrectly sized wheel bearing can adversely affect the braking and steering of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy
Timken has begun notifying distributors who will offer purchasers replacement wheel bearings, free of charge. The recall began on May 21, 2015. Owners may contact Timken customer service at 1-866-984-6536.
Status
Remedy available. Confirm by VIN that this repair was completed.
What to do
Enter the VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup to confirm this car was repaired.

Steering recall

Confirm it was repairedRecall 14V284000 · May 2014

If power steering assist is lost, greater driver effort would be required to steer the vehicle at low speeds, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will update the software for the power steering control module (PSCM) and the instrument cluster module, free of charge. If a vehicle shows a history of a loss of the torque sensor signal or fault codes relating to the PSCM when the vehicle is brought in for the recall remedy, the affected components will be replaced, free of charge. The recall began on July 18, 2014. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-800-392-3673. Ford's number for this recall is 14S05.
Status
Remedy available. Confirm by VIN that this repair was completed.
What to do
Enter the VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup to confirm this car was repaired.

Owner complaints by system

1,316 total

Unverified reports owners filed with NHTSA, grouped by the part of the car. Useful for spotting patterns. Open a group to read recent examples.

Engine & powertrain

Worth reading
694

Most reports here involve sudden stalling. Of these, 7 mention a crash, 4 mention an injury.

sudden stalling 458transmission slipping 45
A recent report: The contact owns a 2011 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the fuel tank was leaking and there was an abnormally strong fuel odor inside and outside the vehicle. There were no warning lights…
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The contact owns a 2011 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the fuel tank was leaking and there was an abnormally strong fuel odor inside and outside the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who confirmed the fuel leak. The mechanic applied epoxy to the leak, but the failure recurred. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 138,000.

Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11667381 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov

Electrical & infotainment

Worth reading
39

Most reports here involve sudden stalling. Of these, 2 mention a crash, 2 mention an injury.

sudden stalling 14electrical shorts 7
A recent report: The contact owned a 2011 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at 25 MPH, as the contact was approaching a traffic light, the brake pedal was depressed; however, it failed to stop as…
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The contact owned a 2011 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at 25 MPH, as the contact was approaching a traffic light, the brake pedal was depressed; however, it failed to stop as intended. The contact moved to the other lane when the vehicle came to a stop. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to AutoZone and the contact was informed that three sensors needed to be replaced. Two sensors were replaced; however, the ABS sensor was not replaced due to cost. The contact stated that on the drive home, an abnormal odor was coming from the vehicle. While the vehicle was parked, the vehicle was consumed by fire and destroyed. The Fire and Police departments were called. A fire report was filed; the Fire Department stated the cause of the fire was due to faulty wiring. The contact notified her insurance company and the vehicle was towed to an unknown location. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 170,000.

Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11645090 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov

Brakes

Worth reading
26

Most reports here involve loss of braking. Of these, 5 mention a crash.

loss of braking 14unintended acceleration 6sudden stalling 3
A recent report: The contact's husband owns a 2011 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where a…
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The contact's husband owns a 2011 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where a diagnostic test determined that the wheel sensors needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the wheel sensors were replaced by the mechanic; however, the warning lights remained illuminated. The contact was informed that the ABS module needed to be replaced; however, the ABS module for the vehicle was no longer in production. The contact stated that several dealers where contacted; however, it was confirmed that the part was not available. The contact suggested using an aftermarket part to replace the module; however, the dealers would not program the aftermarket part. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and offered several recommendations, but none of the recommendations were able to assist the contact with repairing the vehicle. The contact was then referred to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11663653 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov

Steering, suspension & tires

Worth reading
409

Most reports here involve loss of steering. Of these, 6 mention a crash, 3 mention an injury.

loss of steering 389premature wear 5
A recent report: The contact owns a 2011 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the vehicle lost power steering functionality, and the steering wheel became difficult to turn in either…
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The contact owns a 2011 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the vehicle lost power steering functionality, and the steering wheel became difficult to turn in either direction. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic, who diagnosed that the steering torque sensor had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (STEERING). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 150,000.

Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11757463 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov

Airbags & seat belts

Worth reading
26

Most reports here involve airbags not deploying. Of these, 16 mention a crash, 22 mention an injury.

airbags not deploying 15sudden stalling 2
A recent report: The rear hatch clicks like it wants to open but doesn't release the latch to open it and I can't get to the place to release an lower the spare tire which is safety concern to me. Also the driver…
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The rear hatch clicks like it wants to open but doesn't release the latch to open it and I can't get to the place to release an lower the spare tire which is safety concern to me. Also the driver side seat belt casing broke and doesn't release every time you push button to unlatch it which can cause serious problems if in an accident I had a individual garage guy inspect an said he had replaced several latch mechanisms in the hatch for several escape owners i can't afford to have it replaced at this time. If we're to have a flat in extreme heat or extremely cold weather it can cause heat stroke or hypothermia. There were no warning signs one day wouldn't open. An seatbelt wouldn't release one day until pushed so hard the casing broke off an could push clip inside

Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11753547 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov

Structure & body

Worth reading
94

Most reports here involve corrosion. Of these, 1 mention a crash, 6 mention an injury.

corrosion 28premature wear 3
A recent report: I have a 2011 Ford Escape AWD 3.0 engine. I took it for NY state inspection and it fails due the right side front subframe is rusted and unsafe. Ford has a recall on models up to 2004 but this…
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I have a 2011 Ford Escape AWD 3.0 engine. I took it for NY state inspection and it fails due the right side front subframe is rusted and unsafe. Ford has a recall on models up to 2004 but this vehicle has the same issue of the A/C draining on it causing the rust. I have been an auto tech for over 48 years, retired now, and strongly feel this should be a major concern and covered at least 50% by Ford. This design flaw and the fact that I live in a state that uses salt in the winter on the roads, I feel there is nothing I could have done to prevent this from happening.

Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11757910 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov

Other systems

Worth reading
28

Most reports here involve sudden stalling. Of these, 1 mention a crash, 1 mention an injury.

sudden stalling 3fluid leaks 2
A recent report: Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2011 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while attempting to register the vehicle, it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a…
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Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2011 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while attempting to register the vehicle, it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a dealer sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 101,000, and at the time of programming the keys, it was discovered that the mileage was 122,765. The VIN was incomplete.

Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11681554 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov

Is 1,316 complaints a lot? They were filed between 2011 and 2026, roughly 84 a year, which is more than the typical model in this dataset. We do not have sales figures for this model, so treat this as a rough volume, not a rate per car on the road. Popular, high-volume models naturally collect more complaints over time.

How does it compare with other years? The 2011 has 1,316 complaints on file, fewer than the 2010 (2,069) and more than the 2012 (598). Of the 16 model years of the Ford Escape we cover, the 2013 has the most (2,748). Older model years have had longer to collect complaints.