Worst years for a Ford Escape
Owners have filed 36,256 complaints about the Ford Escape with NHTSA across model years 2000 to 2026. More of them are about the engine & cooling than anything else.
Avoid
2013 Ford Escape3,681 complaints — the highest FaultScore of any year, mostly engine & cooling.
Every Ford Escape year, graded
The grade compares each year against the rest of this model's own run — never against another car. Click any bar or row to open that year's report.
| Year | Grade | Complaints | Crashes | Fires | Median miles | Most reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | — | 7 | 0 | 0 | — | Engine & Cooling |
| 2025 | A | 34 | 0 | 0 | 5,000 | Engine & Cooling |
| 2024 | B | 139 | 6 | 0 | 11,531 | Driver Assist & Collision Avoidance |
| 2023 | B | 154 | 4 | 5 | 15,500 | Electrical System |
| 2022 | B | 312 | 11 | 6 | 34,000 | Fuel & Propulsion |
| 2021 | B | 455 | 17 | 14 | 39,000 | Body & Structure |
| 2020 | C | 2,104 | 32 | 9 | 42,000 | Body & Structure |
| 2019 | B | 734 | 37 | 4 | 60,000 | Engine & Cooling |
| 2018 | C | 2,167 | 38 | 7 | 80,000 | Engine & Cooling |
| 2017 | D | 3,273 | 52 | 23 | 70,000 | Engine & Cooling |
| 2016 | C | 1,339 | 52 | 14 | 74,426 | Transmission & Drivetrain |
| 2015 | C | 1,337 | 40 | 32 | 75,141 | Transmission & Drivetrain |
| 2014 | D | 2,662 | 78 | 148 | 74,549 | Engine & Cooling |
| 2013 | D | 3,681 | 66 | 130 | 73,000 | Engine & Cooling |
| 2012 | B | 792 | 57 | 4 | 52,100 | Fuel & Propulsion |
| 2011 | C | 1,878 | 51 | 12 | 52,000 | Steering |
| 2010 | C | 3,185 | 43 | 3 | 57,600 | Acceleration & Cruise Control |
| 2009 | C | 2,349 | 56 | 2 | 83,500 | Steering |
| 2008 | C | 2,405 | 80 | 9 | 98,000 | Steering |
| 2007 | B | 350 | 22 | 2 | 71,800 | Brakes |
| 2006 | B | 627 | 26 | 10 | 85,000 | Acceleration & Cruise Control |
| 2005 | C | 2,030 | 54 | 24 | 109,000 | Suspension |
| 2004 | B | 715 | 49 | 21 | 111,070 | Suspension |
| 2003 | C | 736 | 55 | 35 | 94,580 | Body & Structure |
| 2002 | D | 1,397 | 96 | 147 | 89,000 | Engine & Cooling |
| 2001 | C | 1,389 | 109 | 93 | 81,000 | Engine & Cooling |
| 2000 | — | 5 | 1 | 0 | 64,500 | Transmission & Drivetrain |
What breaks on a Ford Escape
Across every model year on file. Follow a row for that part's complaints and the year it was worst.
Exactly what failed on a Ford Escape
The named sub-assemblies behind those complaints, across every model year.
Complaints filed over time
Every complaint about every Ford Escape, by the month it reached NHTSA.
Ford Escape problems by state
Where owners filed from. Heavier states are usually just bigger markets, but a part that fails in heat or salt shows up here first.
Compare the Ford Escape
Side by side on complaint history. Remember that raw totals track how many were sold as much as how good they were.