Ford Escape problems, by model year and system
9,226 complaints owners filed with NHTSA about the Ford Escape 2016–2026, and the 8 systems the record is deep on — engine (4,697), transmission and drivetrain (1,528), body and structure (1,005), electrical (767), fuel system (639). Each system has a page across the years; 29 model-year pages go deeper still. Every figure is a linked federal record; none is a failure rate or a verdict on one car.
The systems the record is deep on
Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer communicationsEngine problems across every model year, and the years with a page of their own →
Transmission and drivetrain problems across every model year, and the years with a page of their own →
Body and structure problems across every model year, and the years with a page of their own →
Electrical problems across every model year, and the years with a page of their own →
Fuel system problems across every model year, and the years with a page of their own →
Backup camera and parking sensor problems across every model year, and the years with a page of their own →
Brake problems across every model year, and the years with a page of their own →
Visibility and wiper problems across every model year, and the years with a page of their own →
Ford Escape complaints, year by system
Source: NHTSA complaint database| Model year | engine | transmission and drivetrain | body and structure | electrical | fuel system | backup camera and parking sensor | brake | visibility and wiper |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 4 in all | 2 | — | — | 2 | 1 | — | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 29 in all | 9 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 3 | — | — | — |
| 2024 87 in all | 15 | 1 | — | 35 | 7 | 11 | — | — |
| 2023 133 in all | 35 | 23 | — | 61 | 8 | — | — | — |
| 2022 378 in all | 108 | 47 | 33 | 52 | 92 | — | 47 | — |
| 2021 492 in all | 91 | 60 | 127 | 64 | 81 | — | 57 | 25 |
| 2020 1,891 in all | 198 | 273 | 781 | 203 | 202 | — | 7 | 74 |
| 2019 588 in all | 403 | 125 | — | 37 | 25 | — | — | — |
| 2018 1,804 in all | 1,499 | 275 | — | 56 | 55 | — | 27 | — |
| 2017 2,689 in all | 2,082 | 396 | 62 | 156 | 95 | — | 49 | — |
| 2016 1,131 in all | 255 | 325 | — | 92 | 70 | 228 | — | — |
Complaints owners filed with NHTSA naming each system, per model year; a bold count links the year’s own page on that system. Counts scale with sales and with time on the road; nothing here is a rate, and NHTSA’s headings are coarse (“Power Train” is the transmission and the driveline).
Common questions
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseWhich Ford Escape system draws the most complaints?
Engine: 4,697 complaints across 11 model years, 51% of everything owners filed about the Ford Escape. A count, not a rate — it says nothing about how many were sold.
Which Ford Escape year has the most complaints?
2017 (2,689), 2020 (1,891), 2018 (1,804). Older years have had longer to collect them; the year pages show each year's share by system.