2011 FORD ESCAPE — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 1,350 complaints · 3 recalls
Most-reported system: STEERING (392 complaints · 29.0%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 41
  • Fires 7
  • Injuries 39
  • Deaths 0
Compare with 2010 →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Component Problem Distribution

Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)

Component Problem Distribution STEERING appears in 392 of 1,350 owner complaints (29.0%) in this vehicle snapshot. STEERING: 392 complaints, 29.0% of reports STEERING 392 · 29.0% · 6 crash reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: 193 complaints, 14.3% of reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 193 · 14.3% · 8 crash reports FUEL SYSTEM: 191 complaints, 14.2% of reports FUEL SYSTEM 191 · 14.2% · 1 crash reports 1 fire reports POWER TRAIN: 191 complaints, 14.2% of reports POWER TRAIN 191 · 14.2% · 2 crash reports ENGINE: 115 complaints, 8.5% of reports ENGINE 115 · 8.5% · 2 crash reports 4 fire reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 50 complaints, 3.7% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 50 · 3.7% · 1 fire reports VISIBILITY: 41 complaints, 3.0% of reports VISIBILITY 41 · 3.0% SUSPENSION: 24 complaints, 1.8% of reports SUSPENSION 24 · 1.8% STRUCTURE: 20 complaints, 1.5% of reports STRUCTURE 20 · 1.5% UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 148 complaints, 11.0% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 148 · 11.0% · 5 crash reports 1 fire reports 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
STEERING 392 29.0% 6 crashes · 0 fires
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 193 14.3% 8 crashes · 0 fires
FUEL SYSTEM 191 14.2% 1 crashes · 1 fires
POWER TRAIN 191 14.2% 2 crashes · 0 fires
ENGINE 115 8.5% 2 crashes · 4 fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 50 3.7% 0 crashes · 1 fires
VISIBILITY 41 3.0% 0 crashes · 0 fires
SUSPENSION 24 1.8% 0 crashes · 0 fires
STRUCTURE 20 1.5% 0 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 148 11.0% 5 crashes · 1 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Problem & Recall Timeline

Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time

Problem & Recall Timeline Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Jan 2011; the first recall shown was reported in May 2014. 2011-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2011-Q2: 8 owner reports 8 2011-Q3: 7 owner reports 7 2011-Q4: 8 owner reports 8 2012-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2012-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2012-Q3: 7 owner reports 7 2012-Q4: 14 owner reports 14 2013-Q1: 25 owner reports 25 2013-Q2: 92 owner reports 92 2013-Q3: 182 owner reports 182 2013-Q4: 100 owner reports 100 2014-Q1: 28 owner reports 28 2014-Q2: 28 owner reports 28 2014-Q3: 33 owner reports 33 2014-Q4: 19 owner reports 19 2015-Q1: 18 owner reports 18 2015-Q2: 18 owner reports 18 2015-Q3: 19 owner reports 19 2015-Q4: 17 owner reports 17 2016-Q1: 15 owner reports 15 2016-Q2: 14 owner reports 14 2016-Q3: 30 owner reports 30 2016-Q4: 18 owner reports 18 2017-Q1: 24 owner reports 24 2017-Q2: 25 owner reports 25 2017-Q3: 28 owner reports 28 2017-Q4: 33 owner reports 33 2018-Q1: 43 owner reports 43 2018-Q2: 36 owner reports 36 2018-Q3: 24 owner reports 24 2018-Q4: 28 owner reports 28 2019-Q1: 25 owner reports 25 2019-Q2: 16 owner reports 16 2019-Q3: 14 owner reports 14 2019-Q4: 23 owner reports 23 2020-Q1: 15 owner reports 15 2020-Q2: 8 owner reports 8 2020-Q3: 11 owner reports 11 2020-Q4: 19 owner reports 19 2021-Q1: 17 owner reports 17 2021-Q2: 12 owner reports 12 2021-Q3: 9 owner reports 9 2021-Q4: 17 owner reports 17 2022-Q1: 22 owner reports 22 2022-Q2: 7 owner reports 7 2022-Q3: 18 owner reports 18 2022-Q4: 15 owner reports 15 2023-Q1: 16 owner reports 16 2023-Q2: 8 owner reports 8 2023-Q3: 17 owner reports 17 2023-Q4: 15 owner reports 15 2024-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2024-Q2: 17 owner reports 17 2024-Q3: 8 owner reports 8 2024-Q4: 13 owner reports 13 2025-Q1: 18 owner reports 18 2025-Q2: 12 owner reports 12 2025-Q3: 6 owner reports 6 2025-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2026-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 2026-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2026-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 Owner reports Jan 2011 Jul 2026 Recall campaign 14V284000 ◆ Recall campaign 14V284000 Recall campaign 15E045000 ◆ Recall campaign 15E045000 Recall campaign 16V777000 ◆ Recall campaign 16V777000 Investigation PE11016 ● Investigation PE11016 Investigation DP12006 ● Investigation DP12006 Investigation DP12006 ● Investigation DP12006 Investigation PE13003 ● Investigation PE13003 Investigation DP15001 ● Investigation DP15001 Investigation DP15001 ● Investigation DP15001 Investigation DP22005 ● Investigation DP22005
  • Campaign 14V284000 was reported 1,120 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 15E045000 was reported 259 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 16V777000 was reported 1,512 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2011-Q1 Owner reports 2
2011-Q2 Owner reports 8
2011-Q3 Owner reports 7
2011-Q4 Owner reports 8
2012-Q1 Owner reports 2
2012-Q2 Owner reports 4
2012-Q3 Owner reports 7
2012-Q4 Owner reports 14
2013-Q1 Owner reports 25
2013-Q2 Owner reports 92
2013-Q3 Owner reports 182
2013-Q4 Owner reports 100
2014-Q1 Owner reports 28
2014-Q2 Owner reports 28
2014-Q3 Owner reports 33
2014-Q4 Owner reports 19
2015-Q1 Owner reports 18
2015-Q2 Owner reports 18
2015-Q3 Owner reports 19
2015-Q4 Owner reports 17
2016-Q1 Owner reports 15
2016-Q2 Owner reports 14
2016-Q3 Owner reports 30
2016-Q4 Owner reports 18
2017-Q1 Owner reports 24
2017-Q2 Owner reports 25
2017-Q3 Owner reports 28
2017-Q4 Owner reports 33
2018-Q1 Owner reports 43
2018-Q2 Owner reports 36
2018-Q3 Owner reports 24
2018-Q4 Owner reports 28
2019-Q1 Owner reports 25
2019-Q2 Owner reports 16
2019-Q3 Owner reports 14
2019-Q4 Owner reports 23
2020-Q1 Owner reports 15
2020-Q2 Owner reports 8
2020-Q3 Owner reports 11
2020-Q4 Owner reports 19
2021-Q1 Owner reports 17
2021-Q2 Owner reports 12
2021-Q3 Owner reports 9
2021-Q4 Owner reports 17
2022-Q1 Owner reports 22
2022-Q2 Owner reports 7
2022-Q3 Owner reports 18
2022-Q4 Owner reports 15
2023-Q1 Owner reports 16
2023-Q2 Owner reports 8
2023-Q3 Owner reports 17
2023-Q4 Owner reports 15
2024-Q1 Owner reports 5
2024-Q2 Owner reports 17
2024-Q3 Owner reports 8
2024-Q4 Owner reports 13
2025-Q1 Owner reports 18
2025-Q2 Owner reports 12
2025-Q3 Owner reports 6
2025-Q4 Owner reports 3
2026-Q1 Owner reports 6
2026-Q2 Owner reports 4
2026-Q3 Owner reports 5
Recall campaign 1 14V284000
Recall campaign 1 15E045000
Recall campaign 1 16V777000
Defect investigation 1 PE11016
Defect investigation 1 DP12006
Defect investigation 1 DP12006
Defect investigation 1 PE13003
Defect investigation 1 DP15001
Defect investigation 1 DP15001
Defect investigation 1 DP22005
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (3)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 14V284000

    Report date
    Component:
    STEERING
    Consequence:
    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.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 15E045000

    Report date
    Component:
    SUSPENSION
    Consequence:
    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.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 16V777000

    Report date
    Component:
    FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
    Consequence:
    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.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Complaint Narrative Explorer

Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-08-21
Safety incident filters
Showing 0 of 1350 complaints · page 1 of 54

No complaints match the current filters.
EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

 Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-21.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources