The Used Car Index

2014 Ford Escape problems

NHTSA lists 2,088 complaints for the 2014 Ford Escape, 47 of them mention a crash and 104 mention a fire. 36 complaints mention an injury, with 41 injuries and 4 deaths reported.

Data build 2026-10-07.

NHTSA lists this vehicle as FORD ESCAPE.

At a glance

Complaints
2,088
With crash
47
With fire
104
With injury (complaints)
36
Injuries
41
Deaths
4
Recalls
16
Do not drive recalls
0
Park outside recalls
0
Recall potential units (maximum)
2,925,968
Investigations
2
Open investigations
0
Manufacturer communications
145

Complaints per 100k sold: 681.887. Units sold: 306,209; sales year: 2014; basis: calendar_year_us_sales_proxy_for_model_year. goodcarbadcar.net.

Where the complaints are

Top systems
SystemComplaintsShare of this vehicle's complaints
ENGINE72634.8%
POWER TRAIN48123.0%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER27213.0%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM21610.3%
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING1879.0%
STEERING1517.2%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM1215.8%
STRUCTURE844.0%
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES653.1%
BACK OVER PREVENTION512.4%
Top subsystems
SystemSubsystemComplaints
STRUCTUREBODY76
POWER TRAINAUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION29
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGESDOORS24
BACK OVER PREVENTIONSENSING SYSTEM23
ELECTRICAL SYSTEMINSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL13
WHEELSLUGS/NUTS/BOLTS/STUDS13
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLINGCOOLING SYSTEM8
BACK OVER PREVENTIONWARNINGS6
POWER TRAINSHIFT LINKAGE/CABLE/ROD6
ELECTRICAL SYSTEMINSTRUMENT PANEL5

One complaint can name several systems, so shares can add to more than 100 percent.

Model-generated complaint tags

These labels are model-generated, not NHTSA data.

Failure modes
LabelCountShare of taggedMean confidence
mechanical failure60529.0%0.82
loss of control40819.5%0.79
fire or overheating33416.0%0.86
fluid or fuel leak25012.0%0.81
electrical electronic1919.1%0.83
visibility or lighting944.5%0.88
unclear673.2%0.81
restraint or airbag492.3%0.89
noise or comfort462.2%0.83
structural or corrosion442.1%0.67
Severities
LabelCountShare of taggedMean confidence
moderate1,31462.9%0.79
low58728.1%0.69
high1376.6%0.81
critical361.7%0.83
none140.7%0.73

Model: typesafe/jev-1.13-20260917; schema version: tag-v1. 2,088 tagged complaints of 2,088 complaints (100.0%).

Confidence is the model's own probability for the label it chose (0 to 1), not accuracy.

Model-generated labels on tagged complaints only. Model years 2013 and newer are tagged in full; 2012 in part (see tagged_share); earlier model years have no tags. NHTSA's own flags remain separate in the complaints block.

Recalls

16 recalls. Showing the latest 10 of 16.

26V011000

Date: 2026-01-15. Systems: EQUIPMENT.

Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2018 Focus, 2013-2019 Escape, and 2015-2016 MKC vehicles equipped with a 2.0L engine. The engine block heater may crack and develop a coolant leak, causing it to short circuit when the block heater is plugged in. (excerpt)

Consequence: An electrical short circuit can increase the risk of a fire. (excerpt)

Remedy: Owners are advised not to plug in their block heater until the vehicle is remedied. Dealers will replace the block heater, free of charge. Owners will also have a alternative option to replace engine block heater element with a threaded plug, and remove the block heater electrical cord. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed March 6, 2026. Additional letters will be sent (excerpt)

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

22V413000

Date: 2022-06-10. Systems: POWER TRAIN.

Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2019 Escape, 2013-2018 C-Max, 2013-2016 Fusion, 2013-2021 Transit Connect, and 2015-2018 Edge vehicles. The bushing that attaches the shifter cable to the transmission may degrade or detach. (excerpt)

Consequence: A damaged or missing bushing may prevent the vehicle from shifting into the intended gear, and cause the vehicle to move in an unexpected direction. Additionally, the vehicle may roll after the driver selects the 'Park' position. Either scenario increases the risk of a crash or injury. (excerpt)

Remedy: Dealers will replace the under hood shift bushing and add a protective cap over the shift cable bushing, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters, informing owners of the safety risk, were mailed July 1, 2022. Remedy parts are expected to be available in 4th Quarter 2022. Owner notification letters were mailed October 27, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-73 (excerpt)

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

20V331000

Date: 2020-06-08. Systems: LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES.

Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2011-2014 Fiesta, 2013-2014 Fusion, 2015 Mustang, 2013-2015 Escape and C-Max, 2012-2015 Focus, 2014-2016 Transit Connect, 2013-2014 Lincoln MKZ, and 2015 MKC vehicles. These vehicles were previously recalled and repaired under recalls 15V-246, 16V-643 or 17V-210, however the repair may not have been completed properly. A component within the door la (excerpt)

Consequence: A door that is not securely latched could open while the vehicle is in motion, increasing the risk of injury to a vehicle occupant. (excerpt)

Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the latch date codes to confirm if the repair was done correctly, and replace the side door latches if necessary, free of charge. Owners will also have the option to inspect their own vehicle's door latches and enter the date codes into a website to determine if the latches are correct. Owner notification letters were mailed on July 27, 2020. Ow (excerpt)

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

18V471000

Date: 2018-07-16. Systems: POWER TRAIN.

Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2014 Ford Escape, and 2013-2016 Ford Fusion vehicles, equipped with six-speed automatic transmissions. The bushing that attaches the transmission shifter cable to the transmission may degrade over time and cause the bushing to detach from the transmission. The condition could allow the driver to move the shift lever to Park and remove the ignit (excerpt)

Consequence: If the vehicle is exited without the transmission being in Park and without the parking brake being applied, the vehicle may unexpectedly move, increasing the risk of a crash. (excerpt)

Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the shifter cable bushing, free of charge. The recall began September 20, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18S20. Note: Owners are directed to use the parking brake until the recall remedy repairs can be made. (excerpt)

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

17V472000

Date: 2017-07-25. Systems: SEAT BELTS, SEATS.

Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2014 Ford F-150 and E-350, 2014-2015 Ford Escape, and 2015 Lincoln MKC vehicles. Improperly manufactured bolts may have been used to install certain seats, seatbacks, seatbelt buckles, or seatbelt anchors on these vehicles.

Consequence: The improperly manufactured bolts may fracture. If a seat, seatback, or seatbelt anchor attaching bolt fractures, the affected component may not be properly secured, increasing the risk of injury in the event of a crash.

Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected bolts, free of charge. Interim notices informing owners of the safety risk were mailed September 8, 2017. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available in the fourth quarter of 2017. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 17S17.

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

17V209000

Date: 2017-03-27. Systems: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING.

Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2014 Escape, 2014-2015 Fiesta ST, 2013-2014 Fusion and 2013-2015 Transit Connect vehicles equipped with 1.6L GTDI engines. If the vehicle is started and driven with an insufficient level of coolant within the engine cooling system, the engine cylinder head may overheat, crack and leak oil.

Consequence: If the cylinder head cracks and leaks oil, the oil may contact a hot engine or exhaust component, increasing the risk of a fire.

Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will install a coolant level sensor and the supporting hardware and software, free of charge. Interim notices informing owners of the safety risk were mailed April 21, 2017. The recall began on January 5, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 17S09.

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

16V643000

Date: 2016-09-06. Systems: LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES.

Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2012-2015 Ford Focus, 2013-2015 Ford Escape and Ford C-MAX, 2015 Lincoln MKC and Ford Mustang, and 2014-2016 Ford Transit Connect vehicles. A component within the door latches may break, preventing the doors from latching and/or leading the driver or a passenger to believe a door is securely closed when, in fact, it is not.

Consequence: A door that is not securely latched could open while the vehicle is in motion, increasing the risk of injury to a vehicle occupant.

Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the door latches with an improved part, free of charge. The recall began on January 27, 2017. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 16S30.

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

15V406000

Date: 2015-06-24. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 Ford Escape vehicles manufactured May 19, 2014, to February 6, 2015, and Transit Connect vehicles manufactured May 11, 2014, to July 2, 2015. Due to a software incompatibility issue, the instrument panel cluster be inoperative including a blank multiple functional display (MFD), and non-functional warning chimes, messages and war (excerpt)

Consequence: If the instrument cluster is inoperative, the driver of may not be warned of safety related issues such as low tire pressures or disabled air bags, increasing the risk of personal injury or a crash. (excerpt)

Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will update the instrument panel software, free of charge. The recall began on August 4, 2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15C03. (excerpt)

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

15V005000

Date: 2015-01-09. Systems: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE.

Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) notified the agency on January 8, 2015, that they are recalling certain model year 2014 Ford Escape vehicles manufactured April 15, 2014, to May 8, 2014, and 2015 Lincoln MKC vehicles manufactured April 21, 2014, to May 15, 2014. On April 30, 2015, Ford expanded the recall to cover an additional 45,505 vehicles, including certain model year 2014-2015 Ford Transit Connect (excerpt)

Consequence: If the fuel pump fails, the vehicle may stall without warning, increasing the risk of a crash. (excerpt)

Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump, free of charge. The recall began on February 27, 2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 14S30. (excerpt)

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

14V597000

Date: 2014-09-26. Systems: AIR BAGS, SEAT BELTS.

Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Ford C-Max vehicles manufactured January 19, 2012, to November 21, 2013; Ford Fusion vehicles manufactured February 3, 2012, to August 24, 2013; Ford Escape vehicles manufactured October 5, 2011, to November 1, 2013; and Lincoln MKZ vehicles manufactured April 25, 2012, to September 30, 2013. The coating on portions of the Restra (excerpt)

Consequence: The short circuits could cause the frontal air bags, side curtain air bags and the seat belt pretensioners to not function as intended when needed, increasing the risk of occupant injury in the event of a crash. (excerpt)

Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the RCM, free of charge. Parts are not currently available. The recall began on May 26,2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 14S21. (excerpt)

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

Investigations

2 investigations; 0 open.

RQ19005

Opened: 2019-12-19. Closed: 2022-02-07.

Door Latch Failures

In December 2019, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this investigation based on 235 Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQs) alleging doors failed to latch when closed, and/or inadvertently opened while driving, on model year (MY) 2012-2014 Ford Fiesta, and 2013-2014 Fusion and Lincoln MKZ. Some VOQs reported the failure occurred after the latch had been remedied under a prior recall whi

Systems: LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES, STRUCTURE.

Linked campaign numbers: 20V177000, 20V331000.

PE16001

Opened: 2016-01-16. Closed: 2016-10-29.

Door Latch Failure

In January, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this Preliminary Evaluation based on consumers' allegations of doors failing to latch and/or inadvertently opening on model year (MY) 2012-2013 Ford Focus vehicles (subject vehicles).ODI has received 464 unique reports related to the alleged problem, with over 200 claiming that the door(s) opened inadvertently while the vehicle was in mo

Systems: LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES.

Linked campaign numbers: 16V643000.

Manufacturer communications

145 manufacturer communications.

Communications by system
SystemCount
EQUIPMENT40
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM30
POWER TRAIN25
ENGINE21
STRUCTURE12
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING10
VISIBILITY10
EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY6

11031792

Date: 2026-04-29. Type: Other. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER.

Harvest Program 25H05 a Supplement #1 Certain 2011-2021 Model Year Vehicles Software Verification Harvest Program

11029052

Date: 2026-02-24. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, STRUCTURE, UNKNOWN OR OTHER.

Ford and Lincoln vehicles equipped with wired keyless entry keypad systems and accessory wireless keyless entry keypad systems may or may not come with a wallet card containing the master code. Unlike the integrated wired keypad, the accessory wireless keypad master code cannot be retrieved from the

11029721

Date: 2026-02-17. Type: Other. Systems: POWER TRAIN.

Certain 2013-2014 Model Year Escape and 2013-2016 Fusion Vehicles Equipped with a 6F35 Transmission Shift Cable Bushing Inspection and Protective Service Cap Installation

11026013

Date: 2025-11-19. Type: Other. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER.

This is a proactive investigation program by Ford Motor Company to inspect a limited number of affected vehicles that are customer-owned. Ford is voluntarily conducting this program to evaluate the software currently installed on one or more electronic modules in the affected vehicles.

11010968

Date: 2024-11-27. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.

Some 2013-2016 Escape vehicles may exhibit an ABS warning indicator with diagnostic trouble code (DTC) U2300 after the ABS module is replaced.

11008948

Date: 2024-10-10. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.

While performing a transmission repair on some 2012-2024 Ford and Lincoln vehicles, a transmission seal kit may be on backorder due to supply chain interruptions.

10254138

Date: 2024-04-24. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: EQUIPMENT.

All accessory stick-on keyless entry keypads come with a wallet card containing the master code. If the accessory keypad was factory installed, this card will be placed in the glove box and should be handed to the vehicle s owner during initial delivery. Unlike the integrated (wired) factory keypad,

10228876

Date: 2022-12-16. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: SERVICE BRAKES.

Some Ford and Lincoln vehicles may exhibit noise when the brakes are applied. When diagnosing and repairing brake noise conditions, use the Workshop Manual (WSM) and the appropriate pinpoint test in section 206-00. The brake rotors should only be machined if directed by the WSM because one or more o

10226752

Date: 2022-11-04. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: SERVICE BRAKES.

Some 2013-2016 Escape/Fusion/MKZ vehicles may display an error message when updating the All Wheel Drive-ATC Barcode using the IDS service function after installing a new rear drive unit assembly (RDU) or active torque coupling (ATC) clutch assembly. To prevent this error from occurring, enter the u

10222788

Date: 2022-10-06. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC.

Some Ford and Lincoln vehicles may exhibit noise when the brakes are applied. When diagnosing and repairing brake noise conditions, use the Workshop Manual (WSM) and the appropriate pinpoint test in section 206-00. The brake rotors should only be machined if directed by the WSM because one or more o

Notes on this record

  • Complaints from the API and bulk file are merged and deduplicated by ODI number; the API alone misses records.
  • System and subsystem counts are numbers of distinct complaints, recalls or communications that name them. One record can name several systems, so shares across systems can add to more than 100 percent; a single share never exceeds 100 percent.
  • Recalls are counted once per campaign, investigations once per action and manufacturer communications once per NHTSA id, even when NHTSA lists several model names for the same record.
  • A sales denominator is a calendar-year proxy, not the population of vehicles still in use. Rates are copied from verified pipeline output.

Other names NHTSA uses

None listed.

Matched NHTSA models

Matched labels and complaints
NHTSA model labelComplaints
ESCAPE2,088

Same model, other years

All model years | All Ford models

Other Ford models, 2014

Sources

Get this record as JSON

The free rate-limited demo needs no key.

curl "https://api.theusedcarindex.com/v1/demo/vehicle_risk?make=Ford&model=Escape&year=2014"

Paid endpoint: https://api.theusedcarindex.com/v1/vehicle_risk. MCP endpoint: https://api.theusedcarindex.com/mcp.