2012 Ford Escape: True Cost, Problems & Verdict
598 NHTSA owner complaints · 2 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
Reviewed by the MotorJury data desk · 2 sources · Last updated 2026-08-20
598 NHTSA owner complaints · 2 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
Complaints per year on the road: 42.71
Verbatim reports filed with the United States safety regulator (NHTSA) by owners of this exact model year. Public record.
Vehicle: 2012 Ford Escape Issue: Loss of steering assist while driving While operating my vehicle, the power steering assist suddenly fails, making the steering wheel extremely difficult to turn. This creates a dangerous driving condition and significantly increases the risk of an accident. This issue appears to match known problems with the electric power steering system in this vehicle, which has been the subjec…
I was driving approximately 35mph and the steering got extremely difficult. I had to use all my strength to try to turn the wheel. I pulled into a gas station parking lot, turned the car off, restarted the car and steering was back to normal. Has happened 2 times since. I had a mechanic friend look at it and he couldn't find a reason why it would do that.
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Escape. The contact stated that after refueling the vehicle, there was a strong fuel-like odor entering the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 153,000.
What the community is saying right now.
| Campaign | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 15E045000 | Suspension:Front:Wheel Bearing | The Timken Company (Timken) is recalling certain aftermarket front wheel bearings, part number 510072, sold from January 22, 2015, to May 21… |
| 16V777000 | Fuel System, Gasoline:Delivery:Fuel Pump | Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2010-2012 Ford Escape vehicles manufactured February 26, 2009, to April 29, 2012, … |
Re-priced automatically from your country's retail fuel, electricity and parts indices — change country in the bar at the top. Estimates; see methodology.
The most-reported issue in NHTSA complaint data is Steering (137 complaints in our indexed sample).
Our data verdict is AVOID with a reliability score of 33/100, computed from 598 NHTSA complaints and 2 recall campaigns. See the verdict card for the top reasons.
Yes — NHTSA lists 2 recall campaign(s) for the 2012 Ford Escape, 1 of them touching fire, crash or stall risk, the most recent recorded 03/06/2015. Check this car's VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy.
Fuel, maintenance band and depreciation — computed from public data in 10 seconds.
Open the true-cost calculatorComplaints & recalls: NHTSA ·
Fuel economy: EPA fueleconomy.gov ·
Scoring: our published methodology.
Maintenance bands are industry-average estimates (AAA Your Driving Costs, CarMD index) — labeled estimates, not measurements.
Last updated: 2026-08-20.