The Ford Escape has the second-highest complaint total of any nameplate in this dataset, behind only the Explorer, and almost all of the excess is concentrated in two model years. The 2013 Escape has 2,748 owner complaints on file with the federal regulator, the 2014 car 2,075. The 2012 Escape, the last of the previous generation, has 598. That is not a gradual decline in quality; it is a new car with a new problem.
The 1.6-litre EcoBoost
The third-generation Escape arrived for 2013 on Ford's global compact platform, and its mid-range engine was a 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder shared with the Fusion and, in Europe, the Focus. On a proportion of these engines the cylinder head could crack or the head gasket could fail, allowing coolant into the combustion chamber. The symptoms escalate: coolant loss with no visible leak, white exhaust smoke, overheating, and in the worst cases an engine fire. Ford recalled the 1.6-litre Escape and Fusion repeatedly between 2012 and 2017, first for a coolant line that could split, then for the overheating and fire risk, adding coolant-level sensors and software that would cut power before the engine was damaged. The recalls reduced the fire risk; they did not make a cracked head whole.
The 2.0-litre EcoBoost and the base 2.5-litre naturally aspirated engine in the same years are better engines, but they share the early third generation's other faults: a six-speed automatic with harsh and delayed shifts, a MyFord Touch infotainment system that was the subject of its own class action, power liftgate and door-latch failures, and a transmission-fluid leak from the transmission cooler that was recalled. The complaint total for 2013 is not one problem; it is a launch year in which several went wrong at once.
Ford Escape: the record, year by year
| Year | Score | Verdict | NHTSA complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 76 | BUY | 0 | 9 |
| 2024 | 74 | BUY | 76 | 8 |
| 2023 | 69 | CAUTION | 95 | 11 |
| 2022 | 65 | CAUTION | 228 | 12 |
| 2021 | 66 | CAUTION | 335 | 12 |
| 2020 | 26 | AVOID | 1,517 | 12 |
| 2019 | 80 | BUY | 580 | 3 |
| 2018 | 36 | AVOID | 1,778 | 4 |
| 2017 | 40 | AVOID | 2,665 | 4 |
| 2016 | 69 | CAUTION | 1,101 | 4 |
| 2015 | 63 | CAUTION | 1,078 | 9 |
| 2014 | 35 | AVOID | 2,078 | 12 |
| 2013 | 23 | AVOID | 2,749 | 12 |
| 2012 | 86 | BUY | 598 | 2 |
| 2011 | 76 | BUY | 1,316 | 3 |
Live from the federal record as of 2026-10-04; linked years have their own page. Full table and repair costs on the Ford Escape model page.
When it gets better
The 2015 model year drops to around a thousand complaints and the 2016 to 2017 cars settle into the 60s and 80s on this site's score. Ford replaced the 1.6-litre with a 1.5-litre EcoBoost for 2017 and revised the transmission and the electronics for the 2017 facelift, which also brought the far better Sync 3 infotainment. A 2016 or 2017 Escape with the 2.0-litre or the 2.5-litre engine is a reasonable used compact crossover; a 2013 or 2014 with the 1.6-litre is not, at any price that does not assume an engine replacement.
The 2018 model year is an outlier, with 1,766 complaints against 574 for 2019. Most of the excess is the 1.5-litre engine, which developed its own coolant-intrusion problem in a smaller proportion of engines, and the transmission. Treat 2018 with the same caution as 2013 and 2014.
The fourth generation
Ford redesigned the Escape for 2020 with a new platform, a 1.5-litre three-cylinder engine, an eight-speed automatic and, for the first time, hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions. The 2020 car has 1,511 complaints — engine stalling, transmission hesitation and electrical faults, the usual launch-year list — and scores 26. By 2021 the count is a third of that and the score is 65; the 2022 to 2024 cars are in the 60s and 70s. The Escape Hybrid and Plug-in Hybrid from 2020 onward have a separate and quieter record, apart from a recall on the plug-in's battery.
What to check
Any 2013 to 2019 Escape with a 1.5 or 1.6-litre EcoBoost should have every recall completed (check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls) and should be inspected for coolant loss: look at the overflow tank level, ask when coolant was last topped up, and be suspicious of a freshly filled tank on a car with a pale exhaust. On any Escape from 2013 to 2016, test the transmission from cold — the harsh downshift on a cold gearbox is where the early six-speed shows its problems.
Summary
Buy: 2016 to 2017 with the 2.0 or 2.5-litre engine, 2019, and 2021 onward. Avoid: 2013, 2014 and 2018, particularly with the 1.6 or 1.5-litre engine, and 2020 unless the launch-year faults have documented fixes.