Ford Escape reliability by year
49 recalls and 24,520 owner complaints across 21 model years. Best year to buy: 2024. Year to avoid: 2013.
Worst model years to avoid → — the single year to avoid for every model line we track, ranked side by side.
Years to avoid — and why 14 flagged on the NHTSA record
Cleaner on the data: 2009, 2018, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024 . Still verify the specific vehicle.
At-a-glance: every year color-coded
Each cell shows the last two digits of the model year and its 0–10 reliability score from NHTSA data. Click any year to see the full record. ★ best year · ✕ year to avoid.
Year-by-year reliability 21 model years · newest first
Common trouble spots across the Escape aggregated across 21 model years
Common questions
What's the best year to buy a Ford Escape?
Based on NHTSA complaint volume and severity weighting, the 2024 Ford Escape scores 7.6/10 — the strongest in the 2005–2025 range. 73 complaints on file, 2 active recalls. Reliability scores reflect the federal complaint record, not subjective owner reviews.
Which Ford Escape year should I avoid?
The 2013 Ford Escape scores 5.2/10 — the weakest in the lineup. 2,740 owner complaints with NHTSA, 5 active recalls. That doesn't mean every 2013 is a problem — it means failure rates run higher than peer model years on the same platform.
Which years of the Ford Escape should I avoid?
On the NHTSA complaint and recall record, the model years to be most careful with are 2015 (avoid — the electrical system — 6 fire-related complaints and 1 crash-related complaint on the engine); 2014 (avoid — the electrical system — 62 fire-related complaints and 1 crash-related complaint on the engine); 2013 (avoid — the powertrain — 45 fire-related complaints and 2 crash-related complaints on the engine); 2012 (avoid — the powertrain — powertrain: 61 complaints, classified severe, failures cluster 18,678–62,000 mi); 2006 (avoid — the engine — 5 fire-related complaints and 1 crash-related complaint on the engine); 2005 (avoid — the engine — 12 fire-related complaints and 2 crash-related complaints on the engine). The cleaner years on the data are 2024, 2023, 2022, 2020, 2018, 2009. This is our read of the federal data, not a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection of the specific vehicle.
How many years of the Ford Escape are tracked?
21 model years (2005 through 2025) with NHTSA records on file. Total across the lineup: 49 recalls and 24,520 owner complaints.
What's the most-reported problem on the Ford Escape?
engine is the most-reported category — 6,037 complaints across 20 model years. Average shop repair runs about $3,100.