U.S. public vehicle records

2001 Ford ESCAPE problems and owner complaints

Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.

Key facts

996 owner complaints analyzed

13 distinct recall campaigns

75,350 mi median reported failure mileage

Scope: 2001 model year. Data snapshot: 2026-09-12 (September 12, 2026). 478 complaints include usable failure mileage.

Owner-reported patterns

Most common problems

Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline is the most frequently named component, appearing in 151 of 996 complaints (15.2%). A complaint can name multiple components.

Recurring terms in complaint narratives
Topic	Matching reports	Share of complaints
Braking behavior	259	26.0%
Engine operation	240	24.1%
Steering behavior	137	13.8%
Transmission and shifting	94	9.4%
Electrical and battery issues	62	6.2%
Fuel system concerns	16	1.6%

Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.

Component breakdown

Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.

Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline

151

Vehicle Speed Control

Electrical System

Power Train:Automatic Transmission

Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine

Engine And Engine Cooling

Service Brakes, Hydraulic

Air Bags

Component breakdown data
Category	Count
Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline	151
Vehicle Speed Control	78
Electrical System	66
Power Train:Automatic Transmission	62
Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine	57
Engine And Engine Cooling	47
Service Brakes, Hydraulic	41
Air Bags	32

Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline: 151; Vehicle Speed Control: 78; Electrical System: 66; Power Train:Automatic Transmission: 62; Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine: 57; Engine And Engine Cooling: 47; Service Brakes, Hydraulic: 41; Air Bags: 32

Reported problems by failure mileage

Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.

Under 25,000

25,000 to 49,999

50,000 to 74,999

75,000 to 99,999

100,000 to 149,999

105

150,000 and above

Under 25,000: 55; 25,000 to 49,999: 99; 50,000 to 74,999: 79; 75,000 to 99,999: 63; 100,000 to 149,999: 105; 150,000 and above: 77

100,000 to 149,999 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (105). 518 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.

Complaints over time

Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.

2000

2001

167

2002

162

2003

119

2004

110

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2026

2000: 20; 2001: 167; 2002: 162; 2003: 119; 2004: 110; 2005: 72; 2006: 28; 2007: 33; 2008: 21; 2009: 22; 2010: 26; 2011: 16; 2012: 67; 2013: 23; 2014: 31; 2015: 29; 2016: 17; 2017: 11; 2018: 8; 2019: 9; 2020: 2; 2021: 2; 2026: 1

Pattern summary

Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline leads the component reports. Braking behavior appears in 259 complaint narratives. Engine operation appears in 240 complaint narratives. Steering behavior appears in 137 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.

Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.

Complaint evidence

Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.

Owner report 10001900 · 2003-01-07 (January 7, 2003)

WHILE DRIVING DOWN HILL, ALL DASH LIGHTS CAME ON AND VEHICLE STALLED OUT LOSING STEERING AND BRAKE POWER. DEALER REPROGRAMMED PCM AND REPLACED EEC POWER RELAY PER TSB. *TT

Owner-reported narrative. 9,010 miles reported. Look up ODI 10001900 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10002847 · 2003-01-17 (January 17, 2003)

PREMATURE FAILURE OF FRONT BRAKE ROTORS ON 2001, 2002 FORD ESCAPE/MAZDA TRIBUTE SUV'S. EVIDENTLY THE ROTORS ARE INSUFFICIENTLY HARDENED AND WEAR VERY RAPIDLY, REQUIRING REPLACEMENT AT 35,000 MILE INTERVALS. IF REPLACEMENT BRAKE PADS WERE INSTALLED WITHOUT REPLACING THE ROTORS. ROTOR FAILURE COULD RESULT BECAUSE OF TOO MUCH ROTOR MATERIAL BEING WORN AWAY. TS

Owner-reported narrative. 34,450 miles reported. Look up ODI 10002847 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10002865 · 2003-01-17 (January 17, 2003)

IN THE LAST 2 MONTHS - GOING DOWNHILL AT 35MPH VEHICLE STALLED, LOSS OF PS/PB, HEADLIGHTS/RADIO REMAINED ON, ENGINE/OIL LIGHT ILLUMINATED - VEHICLE TOWED TO DEALER, DEALER UNABLE TO REPLICATE PROBLEM, INDICATED THAT VEHICLE "STARTED RIGHT UP" - 1 WK LATER, VEHICLE STALLED AGAIN, SAME AS BEFORE, THIS TIME SHUT OFF VEHICLE COMPLETELY AND VEHICLE STARTED UP AGAIN - TODAY SEATBELT LIGHT STARTED FLASHING AND BELLS WERE RINGING THOUGH DRIVER WAS SEATBELTED. VEHICLE DID NOT STALL DURING THIS EPISODE. AFTER READING OTHER COMPLAINTS, I DO NOT FEEL SAF…

Owner-reported narrative. 35,600 miles reported. Look up ODI 10002865 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10003239 · 2003-01-23 (January 23, 2003)

VEHICLE ENGINE REVS/SEARCHES/HUNTS, WHILE DRIVING STEADY AND MAINTAINING A CONSTANT SPEED ON A LEVEL ROAD, GOING DOWN OR UP A HILL AND THE ACCELERATOR IS NOT BEING PLAYED WITH. INTERMITTENTLY VEHICLE HANDLING SEEMS TO LOSE THE POWER ASSIST - TURNING ALL OF THE SUDDEN REQUIRES MORE MUSCLE EFFORT - AND HANDLING GETS VERY STIFF. SUV HAS STALLED 5 TIMES ALREADY AND DEALER STILL UNABLE TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. EVERY TIME - I LOST THE STEERING, THE BRAKES, THE ACCELERATOR AND THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS. ESCAPE IS A VERY SCARY AND DANGEROUS SUV - UNABL…

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10003239 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10007283 · 2003-01-22 (January 22, 2003)

NAR 02/13/2003. THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION WOULD SHIFT TO DRIVE FROM OVER DRIVE, THE VENTS AUTOMATICALLY SWITCHED TO FROST. THE VEHICLE COMPLETELY STALLED ON A SEPARATE OCCASION, THE RELAY ASSEMBLY WAS REPLACED. THE CRUISE CONTROL WAS INOPERATIVE FROM THE TIME OF PURCHASE. THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS STOPPED WORKING, THE CONSUMER CONTINUED TO EXPERIENCE PROBLEMS WITH THE TRANSMISSION AND THE GAS MILEAGE WAS POOR. *JB

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10007283 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10007492 · 2002-10-10 (October 10, 2002)

I WAS TRAVELING AT 70 MPH WHEN I HEARD A NOISE, THE TRANSMISSION QUIT WORKING, I HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE DEALER. HE CALLED AND SAID THE SNAP RING POPPED OUT OF THE SERVO CASE CAUSING THE TRANSMISSION TO FAIL. THEY REPAIRED IT AND SAID IT WAS FIXED, STARTED HOME AND GOT 15 MILES WHEN IT BLEW AGAIN. HAD IT TOWED BACK AND THEY TRIED TO REPAIR IT AGAIN BUT SAID THEY COULD NOT , NEEDED A NEW TRANNY. I QUESTIONED THEM THAT A 51,000 MILES, THE PART SHOULD NOT HAVE FAILED, THEY COULD NOT GIVE ME AN ANSWER. I TOOK IT SOME WHERE ELSE TO BE REPAIRED.…

Owner-reported narrative. 51,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10007492 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10045614 · 2003-11-06 (November 6, 2003)

CAR COMPLETELY SHUTS OFF WHILE DRIVING. THERE IS NO WARNING OR SYMPTOM THAT AN OCCURRENCE IS GOING TO HAPPEN. THIS SHUTDOWN OCCURS WHILE VEHICLE IS MOVING AND AT VARYING SPEEDS. THIS PROBLEM SEEMS TO BE ELECTRICAL IN NATURE AND PROBRABLY ASSOCIATED WITH SOME IGNITION COMPONET.*AK

Owner-reported narrative. 45,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10045614 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10024690 · 2003-06-17 (June 17, 2003)

THERE WERE PROBLEMS WITH THE VEHICLE SHUTTING DOWN WHILE IN TRAFFIC. THE IDLE GAUGE KEPT DROPPING AND GOING UP UNTIL IT EVENTUALLY DROPPED BELOW 1, THEN IT CUT OUT IMMEDIATELY . THE CONSUMER HAD TAKEN THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALER AND ATTEMPTED TO FIX THE PROBLEM ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS BUT WERE UNABLE TO VERIFY. THE DEALER SAID THERE WAS WATER CONTAMINATION IN THE GAS TANK, AND THE CONSUMER WAS TOLD THAT A RAT HAD BITTEN THROUGH THE WIRES. THE CONSUMER HAD TAKEN THE VEHICLE BACK IN FOR THE STALLING PROBLEMS AND GAS FUMES WERE COMING THROUGH…

Owner-reported narrative. 13,268 miles reported. Look up ODI 10024690 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10053185 · 2004-01-14 (January 14, 2004)

WHILE DRIVING 2001 FORD ESCAPE AT AVERAGE 50-60 MPH SPEED OK. UPON DECELERATION, CAR DIES. TOOK CAR TO DEALERSHIP NEXT DAY (DIED 3 MORE TIMES). DEALER IS SAYING 2 CYLINDER HEADS NEED TO BE REPLACED; 2 CAMSHAFTS AND BASICALLY NEED NEW ENGINE INSTALLED AT MY EXPENSE. DEALER HAS REQUESTED MAINTENANCE RECEIPTS (I HAVE SUPPLIED ALL). NOW WAITING TO SEE IF FORD WILL ASSIST IN REPAIRS. HAVE CALLED FORD 6 TIMES TO FILE COMPLAINT STATING SINCE PURCHASING VEHICLE NEW IN DEC 2000, HAVE HAD NEW TRANSMISSION INSTALLED (WARRANTY COVERED); NEW FUEL PUMP (WARR…

Owner-reported narrative. 58,612 miles reported. Look up ODI 10053185 at NHTSA ↗