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U.S. public vehicle records

2019 Ford ESCAPE problems and owner complaints

Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.

Key facts

581 owner complaints analyzed

3 distinct recall campaigns

64,460 mi median reported failure mileage

Scope: 2019 model year. Data snapshot: . 226 complaints include usable failure mileage.

Owner-reported patterns

Most common problems

Engine is the most frequently named component, appearing in 305 of 581 complaints (52.5%). A complaint can name multiple components.

Recurring terms in complaint narratives
TopicMatching reportsShare of complaints
Transmission and shifting8715.0%
Engine operation427.2%
Braking behavior264.5%
Steering behavior193.3%
Electrical and battery issues152.6%
Fuel system concerns122.1%

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
305
Power Train
120
Engine And Engine Cooling
89
Unknown Or Other
41
Electrical System
36
Steering
16
Fuel/Propulsion System
15
Air Bags
11
Component breakdown data
CategoryCount
Engine305
Power Train120
Engine And Engine Cooling89
Unknown Or Other41
Electrical System36
Steering16
Fuel/Propulsion System15
Air Bags11

Engine: 305; Power Train: 120; Engine And Engine Cooling: 89; Unknown Or Other: 41; Electrical System: 36; Steering: 16; Fuel/Propulsion System: 15; Air Bags: 11

Reported problems by failure mileage

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

Under 25,000
52
25,000 to 49,999
26
50,000 to 74,999
63
75,000 to 99,999
46
100,000 to 149,999
35
150,000 and above
4
Reported problems by failure mileage data
CategoryCount
Under 25,00052
25,000 to 49,99926
50,000 to 74,99963
75,000 to 99,99946
100,000 to 149,99935
150,000 and above4

Under 25,000: 52; 25,000 to 49,999: 26; 50,000 to 74,999: 63; 75,000 to 99,999: 46; 100,000 to 149,999: 35; 150,000 and above: 4

50,000 to 74,999 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (63). 355 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.

2019
19
2020
29
2021
23
2022
43
2023
54
2024
135
2025
180
2026
98
Complaints over time data
CategoryCount
201919
202029
202123
202243
202354
2024135
2025180
202698

2019: 19; 2020: 29; 2021: 23; 2022: 43; 2023: 54; 2024: 135; 2025: 180; 2026: 98

Pattern summary

Engine leads the component reports. Transmission and shifting appears in 87 complaint narratives. Engine operation appears in 42 complaint narratives. Braking behavior appears in 26 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 11194073 · 2019-04-05 (April 5, 2019)

VEHICLE SHUTS OFF WHILE DRIVING. STEPS TO REPRODUCE ISSUE: KEYFOB IS INSIDE VEHICLE IN DRIVERS COAT POCKET, MOBILE PHONE IS INTERMITTENTLY CONNECTED TO VEHICLE VIA USB CORD, VEHICLE IS ON, ENGINE RUNNING, START/STOP IS ON, VEHICLE IS DRIVING THEN STOPS AT A STOPLIGHT, START/STOP ENGAGES AND IDLES ENGINE FOR AT LEAST 15 SECONDS. WHEN FOOT BRAKE IS RELEASED VEHICLE SHUTS OFF, INSTRUMENT CLUSTER, RADIO, INFOTAINMENT, ETC TURN OFF. TO RESTART VEHICLE TRANSMISSION MUST BE PLACED IN NEUTRAL OR PARK AND VEHICLE ON/OFF BUTTON PRESSED. VEHICLE RESTARTS,…

Owner-reported narrative. 1,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 11194073 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 11232426 · 2019-07-16 (July 16, 2019)

AT 10,000 MILES MY ESCAPE TRANSMISSION BEGAN SLIPPING. IT TAKES FOREVER FOR IT TO SHIFT BUT NO TRANSMISSION LIGHT COMES ON. MY GAS MILEAGE HAS ALSO GONE WAY DOWN AS A RESULT OF THIS. FORD CLAIMS IT'S FINE. BUT IT DOES IT OFTEN. ALSO WHEN THE ENGINE STOP IS ENGAGED AT STOP LIGHTS, IT DOESN'T ALWAYS START BACK UP AND I HAVE TO PUT THE CAR IN PARK AND RESTART THE VEHICLE.

Owner-reported narrative. 10,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 11232426 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 11228943 · 2019-07-02 (July 2, 2019)

WHILE DRIVING A LOCAL INTERSTATE BETWEEN 60 AND 70 MPH, OUR NEWLY PURCHASED (3,000 MILES) 2019 FORD ESCAPE SEL SPORT COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN WITHOUT WARNING IN HEAVY TRAFFIC. LUCKILY, MY WIFE WAS ABLE TO COAST TO THE NEAREST EXIT AND PULL OFF THE ROAD WHILE TRAFFIC WAS WHIZZING BY US AT BREAKNECK SPEED. TURNS OUT THAT PART OF THE WIRING HARNESS HAD EITHER LOOSENED ON ITS OWN OR WAS NEVER PROPERLY SECURED FROM THE FACTORY. SO, THE SERPENTINE BELT MANAGED TO CLIP THIS WIRING HARNESS WHICH, IN TURN, PULLED THE HARNESS FROM ITS SOCKET WHILE STARTING T…

Owner-reported narrative. 3,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 11228943 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 11217753 · 2019-06-04 (June 4, 2019)

FORD DEALER CHECKED MY BRAKES AFTER 11000 MILES AND WAS TOLD MY REAR BREAKS WERE BAD AND IT WAS NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR AFTER 10000 MILES THEN I WAS TOLD THAT'S COMMON WITH THE ESCAPES THE BREAKS DON'T LAST! I FEEL THE BRACES SHOULD BE COVERED UNDER WARRENTY

Owner-reported narrative. 11,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 11217753 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 11319033 · 2020-03-23 (March 23, 2020)

DRIVING 70+MPH ON FREEWAY AND THE ACC WENT OUT WITH AN ALERT. CONTINUED DRIVING AND THE LANEKEEP ASSIST HAD AN ERROR AND CEASED WORKING, FOLLOWED BY AN ERROR FOR COLLISION AVOIDANCE. SHORTLY AFTER THE SPEEDOMETER AND ODOMETER WENT TO 0 AND SEVERAL OTHER ERRORS FOR ABS, ESC, AND OTHERS WENT OFF. THIS FELT LIKE THE SCENE FROM APOLLO 13 WHERE EVERYTHING WAS GOING WRONG AT ONCE. I NOTICED THE POWER STEERING WAS NOT WORKING AND IT WAS MUCH MORE DIFFICULT TO TURN THE WHEEL AS I PULLED INTO THE FORD DEALER. THERE WAS STEAM/SMOKE COMING FROM MY FR…

Owner-reported narrative. 14,100 miles reported. Look up ODI 11319033 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 11323928 · 2020-05-08 (May 8, 2020)

ONLY HAD THIS CAR LESS THAN 30 DAYS MILEAGE WAS 29,476 ON 4/13/20. MILEAGE WHEN IN SHOP IS 29,944 SO DROVE 468 MILES. BEEN HEARING LOUD THUDS OR CLUNKING NOISE FROM REAR OF VEHICLE FOR A FEW DAYS. TOOK IT BACK TO WHERE I BOUGHT IT THEY LOOKED AT AND DUPLICATED THE NOISE SEVERAL TIMES IN THEIR SHOP, SAID IT WAS MOST LIKELY SOMETHING IN THE TRANSMISSION. TOOK THE CAR TO FORD AND AT FIRST THE SERVICE WRITER WAS IN DENIAL BUT THE TECHS MADE HIM A BELIEVER....THE TRANSMISSION HAS PROBLEM WITH THE VALVE BODY THEY THINK. THEY TOOK THE TRANSMISSION O…

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11323928 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 11306570 · 2020-02-02 (February 2, 2020)

WE WERE DRIVING ON A 3 LANE HIGHWAY AT NIGHT, STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT. SUDDENLY, THE CAR WENT COMPLETELY DEAD - NO LIGHTS OR POWER. CARS DRIVING AT BETWEEN 40-50 MPH WERE COMING UP BEHIND US, BUT COULD NOT SEE US BECAUSE WE COULD NOT EVEN GET HAZARD LIGHTS ON. WE WERE LOCKED IN - THE DOORS WOULD NOT OPEN!! AFTER SEVERAL NEAR MISSES, WE WERE LUCKY ENOUGH TO HAVE A STRANGER STOP AND HE WAS ABLE TO ALERT ONCOMING CARS SO WE WOULD NOT GET HIT. ENDS UP THAT THE NEGATIVE TERMINAL OF THE BATTERY WAS VERY LOOSE AS WELL AS THE SURROUNDING FASTENERS …

Owner-reported narrative. 1,500 miles reported. Look up ODI 11306570 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 11209894 · 2019-05-24 (May 24, 2019)

WHILE OPERATING THE VEHICLE AT APPROXIMATELY 70MPH ON THE INTERSTATE I NOTICED THAT ALL INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHTING, GAUGES, AND DISPLAY SCREENS WENT OUT. THE GAUGE NEEDLES RETURNED TO THEIR 'HOME' POSITIONS. THERE WAS AN ERROR MESSAGE ON THE MAIN TOUCH SCREEN THAT SAID: NETWORK COMMUNICATION FAILURE. WORRIED, I TOOK THE NEXT AVAILABLE EXIT AND FOUND A PARKING LOT TO INVESTIGATE. I IMMEDIATELY TRIED TO SHUT THE ENGINE OFF, FIGURING THAT IF I COMPLETELY SHUT THE CAR DOWN THE SYSTEM WOULD SOMEHOW CORRECT ITSELF AFTER A 'REBOOT' OF THE THE PCM AND B…

Owner-reported narrative. 3,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 11209894 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 11315322 · 2020-03-03 (March 3, 2020)

2019 FORD ESCAPE. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO ISSUE WITH GAS TANK. *LD THE CONSUMER STATED THE DEALER ADVISED THERE WAS NO FIX FOR THE ISSUE. *JS

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11315322 at NHTSA ↗