What ownership is like, what breaks at what mileage, what the repairs cost, and what to check before you buy one.
NHTSA complaints per catalog listing run from 6.89 for 2020 (1,839 complaints across 267 listings) to 0.29 for 2025 (31 across 106), against a generation median of 2.17. 2020 is 3.2 times that median, but 3 of 192 enriched ads (1.6%) mention a problem against a 1.6% median, so it fails the ad test. Younger years have had less time to collect complaints, and 2023 to 2026 have no enriched-ad data in our catalog. No year is flagged.
| Miles | Item | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| any | 1.5L fuel injector cracks and leaks fuel (recalls 22V859000 and repeats 24V187000, 25V165000, 25V467000) | Free at a Ford dealer; Ford extended the warranty on cracked injectors to 15 years | The recall covers 2020-2022 Escapes with the 1.5L engine. Consumer Reports and Ford both describe a fuel leak into the engine compartment. Cars repaired under the first campaign were later recalled again, so confirm the latest status by VIN. |
| any | Hybrid high voltage battery failure (22V331000, 22V149000, 24V954000; plug-in hybrid 26V091000) | Free at a Ford dealer when open | The recalls describe battery cell defects that may cause a sudden loss of drive power. CarFactBase notes dealers replace the high voltage battery free for the 2020 recall. Check the VIN on any hybrid or plug-in. |
| any | Other recalls on file: 2.5L hybrid engine failure and oil release (22V484000, 23V380000, 25V345000), 1.5L oil separator housing (22V191000), hybrid control module software (24V330000), cylinder head ball plugs (25V372000, 2023-2025) | Free at a Ford dealer when open | 22V484000: in an engine failure, oil and fuel vapor may reach hot parts and start a fire. Confirm each by VIN. |
No year in this generation was flagged. A year is flagged by our rule only when all three hold: (1) its NHTSA complaints per catalog listing is at least 2.0x the median for its generation, (2) the share of ads that mention a problem is above the generation median, and (3) we track at least 30 listings for that year. The cutoff was fixed before we looked. Ad mentions are not failures, and a flag is a reason to inspect harder, not a verdict on any one car.
| Year | Complaints | Top components | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 1,839 | Structure, Unknown Or Other, Power Train | |
| 2021 | 382 | Structure, Unknown Or Other, Fuel System, Gasoline | |
| 2022 | 386 | Engine, Fuel System, Gasoline, Service Brakes | |
| 2023 | 139 | Electrical System, Power Train, Engine | |
| 2024 | 89 | Electrical System, Unknown Or Other, Engine | |
| 2025 | 31 | Unknown Or Other, Electrical System, Engine And Engine Cooling | |
| 2026 | 4 | Electrical System,service Brakes,engine, Electrical... |
source: NHTSA complaints database (api.nhtsa.gov). Complaints are owner reports, not confirmed failures.
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We don't tell you to skip a year; we flag by a fixed rule, and no Escape year trips it. Third-party lists often name 2013, 2014 and 2008. 2013 has 6.86 NHTSA complaints per catalog listing (2,757 across 402 listings) against a 2013-2019 median of 3.95, which is 1.7 times and short of our 2.0x cutoff. 2008 has 15.90 (2,417 across 152) against a 2008-2012 median of 11.70, 1.4 times. 2020 has 6.89 (1,839 across 267) against a 2020-present median of 2.17, but only 3 of 192 ads (1.6%) mention a problem against a 1.6% median, so it is not flagged.
For the 6F35 automatic in 2013-2019 cars, CarComplaints averages are $4,460 at 77,850 miles (2013, 28 complaints) and $4,210 at 84,900 miles (2014, 64 complaints). One forum owner paid $4,200 for a remanufactured unit with labor and warranty on a 2014 SE at about 120,000 miles. Those are complaining owners' costs, not shop quotes.
Turbo 2013-2019 Escapes have drawn such complaints. CarComplaints lists 22 for the 2017 with an average repair of $6,620 at 74,850 miles, and 5 for the 2018 at $5,250 and 97,100 miles. Avturo puts an independent-shop repair at $4,000-$7,000 and says no safety recall covered it on 2018 cars. The 1.6L has separate cylinder head recalls (12V431000, 13V583000, 17V209000).
On 2008-2011 Escapes, NHTSA recall 14V284000 covers a steering torque sensor that may fail to detect driver input, which could remove electric power assist. CarComplaints counts 105 complaints for the 2008 with an average repair of $1,260 at 108,100 miles. The recall repair is free at a Ford dealer when open.
Ford recalled 2020-2022 Escapes with the 1.5L for cracked fuel injectors that may leak fuel inside the engine compartment (Consumer Reports). The repair is free, and Ford extended the warranty on cracked injectors to 15 years (Ford). Cars repaired under the first campaign were recalled again, so check the VIN for the latest status.
Yes, NHTSA files them under names like ESCAPE HYBRID, ESCAPE HEV and ESCAPE PHEV, and many complaints are listed under more than one. For 2008, ESCAPE and ESCAPE HYBRID each show 2,417 records because they overlap, so the union is 2,417. We count each complaint once.