MODELYEARINDEX

Which Ford Escape years to avoid

Across 12 scored model years, the 2010, 2020 and 2013 model years carry the highest severity-weighted complaint rates.

Ownership label · Ford Escape Full report
F
Grade 2010–2021
2010 vs model median 5.0×
Model median3× median
Speed Control 511
Engine 450
Drivetrain 425
Avoid

2010 · 2020

Best

2012 · 2019

What the record shows

Written from this model’s own complaint and recall history.

The Escape’s worst year by a wide margin is 2010, at nearly five times the model’s own median. Speed control is the largest complaint group, followed closely by engine and drivetrain. The median odometer reading at complaint is around 50,000 miles, which is late enough that most of these cars were out of warranty.

The speed-control cluster reflects a long-running issue on this generation: Ford conducted a series of recalls covering the cruise control deactivation switch, which could overheat and, in the filings, sometimes ignite. Owners in this period also report throttle body failures producing sudden loss of power or a limp-home mode. The 2013 and 2014 cars, the first of the redesigned generation, are flagged for different reasons again — the early EcoBoost engines drew their own set of engine and cooling complaints.

2020 is the other flagged year, at the start of the following redesign. Both 2012 and 2019 — the last year of each generation — record the Escape’s lowest complaint rates here, which is the usual pattern: buy the end of a generation, not the beginning.

Reviewed Claude, 10 August 2026, against the model's own record and NHTSA campaign filings

Year by year

Severity-weighted complaints filed in each model year’s first 60 months on the road, so every year is measured over an identical window.

Year Complaint volume vs median Reports Grade
2010
4.97× 2,085 F
2011
2.43× 1,027 F
2012
0.80× 303 B
2013
2.32× 970 F
2014
1.49× 654 D
2015
0.63× 292 C
2016
0.74× 348 B
2017
1.20× 558 C
2018
0.66× 325 B
2019
0.44× 195 B
2020
2.60× 1,622 F
2021
0.79× 433 C
2022 P
0.96× 504 C
2023 P
0.40× 193 B
2024 P
0.29× 147 B
2025 P
0.07× 38 B

P — provisional. These years have not completed 60 months on the road, so their totals are incomplete and they are excluded from the verdict.

What owners report

The component groups most often named, with one representative report. These are unverified — allegations, not findings.

2010 F 2,085 reports · median 50,000 mi

  1. Speed Control 511

    No accelerator response in the middle of a lefthand turn with oncoming traffic. No engine revs then engine roared and I was able to complete my turn. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Engine 450

    Engine racing and jumping while driving. Reverse making loud noise. Reported to dealer and was told couldn't do anything until it happened again. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Drivetrain 425

    2010 ford escape transmission the consumer stated a noise occurred during early acceleration from a full stop. The vehicle has been at the shop for 2 weeks awaiting a new transmission chain to correct the problem. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

17 crash · 2 fire · 19 injuries

2020 F 1,622 reports · median 36,000 mi

  1. Body & Interior 761

    The drivers seat (bottom cushion) has a piece of metal or heavy wiring, about 2 inches long, at the back of the seat, where your tailbone is. The wire is easy to find (it runs back to front) under the seat material. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Electrical 115

    Backup safety camera and warning system fails outside temp is above 70 degrees and air conditioning has not been running long enough to cool the vehicle interior. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Drivetrain 111

    Multiple times vehicle has said stop safely now while driving and limited me to enough power to maintain 15mph at the most. This has happened at higher speeds and has required pulling to the shoulder. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

25 crash · 9 fire · 42 injuries

The best year for the Escape

Ranked by overall score among years with a full 60 months on the road.

2019 is the best-scoring Escape model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 81.5 out of 100 — a score that combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.

Yearvs medianReportsGrade
2019 0.44× 195 B
2012 0.80× 303 B
2018 0.66× 325 B

Recalls

79 campaigns on record, 1 carrying a Park It or Park Outside warning.

Campaign Component Model years Units affected
22V413000 POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:GEAR POSITION INDICATION (PRNDL) 2013–2019 2,925,968
20V331000 LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH 2013–2015 2,147,323
16V643000 LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH 2013–2015 2,046,297
25V695000 BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA 2015, 2016 1,448,655
25V315000 BACK OVER PREVENTION:SOFTWARE 2023, 2024 1,076,138
26V123000 BACK OVER PREVENTION:SOFTWARE 2020–2022 889,950
14V597000 AIR BAGS 2013, 2014 746,842
14V284000 STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM 2010, 2011 740,878
25V467000 FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM 2020–2022 694,271
19V633000 SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:RECLINER 2020 639,137
20V575000 BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA 2020 620,246
26V117000 VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:MOTOR 2020–2022 604,533

+ 67 further campaigns

How long do they last?

Complaint records show when problems get reported, not how long a car survives. Where owners gave an odometer reading, faults on the 2010 were reported at a median of 50,000 miles. Treat that as the point problems start being noticed, not a lifespan.

Common questions

Answered directly from this model’s record.

Which Ford Escape years should you avoid?
2010, 2020, 2013 carry the highest severity-weighted complaint rates of any Ford Escape model year measured over an identical 60-month window.
What is the best year for the Ford Escape?
2019 is the best-scoring Ford Escape model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 81.5 out of 100. The score combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.
How many recalls does the Ford Escape have?
79 distinct recall campaigns are on record across all scored Ford Escape model years. A recall is a matter of record: the manufacturer filed a defect report with NHTSA.

How this was calculated

Every model year is scored over an identical window: complaints filed with NHTSA during the first 60 months after that model year went on sale. Without this, older cars look worse purely because they have had longer to accumulate reports.

Limitations. Complaints are unverified reports submitted voluntarily by owners; they are allegations, not findings, and reporting rates vary between models. Model years with fewer than 60 months on the road are marked provisional and excluded from verdicts. Cross-model comparison is withheld pending production-volume data.

Full methodology · Sources · Data vintage August 9, 2026

Working 2010 Escape
Complaints in window
2,085
Severity-weighted
3,597
Model median (weighted)
724
vs model median
4.97×
Recall campaigns (weighted)
5
Open investigations
0
Score 12.5 F