2021 Ford Escape problems
NHTSA has received 482 complaints about the 2021 Ford Escape, and 19% of them involve body & structure. Next are fuel system (15%) and brakes (10%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 482 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Body & structure 19% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 17 and 14
- Injuries and deaths
- 8 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 40,000 miles 101 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 34 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 17 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 18 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 14 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 10 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 4 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 2 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 2 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Of the 101 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 40,000 miles. For body & structure specifically, the median reported mileage is about 41,000 miles (21 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 17 complaints mention a crash; 14 complaints mention a fire; 8 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2021 ranks 14th most-complained-about out of 25 model years of the Ford Escape with enough data (482 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 19 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while making a right turn at approximately 10 MPH, a fuel odor had begun to leak into the interior cabin before the engine caught on fire. The A/C was activated during the time of the failure. No warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that while attempting to extinguish the fire, she fell on her stomach while pregnant, causing a miscarriage for which medical attention was sought. A police report was not filed. A Fire report was filed.
Wife was driving vehicle. Came to intersection at end of our street. Applied brakes. Brakes did not work. Went through intersection crashed into tree. Injured, taken to hospital, vehicle towed, police report made. Vehicle is available for inspection. Would like to have vehicle inspected! Not yet inspected by anyone. No warning of problem. Vehicle has about 250 miles on it. Just leased on Dec 2, 2021.
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated while reversing down her driveway, that as soon as she had placed the vehicle in reverse, it independently accelerated to approximately 20 MPH. The contact attempted to depress the brake pedal and did not have any brake function. The contact stated she did not notice any warning light being illuminated. The contact stated she began to drive backward with the vehicle turning in circles, and crashed into a fire hydrant.
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the rear brakes were not releasing as designed. There was an abnormal groaning sound detected while reversing. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer to be diagnosed and it was determined that the calipers needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure persisted. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure was approximately 17,000.
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while reversing out of the driveway, the vehicle suddenly shut off and failed to start. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed that the fuel injector had failed. The vehicle was repaired. After having the vehicle repaired, the contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 25V467000 (Fuel System, Gasoline), 25V829000 (Structure), 26V123000 (Back Over Prevention), and 26V117000 (Visibility); however, the parts for the repairs were…