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2012 Ford Escape

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2012 Ford Escape do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 996.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

413 reports with mileage · 185 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Fuel/propulsion System. Review the 137 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Steering. Review the 137 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine. Review the 72 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

37 crash reports3 fire reports18 injury reports

Fuel/propulsion System complaints

137 reports
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Mileage unknown · Jan 8, 2026
Fuel/propulsion System

Clearly the vehicle is leaking and is a fire hazard. I received a notice that it has been recalled but it’s not showing up under my vin.

NHTSA ODI #11709651

Mileage unknown · Aug 12, 2025
Fuel/propulsion System

It just started leaking fuel about a month ago and never stops

NHTSA ODI #11680146

Mileage unknown · Aug 12, 2025
Fuel/propulsion System

Gas tank leaking fuel around the joint where the fuel filler hose connects to the tank. It is NOT leaking at the hose connection but is leaking where the fitting connects/enters the tank.

NHTSA ODI #11680083

Mileage unknown · Dec 4, 2023
EngineFuel/propulsion System

While coming to a stop sign, as I took my foot off the gas pedal, it surged forward at a fast speed the gas pedal went to the floor. it took me through the intersection and beyond before I was able to stop the car. It was very scary just thinking if there were anyone crossing the street it could have been very bad. Now im afra…

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While coming to a stop sign, as I took my foot off the gas pedal, it surged forward at a fast speed the gas pedal went to the floor. it took me through the intersection and beyond before I was able to stop the car. It was very scary just thinking if there were anyone crossing the street it could have been very bad. Now im afraid to even drive my car not knowing if it will happen again.I call the service and cannot get appt. for 2 weeks. and it will be at my expense.

NHTSA ODI #11558436

Mileage unknown · Aug 8, 2021
Fuel/propulsion SystemSteeringVehicle Speed Control

There is something not connecting right when you accelerate from a stopped position. From when you first start the car and begin to drive to slowing down to a complete stop as soon as you begin to accelerate there is almost no going right away when you push down on the pedal. It takes almost 10 seconds or more to even begin to s…

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There is something not connecting right when you accelerate from a stopped position. From when you first start the car and begin to drive to slowing down to a complete stop as soon as you begin to accelerate there is almost no going right away when you push down on the pedal. It takes almost 10 seconds or more to even begin to stay with on coming traffic. You have to be at a 3 rpm to even shift to go a little more faster then the speed starts to increase if able. It is available when needed to look over at any point and I dont feel safe driving as theres something not right with the connection to the fuel I believe and it feels like. I have taken it to a local shop and they looked it over and didnt seem to find or see much but they cleaned the air flow meter but that didnt do the trick? Also while driving the car tends to veer to the left with or with no wind. It doesnt like to stay straight while driving and thats also unsafe as the driver your doing everything to stay straight. Have not been inspected by anyone other than the local shop I trust and is family friend. Have never noticed or seen any defective lights come on since I purchased the vehicle. I noticed this not even a month into purchasing and I took it to where I purchased the vehicle and asked about it and they said its normal in this older ford escape? I was kinda stunned and annoyed so I just left. Also when the ac is on it seems to take even more power to try and get going I have noticed. I also have tried to upload a photo of an invoice and my computer isnt allowing me?

NHTSA ODI #11428243

Mileage unknown · Jul 21, 2021
Fuel/propulsion System

12/3/2020 Recall 16S41-Fuel Delivery Module Flange Replacement was performed on vehicle at Ford Dealership. Upon starting the vehicle, I noticed a long crank & engine light was on. Technician advised the issue would resolve itself in a few days. It did not. 12/16/2020 Returned to Ford Dealership for for diagnostic of long crank…

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12/3/2020 Recall 16S41-Fuel Delivery Module Flange Replacement was performed on vehicle at Ford Dealership. Upon starting the vehicle, I noticed a long crank & engine light was on. Technician advised the issue would resolve itself in a few days. It did not. 12/16/2020 Returned to Ford Dealership for for diagnostic of long crank & engine light. Techs determined there was a defect in the hose. According to them, they replaced the faulty part and issue was fixed. It was not. I was advised again, after some time the issue would be resolved. It was not. 05/5/21 Returned to Ford Dealership for diagnostic & repair of same. Techs advised they replaced a clamp, and that the fuel delivery module installed was defective(again) causing a leak down. They refused liability and advised I needed the fuel pump replaced at my own expense($628). I declined.

NHTSA ODI #11425794

Mileage unknown · Apr 11, 2021
Fuel/propulsion System

AFTER THE FUEL LINE RECALL WAS REPAIRED IN 2020 THE ENGINE STUTTERS BEFORE IT CRANKS COMPLETELY. I REACHED OUT TO FORD AND THE ONLY THING THEY DID WAS OFFER 20 DOLLARS OFF THE DIAGNOSTIC FEE AT THE DEALERSHIP.

NHTSA ODI #11407519

Mileage unknown · Jan 2, 2020
Fuel/propulsion System

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FORD ESCAPE. WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN RATE OF SPEED, THE CHECK ENGINE INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE CHECK FUEL INTAKE LID INDICATOR ILLUMINATED INTERMITTENTLY AFTER FILLING THE VEHICLE WITH FUEL. THE CONTACT ASSOCIATED THE FAILURE WITH NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V777000 (FUE…

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FORD ESCAPE. WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN RATE OF SPEED, THE CHECK ENGINE INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE CHECK FUEL INTAKE LID INDICATOR ILLUMINATED INTERMITTENTLY AFTER FILLING THE VEHICLE WITH FUEL. THE CONTACT ASSOCIATED THE FAILURE WITH NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V777000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE). THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT NOTIFIED. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.

NHTSA ODI #11296631

79,795 miles · Dec 9, 2019
Fuel/propulsion System

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON WHEN DRIVING AND WHEN PARKED AND ENGINE RUNNING AND SMELL OF RAW GAS FUMES NEAR LEFT REAR WHEEL AREA. SHOP TESTED FOUND CODE P0456 TRACED TO CRACKED AND LEAKING ELECTRIC FUEL PUMP. REPLACED PUMP NOW OK . IN CHECKING I FOUND THERE WAS A RECALL #16S41 FOR 2012 ESCAPE WITH V6 ENGINE , MY CAR IS A 4 CYL . NOT …

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CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON WHEN DRIVING AND WHEN PARKED AND ENGINE RUNNING AND SMELL OF RAW GAS FUMES NEAR LEFT REAR WHEEL AREA. SHOP TESTED FOUND CODE P0456 TRACED TO CRACKED AND LEAKING ELECTRIC FUEL PUMP. REPLACED PUMP NOW OK . IN CHECKING I FOUND THERE WAS A RECALL #16S41 FOR 2012 ESCAPE WITH V6 ENGINE , MY CAR IS A 4 CYL . NOT INCL. IN RECALL BUT PRODUCED IN SAME PRODUCTION SEQUENCE PRODUCTION DATE 8-11 SALES DATE 11-19-2011 THE ABOVE RECALL WAS FOR LEAKING FUEL PUMP .I BELIEVE MY CAR SHOULD HAVE BEEN RECALLED ALSO . I CONTACTED DEALER THEY REFERRED ME TO FORD CO. FILED CASE #CAS-21767319 ON 5-29-19 FORD SAID NO RECALL ,SORRY NO HELP WITH REPAIR BILL .I BELIEVE THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN RECALLED AS A SAFETY HAZARD ALSO COVERED UNDER EMISSION WARRANTY 8 YEAS OR 80,000 MILES I WROTE TO DEALER 9-12-2019 NO RESPONSE CAR HAD 79.795 AT TIME OF REPAIR. I STILL HAVE THE CAR AND THE DEFECTIVE FUEL PUMP IF INSPECTION IS REQUIRED. THIS CONDITION WAS ON PUBLIC STREET AND PRIVATE PROPERTY MOVING AND STATIONARY. MY CAR COULD HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN A FIRE IF THE CAUSE OF THE FUEL LEAK WASN'T DETECTED.

NHTSA ODI #11287925

92,000 miles · Nov 11, 2019
Fuel/propulsion System

AFTER PERFORMING THE RECALL THE PROBLEM CONTINUE SHOWING CHECK FUEL TANK INLET..IN THE PANEL AND THEN CHECKING ENGINE LIGTH ON ..ITS BEEN A SOLID PROBLEM FOR THE LAST FEW YEARS AND FORD SHOULD GET THE RIGTH WAY TO FIX THE PROBLEM

NHTSA ODI #11279433

Official recalls

1

16V777000 · Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:fuel Pump

Oct 26, 2016

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2010-2012 Ford Escape vehicles manufactured February 26, 2009, to April 29, 2012, and 2010-2011 Mercury Mariner vehicles manufactured February 25, 2009, to December 12, 2010. On vehicles with a 3.0L engine, the Fuel Delivery Module (FDM) may crack, causing a fuel leak.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.

Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the FDM flange with one that has a redesigned fuel supply port, free of charge. Remedy parts are currently unavailable. Interim notices were mailed to owners on December 13, 2016. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 16S41.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

2

PE13003 · Electronic Throttle Body Malfunction

Opened Feb 21, 2013 · Closed Feb 28, 2014

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Engine

On February 21, 2013, the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation PE13-003 to investigate allegations of electronic throttle body (ETB) failures resulting in sudden reduction of engine power in model year (MY) 2009-2013 Ford Escape, Fusion, Mariner and Milan vehicles. During this investigation, Ford identified a condition in subject vehicles equipped with 2.5L and 3.0L engines that may result in a sudden reduction of engine power.According to Ford, the ETB internal motor contacts may develop a high resistance material buildup condition on the commutator, resulting in intermittent electrical connectivity and reduced engine power. When this condition occurs, the Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) or Wrench light will illuminate and the vehicle may enter a limited limp home mode.Ford?s trade name for the feature is Failure Mode Effects Management (FMEM) mode.In this mode, engine power and vehicle speed are reduced, while full function of the power steering, power braking, lighting, and climate control systems are maintained.ODI?s complaint analysis indicate that the predominant failure mode involved reduced motive power associated with the limited limp home mode with engine speeds limited to approximately 900 RPM. Analysis of warranty claims provided by Ford identified 59,807 claims related to ETB replacements and approximately 50 percent of claims are associated with diagnostic trouble codes (DTC) P2111, Throttle Body Stuck Open, and P2112, Throttle Body Stuck Closed.Ford described several factors where the ETB motor may fail resulting in DTCs P2111 or P2112 but the failure is not an existing stuck open or closed ETB valve position.According to Ford, the ETB control strategy provides the driver with three FMEM modes that allow varying degrees of vehicle mobility depending on the severity of the fault detected.DTCs associated with stuck open or closed throttle valves are designated the highest failure severity resulting in engine speeds limited to high idle corresponding to the limited limp home mode.Vehicles are not likely to unexpectedly stall as a result of this condition, but drivers may characterize the reduced functionality as a stall, even though their vehicle may still has motive capability.Other FMEM limp modes may result in reduced engine performance but will maintain vehicle speed above 20mph. During this investigation, Ford and its suppliers, Delphi and Igarashi, updated the powertrain control module (PCM) software to include a throttle body motor cleaning cycle during key-on and modified the ETB internal motor components design, surface finish and material composition to improve durability. Additionally, Ford developed a remedy procedure and issued a special Customer Satisfaction Program (CSP) 13N03 extending the ETB warranty coverage and instructing dealers to update the powertrain calibration to improve vehicle performance in the event that intermittent electrical connectivity of the throttle body motor contacts occurs. The program extends the coverage for up to 10 years of service or 150,000 miles from the warranty start date of the vehicle, all vehicles are eligible for the program through January 31, 2015 regardless of mileage.Owners of the affected vehicles will be contacted by mail to take their vehicle to a Ford dealer who will reprogram the PCM to the latest calibration. The bulletin was sent to dealers on January 17, 2014 and the owner letter mailing began on January 27, 2014. See the investigative file for copies of Ford's bulletin and owner letter. This preliminary evaluation is closed. The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding that

DP12006 · Electronic Throttle Body Malfunction

Opened Oct 2, 2012 · Closed Feb 21, 2013

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Engine

In a letter dated August 30, 2012, The North Carolina Consumers Council (NCCC) petitioned the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to initiate a defect investigation of alleged electronic throttle body failures resulting in engine stall or surge while driving in model year (MY) 2005 through 2012 Ford Escape vehicles. On October 2, 2012 the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Defect Petition DP12-006 to evaluate whether to grant or deny the petition. The petition is hereby granted on certain model years. The NCCC letter cites two complaints of stall while driving in MY 2009 Ford Escape vehicles that were diagnosed as failed throttle bodies with diagnostic trouble codes (DTC) P2111, Throttle Body Stuck Open, and P2112, Throttle Body Stuck Closed. The petitioner indicates that the owners of both vehicles reported experiencing repeated incidents of stalling and engine surging. According to Ford, Escape non-hybrid vehicles are equipped with Electronic Throttle Body (ETB) assemblies beginning with MY 2009. Vehicles manufactured between June 22, 2009 and October 15, 2009 may contain contaminated printed circuit boards (PCB) with plating variations. Plating variations could lead to a lack of continuity in the throttle position sensor circuit where P2111 and/or other DTCs would be generated and stored. Ford and its electronic throttle body supplier, Delphi, modified the PCB manufacturing process and issued a technical service bulletin (TSB) 09-23-5. Vehicles produced after October 15, 2009 incorporated ETBs manufactured with a PCB process that resolved this condition. ODI's analysis identified a total of 123 unique reports indicating allegations of reduced motive power or vehicle stall. Depending on the condition of throttle control system malfunction, a driver may experience varying levels of reduced engine performance associated with three limp home modes. In two limp modes, reduced engine performance may maintain vehicle speeds above 20mph while the third is a limited limp home mode with engine speeds limited to approximately 900 RPM. Allegations of stall appear to be related to the limited limp home mode. Vehicles are not likely to unexpectedly stall as a result of this condition, but drivers may characterize the reduced functionality as a stall, even though their vehicle may still has motive capability. Allegations of vehicle surge appear to be related to limp home mode operation. Complaints alleging surge are most likely related to engine RPM fluctuations at low vehicle speeds or idle as the control system engages to prevent engine stall. In limited limp mode, rough-idle conditions may exist while the control system attempts to modulate engine RPMs once the vehicle reaches a reduced speed to maintain approximately 900 RPM. Separately, ODI received 59 complaints alleging incidents of engine stall while driving in model year (MY) 2010-2011 Ford Fusion vehicles. Approximately 60 percent (36) of the incidents occurred at speeds of 40 miles per hour or more. Eighty percent of complaints (47) were received beginning March 2012 and 14 complaints reported that the throttle body was replaced or DTCs associated with limp home modes. Additionally, Ford issued TSB 10-21-6 addressing DTCs associated with idle speed drops and limited limp home mode. The petition is granted on certain model years.Preliminary Evaluation PE13-003 has been opened to assess the scope, frequency and potential safety consequences associated with the alleged defect.See full copy of the closing resume for this defect petition for list of the VOQs associated with the defect petition analysis.

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