← New search

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.

About this comparison →

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

Power Train complaints

66 reports
Clear category filter
98,000 miles · Mar 12, 2025
Power TrainSteering

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at 5 MPH, the steering wheel failed to respond as needed. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact was attempting to straighten the steering wheel and the steering wheel was difficult to turn. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start, a…

Read full complaint

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at 5 MPH, the steering wheel failed to respond as needed. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact was attempting to straighten the steering wheel and the steering wheel was difficult to turn. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start, and the gear shifter failed to move or operate as intended. The local dealer was not contacted, and the vehicle was not diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 98,000.

NHTSA ODI #11647949

65,500 miles · Jun 13, 2024
Power Train

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the gear shifter was shifted into drive however, the gear shifter failed to respond as intended. The contact stated that after several attempts, the gear shifter responded as needed. The vehicle was driven to the residence. The vehicle was…

Read full complaint

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the gear shifter was shifted into drive however, the gear shifter failed to respond as intended. The contact stated that after several attempts, the gear shifter responded as needed. The vehicle was driven to the residence. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic however, the vehicle was not diagnosed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact was informed of an unknown recall with a similar failure; however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.

NHTSA ODI #11594241

Mileage unknown · Aug 6, 2023
Power Train

After starting the vehicle for the first time that day, the vehicle was driven 4 miles. When attempting to shift the center console shifter into the PARK position, the shifter was unable to fully move into the PARK position as it was blocked from transiting through the REVERSE position. The vehicle could only fully reach the NEU…

Read full complaint

After starting the vehicle for the first time that day, the vehicle was driven 4 miles. When attempting to shift the center console shifter into the PARK position, the shifter was unable to fully move into the PARK position as it was blocked from transiting through the REVERSE position. The vehicle could only fully reach the NEUTRAL position from DRIVE position. After a few more attempts to move the shifter later the shifter was able to fully reach the PARK position. Subsequent attempts were inconsistent. In one case, the shifter showed PARK but when driver released the foot brake, the vehicle starting rolling backward in reverse (it was determined to be engaged in REVERSE). The issue was resolved by installing a new SHIFTER CABLE fitting at the transmission. The small two-piece plastic fitting that attaches (snaps on and then adjusts/locks) the cable assembly (part number AL8Z-7E395-A) to the transmission Manual Control Lever Ball Stud was loose and likely worn. Before installing the new snap on plastic fitting , attempts were made to adjust the original cable plastic fitting without success. Note that subsequent model years 2013 - 2019 had a similar failure result (Safety Recall 22S43).

NHTSA ODI #11536771

170,000 miles · Sep 13, 2022
Parking BrakePower Train

The contact's friend owns a 2012 Ford Escape. The contact stated after parking and exiting the vehicle, the vehicle began to roll backwards. The contact called the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage…

Read full complaint

The contact's friend owns a 2012 Ford Escape. The contact stated after parking and exiting the vehicle, the vehicle began to roll backwards. The contact called the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 170,000.

NHTSA ODI #11484174

Mileage unknown · Aug 18, 2022
Power Train

Torque converter lock up issues from friction. Many issues and FORD will not repair assistance or recall. It about stalls on highway and acceleration into traffic. Many reports but not action. Been waiting on parts. Goes in shop 9/12/22 for $1,800 repair

NHTSA ODI #11479896

46,236 miles · Jun 16, 2022
Power Train

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle failed to shift from 2nd to 3rd without force. The contact also stated she had to depress the accelerator pedal for the vehicle to change gear. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer …

Read full complaint

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle failed to shift from 2nd to 3rd without force. The contact also stated she had to depress the accelerator pedal for the vehicle to change gear. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer and diagnosed with transmission failure. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train). The approximate failure mileage was 46,236.

NHTSA ODI #11469603

70,000 miles · Jun 16, 2022
Power Train

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while shifting out of park(P) into drive(D), the vehicle started jerking. The contact kept the brake pedal depressed and shifted back to park(P) before attempting to shift to drive(D) again. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer …

Read full complaint

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while shifting out of park(P) into drive(D), the vehicle started jerking. The contact kept the brake pedal depressed and shifted back to park(P) before attempting to shift to drive(D) again. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the PIN needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000.

NHTSA ODI #11469554

100,000 miles · May 2, 2022
Power TrainCrashInjury

The contact owned a 2012 Ford Escape. The contact stated that after parking the vehicle on an inclined road and turning the engine off the vehicle erroneously rolled down the hill and crashed into a tree. During the crash, the front driver sustained facial, right knee, injuries, and a concussion which required medical treatment.…

Read full complaint

The contact owned a 2012 Ford Escape. The contact stated that after parking the vehicle on an inclined road and turning the engine off the vehicle erroneously rolled down the hill and crashed into a tree. During the crash, the front driver sustained facial, right knee, injuries, and a concussion which required medical treatment. The front passenger sustained two fractured wrists. The vehicle was destroyed during the crash. A police report was taken at the scene and the vehicle was towed away. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were not notified of the failure. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 100,000.

NHTSA ODI #11463093

Mileage unknown · Dec 3, 2021
Exterior LightingPower TrainSteering

My car was accelerating slowly and making rough sound. The power steering goes out too often without any warning

NHTSA ODI #11442596

57,000 miles · Dec 1, 2019
Power Train

COMPUTER DIAGNOSTICS RESULTS FOUND TRANSMISSION A-1 CELL DEFECTED IN TWO AREAS CAUSING MY 2012 F-ESCAPE LIMITED THE INABILITY TO SEND PROPER SIGNALS FOR THE ENGINE TO RECEIVE POWER/ENERGY NECESSARY TO DRIVE. TRANSMISSION IS STUCK IN 5TH GEAR. MY SUV HAS UNDER 60,000 MILES. I WAS TOLD BY FORD DEALERSHIP THE TRANSMISSION HAS KNOW…

Read full complaint

COMPUTER DIAGNOSTICS RESULTS FOUND TRANSMISSION A-1 CELL DEFECTED IN TWO AREAS CAUSING MY 2012 F-ESCAPE LIMITED THE INABILITY TO SEND PROPER SIGNALS FOR THE ENGINE TO RECEIVE POWER/ENERGY NECESSARY TO DRIVE. TRANSMISSION IS STUCK IN 5TH GEAR. MY SUV HAS UNDER 60,000 MILES. I WAS TOLD BY FORD DEALERSHIP THE TRANSMISSION HAS KNOWN ABOUT THE DEFECTIVE TRANSMISSION BUT, HAS YET TO BE RECALLED. SINCE, I MY EXTENDED WARRANTY HAS ENDED. I HAVE NO COVERAGE FOR THIS MOST EXPENSIVE REPAIR FOR ANY/MY AUTOMOBILE. MY CAR IS NOW CONSIDERED WORTHLESS FOR A TRADE IN OR TO GO TOWARDS A NEW PURCHASE. PLEASE SEND ME A CONFORMATION OF MY COMPLAINT WITH AN EXPLANATION OF HOW MY SITUATION CAN BE RECTIFIED. IN REGARD FOR DESCRIPTION OF CAR PERFORMANCE, MY CAR ROLLS OUT IF PARKING,/OR AT STOP LIGHTS BY HEAVY GAS REVVING, ONCE ON HIGHWAY GOING 59-60 MPH CAR DRIVES AS NOTHING IS WRONG DUE TO BEING STUCK IN 5TG GEAR. PLEASE REPORT MY COMPLAINT SO FORD MANUFACTURING CAN RESOLVE AND APPROPRIATELY PAY REPARATIONS FOR REPAIRS, RENTAL, TOWING, AND LOSS WAGES DUE TO NO TRANSPORTATION TO AND FROM WORK. I CONSIDER THIS TO BE A SAFETY HAZARD SINCE I COULD NOT EXCELLERATE PROPER SPEED LIMITS WHEN STOPPING, PULLING OUT INTO TRAFFIC, OR AFTER COMING TO A STOP AT TRAFFIC LIGHTS OR OFF RAMPS WITH ONCOMING TRAFFIC. RESPECTFULLY, FORD OWNER. DEC. 1 2019

NHTSA ODI #11283161

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.

Go deeper into Ford Escape problems