MY WIFE BEGAN DRIVING OUR 2012 FORD ESCAPE LIMITED WITH AWD AND 6 CYLINDER MOTOR. WITHIN DRIVING LESS THAN HALF A MILE ALL POWER STEERING CEASED TO WORK ALMOST CAUSING COMPLETE LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL.
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 →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Escape years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
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.
Steering complaints
137 reportsTL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FORD ESCAPE. WHILE DRIVING 45 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME DIFFICULT TO TURN. THE CONTACT HAD TO APPLY FORCE TO THE STEERING WHEEL IN ORDER TO STEER THE VEHICLE. THE TRACTION CONTROL WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE FAILURE RECURRED ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FORD ESCAPE. WHILE DRIVING 45 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME DIFFICULT TO TURN. THE CONTACT HAD TO APPLY FORCE TO THE STEERING WHEEL IN ORDER TO STEER THE VEHICLE. THE TRACTION CONTROL WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE FAILURE RECURRED ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE STEERING COLUMN NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 75,000.
SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER STEERING ASSIST WHILE STATIONARY IN A DRIVE-THROUGH LINE. DIAGNOSIS FOUND DTC B2278 IN COMPUTER MEMORY. ALL INVESTIGATION LED TO A STEERING SHAFT TORQUE SENSOR AS THE FAULTY COMPONENT. THIS SAME COMPONENT WAS INVOLVED IN A RECALL FOR PRIOR YEARS ON THIS MODEL UP TO MODEL YEAR 2011. THIS REPAIR WAS NOT CO…
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SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER STEERING ASSIST WHILE STATIONARY IN A DRIVE-THROUGH LINE. DIAGNOSIS FOUND DTC B2278 IN COMPUTER MEMORY. ALL INVESTIGATION LED TO A STEERING SHAFT TORQUE SENSOR AS THE FAULTY COMPONENT. THIS SAME COMPONENT WAS INVOLVED IN A RECALL FOR PRIOR YEARS ON THIS MODEL UP TO MODEL YEAR 2011. THIS REPAIR WAS NOT COVERED BY ANY RECALL AT THIS TIME. REPAIR WAS PAID FOR WITH A COMBINATION OF AFTERMARKET WARRANTY AND OWNER PAYMENT. THE PART HAS BEEN REPLACED. DOCUMENTATION IS INCLUDED WITH THIS COMPLAINT. TO DATE NO ADDITIONAL PROBLEMS HAVE SURFACED SINCE REPAIR.
DEC 31, 2015 VEHICLE STEERING WAS FINE, LAST DRIVEN 9PM. JAN 1, 2016 9:30AM POWER STEERING DID NOT WORK, STEERING WHEEL NEXT TO IMPOSSIBLE TO MOVE. FORTUNATELY VEHICLE WAS IN DRIVEWAY NOT ON THE HIGHWAY. TWO HOURS LATER POWER STEERING WAS FUNCTIONING. NO LIGHTS ON DASH TO INDICATE A PROBLEM. DROVE SHORT DISTANCE TODAY JAN 2ND WI…
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DEC 31, 2015 VEHICLE STEERING WAS FINE, LAST DRIVEN 9PM. JAN 1, 2016 9:30AM POWER STEERING DID NOT WORK, STEERING WHEEL NEXT TO IMPOSSIBLE TO MOVE. FORTUNATELY VEHICLE WAS IN DRIVEWAY NOT ON THE HIGHWAY. TWO HOURS LATER POWER STEERING WAS FUNCTIONING. NO LIGHTS ON DASH TO INDICATE A PROBLEM. DROVE SHORT DISTANCE TODAY JAN 2ND WITH NO ISSUE. BEING TAKEN TO DEALERSHIP JAN 4TH. VEHICLE MILEAGE IS ONLY 31,695, OUT OF WARRANTY SINCE END OF OCTOBER 2015.
THE POWER STEERING SUDDENLY AND UNEXPECTEDLY FAILED, FORCING THE WHEEL TO TURN ALL THE WAY TO THE LEFT. FORTUNATELY, THE PROBLEM FIRST OCCURRED WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS STOPPED AND TRYING TO EXIT A PARKING LOT. IT TOOK A LOT OF FORCE TO RE-CENTER THE WHEEL AND DRIVE STRAIGHT. AFTER RELEASING THE WHEEL, EVEN WHEN PARKED, THE WHEE…
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THE POWER STEERING SUDDENLY AND UNEXPECTEDLY FAILED, FORCING THE WHEEL TO TURN ALL THE WAY TO THE LEFT. FORTUNATELY, THE PROBLEM FIRST OCCURRED WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS STOPPED AND TRYING TO EXIT A PARKING LOT. IT TOOK A LOT OF FORCE TO RE-CENTER THE WHEEL AND DRIVE STRAIGHT. AFTER RELEASING THE WHEEL, EVEN WHEN PARKED, THE WHEEL WOULD RAPIDLY ROTATE BACK TO THE LEFT MOST POSITION. IF THIS HAPPENED WHILE DRIVING TO AN EXPECTING VICTIM, THE VEHICLE WOULD HAVE CERTAINLY TURNED INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC AND/OR FLIPPED.
POWER STEERING WENT OUT WHILE I WAS DRIVING COULD NOT STEER AT ALL! COULD NOT GET THE VEHICLE OUT OF TRAFFIC, FINALLY TURNED THE IGNITION OFF AND STARTED THE CAR AGAIN AND MY STEERING RETURNED. THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH THE 2008-2011 YEAR MODELS AND THEY WERE RECALLED. WHY HASN'T A RECALL BEEN DONE ON THE 2012 MODEL?
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FORD ESCAPE. WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE THE FAILURE WAS UNDETERMINED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 62,000.
I WAS DRIVING AT A RATE OF 23 MPH AND THE POWER STEERING LOCKED UP ON ME, ALMOST CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. THIS MADE THE VEHICLE VERY HARD TO MANUEVER. I GOT THE VEHICLE TO A SAFE PLACE AND LOOKED TO SEE IF ANY BELTS HAD COME OF THE ENGINE. THERE WAS NO APPEARANT EVIDENCE OF A LOOSE OR BROKEN BELT. I RESTARTED THE CAR AND THE STEERIN…
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I WAS DRIVING AT A RATE OF 23 MPH AND THE POWER STEERING LOCKED UP ON ME, ALMOST CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. THIS MADE THE VEHICLE VERY HARD TO MANUEVER. I GOT THE VEHICLE TO A SAFE PLACE AND LOOKED TO SEE IF ANY BELTS HAD COME OF THE ENGINE. THERE WAS NO APPEARANT EVIDENCE OF A LOOSE OR BROKEN BELT. I RESTARTED THE CAR AND THE STEERING WAS WORKING FINE. I LOOKED INTO SEVERAL COMPLAINT BLOGS AND THIS SEEMS TO BE A SERIOUS ISSUE THAT FORD SHOUDL BE LOOKING INTO FOR A POSSIBLE RECALL. I RESEARCHED SEVERAL BLOG AND CAR COMPLAINT SITES AND THERE ARE MANY, MANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE 2012 ESCAPE AS WELL. I AM ONE MONTH OUT OF MY 3YR/36000 WARRANTY. THE THREE YEAR PART CAME FIRST. I DO NOT FEEL IT IS FAIR FOR SO MANY PEOPLE TO HAVE TO PAY FOR THIS WHEN PREVIOUS YEARS HAVE HAD THIS ISSUED RECALLED ON THE ESCAPE.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FORD ESCAPE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT A PROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE POWER STEERING BECAME DIFFICULT TO MANEUVER. THE FAILURE OCCURRED ONCE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE STEERING CONTROL MODULE WAS DEFECTIVE AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. T…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FORD ESCAPE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT A PROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE POWER STEERING BECAME DIFFICULT TO MANEUVER. THE FAILURE OCCURRED ONCE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE STEERING CONTROL MODULE WAS DEFECTIVE AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 39,781.
JUST AFTER LEAVING A 4 WAY STOP, AS I TRIED TO ROUND THE CURVE THE STEERING IN OUR 2012 ESCAPE STOPPED WORKING AND I COULD NOT TURN THE STEERING WHEEL AT ALL. I JUST KEPT GOING STRAIGHT. LUCKILY, I SLOWED DOWN WITH THE BRAKES BUT THE ESCAPE CONTINUED STRAIGHT AND WENT OVER THE CURB AND DOWN A 50+ FT EMBANKMENT. EVEN WITH ALL O…
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JUST AFTER LEAVING A 4 WAY STOP, AS I TRIED TO ROUND THE CURVE THE STEERING IN OUR 2012 ESCAPE STOPPED WORKING AND I COULD NOT TURN THE STEERING WHEEL AT ALL. I JUST KEPT GOING STRAIGHT. LUCKILY, I SLOWED DOWN WITH THE BRAKES BUT THE ESCAPE CONTINUED STRAIGHT AND WENT OVER THE CURB AND DOWN A 50+ FT EMBANKMENT. EVEN WITH ALL OF THIS IMPACT, NO AIRBAGS WERE DEPLOYED THROUGHOUT THE CAR ANYWHERE! THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKING UP WAS BAD ENOUGH, BUT AFTER THE ACCIDENT AND THE CONDITION OF THE CAR AND THEN NO AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT- THAT WAS WAY TOO MUCH! *TR
Official recalls
116V777000 · 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
2PE13003 · 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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