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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.

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

What owners actually said

598 reports
109,000 miles · Sep 10, 2024
Steering

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the power steering assist had failed without warning while driving at various speeds. The contact then pulled over to the side of the road, turned off and then restarted the vehicle and the vehicle regained power steering functionality. The contact stated that the fail…

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The contact owns a 2012 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the power steering assist had failed without warning while driving at various speeds. The contact then pulled over to the side of the road, turned off and then restarted the vehicle and the vehicle regained power steering functionality. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent. The vehicle had been taken to the dealer; however, the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact became aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was 109,000.

NHTSA ODI #11613689

135,000 miles · Aug 28, 2024
Service BrakesCrash

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while pulling into a parking space the vehicle suddenly accelerated hitting a parking sign causing it to fall and hit another vehicle. Then the vehicle crashed into another parked vehicle. The vehicle's passenger side of the bumper and headlight had been damaged. The v…

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The contact owns a 2012 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while pulling into a parking space the vehicle suddenly accelerated hitting a parking sign causing it to fall and hit another vehicle. Then the vehicle crashed into another parked vehicle. The vehicle's passenger side of the bumper and headlight had been damaged. The vehicle was able to be steered in another direction while the brake pedal was aggressively pressed causing the vehicle to come to a stop. The air bags did not deploy. The vehicle that the parking sign fell onto had received paint damage on the hood of the vehicle and the parked vehicle's bumper had detached from the vehicle. There were no injuries. No medical attention was needed. A police report was filed. The The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the throttle body had failed. The mechanic had shared that the vehicle was included in a TSB (ID number unknown). The contact had called the dealer and was informed that the vehicle was no longer covered under the TSB due to the time duration at which it was active had since passed. The vehicle had been repaired by the mechanic. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the diagnosis was confirmed and the throttle body was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 135,000.

NHTSA ODI #11611368

Mileage unknown · Aug 11, 2024
Steering

The power steering turned off while driving. I have an electrical power steering system. Almost crashed because it was too hard to turn. No warning lamps or inspection done

NHTSA ODI #11607793

75,000 miles · Aug 1, 2024
Structure

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed, and the vehicle pulled to the right while stopping. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the passenger's side engine cradle subframe was severely corroded and needed to be…

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The contact owns a 2012 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed, and the vehicle pulled to the right while stopping. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the passenger's side engine cradle subframe was severely corroded and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.

NHTSA ODI #11605794

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…

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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 · Jun 10, 2024
Steering

Ford Dealership diagnosed with Code B2278, Power Steering Torque Angle sensor malfunction. I see recalls on same item for many years up to 2011, but my 2012 not included. Many on web describing the same problem with their 2012 Ford Escape. Only have 131,000 miles. Has spoken to service advisors from several Ford dealerships …

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Ford Dealership diagnosed with Code B2278, Power Steering Torque Angle sensor malfunction. I see recalls on same item for many years up to 2011, but my 2012 not included. Many on web describing the same problem with their 2012 Ford Escape. Only have 131,000 miles. Has spoken to service advisors from several Ford dealerships and all have said they see this same problem all the time in 2012 Escapes. It's a safety matter because you drive down the road and it goes out, especially when slowing down the power steering goes out, meaning the steering wheel stiffens to manual mode, even while turning. Many times the engine shuts off. Then in a complete stop while on the road, turning key off/on resets the EPAS steering. This sequence has happened several times. Is dangerous to drive. Don't feel safe letting wife or daughter drive it. All this same info provided to Ford dealership, and also called Ford Corporate customer service and they logged me in. Seems a recall should be in order if it affects as many 2012's Ford Escapes as projected from basic web searches. I need a drivable vehicle so I'll proceed to get it fixed, as it's too hazardous to drive as is. Thank you for attention to this matter.

NHTSA ODI #11593504

Mileage unknown · Apr 19, 2024
Electrical SystemUnknown Or Other

This is a second car so don't drive it every day -- first incident occurred back in 2023 driving in town and car stopped!! Rolled to side and it started back up -- this happened several times and was very hesitant to drive on any highways. Several days the car would not start -- looked on line trying to figure out what was wro…

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This is a second car so don't drive it every day -- first incident occurred back in 2023 driving in town and car stopped!! Rolled to side and it started back up -- this happened several times and was very hesitant to drive on any highways. Several days the car would not start -- looked on line trying to figure out what was wrong and saw many people were having similar issues but nothing resolved -- battery tested fine but got a new battery from AAA but the next day battery was dead again. My husband did some more research and decided to pull the fuse for the radio and the front display module and the car has not stalled nor the battery been dead since but have been driving without a radio. I had to go on a five hour drive (both ways) last weekend and not fun driving that long without a radio. Stopped by a AAA repair shop yesterday and they said they had many complaints about the radio causing this problem (two actually that morning) and to call Ford to see if there was a recall. I called Ford this morning and the answer was NO! They told me to take it to a Ford Dealer (which is not convenient) and to have it diagnosed but again from what I have read Ford does not have any solutions to this problem. Wanted to get on file to let other people with this same issue to try removing the radio fuses (#14, #28, #39) but they would have no radio either. If I get the radio replaced not sure if that would create other issues and what affect it would have on the anti-theft system.

NHTSA ODI #11584012

Mileage unknown · Mar 12, 2024
SteeringStructureSuspension

While doing an exhaust inspection on my car, I noticed the front subframe is rusted completely through on the right hand side near the rear lower control are bushing. This is a major structural component of the vehicle and I believe it is a huge safety risk driving it. The car has around 114,000 miles on it. I feel Ford should i…

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While doing an exhaust inspection on my car, I noticed the front subframe is rusted completely through on the right hand side near the rear lower control are bushing. This is a major structural component of the vehicle and I believe it is a huge safety risk driving it. The car has around 114,000 miles on it. I feel Ford should issue a recall and replace these rusted trough front subframes. I cannot afford to replace it at the cost of $2000 including labor. Please help, thank you.

NHTSA ODI #11576912

Mileage unknown · Feb 14, 2024
Steering

Power steering has failed a few times while driving. Purchased this Ford 2012 Escape in November 2023. Had 46,412 miles on it. Noticed a howl like a power steering pump. Took it to mechanic and he said there is no pump and that it could be the alternator. Had that replaced. Thought this issue might be part of a recall for that…

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Power steering has failed a few times while driving. Purchased this Ford 2012 Escape in November 2023. Had 46,412 miles on it. Noticed a howl like a power steering pump. Took it to mechanic and he said there is no pump and that it could be the alternator. Had that replaced. Thought this issue might be part of a recall for that year with the power steering but dealership said no. Continues to howl and have lost power steering so we are not driving it presently. When the power steering fails it becomes hard to steer. Thank goodness it has failed at slower speeds. No warning lights have come on.

NHTSA ODI #11571971

120,000 miles · Feb 8, 2024
SteeringSuspension

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 40-45 MPH, the vehicle was difficult to steer, and was veering to the left independently. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the subframe was detaching…

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The contact owns a 2012 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 40-45 MPH, the vehicle was difficult to steer, and was veering to the left independently. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the subframe was detaching the axle from the vehicle. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and transferred the call to the NHTSA Hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 120,000.

NHTSA ODI #11570790

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