← New search

2019 Ford Escape

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2019 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

227 reports with mileage · 358 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.

  • Engine. Review the 307 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 125 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 92 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

24 crash reports3 fire reports20 injury reports

What owners actually said

585 reports
Mileage unknown · Apr 19, 2025
Power Train

I purchased my 2019 escape October 2019 brand new from the dealership we paid for the extended warranty of 100,000 miles I’m at 103,541 and now have transmission issues. I called ford and they said the can’t do anything. It cases me to not be able to accelerate, and then the transmission figure light came on luckily I was in tow…

Read full complaint

I purchased my 2019 escape October 2019 brand new from the dealership we paid for the extended warranty of 100,000 miles I’m at 103,541 and now have transmission issues. I called ford and they said the can’t do anything. It cases me to not be able to accelerate, and then the transmission figure light came on luckily I was in town and not on the interstate when this problem happens. Doing some research this is a common problem with the 2019 ford escape transmission’s this could be a major safety problem if it was to happen on a interstate or major highway

NHTSA ODI #11655594

Mileage unknown · Apr 17, 2025
Power Train

The transmission has a rattle and the dealer states that the transmission likely has a damaged flex plate. but the car is not covered as there is no recall or customer campaign. The car barely has over 22,000 miles on it. Ford should be responsible instead of telling me it's a $4-6000 repair. Tranny problems at 22,000 miles is …

Read full complaint

The transmission has a rattle and the dealer states that the transmission likely has a damaged flex plate. but the car is not covered as there is no recall or customer campaign. The car barely has over 22,000 miles on it. Ford should be responsible instead of telling me it's a $4-6000 repair. Tranny problems at 22,000 miles is a design issue.

NHTSA ODI #11655131

66,301 miles · Apr 15, 2025
EngineEngine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed, and the contact was informed that there was coolant intrusion into the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The v…

Read full complaint

The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed, and the contact was informed that there was coolant intrusion into the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 66,301.

NHTSA ODI #11654815

86,588 miles · Apr 14, 2025
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, there was a misfire coming from the engine. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that there was coolant intrusion into the cylinders. The dealer determi…

Read full complaint

The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, there was a misfire coming from the engine. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that there was coolant intrusion into the cylinders. The dealer determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 86,588.

NHTSA ODI #11654401

27,000 miles · Apr 4, 2025
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the engine had failed due to coolant intrusion. The engine was replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure…

Read full complaint

The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the engine had failed due to coolant intrusion. The engine was replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 27,000.

NHTSA ODI #11652739

111,000 miles · Apr 1, 2025
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving on several occasions at various speeds, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact also stated that the vehicle hesitated to accelerate, and the vehicle was running rough. On one occasion during the failure, the check engine warning light illumina…

Read full complaint

The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving on several occasions at various speeds, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact also stated that the vehicle hesitated to accelerate, and the vehicle was running rough. On one occasion during the failure, the check engine warning light illuminated and remained illuminated. Additionally, on another occasion the engine overheated. The vehicle was steered to the side of the road and turned off. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that there was coolant intrusion into cylinder #3, and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was then towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into cylinder #3, and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 111,000.

NHTSA ODI #11651968

Mileage unknown · Mar 30, 2025
Exterior Lighting

Simply put, the headlights repeatedly blow out with no apparent reason found. Bulbs have been changed multiple times personally and by professionals -- both headlights went out nearly simultaneously in September of 2024 and I replaced the bulbs myself, assuming it was a fluke or the bulbs had simply aged out. At the beginning of…

Read full complaint

Simply put, the headlights repeatedly blow out with no apparent reason found. Bulbs have been changed multiple times personally and by professionals -- both headlights went out nearly simultaneously in September of 2024 and I replaced the bulbs myself, assuming it was a fluke or the bulbs had simply aged out. At the beginning of March, 2025, the passenger-side bulb went out again and I brought it to my dealership to get checked out. They couldn't find anything wrong, and I had them replace the bulb again. Now, for the third time since I bought the vehicle in April or May of 2024, I have to replace the passenger-side bulb again. I'm returning to the dealership to see if there's anything else to look for, but a quick internet search shows that there are lots of others experiencing this same problem without any kind of solution in sight. This is obviously not normal.

NHTSA ODI #11651545

Mileage unknown · Mar 27, 2025
Engine

On April 30th had an oil change performed on my vehicle at the Ford service center on Tuesday. Shortly after, I began experiencing issues with the car struggling to start. By Thursday, my check engine light came on, I took it back in, left it at Ford, they were going to look at it on May 6th did not hear back until May 7th, rev…

Read full complaint

On April 30th had an oil change performed on my vehicle at the Ford service center on Tuesday. Shortly after, I began experiencing issues with the car struggling to start. By Thursday, my check engine light came on, I took it back in, left it at Ford, they were going to look at it on May 6th did not hear back until May 7th, revealed coolant mixing with the engine oil, indicating an internal engine issue. I had my car towed to Expert Transmission, and they revealed. Upon further inspection, the following diagnostic trouble codes were stored in the ECM: P0217 – Engine Overheating P0302 – Cylinder 2 Misfire P0316 – Misfire Detected at Startup P06E9 – Fuel Injector Control Performance P1026 – Fuel Injection System Malfunction Additionally, during repairs, my fuel injectors were found to be clogged with debris, requiring replacement along with the engine. Given that these issues arose immediately after the oil change.

NHTSA ODI #11650985

82,000 miles · Mar 25, 2025
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle made an abnormal sound. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the engine. The mechanic related the failure to an unkno…

Read full complaint

The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle made an abnormal sound. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the engine. The mechanic related the failure to an unknown recall and referred the contact to the dealer for the recall repair. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the contact was informed that the VIN was not included in the related recall. The dealer informed the contact that upon test-driving the vehicle, there was smoke coming out from an undisclosed location. The dealer determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was being repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 82,000.

NHTSA ODI #11650565

Mileage unknown · Mar 25, 2025
Engine

I finally was able to get my Ford Escape into a Ford dealership to be inspected and they confirmed that I will need an entire engine replacement because coolant is leaking into cylinder 3. This is exactly the same engine Ford recalled on the 1.5 but not on the 2.0 yet and my Escape is a 2.0. When I spoke to the Ford Company I wa…

Read full complaint

I finally was able to get my Ford Escape into a Ford dealership to be inspected and they confirmed that I will need an entire engine replacement because coolant is leaking into cylinder 3. This is exactly the same engine Ford recalled on the 1.5 but not on the 2.0 yet and my Escape is a 2.0. When I spoke to the Ford Company I was given a case number and told it would take several weeks for Ford to send me a letter to see if they will assist in the repair or not. As a [XXX] this is our only vehicle and I'm honestly at a loss as to what I will do without a car for several weeks. My safety and the safety of my children are at risk because if I do try to drive the car until I hear from Ford it stalls in the lower gears leaving us at risk of being hit if I pull out and the Escape doesn't engage fast enough. We are also in danger because if I am not daily putting anti-freeze into the car Ford states that the engine might catch fire. Yes, the vehicle was inspected by Pierre Ford yesterday, Monday, March 24, 2025. I have had an engine light on for a few months and have had to start adding anti-freeze on a regular basis but it was about 2 weeks ago when I had a warning pop up on the digital dash stating, "Engine Fault Service Now". INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI #11650429

Official recalls

3

26V011000 · Equipment:electrical:engine Block Heater

Jan 15, 2026

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2018 Focus, 2013-2019 Escape, and 2015-2016 MKC vehicles equipped with a 2.0L engine. The engine block heater may crack and develop a coolant leak, causing it to short circuit when the block heater is plugged in.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An electrical short circuit can increase the risk of a fire.

Remedy: Owners are advised not to plug in their block heater until the vehicle is remedied. Dealers will replace the block heater, free of charge. Owners will also have a alternative option to replace engine block heater element with a threaded plug, and remove the block heater electrical cord. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed March 6, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S01. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on January 16, 2026.

22V413000 · Power Train:automatic Transmission:gear Position Indication (prndl); Power Train:shift Linkage/cable/rod

Jun 10, 2022

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2019 Escape, 2013-2018 C-Max, 2013-2016 Fusion, 2013-2021 Transit Connect, and 2015-2018 Edge vehicles. The bushing that attaches the shifter cable to the transmission may degrade or detach.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A damaged or missing bushing may prevent the vehicle from shifting into the intended gear, and cause the vehicle to move in an unexpected direction. Additionally, the vehicle may roll after the driver selects the 'Park' position. Either scenario increases the risk of a crash or injury.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the under hood shift bushing and add a protective cap over the shift cable bushing, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters, informing owners of the safety risk, were mailed July 1, 2022. Remedy parts are expected to be available in 4th Quarter 2022. Owner notification letters were mailed October 27, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S43.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Power Train:shift Linkage/cable/rod

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2019 Escape, 2013-2018 C-Max, 2013-2016 Fusion, 2013-2021 Transit Connect, and 2015-2018 Edge vehicles. The bushing that attaches the shifter cable to the transmission may degrade or detach.

Consequence: A damaged or missing bushing may prevent the vehicle from shifting into the intended gear, and cause the vehicle to move in an unexpected direction. Additionally, the vehicle may roll after the driver selects the 'Park' position. Either scenario increases the risk of a crash or injury.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the under hood shift bushing and add a protective cap over the shift cable bushing, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters, informing owners of the safety risk, were mailed July 1, 2022. Remedy parts are expected to be available in 4th Quarter 2022. Owner notification letters were mailed October 27, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S43.

Power Train:automatic Transmission:gear Position Indication (prndl)

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2019 Escape, 2013-2018 C-Max, 2013-2016 Fusion, 2013-2021 Transit Connect, and 2015-2018 Edge vehicles. The bushing that attaches the shifter cable to the transmission may degrade or detach.

Consequence: A damaged or missing bushing may prevent the vehicle from shifting into the intended gear, and cause the vehicle to move in an unexpected direction. Additionally, the vehicle may roll after the driver selects the 'Park' position. Either scenario increases the risk of a crash or injury.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the under hood shift bushing and add a protective cap over the shift cable bushing, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters, informing owners of the safety risk, were mailed July 1, 2022. Remedy parts are expected to be available in 4th Quarter 2022. Owner notification letters were mailed October 27, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S43.

21V155000 · Tires

Mar 10, 2021

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018 F-150, 2018-2020 F-250, F-350, and 2019 Escape vehicles equipped with Continental tires. On the affected vehicles, it is possible that one or more tires were cured for too long during tire production.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Over cured tires may develop a break in the sidewall, resulting in sudden air loss or belt edge separation which could lead to tread/belt loss. Either condition can cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the tires, and replace them as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on March 27, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S10.

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

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.

Go deeper into Ford Escape problems