← 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
64,500 miles · Oct 6, 2023
Wheels

The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated that after taking the vehicle into the dealer for service, she became aware that the lug nuts had swollen. As a result, the dealer had to break the lug nuts to complete the service and required the contact to cover the cost of the replacement lug nuts. The vehicle was repai…

Read full complaint

The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated that after taking the vehicle into the dealer for service, she became aware that the lug nuts had swollen. As a result, the dealer had to break the lug nuts to complete the service and required the contact to cover the cost of the replacement lug nuts. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was 64,500. The VIN was unavailable.

NHTSA ODI #11548631

Mileage unknown · Sep 27, 2023
Electrical SystemPower TrainVehicle Speed ControlCrashInjury

On 9/14/23 after starting car parked on level surface, I placed car in Drive, but it went in Reverse. The vehicle was supposedly repaired for Safety Recall Notice 22S43 by dealer. I placed car back in park, then shifted back to Drive and it moved forward as expected. Later in day while my wife was driving, she experienced dif…

Read full complaint

On 9/14/23 after starting car parked on level surface, I placed car in Drive, but it went in Reverse. The vehicle was supposedly repaired for Safety Recall Notice 22S43 by dealer. I placed car back in park, then shifted back to Drive and it moved forward as expected. Later in day while my wife was driving, she experienced difficulty in disengaging cruise control and when she tapped brakes, vehicle began spinning 360 degrees, slid sideways off interstate, and auto was totaled. Upon impact the right, rear passenger door was unlocked and somehow opened on its own ejecting passenger. Vehicle is currently in salvage yard at IAA Odgen, 1800 S 1100 West, Ogden, UT 84401. I don't know if the faulty transmission had anything to do with accident, but it seems like today we drive computers and not a mechanical motor vehicle.

NHTSA ODI #11546899

115,000 miles · Sep 18, 2023
Power Train

The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the vehicle failed to properly accelerate. The contact heard an abnormal sound and the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The vehicle was diagnosed …

Read full complaint

The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the vehicle failed to properly accelerate. The contact heard an abnormal sound and the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The vehicle was diagnosed with transmission failure. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not under recall. The failure mileage was approximately 115,000.

NHTSA ODI #11545122

63,000 miles · Sep 15, 2023
Engine

The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the contact attempted to shift into reverse (R); however, the transmission failed to shift as desired. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving at 40 MPH, the vehicle started to overheat. The engine overheating warning light was…

Read full complaint

The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the contact attempted to shift into reverse (R); however, the transmission failed to shift as desired. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving at 40 MPH, the vehicle started to overheat. The engine overheating warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who informed the contact that the engine block needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 63,000.

NHTSA ODI #11544674

93,000 miles · Sep 7, 2023
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while the vehicle was idling, the vehicle started to shake and then shut off, and inadvertently manually restarted. The check engine warning light and the coolant temperature warning light was illuminated. A message displayed on the instrument panel “Please Pull Over”.…

Read full complaint

The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while the vehicle was idling, the vehicle started to shake and then shut off, and inadvertently manually restarted. The check engine warning light and the coolant temperature warning light was illuminated. A message displayed on the instrument panel “Please Pull Over”. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that coolant had leaked into the engine and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the failure was a known issue. The failure mileage was approximately 93,000.

NHTSA ODI #11543178

86,235 miles · Sep 5, 2023
EngineEngine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the engine overheating warning light illuminated. The contact stated that prior to the failure, the vehicle had received an oil change and the coolant reservoir was topped off. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with coolant lea…

Read full complaint

The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the engine overheating warning light illuminated. The contact stated that prior to the failure, the vehicle had received an oil change and the coolant reservoir was topped off. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with coolant leaking into the cylinder and that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was 86,235.

NHTSA ODI #11542737

Mileage unknown · Aug 30, 2023
EngineService BrakesSteering

WHEN GOT THE ESCAPE I WAS IN TENNESSEE ORDERED IT FROM TEXAS. FORD SALES MAN BROUGHT IT TO ME, BUT I DIDNT GET TO TEST DRIVE. GOT THERE AT NIGHT SIGN PAPERS THEN THE NEXT MORNING(FIRST TIME DRIVING) WAS DRIVING AND WHEN I STOPPED AT THE RED LIGHT, THEN ACCELERATED IT STARTED SHAKING THEN IT STOPPED. STILL DOES TILL THIS DAY EITH…

Read full complaint

WHEN GOT THE ESCAPE I WAS IN TENNESSEE ORDERED IT FROM TEXAS. FORD SALES MAN BROUGHT IT TO ME, BUT I DIDNT GET TO TEST DRIVE. GOT THERE AT NIGHT SIGN PAPERS THEN THE NEXT MORNING(FIRST TIME DRIVING) WAS DRIVING AND WHEN I STOPPED AT THE RED LIGHT, THEN ACCELERATED IT STARTED SHAKING THEN IT STOPPED. STILL DOES TILL THIS DAY EITHER WHEN ITS A FULL STOP OR GOING LIKE 30 ,70. THEY DIDNT TELL ME IT WAS A REAR ENDED COLLISION CAR. AFTER A MONTH I SIGNED IN TO CARFAX FOUND OUT IT NEEDED A RECALL FOR TRANSMISSION SHIFTER CABLE BUSHING.CALLED FORD AND THEY SAID THEYLL CALL ME BACK ONCE THEY RECIEVED THE PART.NEVER CALLED ME BACK ,CALLED AGAIN AND SAID THEY STILL WAITING. MOVED TO TEXAS ABOUT 4 MONTHS AGO WENT HERE IN TEXAS.GOT IT REPLACED THOUGHT THAT WAS THE REASON IT SHAKES BUT APPERANTLY NOT. I WAS TOLD I HAVE GOLD CERTEFIED USED VEHICLE. WENT TO FOR ONE DAY AND WAS TOLD THAT ONLY THE BOLD PARTS NOTHING THAT WEARS OFF. WASNT REALLY HELPFUL. CAN YOU GUYS PLEASE LET ME KNOW. ITS BEEN A YEAR SINCE I GOT IT AND HAVENT BEEN ABLE TO DRIVE AS IS MY NEW CAR,BUT SHAKES MOST OF THE TIME.WHEN I TURN I HEAR A POP SOMETHING AROUND LEFT TIRE. AND ARE BREAKS ON ME. I BELIEVE ITS THE TRANSMISSION BECAUSE WHEN I PUT IN PARK OR SOMETHING ITS A HARSH CHANGE AND WHILE DRIVING IT FEELS LIKE IT STRUGGLES TO CHANGE GEAR. THANK YOU

NHTSA ODI #11541772

Mileage unknown · Aug 20, 2023
EnginePower Train

My engine has randomly shut off in the middle of driving. I have taken it to the dealership to be serviced two times. The first time they thought they fixed the issue. But it didn’t work. The second time they couldn’t find anything wrong. Our safety is 100% at risk as it happens in the middle of driving. I have a one and two y…

Read full complaint

My engine has randomly shut off in the middle of driving. I have taken it to the dealership to be serviced two times. The first time they thought they fixed the issue. But it didn’t work. The second time they couldn’t find anything wrong. Our safety is 100% at risk as it happens in the middle of driving. I have a one and two year old who have been in the car every time it has happened. We have luckily been able to get off the highway each time, but I drive across a 25 minute bridge twice a day to work and back home with my children..across water! My service light has only come on the time they were able to fix something, which again did not fix the problem. But I do get the same message each time on my dashboard that says auto start stop needs to be restarted manually.

NHTSA ODI #11539626

Mileage unknown · Aug 19, 2023
Engine

The car started having shifting problems. An hour later, we got an error message in our display saying "transmission failure" and to stop immediately. We stopped and called to be towed. Luckily we were not on highway. Should we have been in a heavy traffic, we could have gotten into a situation, where the car wouldn't be steerab…

Read full complaint

The car started having shifting problems. An hour later, we got an error message in our display saying "transmission failure" and to stop immediately. We stopped and called to be towed. Luckily we were not on highway. Should we have been in a heavy traffic, we could have gotten into a situation, where the car wouldn't be steerable while driving. The repair shop told us first that the flywheel was gone. A week later they told us, that the transmission must be replaced too. It looks like we will be without our car for months.

NHTSA ODI #11539549

91,000 miles · Aug 16, 2023
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated that after attempting to start the vehicle, several unknown warning lights illuminated; however, the engine failed to turn over. The contact stated that the vehicle was jumpstarted, and the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that while driving at…

Read full complaint

The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated that after attempting to start the vehicle, several unknown warning lights illuminated; however, the engine failed to turn over. The contact stated that the vehicle was jumpstarted, and the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, a message displayed on the instrument panel “Engine overheated - Pull Over”. The contact pulled off the road and turned off the vehicle to allow the engine to cool down. The contact was able to restart the vehicle. The contact stated that the check engine warning light illuminated, and the crank shaft sensor light illuminated and turned off. Additionally, the contact stated that on numerous occasions while driving over 45 MPH, she turned on the air conditioning system and the coolant temperature warning light illuminated, and the vehicle started to overheat. The contact pulled off the road and allowed the engine to cool down. The contact was able to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that cylinder #3 had misfired and that the engine block was cracked, and coolant had leaked into the engine block and the engine block needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 91,000.

NHTSA ODI #11538908

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