10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 1 / 63
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 2 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 60,506 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle was shaking abnormally. The vehicle then started losing motive power with the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled over and stopped the vehicle and noticed that smoke was coming from the exhaust pipe. The vehicle was towed to a dealer and diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 108,000. The contact has stated that the vehicle is still being held at the dealers and has yet to be fixed.
- North Charleston, SC, USA
The mechanical brake booster is connected to the overhead cam on Fords Ecoboost engine. This part is a vacuum pump that is powered by the overhead cam shaft. Over time the vacuum pump begins to have issues and becomes increasingly harder for the cam to turn. As the vacuum pump slows, it causes the brakes to be less efficient and increases stopping distance. As the pump degrades, it eventually will fail and freeze up. When this happens, the internal connection to the overhead cam shaft shears off. This cause a complete loss of breaking power leaving only the emergency brake to stop the vehicle. It also drops the internal connectors from the vacuum pump into the motor which damages the motor to the point where the motor must be replaced at a very high cost (it exceeds $10,000). Fords warranty does not cover this design failure. Owners of these vehicles are forced to replace the motor at their own cost or to scrap the vehicle. I believe that ford was aware of the possibility of the mechanical vacuum pump failure when they tested the design on F150s. Ford made a design change on the F150s to an electric vacuum pump. This may have been due to the F150s use as work vehicle and as a towing vehicle which exasperated the issue. Please investigate this issue, I believe you will find many other people who have this same issue with the eco boost engine design.
- Southgate, MI, USA
While driving on the highway at 65mph the engine began to fail. The Engine light came on and began flashing. I lost power in the engine, the car began to jerk and lost acceleration. Luckily I was able to make it to the side of the road and call for assistance. I had the vehicle towed to a repair shop, the mechanic ran a diagnostic test. It was determined that there is internal engine failure. The car is at 113,000 miles and hadn't had any issues or warnings prior to this happening. The mechanics can not find what has caused the engine failure. I was told that the engine needs to be replaced at an estimated cost of 7000 dollars! This vehicle has been maintained and taken care of, it's very dangerous having an engine spontaneously fail while driving on the highway. The engine should not be failing at 113,000 miles.
- Inver Grove Heights , MN, USA
I have owned this Ford for 3 years now. It uses coolent excessively and I have replaced many parts. The Catalyic Converter went out, all motor mounts, font and rear suspension, engine burp valve, faulty throttle body, fried drivers side bulb socket, wiper arms stripped, weather stipping corroding on windshield near hood, front window cracked and damaged, coolent temperature control sensor and firmwware update not automated and dealer charges $250 to update car software for engine improved performance. Sluggish, bogging and unresponsive car until software update and throttle body repair. All around a lemon for as many parts I've put on in a short amount of time. I've spent over $3300 on parts alone. The dealer in Upland services the cars oil but fails to fill the fluids, spills oil on my spark plugs and ruins the fasteners to the skid plate by over torqueing them. It has been the worst car experience of my life and I've never had to replace so many parts in so short of time. I drove a 1974 Nova around for 20 years and still haven't replaced as many parts. This is ridiculous and predatary of Ford to put out cars with these many short term problems on them. Literally evering is going bad after 100k miles. I read post after post of people needing new engines and transmissions because of Fords incompetience. I just got a recall for the Transmission which means the car is unsafe to drive and Ford does not have the ability to fix it until the end of the year. Without a rental or replacement car I am risking my life driving this vehicle and the integety of the tranmissions. So if the tranmissison breaks before the recall is able to fixed then what happens then. Is it now a complicated legal matter where attorny's mitigate the age of the vehicle vs their incompetience. Ordering parts with Ford is a nightmare. They sometimes send the wrong parts and leave it up to the dealers to do the return or not. So it takes weeks between calling back and forth with Ford.com parts.
- Claremont, CA, USA
Coolant is being leaked into the engine, have to "top" off coolant every couple of weeks, no visible leaks underneath, engine light has come on, and there has been rough idling and driving experienced. Engine light will go off (on its own) and car will run ok, but happening more frequently and feel the inevitable is an engine replacement (was told that this is what will need to happen)
- Grand Rapids, MI, USA
I'll be driving along and sometimes going 30 miles an hour sometimes going up to 65 70 miles an hour on the interstate And while I'm accelerating the car will start shaking like the the whole thing wil. In the only way that it stops is if I let off the accelerator and go slower speed accelerate you know what it means there's that magic speed but like if I have my cruise control on then it has to be at a certain speed because otherwise it will just start shaking and shaking and shaking
- Pelican Rapids , MN, USA
In the first few minutes of operation the transmission/engine speeds up and if not expecting it a surge forward could cause an accident. Similiar problems almost every time the car is started.
- Carver, MA, USA
Car is losing coolant. Had pressure tested and am told there is no leak but the issue is a blown head gasket. No warning signs were present regarding this issue, posing a huge safety risk. Coolant is leaking into engine due to faulty gasket. I am told that this issue is extremely prevalent with other Ford EcoBoost engine models as well.
- Johns Island, SC, USA
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request"-Coolant/temperature sensor causing the vehicle to overheat, cylinder head to crack, and coolant leak into the engine. Safety jeopardized?-Yes, the car was then burning the coolant and it was entering the air and inhaled. Possible connection to a confirmed cancer case in the main driver. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center?-Yes, it was reported to two separate Ford dealerships a total of 5 times. Each time the dealership told me they could not diagnose the problem. I took the car to an independent service center and it was confirmed the head was visibly cracked in 3 locations and the car was burning coolant and emitting it through the exhaust. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others?-The vehicle has been to Ford dealerships and inspected for service, recalls, and multiple times for this specific issue. Were there any warning lamps"-No warning lamps, no other symptoms prior to the failure. I purchased the vehicle from Fred Beans Ford, West Chester in Feb. 2016. In Oct. 2016 the vehicle overheated without any warning lamps or messages and it was towed to Fred Beans Ford. The service department stated there were no issues with the vehicle but replaced the temperature sensor that was recalled. The problem continued with the coolant level decreasing and no leaks could be found. The vehicle was taken to Fred Beans for a coolant leak 3 additional times and each time I was told they could not diagnose it and they just refilled the coolant. After this I checked the coolant daily and refilled it if needed to the appropriate level. October 2021 I took it to New Holland Ford where they could not diagnose it. May 2021 an independent center and machine shop where 3 cracks were found in the head causing coolant to leak into the engine and come out the exhaust.
- Millersville, PA, USA
NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V209000 This current recall, is not attached to the VIN for my Ford Escape and the car is in the shop for the exact issue. Ford said the NHSTA would have to attach the known recall to the VIN Ford Repair order 787886
- Austin, TX, USA
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated while idled and attempting to park in her driveway, there were flames coming from under the hood. The hood was opened and flames were visible from the engine. No warning lights illuminated. The contact mentioned that the vehicle overheated, there was a cracked cylinder and an oil leak prior to the fire. The origin of the fire was unknown. The contact extinguished the fire with a fire extinguisher. The fire department was not notified. A dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and was referred to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was 100,000.
- Longwood, NC, USA
My vehicle suddenly displays a -??Transmission Fault: Service Now-?? which rendered the vehicle unable to drive. The transmission has issues and it is a common issue among 2014 Ford Escapes. There should be a recall issued since it is a common problem. https://www.copilotsearch.com/posts/ford-escape-transmission-problems/ https://www.reddit.com/r/personalfinance/comments/cu2gki/i_need_advice_about_what_to_do_with_this_car_14/ Driving on a hill and all of the sudden car wouldn't go forward as the gear stopped shifting. Then the transmission gives out. It suddenly displayed "Transmission Fault: Service Now". Consumer was driving on a hill and all of the sudden the car wouldn't go forward as the gear stopped shifting. Then the transmission gives out. It suddenly displayed "Transmission Fault: Service Now".
- Dana Point, CA, USA
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated while reversing out of the driveway, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that the engine was overheating and coolant started leaking from the vehicle. The warning light for the engine overheating was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 92,000.
- Henderson, NV, USA
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the transmission was previously replaced. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. Additionally, the driver's side rear door had fractured from daily use, and the contact had to continuously refill the coolant reservoir due to the loss of coolant in the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 82,024.
- Birchwood, WI, USA
Engine shutoff in the middle of a busy road after having vehicle for 3 days.
- Foster, KY, USA
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the RPM fluctuated before the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to pull to the side of the roadway and had the vehicle towed to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 93,000
- Euclid, OH, USA
Owner was driving vehicle approximately 40-45 mph when a yellow light appeared on the dash and message 'powering down' came on. Owner pulled over opened the hood to find smoke and then flames which caused damage to their vehicle. Claim 31V4FM458
- Springfield, MO, USA
I own a 2014 Ford Escape with 60,000 miles on it. Upon turning on the vehicle, the check engine light came on. Several days later, also also upon turning on the vehicle, the dash showed a "low coolant" warning. Ford's mechanics inspected the vehicle and found that coolant was leaking into the Escape's engine. Their determination is that it needs a new engine. Ford had previously installed a coolant level sensor in the vehicle as part of a 2018 recall. The recall states that, "[i]f the vehicle is started and driven with an insufficient level of coolant within the engine cooling system, the engine cylinder head may overheat, crack and leak oil. If the cylinder head cracks and leaks oil, the oil may contact a hot engine or exhaust component, increasing the risk of a fire." The sensor is unhelpful; it notifies you once the coolant is low - after coolant has leaked into your engine and you're already in the unsafe situation described in the recall. There was not any other indication (coolant under the vehicle, for example) of an issue before the check engine light came on. Ford performed an oil change on the vehicle 3,400 miles ago and noted no issues with the cooling system or the engine.
- Encinitas, CA, USA
Head gasket was damaged but little to no signs that it was malfunctioning. Only warning code was spark plugs. Replaced spark plugs but light kept turning on. If the mechanic had not looked deeper at the issue my safety would have been compromised due to lack of notifications when car was being diagnosed
- Siloam Springs, AR, USA
- Lafayette Hill, PA, USA