2014 Ford Escape
This year had more than double the complaints of this model's typical year.
This verdict reflects complaint volume compared to this model's typical year. Recalls and safety issues below apply regardless of the verdict — always check them.
COMPLAINTS PER YEAR
View as data table
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 5 |
| 2001 | 996 |
| 2002 | 1027 |
| 2003 | 558 |
| 2004 | 499 |
| 2005 | 1394 |
| 2006 | 464 |
| 2007 | 254 |
| 2008 | 1972 |
| 2009 | 1691 |
| 2010 | 2067 |
| 2011 | 1312 |
| 2012 | 598 |
| 2013 | 2739 |
| 2014 | 2067 |
| 2015 | 1027 |
| 2016 | 1028 |
| 2017 | 2620 |
| 2018 | 1724 |
| 2019 | 557 |
| 2020 | 1546 |
| 2021 | 323 |
| 2022 | 219 |
| 2023 | 94 |
| 2024 | 74 |
| 2025 | 20 |
| 2026 | 3 |
KNOWN PROBLEM AREAS
35% of complaints: engine — 717 distinct reports on file.
CRASH FIRE INJURYShow complaint excerpts
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 FORD ESCAPE. WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH, SMOKE APPEARED UNDER THE HOOD. THE CONTACT PULLED OVER AND THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT BURST INTO FLAMES WITHOUT WARNING. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE.
NHTSA ODI report, 20171103
MY DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING THE CAR ON A 2 LANE HIGHWAY, GOING STRAIGHT, AT HIGHWAY SPEED ( MY DAUGHTER GOTTEN ABOUT 3 MILES FROM HOME ) AND ENGINE FAULT LIGHT CAME ON, CAR SPUTTERED, SERVICE NOW LIGHT CAME ON AND IMMEDIATELY SMOKE STARTED TO COME INTO...
NHTSA ODI report, 20171101
22% of complaints: power train — 450 distinct reports on file.
CRASH FIRE INJURY9% of complaints: electrical system — 196 distinct reports on file.
CRASH FIRE INJURY DEATHShow complaint excerpts
The car announced a low coolant in the system and then 10 seconds after the car turn on fire and burned down completely.
NHTSA ODI report, 20231110
8% of complaints: engine and engine cooling — 173 distinct reports on file.
CRASH FIREShow complaint excerpts
DUE TO COLD WEATHER, WALKED OUT AND STARTED CAR, RIGHT FOOT ON BRAKE, RIGHT INDEX FINGER ON STARTER BUTTON, LEFT FOOT ON OUTSIDE PARKING LOT AND LEFT HAND HOLDING CELL PHONE.
NHTSA ODI report, 20140111
7% of complaints: steering — 148 distinct reports on file.
CRASH INJURYSAFETY TIMELINE
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 C-MAX, and Escape vehicles.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the RCM, free of charge. The recall began on May 30, 2014. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-800-392-3673. Ford's number for this recall is 14S04.
Campaign 14V237000 — check if this car was fixed
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Escape vehicles manufactured October 5, 2011, through April 10, 2014.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and correct the mounting of the door handles, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on May 30, 2014. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-800-392-3673.
Campaign 14V239000 — check if this car was fixed
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ vehicles manufactured August 15, 2012, through September 10, 2013, 2013-2014 Ford Escape vehicles manufactured June 5, 2012, through August 12, 2013, and...
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the seatback, free of charge. The recall began on May 30, 2014. Owners may contact Ford at 1-800-392-3673. Ford's number for this recall is 14C03.
Campaign 14V164000 — check if this car was fixed
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2014 Ford Escape vehicles manufactured October 15, 2013, through October 22, 2013. The panorama roof glass may not be properly bonded to the attaching bracket.
Remedy: Ford has notified owners. Dealers will inspect each vehicle and replace the front roof glass if its production date and sequence number falls within the affected range, free of charge. The recall is began on July 14, 2014.
Campaign 14V403000 — check if this car was fixed
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2014 Ford Focus vehicles manufactured May 1, 2014, to May 24, 2014, 2014 Ford Escape vehicles manufactured on June 6, 2014, and 2015 Lincoln MKC vehicles manufactured June 4, 2014, to July 7,...
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the FDM, free of charge. The recall began in September 2014. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 14S20.
Campaign 14V525000 — check if this car was fixed
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Escape vehicles manufactured October 5, 2011, to April 1, 2013, and equipped with 2.0 liter engines and Focus ST vehicles manufactured February 14, 2012, to October 14, 2013, and...
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the current crimped splices with new splices, free of charge. The recall began in October 2014. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-800-392-3673. Ford's number for this recall is 14S17.
Campaign 14V495000 — check if this car was fixed
Ford Motor Company (Ford) notified the agency on January 8, 2015, that they are recalling certain model year 2014 Ford Escape vehicles manufactured April 15, 2014, to May 8, 2014, and 2015 Lincoln MKC vehicles manufactured April 21, 2014, to May 15,...
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump, free of charge. The recall began on February 27, 2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 14S30.
Campaign 15V005000 — check if this car was fixed
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Ford C-Max vehicles manufactured January 19, 2012, to November 21, 2013; Ford Fusion vehicles manufactured February 3, 2012, to August 24, 2013; Ford Escape vehicles manufactured...
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the RCM, free of charge. Parts are not currently available. The recall began on May 26,2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 14S21.
Campaign 14V597000 — check if this car was fixed
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 Ford Escape vehicles manufactured May 19, 2014, to February 6, 2015, and Transit Connect vehicles manufactured May 11, 2014, to July 2, 2015.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will update the instrument panel software, free of charge. The recall began on August 4, 2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15C03.
Campaign 15V406000 — check if this car was fixed
Door Latch Failure
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2012-2015 Ford Focus, 2013-2015 Ford Escape and Ford C-MAX, 2015 Lincoln MKC and Ford Mustang, and 2014-2016 Ford Transit Connect vehicles.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the door latches with an improved part, free of charge. The recall began on January 27, 2017. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 16S30.
Campaign 16V643000 — check if this car was fixed
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2014 Ford F-150 and E-350, 2014-2015 Ford Escape, and 2015 Lincoln MKC vehicles.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected bolts, free of charge. Interim notices informing owners of the safety risk were mailed September 8, 2017.
Campaign 17V472000 — check if this car was fixed
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2014 Escape, 2014-2015 Fiesta ST, 2013-2014 Fusion and 2013-2015 Transit Connect vehicles equipped with 1.6L GTDI engines.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will install a coolant level sensor and the supporting hardware and software, free of charge. Interim notices informing owners of the safety risk were mailed April 21, 2017.
Campaign 17V209000 — check if this car was fixed
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2014 Ford Escape, and 2013-2016 Ford Fusion vehicles, equipped with six-speed automatic transmissions.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the shifter cable bushing, free of charge. The recall began September 20, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18S20.
Campaign 18V471000 — check if this car was fixed
Door Latch Failures
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2011-2014 Fiesta, 2013-2014 Fusion, 2015 Mustang, 2013-2015 Escape and C-Max, 2012-2015 Focus, 2014-2016 Transit Connect, 2013-2014 Lincoln MKZ, and 2015 MKC vehicles.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the latch date codes to confirm if the repair was done correctly, and replace the side door latches if necessary, free of charge.
Campaign 20V331000 — check if this car was fixed
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.
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.
Campaign 22V413000 — check if this car was fixed
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2018 Focus, 2013-2019 Escape, and 2015-2016 MKC vehicles equipped with a 2.0L engine.
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.
Campaign 26V011000 — check if this car was fixed
BUY-SMART CHECKLIST
2014 Ford Escape — pre-purchase inspection
- Test/inspect for engine issues (717 reports on file for this year).
- Test/inspect for power train issues (450 reports on file for this year).
- Test/inspect for electrical system issues (196 reports on file for this year).
- Verify recall 26V011000 (equipment) has been completed.
- Verify recall 14V237000 (air bags) has been completed.
- Verify recall 14V239000 (structure) has been completed.
- Verify recall 14V164000 (seats) has been completed.
- Verify recall 14V403000 (visibility) has been completed.
- Verify recall 14V525000 (fuel system, gasoline) has been completed.
- Verify recall 14V495000 (electrical system) has been completed.
- Verify recall 15V005000 (fuel system, gasoline) has been completed.
- Verify recall 14V597000 (air bags, seat belts) has been completed.
- Verify recall 15V406000 (electrical system) has been completed.
- Verify recall 16V643000 (latches/locks/linkages) has been completed.
- Verify recall 17V472000 (seat belts, seats) has been completed.
- Verify recall 17V209000 (engine and engine cooling) has been completed.
- Verify recall 18V471000 (power train) has been completed.
- Verify recall 20V331000 (latches/locks/linkages) has been completed.
- Verify recall 22V413000 (power train) has been completed.
OTHER YEARS OF THIS MODEL
BEST YEARS
WORST YEARS
FAQ
Is the 2014 Ford Escape reliable?
Based on NHTSA complaint volume compared to this model's typical year, the 2014 Ford Escape is rated "significantly worse".
What are the most common problems with the 2014 Ford Escape?
The most-reported component is engine, accounting for 35% of complaints on file.
How many recalls does the 2014 Ford Escape have?
16 recalls on file for this model year.
Data updated 2026-07-11 · Complaints are unverified owner reports filed with NHTSA, not independently verified defects. Methodology.