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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.

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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

Air Bags complaints

24 reports
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Mileage unknown · Jun 14, 2023
Air BagsSteeringInjury

The steering wheel came off in my hands. I pushed it back on and went to Ford to get it fixed, they couldn't help me because they had no techs employed that work on my year vehicle, they never told me it was a safety issue and sent me on my way to look for outside mechanic not a FORD specialist. I was driving and the airbag expl…

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The steering wheel came off in my hands. I pushed it back on and went to Ford to get it fixed, they couldn't help me because they had no techs employed that work on my year vehicle, they never told me it was a safety issue and sent me on my way to look for outside mechanic not a FORD specialist. I was driving and the airbag exploded while I was backing up. It caused me injury and could have caused an accident because there was no warning, it suddenly exploded with a loud noise, if this happened when I was on the highway it would have caused severe accident, luckily I was backing the car up when it happened. I didn't hit anything to cause the airbag to deploy. When the steering wheel came off in my hands it was when I was parked, it could have happened when I was driving causing severe injury to myself and those around me. I keep my vehicle maintained by FORD and the steering wheel was never touched or repaired. But when I bought the vehicle brand new from FORD it was missing the Sirius satellite radio it was advertised as coming with, when I brought it back to Ford the seller told me they take it out for import reasons and I could buy it from them for $150 plus installation. I don't know if they touched the steering wheel when they removed the Sirius radio parts. I have the Sirius button on my vehicle and it was advertised with 6 months free Sirius, but the dealership said it's common practice in Puerto Rico for them to remove it because of import fees. I'm the only owner of this vehicle and it was sold to me as brand new. The steering wheel gave me no warning it was about to come off in my hands, it was not loose, it had no play in it, I was parked in my driveway and had just gotten into the car when it came off in my hands. I have the car for inspection and need to alert people of this danger and get the vehicle steering wheel recalled to prevent severe injury to another person.

NHTSA ODI #11527085

Mileage unknown · May 5, 2023
Air BagsSteering

The steering acted like it lost power, it was extremely hard to turn. It showed slide marks on dashboard. It also has airbag light on dashboard. We had a mechanic to run a test, the only thing it showed was that the airbag had no signal to the computer

NHTSA ODI #11520693

31,000 miles · Aug 12, 2019
Air BagsCrashInjury

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FORD ESCAPE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE TURNING A CORNER DURING RAIN WEATHER CONDITIONS, THE VEHICLE SLID OFF THE ROAD CAUSING THE CONTACT TO CRASH INTO A TELEPHONE POLE, SLID INTO A DITCH, AND A CORNFIELD. THE WINDOWS ON THE FRONT DRIVER, BOTH REAR PASSENGER, AND REAR WINDSHIELD ALL SHATTERED. NON…

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FORD ESCAPE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE TURNING A CORNER DURING RAIN WEATHER CONDITIONS, THE VEHICLE SLID OFF THE ROAD CAUSING THE CONTACT TO CRASH INTO A TELEPHONE POLE, SLID INTO A DITCH, AND A CORNFIELD. THE WINDOWS ON THE FRONT DRIVER, BOTH REAR PASSENGER, AND REAR WINDSHIELD ALL SHATTERED. NONE OF THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. THERE WERE INJURIES SUSTAINED. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A GARAGE FOR A PICKUP FROM THE INSURANCE COMPANY. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND SUGGESTED TO SPEAK TO AN INSURANCE ADJUSTER. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 31,000. *PM *DL

NHTSA ODI #11243338

Mileage unknown · May 18, 2018
Air BagsFuel/propulsion System

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FORD ESCAPE. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V77000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE PARTS TO DO THE REPAIR WERE UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME AS THE RECALL NOTICE WAS RECEIVED OVER SIX MONTHS AGO. THE DEALER (COURTESY …

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FORD ESCAPE. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V77000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE PARTS TO DO THE REPAIR WERE UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME AS THE RECALL NOTICE WAS RECEIVED OVER SIX MONTHS AGO. THE DEALER (COURTESY FORD LINCOLN, 1313 NE 122ND AVE, PORTLAND, OR 97230) WAS CONTACTED AND CONFIRMED THAT THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE FOR THE RECALL REMEDY. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT RECENTLY RECEIVED A POSTCARD FROM TK HOLDINGS, ALERTING HIM THAT THEY FILED FOR BANKRUPTCY. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.

NHTSA ODI #11096776

100 miles · May 6, 2018
Air BagsStructureCrash

IN AN ACCIDENT WITH FRONT END DAMAGE AND AIR BAGS DIDN'T DEPLOY.

NHTSA ODI #11092154

92,000 miles · Feb 13, 2018
Air BagsCrashInjury

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FORD ESCAPE. WHILE THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE WAS IDLING AT A RED LIGHT, ANOTHER VEHICLE CRASHED INTO THE FRONT END OF THE VEHICLE. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED INJURIES TO THE HEAD, LEFT AND RIGHT WRISTS, BACK, RIGHT KNEES, RIGHT ANKLE AND THE RIGHT FOOT. MEDICAL ATTENTION WAS REQU…

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FORD ESCAPE. WHILE THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE WAS IDLING AT A RED LIGHT, ANOTHER VEHICLE CRASHED INTO THE FRONT END OF THE VEHICLE. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED INJURIES TO THE HEAD, LEFT AND RIGHT WRISTS, BACK, RIGHT KNEES, RIGHT ANKLE AND THE RIGHT FOOT. MEDICAL ATTENTION WAS REQUIRED. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 92,000.

NHTSA ODI #11072781

60,000 miles · Nov 8, 2017
Air BagsCrash

MY SON WAS IN AN ACCIDENT. FRONT END OF VEHICLE. THE AIR BAG NEVER WENT OFF. BUT THE SEATBELT LOCKED. THE AUTO REPAIR SHOP WAS DUMBFOUNDED AT WHY IT DIDN'T GO OFF. SO AM I.THE SEATBELT AND AIRBAG LIGHTS WERE ON ON THE DASH AFTER THEY FIXED IT. THAT'S HOW WE FOUND THAT THE SEATBELT LOCKED. I COULDN'T GET IT AROUND ME TO GO HOME. …

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MY SON WAS IN AN ACCIDENT. FRONT END OF VEHICLE. THE AIR BAG NEVER WENT OFF. BUT THE SEATBELT LOCKED. THE AUTO REPAIR SHOP WAS DUMBFOUNDED AT WHY IT DIDN'T GO OFF. SO AM I.THE SEATBELT AND AIRBAG LIGHTS WERE ON ON THE DASH AFTER THEY FIXED IT. THAT'S HOW WE FOUND THAT THE SEATBELT LOCKED. I COULDN'T GET IT AROUND ME TO GO HOME. THEY THEN REPLACED THE COMPUTER. THE CAR STILL DOESN'T SEEN CORRECT. BUT, HOW DO I KNOW THAT IN THE FUTURE THERE IS AN ACCIDENT WITH THE VEHICLE AND IT DOESN'T GO OFF AND I GET KILLED. MY SON WAS MOVING ON A CITY STREET WHEN THIS VERY YOUNG GIRL WITH A RESTRICTED LICENSE ABRUPTLY STOPPED. MY SON HIT HER. MY SON NOW OWNS THE VEHICLE. I'M MORE CONCERNED THAT I GAVE HIM A CAR THAT IS A HAZARD.

NHTSA ODI #11044712

50,000 miles · Jul 15, 2016
Air BagsCrashInjury

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FORD ESCAPE. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH, THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE CRASHED INTO THE REAR OF A TRUCK. THE FRONT END OF THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE WAS DAMAGED AND THE SIDES WERE BENT OUTWARD. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED AND A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE CONTACT RECEIVED CHEST INJU…

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FORD ESCAPE. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH, THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE CRASHED INTO THE REAR OF A TRUCK. THE FRONT END OF THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE WAS DAMAGED AND THE SIDES WERE BENT OUTWARD. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED AND A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE CONTACT RECEIVED CHEST INJURIES, BUT NO MEDICAL ATTENTION WAS NEEDED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, BUT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 50,000.

NHTSA ODI #10885119

71,076 miles · Jul 8, 2016
Air BagsStructureCrash

MY WIFE AND ONE MONTH OLD CHILD WERE IN AN ACCIDENT THE OTHER DAY. SHE TURNED LEFT IN FRONT OF AN ONCOMING VEHICLE AND OUR 2012 FORD ESCAPE XLT WAS HIT IN THE FRONT PASSENGER CORNER. THE INSURANCE ADJUSTER JUST FINISHED DETERMINING THE DAMAGE ONLY TO CONCLUDE THAT THE VEHICLE IS A TOTAL LOSS. THERE WAS OVER $10,000 IN DAMAGE …

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MY WIFE AND ONE MONTH OLD CHILD WERE IN AN ACCIDENT THE OTHER DAY. SHE TURNED LEFT IN FRONT OF AN ONCOMING VEHICLE AND OUR 2012 FORD ESCAPE XLT WAS HIT IN THE FRONT PASSENGER CORNER. THE INSURANCE ADJUSTER JUST FINISHED DETERMINING THE DAMAGE ONLY TO CONCLUDE THAT THE VEHICLE IS A TOTAL LOSS. THERE WAS OVER $10,000 IN DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE BEFORE HE TOOK IT APART TO DETERMINE HOW EXPENSIVE THE FRAME REPAIR WOULD BECOME. THE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. I HAVE NOTIFIED FORD ABOUT THIS ISSUE AND THEY ARE "INVESTIGATING" WHICH I'M SURE WILL LEAD TO ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. HOW CAN A CAR RECEIVE A CATASTROPHIC IMPACT ON THE FRONT END LIKE THAT AND THE AIRBAGS NOT DEPLOY?

NHTSA ODI #10883483

Mileage unknown · Jul 1, 2016
Air BagsCrashInjury

DRIVER OF VEHICLE HAD A SEIZURE WHILE DRIVING. HE HIT THE BACK OF A STOPPED VEHICLE GOING APPROX. 45-50 MPH, WHICH THEN HIT ANOTHER VEHICLE, AND THE DRIVER KEPT DRIVING BECAUSE HE WAS STILL NOT ALERT. THE AIRBAGS ON HIS 2012 FORD ESCAPE NEVER DEPLOYED. ON IMPACT, EVEN WITH HIS SAFETY BELT ON, HIS CHEST HIT THE STEERING WHEEL …

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DRIVER OF VEHICLE HAD A SEIZURE WHILE DRIVING. HE HIT THE BACK OF A STOPPED VEHICLE GOING APPROX. 45-50 MPH, WHICH THEN HIT ANOTHER VEHICLE, AND THE DRIVER KEPT DRIVING BECAUSE HE WAS STILL NOT ALERT. THE AIRBAGS ON HIS 2012 FORD ESCAPE NEVER DEPLOYED. ON IMPACT, EVEN WITH HIS SAFETY BELT ON, HIS CHEST HIT THE STEERING WHEEL CAUSING HIM TO HAVE A BROKEN STERNUM AND SEVERAL FRACTURED RIBS.

NHTSA ODI #10882164

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.

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