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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.

About this comparison →

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

What owners actually said

598 reports
93,385 miles · Aug 8, 2018
Power Train

I WAS DRIVING ON HIGHWAY AT 50 MPH; DRIVING STRAIGHT WHEN IT SEEMS LIKE I HAD RAN SOMETHING. THE VEHICLE SOUNDED LIKE A RUBBER BAND UNWINDING AND BEGAN VIBRATING SEVERELY AT RIGHT FRONT. IT APPEARED I MIGHT LOSE CONTROL. I DE-ACCELERATED AND SAFELY EXITED THE HIGHWAY. I COULD SEE NOTHING WRONG WHEN VISIBLY INSPECTING THE VEHICLE…

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I WAS DRIVING ON HIGHWAY AT 50 MPH; DRIVING STRAIGHT WHEN IT SEEMS LIKE I HAD RAN SOMETHING. THE VEHICLE SOUNDED LIKE A RUBBER BAND UNWINDING AND BEGAN VIBRATING SEVERELY AT RIGHT FRONT. IT APPEARED I MIGHT LOSE CONTROL. I DE-ACCELERATED AND SAFELY EXITED THE HIGHWAY. I COULD SEE NOTHING WRONG WHEN VISIBLY INSPECTING THE VEHICLE. SUBSEQUENT INVESTIGATION REVEALED A DAMAGED CV BOOT, CV JOINT AND THREE FRACTURED BOLTS FOR THE UPPER ENGINE MOUNT ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. TWO OF FRACTURE SURFACES APPEARED THEY HAD BEEN FRACTURED FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME. THE THIRD BOLT HAD A FRACTURE SURFACE THAT WAS ROUGH AND CRYSTALLINE IN APPEARANCE ) ALLUDING TO INSTANTANEOUS FRACTURE OF THE BOLT.

NHTSA ODI #11118660

Mileage unknown · Aug 7, 2018
Fuel/propulsion System

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FORD ESCAPE. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V777000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE); HOWEVER, THE PARTS TO DO THE REPAIR WERE UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE DEALER (SMITH CAIRNS FORD LINCOLN, …

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FORD ESCAPE. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V777000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE); HOWEVER, THE PARTS TO DO THE REPAIR WERE UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE DEALER (SMITH CAIRNS FORD LINCOLN, 900 CENTRAL PARK AVE, YONKERS, NY 10704, (914) 377-8100) WAS CONTACTED AND CONFIRMED THAT THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE FOR THE RECALL REMEDY. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.

NHTSA ODI #11118276

Mileage unknown · Aug 6, 2018
Engine

2012 FORD ESCAPE. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO STALLING ISSUES. *LD THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, BUT NO FAILURE COULD BE FOUND. *JS

NHTSA ODI #11117929

60,000 miles · Aug 1, 2018
Fuel/propulsion System

IN MOTION - CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, REPLACED 02 SENSOR UPSTREAM. GETTING 8 MPG AFTERWARDS. TOOK IT BACK TO SERVICE DEPT AND NO CODES PRESENT, LIVE DATA SHOWED PURGE SOLENOID WOULD STICK OPEN SOMETIMES, REPLACED SOLENOID, NOW GETTING 12 MPG, MORE RATTLE NOISE IN THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER; $700.00 AND NO BETTER THAN IT WAS.

NHTSA ODI #11115232

43,150 miles · Jul 29, 2018
Vehicle Speed ControlCrash

I EXPERIENCED UNINTENDED ACCELERATION WHILE DRIVING MY 2012 FORD ESCAPE ON JULY 7, 2018 WHILE DRIVING IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD. I WAS UNABLE TO CONTROL THE SPEED OF THE VEHICLE BY USING THE BRAKES AND CRASHED INTO A NEIGHBOR'S MAILBOX. I FINALLY SHUT OFF THE CAR TO MAKE IT STOP.

NHTSA ODI #11114411

99,030 miles · Jul 29, 2018
Structure

VEHICLE WAS DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH ON I575 ON-RAMP WHEN THE HOOD FLEW OPEN AND SLAMMED AGAINST THE WINDSHIELD, CRACKING THE WINDSHIELD IN MULTIPLE PLACES AND BLOCKING ALL FORWARD VISIBILITY. THE HOOD DID NOT SHOW ANY SIGNS OF BEING UNLATCHED, SUCH AS RATTLING, PRIOR TO THE FAILURE. THE SAFETY LATCH DID NOT STOP THE MO…

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VEHICLE WAS DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH ON I575 ON-RAMP WHEN THE HOOD FLEW OPEN AND SLAMMED AGAINST THE WINDSHIELD, CRACKING THE WINDSHIELD IN MULTIPLE PLACES AND BLOCKING ALL FORWARD VISIBILITY. THE HOOD DID NOT SHOW ANY SIGNS OF BEING UNLATCHED, SUCH AS RATTLING, PRIOR TO THE FAILURE. THE SAFETY LATCH DID NOT STOP THE MOVEMENT OF THE HOOD. FORTUNATELY I WAS ABLE TO SAFELY MOVE THE VEHICLE TO THE BREAK-DOWN LANE AND AVOID A COLLISION WITH MERGING TRAFFIC. THE HOOD WAS SEVERELY BENT BUT WAS ABLE TO BE SECURED SUFFICIENTLY TO GET THE VEHICLE HOME.

NHTSA ODI #11114384

Mileage unknown · Jul 24, 2018
Fuel/propulsion System

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FORD ESCAPE. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V777000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE) AND STATED THAT THE PART WAS NOT AVAILABLE WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME FRAME TO SCHEDULE THE RECALL REPAIR. THE DEALER ELK GROVE FORD (9645 AUTO CENTER DR., ELK GROVE, CA 95757, 916-478-7000) STATED…

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FORD ESCAPE. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V777000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE) AND STATED THAT THE PART WAS NOT AVAILABLE WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME FRAME TO SCHEDULE THE RECALL REPAIR. THE DEALER ELK GROVE FORD (9645 AUTO CENTER DR., ELK GROVE, CA 95757, 916-478-7000) STATED THAT THE PART WAS UNAVAILABLE AND WAS UNABLE TO VERIFY WHEN THE PART WOULD BE SUPPLIED FROM THE MANUFACTURER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED. THE CONTACT WAS NOT EXPERIENCING A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.

NHTSA ODI #11113294

15 miles · Jul 13, 2018
Steering

THE FIRST TIME MY POWER STEERING FAILED WAS ON JANUARY 27TH 2018 WHILE DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY (696) GOING 75 MPH. I CALLED MY FORD SERVICE CENTER THE FOLLOWING BUSINESS DAY AND WAS TOLD MY CAR HAD ELECTRIC POWER STEERING AND THAT "GLITCHES HAPPEN". IN 128 DAYS, THE POWER STEERING FAILED 30 TIMES (I STOPPED KEEPING TRACK AFTER JUNE…

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THE FIRST TIME MY POWER STEERING FAILED WAS ON JANUARY 27TH 2018 WHILE DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY (696) GOING 75 MPH. I CALLED MY FORD SERVICE CENTER THE FOLLOWING BUSINESS DAY AND WAS TOLD MY CAR HAD ELECTRIC POWER STEERING AND THAT "GLITCHES HAPPEN". IN 128 DAYS, THE POWER STEERING FAILED 30 TIMES (I STOPPED KEEPING TRACK AFTER JUNE 4TH BUT IT HAS HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES SINCE THEN). EVERY TIME IT FAILED, IF I RESTARTED MY CAR, THE POWER STEERING WORKED AGAIN. 10 OF THE 30 TIMES OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING, THE REST OCCURRED AT THE START OF THE ENGINE. THE TIMES IT HAPPENED AT THE START OF THE ENGINE, 5 OF THE TIMES IT FAILED TWO TIMES IN A ROW. SOME TIMES AT LIGHTS OR STOP SIGNS AND SOME TIMES IN THE MIDDLE OF A TURN. SOMETIMES THE WEATHER WAS COLD (10 BELOW), SOME TIMES HOT (90 DEGREES). SOME DAYS THERE WAS PRECIPITATION AND OTHER TIMES IT WAS DRY. TRY AVOIDING POTHOLES ON MICHIGAN SURFACE STREETS WHEN YOUR POWER STEERING GOES OUT! SOME TIMES I WAS 10 MINUTES INTO THE DRIVE AND OTHER TIMES IT HAPPENED AFTER DRIVING 2 HOURS. (I HAVE VERY SPECIFIC DOCUMENTATION ON ALL 30 OCCASIONS BUT DIDN'T HAVE THE CHARACTERS). WHEN RESEARCHING THIS PROBLEM, I FOUND THAT THIS WAS THE EXACT POWER STEERING FAILURE THAT ALL OF THE FORD ESCAPE MODELS HAD PRIOR TO 2012. THEY HAVE BEEN RECALLED. MY CAR, A 2012, WAS FABRICATED IN JUNE OF 2011 AND HAS THE SAME POWER STEERING FAILURES AS THE PREVIOUS YEARS. I ONLY AM CURIOUS AS TO HOW MY 2012 COULD BE ANY DIFFERENT THAN A YEAR THAT WAS RECALLED. I HAVE SINCE CONTACTED 3 DIFFERENT EMPLOYEES OF FORD AND NOT ONE OF THEM WERE ABLE TO GIVE OUT AN SPECIFIC INFORMATION OF THE RECALL FOR THE OTHER MODEL YEARS.

NHTSA ODI #11111201

88,000 miles · Jun 26, 2018
Power Train

VEHICLE HAS HARD DOWN SHIFTS JERKING WHEN ACCELERATING HAS BEEN IN SHOP TWICE GOING AGAIN ON 6-27-18 AFTER ABOUT 150 MILES OF DRIVING IS WHEN THIS OCCURS

NHTSA ODI #11104030

87,000 miles · Jun 26, 2018
Unknown Or Other

DRIVER SIDE DOOR ALERT REMAINS ON EVEN WHEN DOOR IS SHUT TIGHT AND LOCKED. UPON PLACING KEY IN IGNITION DINGING IS CONSTANT AND DOOR ICON STAYS ON. WHEN LOCKING VEHICLE UPON EXITING WITH REMOTE IT DOUBLE BEEPS AND INTERIOR LIGHTS STAY LIT. WHEN LOCKING DOORS WITH POWER LOCKS FROM INSIDE VEHICLE THEY AUTOMATICALLY POP BACK UNLOCK…

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DRIVER SIDE DOOR ALERT REMAINS ON EVEN WHEN DOOR IS SHUT TIGHT AND LOCKED. UPON PLACING KEY IN IGNITION DINGING IS CONSTANT AND DOOR ICON STAYS ON. WHEN LOCKING VEHICLE UPON EXITING WITH REMOTE IT DOUBLE BEEPS AND INTERIOR LIGHTS STAY LIT. WHEN LOCKING DOORS WITH POWER LOCKS FROM INSIDE VEHICLE THEY AUTOMATICALLY POP BACK UNLOCKED. DOOR LATCH IS FINE. DOOR WILL SHUT AND LOCK THROUGH MANUAL MEANS. SENSOR IS MISREADING ACTIONS AND CAUSING SAFETY ISSUE WITH UNABLE TO LOCK DOORS WHILE DRIVING.

NHTSA ODI #11103988

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.

Go deeper into Ford Escape problems