2012 Ford Escape: owner complaints and recalls
Analysis of 598 owner complaints filed with NHTSA and 2 recall campaigns. Updated 2026-07-25.
598
Complaints
2
Recalls
37
Crash reports
3
Fire reports
26
Injuries
62.5
Severity index
Severity index 62.5 - Medium. This weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints; see methodology.
Among the 129 2012 vehicles we track with at least 40 complaints on file, the 2012 Ford Escape ranks 68 of 129 by severity, where 1 is the worst. Its severity is higher than 47% of its model-year peers. See the full 2012 ranking.
What actually fails
| Component | Complaints | Share of complaints citing it |
|---|---|---|
| STEERING | 137 | 22.9% |
| FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 137 | 22.9% |
| ENGINE | 72 | 12.0% |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 69 | 11.5% |
| STRUCTURE | 67 | 11.2% |
| POWER TRAIN | 66 | 11.0% |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 44 | 7.4% |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 42 | 7.0% |
The single most-reported system is STEERING, cited in 137 of 598 complaints (22.9%). One complaint can name several systems, so these shares overlap and do not total 100%.
Complaints filed per year
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2011 | 2 |
| 2012 | 22 |
| 2013 | 51 |
| 2014 | 45 |
| 2015 | 43 |
| 2016 | 47 |
| 2017 | 71 |
| 2018 | 119 |
| 2019 | 51 |
| 2020 | 19 |
| 2021 | 37 |
| 2022 | 20 |
| 2023 | 26 |
| 2024 | 19 |
| 2025 | 21 |
| 2026 (year to date) | 5 |
Complaint volume is broadly steady year over year.
Recall campaigns
| Campaign | Reported | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16V777000 | 26/10/2016 | FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP | 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 Deliv |
| 15E045000 | 03/06/2015 | SUSPENSION:FRONT:WHEEL BEARING | The Timken Company (Timken) is recalling certain aftermarket front wheel bearings, part number 510072, sold from January 22, 2015, to May 21, 2015, to be used as service parts on 2001-2012 Ford Escape, 2001-2011 Mazda Tribute, and 2005-2011 Mercury Mariner vehicles. The affected |
Source. US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration public complaint and recall APIs (api.nhtsa.gov), retrieved 2026-07-25. Complaints are unverified consumer reports; volume is influenced by how many units were sold and how long the vehicle has been on the road. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer.