2005 Ford Escape problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Suspension (364) · Structure:body (145) · Vehicle Speed Control (127)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Ford Escape model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
1,207 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (3)
Power Train:automatic Transmission:lever And Linkage:floor Shift 2015-09-29 · campaign 15V606000 · 57 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2001-2008 Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner vehicles manufactured March 31, 2001, to September 1, 2009. The affected vehicles are equipped with either a 2.3L or 3.0L engine and have had their CD4E transmission replaced with remanufactured one that was rebuilt between June 11, 2015 through July 15, 2015. These service repair part transmissions have a shift lever bolt that may not be properly tightened. As a result, the shift control lever
Risk: If the shift lever disengages from the transmission, a driver may be unable to shift gear positions and the indicated shift position may not represent the gear position the vehicle is in. Should a disengagement occur while the vehicle is being driven, when the driver goes to stop and park the vehicle, the gear selection indicator may show that the transmission is in the "PARK" position, but the v
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the transmissions and either tighten the manual shift lever bolt or replace the manual shift lever assembly. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on October 23, 2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15S28.
Suspension:front:wheel Bearing 2015-06-03 · campaign 15E045000 · 576 vehicles
Defect: 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 wheel bearings have incorrect dimensions of a 42mm bore, 76mm outer dimension, and 39mm width, instead of a 42mm bore, 78mm outer dimension and a 45mm width.
Risk: Use of an incorrectly sized wheel bearing can adversely affect the braking and steering of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Timken has begun notifying distributors who will offer purchasers replacement wheel bearings, free of charge. The recall began on May 21, 2015. Owners may contact Timken customer service at 1-866-984-6536.
Hybrid Propulsion System 2014-09-03 · campaign 14V526000 · 70,209 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2005-2008 Ford Escape hybrid electric vehicles manufactured October 13, 2003, to June 20, 2008, and 2006-2008 Mercury Mariner hybrid electric vehicles manufactured June 10, 2005, to June 20, 2008. The coolant pump for the hybrid system may fail resulting in the hybrid electronics overheating.
Risk: If the hybrid electronics system overheats, it may shut down the powertrain, resulting in a stall-like condition, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the original Motor Electronics Coolant (MEC) Pump with an improved brushless pump, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin on October 27, 2014. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 14S19.
Service bulletins (59)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Structure 2023-04-04 · SSM 51536 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
for 2000-2024 ford and lincoln vehicles, swapping a module from a vehicle for diagnosis purposes is likely to cause errors and is not recommended. it is also not recommended to order a replacement module using a vehicle identification number (vin) from a different vehicle. most modules on these affe
Engine And Engine Cooling:exhaust System:manifold/Header/Muffler/Tail Pipe 2016-09-21 · SSM 46085 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
the powertrain control/emissions diagnosis (pc/ed) manual has been revised for diagnosing electronic throttle bodies (etbs). the etc_act and etc_dsd pids should not used to diagnose possible etb concerns. the ids has a limited refresh rate when reading these pids and cannot display quickly enough to
Power Train:automatic Transmission:control Module (Tcm/Pcm/Tecm) 2010-09-14 · TSB-10-18-10 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
ford/mercury: mil on with dtc p0351-p0356; multiple coil primary circuit. built on or before 10/03/05. some vehicles equipped with a 3.0l engine may exhibit a mulfunction indicator lamp (mil) on with two or more diagnostic trouble codes (dtcs) for coil on plug (cop) primary circuit faults. *pe
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip:wheel Speed Sensor/Tone Ring 2008-04-01 · 20213 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
2005-08 escape/escape hybrid/mariner - 2006-08 mariner hybrid - wheel speed sensor ring replacement procedure update to workshop manual. *nj
Fuel System, Gasoline 2008-03-01 · 08-5-5 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
slow fuel fill and/or dtc p0451. *nj
Fuel System, Gasoline:storage:tank Assembly:filler Pipe And Cap 2007-09-19 · 07111 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
cold climate slow fuel fill. *nj
Showing the 6 most recent of 59 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2025-12-22 · Unknown Or Other“i bought a 2005 ford escape the vin number on the dash and the title do match however the ecu and the door jamb vin [xxx] which is for a 2006 ford escape 4 cylinder 2.3. the vehicle i bought should be a 6 cylinder with a 3.0 l the mechanic says mismatched vin the dealership refuses to listen. about the vehicle on [xxx] drove it 30 miles then was a…”
2025-12-17 · Electrical System:instrument Panel:speedometer/Odometer · 199,876 mi“odometer fraud. the contact purchased a 2005 ford escape on november 25, 2025. the contact discovered a mileage and vin discrepancy after the purchase. the vehicle was a dealer sale. at the time of purchase, the mileage was 199,500. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for a routine inspection, and the dealer informed the contact that during the dia…”
2025-12-03 · Service Brakes“i had just started up my 05 ford hybrid escape reversed out of a parking space, applied my brakes and a loud warning noise went off, the abs light & the brake light went on, then i tried to brake while backing out of the parking stall. i had no brakes, petal went all the way to the floor. i shifted into drive to pull forward. the car wouldn’t stop …”
2025-04-28 · Unknown Or Other“front subframe rusted out causing loss of steering and control. car came to a complete skidded stop . the front wheel nearly came off. the subframe issue is the same problem that resulted in a recall of the 2001-2004 ford escape.…”
2024-04-08 · Power Train · 105,000 mi“the contact owns a 2005 ford escape. upon starting of the vehicle, the contact placed the vehicle into drive(d); however, the vehicle failed to accelerate upon the depression of the accelerator pedal. the contact stated that prior to the failure, the check engine warning light illuminated and remained illuminated on the instrument panel. the contac…”
2024-03-13 · Suspension“the right lower control arm separated from the subframe due to subframe rust. it caused loss of handling and rendered the car immobile. it was caused by a panic stop at a low speed. the car was towed to an independent garage where it is awaiting repair. parts affected were the subframe, cv axle joint and the front fender (from the wheel hitting it …”
2024-01-17 · Suspension · 💥 crash“hello, the engine cradle subframe on my 2005 ford escape has completely rusted through on the right hand side where it attaches to the steering control arm. as i was driving the subframe broke which made it impossible to steer the car. this pulled my car off the road to the passenger side. fortunately i was not injured. having now researched t…”
2023-07-20 · Unknown Or Other“the right back tire shock and spring mount broke right off …”
2023-06-01 · Fuel/Propulsion System“i had the hybrid battery replaced by bill brandt ford in brentwood california. a few days after having it replaced. the car broke down on a very dangerous highway. i had the car towed back to bill brandt ford. they replaced the hybrid battery again. i received the car back on may 9. the car just broke down again today. roughly bill brandt ford had …”
2023-05-14 · Suspension“my rear passenger side rusted right out completely and the strut mount is not attached to any part of the body. it caused my vehicle to swirve off the road almost hitting another vehicle when it was raining out also in the snow this occurred several times where my rear end jerked sideways pulling my truck into a complete circle. …”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.