2015 Ford Escape problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Power Train (248) · Engine (144) · Back Over Prevention (144)
🧭 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
649 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (9)
Equipment:electrical:engine Block Heater 2026-01-15 · campaign 26V011000 · 116,672 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2018 Focus, 2013-2019 Escape, and 2015-2016 MKC vehicles equipped with a 2.0L engine. The engine block heater may crack and develop a coolant leak, causing it to short circuit when the block heater is plugged in.
Risk: An electrical short circuit can increase the risk of a fire.
Fix: Owners are advised not to plug in their block heater until the vehicle is remedied. Dealers will replace the block heater, free of charge. Owners will also have a alternative option to replace engine block heater element with a threaded plug, and remove the block heater electrical cord. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed March 6, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. For
Back Over Prevention: Sensing System: Camera 2025-10-13 · campaign 25V695000 · 1,448,655 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2019 Flex, 2015 Explorer, Lincoln MKT, Lincoln MKZ, 2015-2016 C-Max, Escape, Taurus, 2016 Fusion, 2018-2019 Taurus, 2019 Lincoln MKT, Fiesta, and 2020 Mustang vehicles. The rearview camera may display a distorted, intermittent, or blank image when the vehicle is in reverse.
Risk: A rearview camera that fails to properly display an image can reduce the driver’s view behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the rearview camera as necessary, free of charge. This will be a phased campaign, with the remedy becoming available in different phases based on model and model years. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on October 25, 2025. Additional letters will be mailed once the final remedy is available on each phase. Mustang owner notification letters were mailed January 2, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford'
Power Train:shift Linkage/Cable/Rod 2022-06-10 · campaign 22V413000 · 2,925,968 vehicles
Defect: 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.
Risk: A damaged or missing bushing may prevent the vehicle from shifting into the intended gear, and cause the vehicle to move in an unexpected direction. Additionally, the vehicle may roll after the driver selects the 'Park' position. Either scenario increases the risk of a crash or injury.
Fix: 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. Remedy parts are expected to be available in 4th Quarter 2022. Owner notification letters were mailed October 27, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S43.
Power Train:shift Linkage/Cable/Rod 2022-04-14 · campaign 22V254000 · 96,015 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015 Escape vehicles equipped with 2.0L engines. The bushing that attaches the shifter cable to the transmission may degrade or detach.
Risk: A damaged or missing bushing may prevent the vehicle from shifting into the intended gear, and cause the vehicle to move in an unexpected direction. Additionally, the vehicle may roll after the driver selects the 'Park' position. Either scenario increases the risk of a crash or injury.
Fix: Dealers will replace the under hood shifter bushing and add a protective cap over the shift cable bushing, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 27, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S25.
Latches/Locks/Linkages:doors:latch 2020-06-08 · campaign 20V331000 · 2,147,323 vehicles
Defect: 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. These vehicles were previously recalled and repaired under recalls 15V-246, 16V-643 or 17V-210, however the repair may not have been completed properly. A component within the door latches may break making the doors difficult to latch and/or leading the driver or a passenger to beli
Risk: A door that is not securely latched could open while the vehicle is in motion, increasing the risk of injury to a vehicle occupant.
Fix: 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. Owners will also have the option to inspect their own vehicle's door latches and enter the date codes into a website to determine if the latches are correct. Owner notification letters were mailed on July 27, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20S30.
Seats 2017-07-25 · campaign 17V472000 · 94,605 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2014 Ford F-150 and E-350, 2014-2015 Ford Escape, and 2015 Lincoln MKC vehicles. Improperly manufactured bolts may have been used to install certain seats, seatbacks, seatbelt buckles, or seatbelt anchors on these vehicles.
Risk: The improperly manufactured bolts may fracture. If a seat, seatback, or seatbelt anchor attaching bolt fractures, the affected component may not be properly secured, increasing the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Fix: 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. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available in the fourth quarter of 2017. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 17S17.
Latches/Locks/Linkages:doors:latch 2016-09-06 · campaign 16V643000 · 2,046,297 vehicles
Defect: 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. A component within the door latches may break, preventing the doors from latching and/or leading the driver or a passenger to believe a door is securely closed when, in fact, it is not.
Risk: A door that is not securely latched could open while the vehicle is in motion, increasing the risk of injury to a vehicle occupant.
Fix: 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.
Electrical System:ignition 2015-07-08 · campaign 15V436000 · 374,781 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2015 Ford Escape vehicles manufactured April 1, 2014, to June 12, 2015, Ford Focus vehicles manufactured June 17, 2014, to June 12, 2015, and Ford C-Max vehicles manufactured April 22, 2014, to June 12, 2015. In the affected vehicles, the engine may continue to run after the key or the START/STOP engine button is turned to off. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS)
Risk: If the engine does not turn off as expected, someone could move the transmission shifter out of park and the vehicle may move unintentionally, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will update the body control module software, free of charge. The recall began on July 27, 2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15C06.
Electrical System: Instrument Cluster/Panel 2015-06-24 · campaign 15V406000 · 184,519 vehicles
Defect: 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. Due to a software incompatibility issue, the instrument panel cluster be inoperative including a blank multiple functional display (MFD), and non-functional warning chimes, messages and warning lights. Specific warning chimes, messages and warning lights. As such, these vehicles fail to
Risk: If the instrument cluster is inoperative, the driver of may not be warned of safety related issues such as low tire pressures or disabled air bags, increasing the risk of personal injury or a crash.
Fix: 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.
Service bulletins (128)
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.
Unknown Or Other 2026-02-24 · SSM 54601 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
ford and lincoln vehicles equipped with wired keyless entry keypad systems and accessory wireless keyless entry keypad systems may or may not come with a wallet card containing the master code. unlike the integrated wired keypad, the accessory wireless keypad master code cannot be retrieved from the
Power Train 2025-11-12 · SSM 54366 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some 2015-2021 ford and lincoln vehicles may exhibit an illuminated mil with diagnostic trouble codes (dtcs) p0011, p0012, p0014, p0015, p0016, p0017, p0018, p0019, p0021, p0022, p0024 and/or p0025. pinpoint test hk in the powertrain control and emissions diagnosis (pc/ed) or in section 303-14 of th
Unknown Or Other 2024-11-27 · SSM 53176 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some 2013-2016 escape vehicles may exhibit an abs warning indicator with diagnostic trouble code (dtc) u2300 after the abs module is replaced.
Unknown Or Other 2024-10-10 · SSM 53040 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
while performing a transmission repair on some 2012-2024 ford and lincoln vehicles, a transmission seal kit may be on backorder due to supply chain interruptions.
Equipment 2024-04-24 · SSM 52476 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
all accessory stick-on keyless entry keypads come with a wallet card containing the master code. if the accessory keypad was factory installed, this card will be placed in the glove box and should be handed to the vehicle s owner during initial delivery. unlike the integrated (wired) factory keypad,
Engine And Engine Cooling 2024-03-06 · SSM 52335 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
for 2015-2024 ford and lincoln vehicles equipped with turbocharged engines and customer concern of an engine oil leak, refer to workshop manual (wsm), section 303-00 for oil leak inspection and testing methods. ford has evaluated turbochargers replaced for oil leak symptoms and although oil may coll
Showing the 6 most recent of 128 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-29 · Unknown Or Other“the rear-view camera could display a blank or distorted image on the center display screen when the vehicle is in reverse. we also receive a message that the rear-view camera is unavailable on the center display screen.…”
2026-10-28 · Unknown Or Other“backup camera is distorted, upside down, blue screen, or message displayed stating “rearview camera not available”. i received the recall notice that was mailed october 2025. i have since contacted my local ford dealership attempting to have this recall resolved, each time to be told that parts are not available yet, only for the ford mustang. vehi…”
2026-10-27 · Back Over Prevention · 💥 crash“the contact’s daughter owns a 2015 ford escape. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 25v695000 (back over prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. the contact stated the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the remedy to be available. while the owner was reversing, the back …”
2026-10-26 · Unknown Or Other“recall 25v695 rear backup camera is not working half of the time-totally black screen. received recall notice in october 2025. called ford in october 2026 (a year later) and was told parts still not available and they had no idea when they would be available. this is unacceptable. i believe a year is adequate time to correct this issue. i woul…”
2026-10-22 · Back Over Prevention“the contact owns a 2015 ford escape. the contact stated that while reversing, the rear-view camera failed to function as intended. the contact stated that the rear-view camera displayed a distorted image. the dealer was contacted and made aware of the failure. the contact was informed that the parts were unavailable for the repair. the contact rece…”
2026-10-22 · Back Over Prevention · 72,000 mi“the contact owns a 2015 ford escape. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 25v69500 (back over prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. the contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. while reversing, the rear-view camera displayed a …”
2026-10-21 · Unknown Or Other“my 2015 ford escape is subject to nhtsa safety recall 25v695/ford campaign 25sa9 concerning failure of the rearview camera. the recall was filed october 13, 2025. i have repeatedly attempted to obtain the recall repair through authorized ford dealers in my area, but i continue to be told that the required part is unavailable. i contacted ford today…”
2026-10-21 · Power Train“i replaced my transmission around 156000 miles the repair shop replaced my transmission with a brand new transmission from a ford dealer. less than 6000 miles on my new transmission it needed to be replaced again. my transmission is having issues again with less then 20000 miles on the second transmission. …”
2026-10-21 · Unknown Or Other“a recall was issued on my 2015 ford escape's rearview camera. there wasn't a fix for it at the time and over a year later, there still isn't a fix. i have heard nothing new on when to expect it to be repaired. i was originally informed it would be june 2026. i live around a lot of young children and depend on my rearview camera to help me watch out…”
2026-10-20 · Back Over Prevention“the contact owns a 2015 ford escape. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 25v695000 (back over prevention); however, the part to complete the recall repair was not yet available. the contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the dealer was made aware of the issue and …”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.