Ford Escape: which years to buy, and what breaks on them
Best and worst years of the Ford Escape
Of the 25 model years of the Ford Escape that carry enough owner reports to score, 2004 comes out best at 64 out of 100 and 2017 worst at 77. The scores rank each year against other cars of the same model year, so an older one is not penalised for having had longer to break.
36,338 owner reports across 27 model years, 23,120 of them carrying an odometer reading. 25 years carry enough reports to score.
The year to buy, and the year to avoid
Both figures are ranks against other vehicles of the same model year, so the two are comparable even when the years are a decade apart. Each links to that year's full report.
2004 Ford Escape
Best of 27 years on 715 owner reports, its own worst problem being other speed control problem. Evidence behind the score: high confidence.
2017 Ford Escape
Risk 77 of 100 from 3,282 reports, worst problem other engine problem.
Severe High confidence confidence
How much the year actually matters
The gap between the best and worst year is 13 points on a 100-point scale, which is small enough that the year is a weak reason to choose one of these over another. Service history will tell you more.
Across every year of the Ford Escape, owners have filed 36,338 reports with NHTSA. The 2013 accounts for the largest share at 3,683, which can mean a genuinely troublesome year or simply the year that sold best and has been on the road longest.
What tends to break across the Ford Escape
Taking the most-reported failure from each model year, the recurring problems on the Ford Escape are other engine problem (worst mode in 9 years), other speed control problem (worst mode in 6 years) and other steering problem (worst mode in 2 years). A fault that heads the list in most years is characteristic of the design; one that heads a single year is usually a batch or a supplier.
Every model year, scored
Shorter is better, and the outlined row is the best year of the line. A year with too few reports to score is shown without a bar rather than as a zero, because no data is not the same as no problems.
| Year | Reports | Per 1,000 | Median report | Most reported problem | Recalls | Risk | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 Ford Escape | 5 | 0.1 | 65k | Loss of power steering | 0 | not rated | Unrated |
| 2001 Ford Escape | 1,389 | 10.5 | 81k | Other engine problem | 15 | 73 | High confidence |
| 2002 Ford Escape | 1,397 | 8.9 | 89k | Other engine problem | 10 | 73 | High confidence |
| 2003 Ford Escape | 736 | 4.7 | 94k | Control arm, ball joint or bushing failure | 9 | 67 | High confidence |
| 2004 Ford Escape | 715 | 4.6 | 111k | Other speed control problem | 8 | 64 | High confidence |
| 2005 Ford Escape | 2,030 | 30.2 | 109k | Other speed control problem | 5 | 66 | High confidence |
| 2006 Ford Escape | 627 | 43.9 | 85k | Other speed control problem | 5 | 73 | High confidence |
| 2007 Ford Escape | 350 | 34.9 | 72k | Other speed control problem | 4 | 72 | High confidence |
| 2008 Ford Escape | 2,405 | 26.0 | 98k | Other steering problem | 5 | 71 | High confidence |
| 2009 Ford Escape | 2,349 | 25.4 | 83k | Other steering problem | 3 | 71 | High confidence |
| 2010 Ford Escape | 3,186 | 34.4 | 58k | Other speed control problem | 5 | 74 | High confidence |
| 2011 Ford Escape | 1,878 | 20.3 | 52k | Other speed control problem | 3 | 73 | High confidence |
| 2012 Ford Escape | 792 | 12.0 | 52k | Other fuel system problem | 2 | 71 | High confidence |
| 2013 Ford Escape | 3,683 | 12.7 | 73k | Other engine problem | 18 | 76 | High confidence |
| 2014 Ford Escape | 2,665 | 9.2 | 74k | Other engine problem | 16 | 75 | High confidence |
| 2015 Ford Escape | 1,348 | 9.9 | 73k | Other engine problem | 9 | 75 | High confidence |
| 2016 Ford Escape | 1,349 | 13.8 | 70k | Other powertrain problem | 4 | 74 | High confidence |
| 2017 Ford Escape | 3,282 | 33.7 | 68k | Other engine problem | 4 | 77 | High confidence |
| 2018 Ford Escape | 2,176 | 22.3 | 80k | Other engine problem | 4 | 76 | High confidence |
| 2019 Ford Escape | 741 | 7.6 | 58k | Other engine problem | 3 | 75 | High confidence |
| 2020 Ford Escape | 2,120 | 21.4 | 42k | Other body or interior problem | 23 | 75 | High confidence |
| 2021 Ford Escape | 463 | 4.7 | 39k | Other brake problem | 19 | 73 | High confidence |
| 2022 Ford Escape | 315 | 3.2 | 34k | Other fuel system problem | 19 | 73 | High confidence |
| 2023 Ford Escape | 155 | 2.1 | 14k | Overheating | 11 | 75 | High confidence |
| 2024 Ford Escape | 140 | 5.7 | 68k | Other driver assistance problem | 8 | 74 | High confidence |
| 2025 Ford Escape | 35 | 1.3 | 35k | Other engine problem | 9 | 73 | Moderate confidence |
| 2026 Ford Escape | 7 | 35.9 | — | Overheating | 2 | not rated | Unrated |
What each column means
Reports counts owner complaints filed with NHTSA against that model year. Filing is voluntary and unverified, so the count is a floor on how often something went wrong, never a census. It also rises with how many cars were sold, which is why the next column exists.
Per 1,000 divides those reports by an estimate of how many of that model year are on the road, so a common car and a rare one can be compared. The estimate comes from the vehicle counts in recall campaigns covering the same model year, which is the only per-model fleet figure published free of charge; where no recall covers a year, this column is blank rather than guessed.
Median report is the odometer reading at the midpoint of that year's reports: half of the readings owners gave were below it. It is a description of when problems get reported, not a prediction of when this car will break, and it needs at least eight readings before it is shown at all.
Risk is a 0–100 score combining how often reports arrive relative to fleet size, how serious they are, and how early they land, ranked against other vehicles of the same model year only. Confidence says how much evidence sits behind it: a low score on thin evidence is a shrug, not a clean bill of health. Both are defined in full on the methodology page.
Generations, and why the boundary matters
The Ford Escape splits into generations: 2000–2004 (best 2004, worst 2001), 2005–2007 (best 2005, worst 2006), 2008–2016 (best 2009, worst 2013), 2017–2019 (best 2019, worst 2017), 2020–2023 (best 2021, worst 2020) and 2024–2026 (best 2025, worst 2024). Comparing years inside one generation is the fair comparison — same body, same engines, usually the same suppliers.
Generation boundaries here are inferred from the pattern of model years in the data rather than taken from manufacturer documentation, so they are occasionally a year out. Where a boundary matters to a purchase, check it against the build date on the car.
| Generation | Years | Best year | Worst year | Spread |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000-2004 | 2000–2004 | 2004 Ford Escape 64 | 2001 Ford Escape 73 | 9 |
| 2005-2007 | 2005–2007 | 2005 Ford Escape 66 | 2006 Ford Escape 73 | 7 |
| 2008-2016 | 2008–2016 | 2009 Ford Escape 71 | 2013 Ford Escape 76 | 5 |
| 2017-2019 | 2017–2019 | 2019 Ford Escape 75 | 2017 Ford Escape 77 | 2 |
| 2020-2023 | 2020–2023 | 2021 Ford Escape 73 | 2020 Ford Escape 75 | 2 |
| 2024-2026 | 2024–2026 | 2025 Ford Escape 73 | 2024 Ford Escape 74 | 1 |
How to use this page
The honest way to read a table like this is worst-first: rule out the years with high scores and heavy complaint volume, then choose among the rest on condition, history and price. A low score is not a promise, and a high one is not a verdict on the specific car in front of you.
Every figure comes from owner complaints filed with NHTSA and from recall records, both voluntary in the sense that nobody audits them for completeness. Counts are floors. The AtWhatMileage methodology page sets out each formula.
Questions this page answers
What is the best year for the Ford Escape?
Of the model years we can rate, 2004 Ford Escape scores best at 64 out of 100, based on 715 owner reports. 2017 scores worst at 77.
Which years of the Ford Escape should you avoid?
2017 has the highest risk score in this model line at 77 out of 100. The scores compare each year against other vehicles of the same model year, so they are not affected by age alone.
How the generations are drawn. NHTSA does not publish generation boundaries, so ours are inferred from breaks in the recall and complaint record and from the model's own year range. They are close to the enthusiast consensus but not authoritative — if a boundary looks wrong for a car you know well, tell us and we will fix the table rather than argue with you.
Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed