FORD Escape Reliability by YearBest & worst years, problems & recalls — NHTSA data

The contact owns a 2023 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH the "WRENCH Icon" was illuminated and the message "Service Gear Shifter" and the vehicle began to rapidly reduce speed. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to the shoulder of the highway road and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the transmission had failed and needed to be rebuilt. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 33,000.

The car started and when I went to put it in gear, turns off. Park brake limited function appeared on the dash . The car would not let me put it in gear without turning off. A month prior my dash with the speedometer was blank while driving not allowing me to see my speed . I turned the car off and on three different times. Only after sitting for several hours would the dash info reappear.

The contact owns a 2023 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the engine unexpectedly stated revving at a high rate. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with turbo charger assembly failure. The turbo charger assembly was replaced; however, the failure persisted. The oxygen sensor was replaced, and the vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 42,616.

The contact owns a 2023 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V789000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the unrepaired recall repair was an inconvenience because the battery could only be charged to 80-percent. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not contacted. The contact had not experienced a failure.

My 2023 Ford Escape is equipped with a factory-installed rearview backup camera system and SYNC infotainment system. Beginning on or around February 2026. I began experiencing a series of recurring, intermittent, and worsening failures with the rearview camera and the Accessory Protocol Interface Module (APIM) that controls it. These failures render the backup camera system unreliable or completely non-functional during vehicle operation. Specific Symptoms Observed •BLUE / BLANK SCREEN: When the vehicle is placed in reverse, the rearview camera display shows a solid blue screen or goes completely blank rather than displaying the rear camera image. This failure occurs with no warning and leaves me unable to see what is behind the vehicle while backing up. •INVERTED / UPSIDE-DOWN IMAGE: The rearview camera image displays upside-down and/or mirrored, rendering the image confusing and unsafe. Guidelines, directional aids, and proximity warnings displayed on screen are also inverted, making them unusable. •DISTORTED / CORRUPTED IMAGE: The camera feed displays visual distortion, artifacts, freezing, flickering, or corruption that makes it impossible to accurately interpret what is behind the vehicle. •APIM FAILURE: The Accessory Protocol Interface Module (APIM) — the core software module controlling the SYNC 3 display and camera feed — has failed or malfunctioned. Dealership diagnosis has identified the APIM as requiring repair or replacement. This module failure is the root cause of the camera display issues described above. The failures occur intermittently and unpredictably. The camera may function correctly for a period, then fail on the next use. In some cases, the failure is persistent across multiple ignition cycles. There is no consistent triggering condition — the defect occurs in varied weather conditions, temperatures, and after varying periods of use. Turning the vehicle off and back on sometimes temporarily restores the camera, but the defect returns.

2023 Ford Escape with approximately 80,000 miles. While traveling home, vehicle started shifting violently making loud bang. Lost acceleration while traveling on a two-way roadway with no shoulder. Vehicle would shift violently and allow acceleration momentarily and then would again lose acceleration. Just prior to reaching a pull off area in a safe place, the vehicle shifted violently one last time and would no longer accelerate. The service engine now warning light then came on advising of a powertrain malfunction. Vehicle was towed to Ford dealership and the technition reported that the planetary gears were locked up and a full transmission replacement would need to be done. This posed a serious safety issue on the road way due to the initial sudden speed changes becuase of the loss of acceleration and then the complete loss of ability to accelerate causing the vehilce to have to drift slowely to the shoulder while impeding traffic.

Stopped at a Light and took off thru the intersection and car made a loud bang noise then no power and kept bogging out, pulled into parking lot and stopped then car wouldn’t move. Shut car off then restarted it and put into reverse and car drive forward, put in neutral and car still drove forward, couldn’t get it to go into reverse, now the motor is tilting back to fire wall like motor mounts are broke and it’s make a grinding noise when idling.

[Recurring No-Start Issue with Multiple Warning Alerts – Safety Concern] I am reporting a recurring vehicle issue involving failure to start, which I believe may pose a safety risk. The issue has occurred five times: August 11, 2023 April 12, 2025 June 13, 2025 December 12, 2025 April 1, 2026 During these incidents, the vehicle failed to start and displayed multiple warning messages on the dashboard. On some occasions, the vehicle only started after several hours. The vehicle becomes completely inoperable when this issue occurs. After the third occurrence, I brought the vehicle to an authorized service center. However, the issue was not resolved and has continued to occur. This repeated failure raises serious concerns about vehicle reliability and safety, as the vehicle may become inoperable without warning. I have attached documentation, including repair records and photos of the dashboard warnings. I am submitting this report so that this issue can be properly investigated.

1.engine failed and my infotainment system turned off 2.i feel like I was scared because I didnt know if I was going to come back on 3. No 4. No

The contact owns a 2023 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the message "Battery Issue, Pull Over" displayed, and the battery, check engine, and master warning lights illuminated. The contact pulled over and contacted the dealer, who instructed him to turn off and restart the vehicle. After following the dealer's instructions, the failure was resolved. The contact later received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V091000 (Electrical System); 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. The dealer was made aware of the recall but confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 28,000.

The contact owns a 2023 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the radio displayed a blank screen. A dealer was contacted. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact stated that the failure had occurred on several occasions. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 34,756.

The left rear liftgate hinge cover flew off in the car wash during the drying cycle. The same thing has happened to my 2020 Escape and that vehicle is covered under a recall but this 2023 Escape is not. I feel it should be because it has the same issue for the same part.

The contact owns a 2023 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V789000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.