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What 598 owners told NHTSA about the 2012 Ford Escape

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (598)Crash / fire / injury (40)Fuel system (160)Steering (137)Engine (72)Speed control (69)Body & structure (67)Transmission & drivetrain (66)Electrical system (42)Airbags (24)Brakes (20)Visibility & wipers (20)

3 of 598 complaints match · Engine · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Nov 28, 2017Speed controlEngineCrash

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2012 FORD ESCAPE. WHILE DRIVING 5 MPH, THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO PARK THE VEHICLE AND IT ACCELERATED FORWARD WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT'S FOOT WAS NOT ON THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL AT THE TIME OF THE FAILURE. AS A RESULT, THE VEHICLE CRASHED INTO A PARKED VEHICLE. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE DRIVER'S AIR BAG DEPLOYED, BUT THE PASSENGER AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A SALVAGE YARD WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED AS A TOTAL LOSS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 70,000.

NHTSA ODI 11048888

Apr 29, 2015Equipment Adaptive/mobilityElectronic Stability Control (esc)EngineCrash

4/29/15 FORD VIOLATED THEIR NEW CAR WARRANTY COVERAGE, BY REFUSING TO REPAIR, THE DEFECTIVE COMPONENTS FILED IN COMPLAINT 10713581 . THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN HELD HOSTAGE AT INVER GROVE FORD, AGREED TO REPAIR ALL ITEMS IN THE AFOREMENTIONED COMPLAINT #10713581 . AS A DISABLED VETERAN, WITH A SICK SERVICE DOG, I HAVE NO ACCESS OR ABILITY TO DRIVE AN UNSAFE VEHICLE. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10713594

Feb 6, 2015EngineCrash

THE DRIVER OF THE VEHICLE WAS AT THE CAR WASH. ON THE WAY TO THE CAR WASH, THE VEHICLE WAS JUMPING FORWARD WHILE HE WAS STOPPED AT A STOP SIGN. DRIVER CONTINUED ON TO THE CAR WASH. AS HE WAS PULLING FORWARD AT THE CAR WASH(VEHICLE WAS IN DRIVE), THE VEHICLE STARTED JERKING AGAIN AND WHEN DRIVER PUSHED ON THE BRAKE, THE VEHICLE JERKED BACK ON IT'S OWN AND CRUSHED A BRICK WALL. THE VEHICLE WAS LATER DEEMED A TOTAL LOSS. *JS

NHTSA ODI 10681819

Working with the data? Download all 598 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 11, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2012 Ford Escape verdict →