What 2,068 owners told NHTSA about the 2014 Ford Escape Gas

Purchsed a 2014 Ford Escape Titanuim 1.6L Eco Boost in April of 2024. Since then, my vehicle has been to three different mechanics, one was a Ford dealership, because the sensor keeps coming on and coolant keeps leaking out. The first incident occured barely a week after the purchase and I've actually been stranded 2 out of the 3 times. In my research I've learned that Ford is aware of this issue, however, there's no recall on my vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11689103

Rear backup camera is not working. I see 2015 + years were recalled but not 2014 which is my car's model year. Since this is a safety issue it should be repaired.

NHTSA ODI 11688862

I purchased the car in April 2023, a few days later the sensor light came on and coolant leaked out and I was stranded. I took it to my local Ford dealership and they "repaired it". About a month ago the same thing happened and I was stranded. Got it towed to a mechanic, was told it's been repaired, a couple of weeks later the sensor came back on, but I was able to make it to the mechanic before I was stranded. He put a mark on the reservoir and told me to add more coolant if it got before that line. I shouldn't have to keep doing this.

NHTSA ODI 11688883

Vehicle hesitates when shifting mainly from secon to third gear and hesitates to accelerate. The rpms go up but not going any faster and then jerks. If I was to try and pull out onto a highway there is no way the car will accelerate fast enough. Took it to the dealer to see if they could check a previous recall item to see if it was maybe defective and they would not look at it unless I paid 220 dollars for a diagnostics even though the recall was for the transmission shifting cable bushing. This has been happening since I bought the car about a year ago which wa previously owned by an elderly person that got it from the dealer with 35000 miles on it and it now only has 50000 miles on it and the dealer could not tell me what else was fixed on the car. I have read about the same issues with tje same transmission that I have amd the dealer does nothing to help. It is the 6f35 transmission. There are no warning lights on and no codes popping up. The transmission fluid has been changed and was not dirty along with the filter. I am afraid that when I go to accelerate my car will not go fast enough and hesitate and possibly cause an accident. I have read many of the same complaints about this vehicles transmission had I known about them before I got the vehicle I would not have bought it as the dealership is not helpful at all. This happens everytime I drive the vehicle especially going from a complete stop to going.

NHTSA ODI 11688257

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while shifting to reverse, there was a loud popping sound coming from the transmission. Additionally, while driving at various speeds, the vehicle failed to properly accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic, who replaced the transmission fluid, but the failure persisted. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were not contacted. The failure mileage was 138,000.

NHTSA ODI 11687531

Backup camera went blank. The screen said camera not available contact dealer. This was about a month ago. It took a week to get an appointment at the dealer to get it checked. I had to replace the camera. It cost almost $900. On several occasions as I backed out there were cars and people I could not see until they were very near to my car. I saw there is a recall for cameras starting with the 2015 models. I think it should be extended to 2014. My car only had 44000 miles on it when the camera went.

NHTSA ODI 11687648

Backup camera displays the view upside down. There is a recall on this for 2015 Escapes, I have the same problem.

NHTSA ODI 11686925

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that on several occasions while in reverse(R), the rearview camera image was flipped upside down. The contact stated that after a month, the camera failed and displayed a blank screen. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the rearview camera needed to be replaced. No further information was available. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 68,000.

NHTSA ODI 11686654

The Backup camera very rarely works on my 2013 Escape and the current recall is 2015 and above! What about earlier?

NHTSA ODI 11686243

Rear view camera only operates intermittently. Most of the time it comes up with a message that says camera unavailable, and then goes to a blank screen. I was surprised and disappointed that this vehicle was not included in the massive Ford rear camera recall that was just issued

NHTSA ODI 11686297

The rear back up camera routinely appears upside down, in readable lines, a blue screen, or unable to get camera image. Inconsistent and a engine reset makes camera available again. Loss of camera could result in increased backover, crash and injury risk. Able to reproduce every time I reverse for now than 30 seconds or when I shift to reverse then drive then reverse again. A similar recall had been issued for other Ford vehicles 2015 and newer.

NHTSA ODI 11686092

Rear view camera quit functioning appropriately on 09/05/25. The dash displayed the message “Camera is unavailable. Please contact your dealership.” Since the first incident of the camera not functioning, the camera functions intermittently, more often not functioning. No one other than the vehicle owners have confirmed the camera error.

NHTSA ODI 11686164

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that her mother observed that the driver's seat belt failed to retract properly over time and failed to secure the driver as intended. The contact stated that the seat belt was very loose. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

NHTSA ODI 11685644

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the driver's side door failed to securely close. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted regarding the failure. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 79,000.

NHTSA ODI 11684473

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving 55 MPH on the highway, the engine overheated and the vehicle stopped unintentionally. The contact was able to pull over safely. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was previously taken to an undisclosed local dealer, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who determined that there was an internal leak in the head gasket. The contact called the manufacturer and was referred to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.

NHTSA ODI 11683078

1. My backup cameral is malfunctioning. 2. I use it for visual safety when I put my car in reverse. 3. The back up camera either does not work or it shows the image upside down. It has not been confirmed by a dealership because it is easy to identify by me. 4. No, it has not been inspected by anyone else. On line, the 2014 Ford Escape Titanium has been identified with these issues however, for some reason my VIN (vehicle) is not on the list for recall. 5. My camera first started malfunctioning about a year ago. I can not have it looked at except at my expense which does not seem appropriate since others of the same year, make and model have been recalled due to the same issue.

NHTSA ODI 11682448

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the instrument cluster screen malfunctioned and turned black or flickered off and on. Additionally, the headlights, turn signals, and brake lights intermittently failed to operate as needed. The transmission and check engine warning lights were illuminated. The cause of the failures was not yet determined. The local dealer was contacted regarding the failures, but no assistance was provided. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 130,000.

NHTSA ODI 11682049

I received a notification on the my dash and the car was diagnosed the codes came back Code: P018B and it states Fuel Pressure/ misfire. I've noticed the car misfiring prior to the dash light coming on and now it does it while I'm on the freeway or streets as if it's going to just stop which os very dangerous. This has to be a recall may 2014 ford vehicles are having this issue along with the coolant leak. This needs to be recalled

NHTSA ODI 11682262

The back-up camera works sporadically and when it does work, it remains on for a few seconds when the vehicle is placed in drive and moving forward.

NHTSA ODI 11681519

Coolant leak just like as listed in other 2014 Ford Escape recalls. It leaked into the engine block causing misfire of spark plugs and thus the Ford dealership tells me I am required $14,000 engine rebuild which I can't afford. It is dangerous for me to drive as the engine may misfire or overheat at any time. The Ford company says I have no recalls and yet this issue was a recalled issue on this year of Ford Escapes.

NHTSA ODI 11681603

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the local dealer sent a mobile mechanic to the residence to repair a bushing on the vehicle. The contact stated that the ABS warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was repaired, but the mechanic had forgotten to replace a tubing on the vehicle. The vehicle failed to start, and the contact's husband noticed that the tubing was disconnected. The contact's husband was able to attach the tubing, and the vehicle restarted. While her husband was driving the vehicle and making a turn, the vehicle stopped. The vehicle was restarted after several attempts. The contact stated that the transmission was slipping. Roadside Assistance was contacted and left the parking brake activated during towing. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer and several DTC were retrieved. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact called the customer service at the manufacturer, but no assistance was provided. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who discovered an failure with the muffler. The failure mileage was approximately 115,000.

NHTSA ODI 11680629

On [XXX] - vehicle was started and when turning out of the driveway I notice a puddle which was coolant. The vehicle started to overheat. I turned back and went home then called a tow truck to retrieve the vehicle which they were able to do on Monday. The vehicle was towed and investigated by Fosters Towing in Fraser, MI. They found no evidence of a leak but there was a code (which they did not write down). They cleared the code and tried to replicate the issue but, after running it for an hour and searching for leaks, nothing was found. The vehicle has not been taken to a dealership. The mechanic at Fosters is certified to deal with this vehicle. At the time of the incident I had my kids in the car - ages [XXX] and [XXX] - and their safety was more important than the trip to the grocery store. Fosters performed an oil change (filter and oil) and test drove the vehicle several times to replicate the issue but could not. This is the first time this issue has occurred. I have 128,000 miles on the vehicle. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11680200

Coolant leak into engine gasket/block. Moderate acceleration or freeway driving depletes coolant then overheats. No signs of coolant underneath vehicle upon stopping. Vehicle is now lurching/jerking with any acceleration at any speed.

NHTSA ODI 11679621

The 1.6L EcoBoost engine is leaking coolant into the #3 cylinder. The vehicle lost power while in motion on a busy road. The check engine light came on with a warning that the engine was overheating, and traffic behind me had to slow down, causing a potential rear-end accident. The engine was scanned, and the fault code P1299 was discovered.

NHTSA ODI 11678749

The ABS, Anti-lock braking sytem symbol came on about 3 or 4 months ago. Other symbols that came on were the brake system (circle with exclamation point in it), the red word "brake", the stability control light, and the speedometer stopped working/ The information display stopped working. We have taken the car to three local Ford Service departments to have it checked only to be told the ABS part is on back order. Furthermore, I've read that the brakes could be compromised. No Speedometer or display functions is dangerous. The only receipt I have tells me it is the ABS module that is on back order.

NHTSA ODI 11678864