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

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact had not received the title and license plates. The contact ordered a third-party vehicle report and discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a dealer sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 94,000, and the report showed that the mileage was 119,000.

NHTSA ODI 11678874

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his daughter was parking the vehicle, the driver noticed smoke coming from the engine compartment and a coolant odor. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The contact added coolant to the vehicle and drove the vehicle; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V209000(Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a vehicle safety complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 178,998.

NHTSA ODI 11678474

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the rearview camera displayed a black screen while the vehicle was in reverse(R). The contact stated that the failure limited the driver's visibility, preventing the safe operation of the vehicle. The message "Camera Unavailable - Please Contact Dealer” was displayed. The contact called the local dealer; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Most recently, the rearview camera displayed a pink screen and intermittently turned black. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired after the most recent failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHSTA Hotline for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 106,830.

NHTSA ODI 11678602

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while reversing, the rearview camera failed to display an image. Occasionally, the rearview camera displayed an upside-down image. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in an Extended Warranty coverage related to the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was 105,000.

NHTSA ODI 11677719

The right side rear door latch assembly broke. The rear door will not latch and stay closed.

NHTSA ODI 11677895

I was driving up a hill on the highway with my father in the car with me when my car began to rattle slightly. I looked down and saw that my engine heat dial was somewhat higher than its standard setting, which was weird because I had just put engine coolant in a day or two prior. A second later, my dash said, "Severe engine failure. Pull over." At the same time, the smell of smoke wafted into the car, and soon after, smoke began billowing into the vehicle as well. We pulled to the side of the highway and got out to check what was happening with the engine. At this point, tons of smoke was coming out of the hood. I tried to lift the hood to inspect the engine, but I couldn't because the metal was too hot. I peered through the slit of the hood and saw flames. At this point, we began grabbing all of our belongings from the car and moving out of the way. A few minutes later, the fire became much larger and ended up jumping onto the side of the hill next to the highway. It then continued up the hill and spread to 8 acres before the fire department was able to halt it. I am not sure exactly what part of the engine failed, but I suspect it was the coolant. I had always had issues with the coolant leaking or running out fast, but figured nothing of it, as there was no recall and whenever the car was serviced nothing was said. I don't know where the car is but I do know the front half was completely destroyed by the fire. My dad's and my safety were at risk due to the car we were driving bursting into flames while we were inside. Additionally, one of the doors were broken and we lucked out not sitting in the seat with the broken door. I dont know if the problem has been confirmed. I dont think it has been inspected yet. There was an engine coolant warning minutes before the fire started. But it was just one time and I had put in engine coolant days before. It was not enough warning.

NHTSA ODI 11677919

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at 50 MPH, the messages "Temperature High" and "Pull Over Safely" were displayed. In addition, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was able to pull to the side of the road. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the coolant was leaking. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that, on a separate occasion, the coolant reservoir was constantly low. The vehicle was taken to a different independent mechanic who diagnosed coolant intrusion into cylinders 2 or 3, causing engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.

NHTSA ODI 11677094

Backup camera goes blank when you put the car in reverse. I have no visual. It has been this way for over a year and it has been reported to you before. Now there is a ford recall for this exact issue but my year car isn’t included.

NHTSA ODI 11675790

My car loses power, I’ll go to get in interstate or just pull out of somewhere and I’ll press the gas and it’ll barely go. I’ve almost got hit multiple times. I take it to have it looked at and all I get is they can’t seem to see the problem but it’s there and extremely dangerous. After talking to several people apparently ford escapes are known for this problem yet ford doesn’t want to acknowledge there faulty parts. I have two small kids and this is dangerous and going to kill people

NHTSA ODI 11675818

Left my home and drown about 1 mile and car Oil light came on then battery light came on then car started rolling I had no control of the speed and car stopped in middle of street got it towed to mechanic . Mechanic advises known issue with fords and should be under a recall. coolant leaking from turbo lines

NHTSA ODI 11675360

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, there was white smoke coming from the exhaust pipes. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that there was coolant inside the cylinders. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V209000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING) and was referred to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 117,000.

NHTSA ODI 11674982

Vehicle keeps slipping in and out of lower gears.

NHTSA ODI 11673616

Vehicle overheated caused the cylinder head that crack. I am concerned it may catch fire as others before the recall. When I key in the VIN it shows no recall. However the NHTSA recall no 17V-209 or 17S09 shows all Escapes produced 2/12/13-9/2/14 have this issue and should have gotten a part to prevent this. With a production date of 5/14, shouldn't this vehicle be included?

NHTSA ODI 11673771

Engine overheated, lost power, and smoke came from the exhaust. Mechanics opinion is the engine block is cracked and what had caused the heating is a blown head gasket.

NHTSA ODI 11672613

1. The transmission has continuously slipped and stuck in gears when significantly outside of standard RPM:Speed standards for the vehicle. 2. The vehicle has recently started leaking oil via a lower pressure valve. 3. The engine thermostat and/or sensor need to be replaced with faulty internal temperatures being registered. 4. The rear collision warning and camera system started malfunctioning after an update that happened middle of 2024. The camera won't work at all approximately 50% of the time. 5. The brake issues haven't been fully diagnosed, but I'm aware of the model year/series of vehicle having several faulty components that could have a hand in the weakened braking. 6. I recently had AAA come diagnose the vehicle (reference the photos provided). My objective is to have my vehicle included in the widespread recalls that were released for my car model, year, and overall series. For some reason my VIN in registering as a vehicle that qualifies for the recalls but seems to have the exact same issues. I'm more than happy to take part in an investigation and or third-party inspection to expedite the process as well. I've also included the reports I've found when searching for the 2014 Ford Escape recall/repair list (via your website and others).

NHTSA ODI 11671920

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated while attempting to start the vehicle, the rear camera was not displaying an image. The message the “Camera was Unavailable” was displayed. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the rearview camera needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V442000 (BACK OVER PREVENTION); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and opened a case. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 125,000.

NHTSA ODI 11670887

Ford Motor Company should issue a recall and replace the known faulty manufacturing defective lug nuts since 2019. The lug nuts swell and can not be removed by standard lug nut wrench. This is a safety issue because recommend tire rotation is impossible with standard tools. Dealerships are requiring owners to replace faulty lug nuts at an exorbitant cost. Vehicle owners are not performing the routine tire rotation thus creating a safety hazard resulting from tire failure, roadside safety issues and crashes due to excessive tire wear. This has been a known manufacturer fault since 2019. It is immoral and unprofessional to allow this practice to continue.

NHTSA ODI 11670908

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while reversing, the pedestrian alert system was inoperable. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 83,000.

NHTSA ODI 11669636

While doing oil change, I realized car has rear seal oil leak. Transmission experiences slippage in cold weather. Car has a very good maintenance record.

NHTSA ODI 11668981

The factory-installed rear backup camera image flips upside down while in the car is in reverse and some times won't even turn on. Ford knows about the defective cameras.

NHTSA ODI 11668729

-Electric power steering system. Yes, it is available for inspection. -My safety is high risk with this issue. -No. -No. -Yes. A message saying "Steering Assist Fault Service Required" few time would pop up and the steering wheel couldn't move. I would turn off the vehicle and turn it back on, the message would go away.

NHTSA ODI 11667725

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated while reversing, the back over prevention camera failed to function as intended with the back over prevention warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed back over prevention camera system. The contact was informed that the back over prevention camera system needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The contact referenced an unknown recall; however, the VIN was not included. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 58,850.

NHTSA ODI 11667385

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the rearview camera displayed a distorted image while the vehicle was in reverse(R). The contact stated that the failure obstructed the driver's visibility, which prevented the driver from safely operating the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the electrical system on the rearview camera had failed. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The rearview camera display a blue image, compromising the back-over prevention system. The message "Back up camera not available" was displayed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired after the most recent failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided the contact with a case number and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI 11667456

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the coolant level was low; however, there was no warning light illuminated. The contact added coolant to the coolant reservoir; however, after driving for approximately 20 minutes and then parking the vehicle overnight; however, while attempting to start the vehicle the following morning, the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that there was engine failure due to coolant intrusion into cylinder #4. The contact was informed that the cylinder head gasket had melted, causing the engine to seize. The dealer informed the contact of the failure and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V209000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and opened a case. The manufacturer confirmed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V209000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 83,900.

NHTSA ODI 11667119

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel became very difficult to turn in either direction. The contact stated that the message "Service Vehicle" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the steering rack was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 79,000.

NHTSA ODI 11666800