What 2,067 owners told NHTSA about the 2014 Ford Escape Hev

- Component/ System: (UNKNOWN). Possible Powertrain / Transmission . - YES available for inspection. - My Safety @RISK: mine and my child (passenger) - Problem Confirmed : YES at local mechanic shop and FORD dealer service shop. - Has the vehicle been inspected : YES - Any Warning Lights or Messages prior to Failure: Check Engine (appeared at time of incident) and “Engine Fault: Service now” - When Did the Warning Appear: after it failed (5/2026) NO warning prior to failure. - Vehicle attempts from start to find the proper gear (like a bicycle chain that has come off) - clunky - NO power from first gear up. NO city driving - DANGEROUS to OPERATE

NHTSA ODI 11746255

My in city driving car has had it's transmission fail and continues to not be drivable. I am the only owner of this car and have completed all repairs and upkeep according to schedule. In October 2025, my 2014 Escape "slipped" out of gear while in drive and would not engage again. Had it towed to Mel Hamilton Ford where I was informed my transmission had failed. I was given the option to overhaul it or replace with a new at almost $8000-$10000. The overhaul was the more economical solution at the time for us. They repaired the broken transmission parts and returned it to me. After receiving the car back, it never "felt" right again and continued to have issues with shifting between gears, especially around the 40 mph mark. In April 2026, the transmission failed again while driving to work. It "fell out of gear" and had to have the car towed again to the dealership. They found the Front Pump had gone out this time as well as more metal shavings in the transmission causing damage again inside. They replaced the affected parts again. Two weeks later, the transmission has failed again. When shifting from park to reverse, the car would shift very hard and the whole car would "hop" before settling into gear. Same issue happened as before where it fell out of gear and could not get it to go back into gear. It has been towed back into the shop and currently still waiting to hear what's wrong this time (May 2026). As of right now, there is no current recall on my vehicle. Clearly there is an issue that needs addressed!

NHTSA ODI 11741902

Today, my turbocharger was diagnosed as damaged and leaking coolant into the cylinders and visibly leaking throughout the undercarriage. Additionally, my cylinder 4 is misfiring. My mechanic said they've seen this problem many times and while the turbocharger can be replaced, it often fails or other parts of the engine are damaged beyond repair. I had sluggish performance, mainly with acceleration over the last month, but saw smoke late last week that I thought was just exhaust from a truck idling next to me while stopped, but then I saw it at home later that week when the check engine light turned on. At the same time, my idling was excessively rough and felt dangerous to drive, as was later confirmed by my mechanic. I have not taken this into a Ford dealership, nor do I want to because they have refused to help others in the same situation. I am considering contacting my insurance to figure out if they will do an evaluation that is less biased than Ford. I definitely think this is a fire risk as it has happened for many other owners of the same model and year range.

NHTSA ODI 11741537

Component failed 1.6L Escoboost engine coolant intrusión into cylinders causing misfire and white exhaust smoke vehicle available for inspection upon request .safety risk:engine misfire and coolant loss cause sudden of power or ingine fire while driving. Recall 17S09 was issude for this exact defect .Ford SSM 46433 states this requires new engine assemby . Problem confirmed multiple repair shops confirmed cooland in cylindres. I have spent S5000 on repairs including used transmisión Trying to fix this defect. Manufacturer inspection called ford customer service 05/22/2026. Agent refused supervisor and stated we cannot help no case number probided Ford is refusing to honor federal safety recall 17S09.warning symptoms: check ingine light, ingine misfire , white exhaust smoke , coolant loss. First appeared approximately 6 months ago and has worsened. Requesting NHTSA compel Ford to provide engine replacement per SSM 46433.

NHTSA ODI 11739624

I was driving in a parking lot and my car went completely dead while I was still in drive. And then when I finally got it back home, it would only go in reverse while I was in drive. And I was stuck in the middle of the road only being able to go in park and reverse. I had it towed to the dealer and it is going to cost me $6,000 to fix the transmission.

NHTSA ODI 11738663

Car started to pull moving out of 1st gear into 2nd. Took to a shop to have the issue diagnosed, shop states torque converter is failing and taking the transmission with it. This car has just over 80,000, it should NOT be having transmission problems. There should be a recall or something for this. This is unacceptable.

NHTSA ODI 11737851

My 2014 Ford Escape was part of a recall in 2023 concerning the transmission shifter cable bushing. I took the car to [XXX] Ford in [XXX] . According to [XXX] Ford, the part was fixed. However, just last week, the bushing failed as I was backing out of my driveway. I had the vehicle towed to [XXX] Ford in [XXX] . The repair for the bushing is going to costs me over $458, for a repair that was possibly not done correctly the first time. If this is a second failure of the shifter bushing cable, Ford should issue another recall on this vehicle. Consumers like myself should not be subjected to safety issues auto manufacturers will not correct. I should definitely not have to pay out of pocket for their careless assembly. I want my complaint noted for the record on behalf of the safety of everyone who drives a Ford Escape. If Ford will not issue another recall, then there should be a full-fledged investigation. I have filed a complaint with Ford Motor Company. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11735529

While I was driving, the transmission seemingly stopped working. I was able to coax the car into a parking lot and had it towed to the dealership. I was told the transmission failed and needed to be replaced. I was quoted approximately $7000.00 for this repair. All of its prior service, except for occasional oil changes, had been done at the dealership.

NHTSA ODI 11728448

I was driving down a 25mph road and my car completely stopped. I shut my car off and it had trouble starting. When it would start it would go a couple hundred feet and stop. Took it to the shop and the transmission line was broken. The entire transmission needed replace because of one thing going bad. 4.5k repair bill

NHTSA ODI 11722129

car has 56K miles. went to dealer for the recall on the bushing and cap. left dealer and next couple days the car slid twice in my driveway a few feet even with parking brake on. went back to dealer and they said cant duplicate problem. Drove home and car continues to have shifting issues and going out of gear.. have to shift to park or neutral and then reengage and to try to get it to work. in the mornings after sitting its now having issues going in gear and then after awhile will work. called dealer and Ford corporate and they said there is nothing they can do or help with. the car is a safety hazard slipping out of gear while driving in traffic or on a hill and then you are stranded in fear of getting totaled out from behind until it decides to go into gear! this is terribly dangerous and it only has 56, 600 miles on it!! Also the engine is NOT throwing a code. so dealer and another repair shop has charged 1600 for service and its still doing it!!!! Me researching seems to prove ford had transmission issues with this year of escape titanium and the edge etc.... why is there not a full recall on the transmission that they have to fix with such little mileage!

NHTSA ODI 11720202

see attached documents: Subject: Ongoing Unresolved Recall Issues and Safety Concerns with My Ford Vehicle I am writing to formally express my deep concern and frustration regarding my Ford vehicle, which currently has 15 open recalls that have gone unresolved for nearly two years. During this time, I have contacted every Ford dealership within a 50-mile radius of my home in repeated attempts to have these recalls addressed. Each dealership has provided a different excuse for not completing the necessary repairs. Some initially allowed me to schedule service appointments, only to cancel them once they realized the work involved recall issues. In several cases, I was never notified that my appointment had been canceled—I only discovered this when no one showed up. Other dealerships claimed they did not have the required parts and assured me they would contact me once the parts became available. To date, none have followed up. One dealership required that I speak with a supervisor before scheduling any recall work, but despite multiple messages, my calls were never returned. On one dealership’s website, I attempted to schedule the recall repairs online. The system showed numerous open appointment dates until I selected “recall service,” at which point all availability disappeared, and I was unable to proceed. Each dealership I contacted referred me elsewhere, passing responsibility without resolution. Ford has been fully aware of the potential safety risks—including the risk of serious injury or death—associated with these recalls, yet I was repeatedly told it was “safe to continue driving.” This was clearly not the case. Recently, while driving, my vehicle suddenly lost all power and stopped moving. I managed to pull over to the side of the road and called for a tow truck. As the tow truck driver prepared to load my car, it unexpectedly lurched forward on its own and crashed into the tow truck. Fortunately, no one was injured, but the incident caused significant front-end damage to my vehicle. It could have easily resulted in a fatal accident. My vehicle has been inoperable since the incident. When I reported the matter to the Better Business Bureau (BBB), I was told to contact my insurance company to cover the damages. However, I do not believe I should bear the financial burden for Ford’s negligence in failing to repair known defects. Ford’s continued delay and lack of accountability have not only caused extreme inconvenience but also placed my safety—and the safety of others—at serious risk. I am requesting immediate action to resolve all recall issues and full compensation for the damage caused by Ford’s failure to act. Sincerely,

NHTSA ODI 11694223

Whenever I got the vehicle at the middle of 2025 I had issues with the shocks hub assembly axle motor mount electrical issues trunk was opening and closing by itself. Recent recently I drive it to Savannah and the vehicle started to skip and would not switch gears while I was driving down a 70 mph Road. I almost wrecked due to an issue with the vehicle I have looked up the recalls that hasn't been repaired on the vehicle and I believe it has something to do with unrepair recalls or maybe there is a recall that wasn't found or reported because I've seen a lot of recall information about the transmission. I also had a incident with the door unlocking and locking while my nephew was in the vehicle after stepping out the doors automatically locked but I still had the driver door open. My nephew freaked out cuz he can't get out the vehicle. The vehicle has some other issues that I do not know how to explain and if there is any possible way that the unrepared recalls has something to do with the repairs that the vehicle need now then I would like something done immediately. There is 19 recalls on a 2014 Ford escape. Now out of those 19 only two have been reported for my VIN number but I believe due to the car being sold five different times within a short period of time no one had the time to actually report the issues wrong with the vehicle I think people were just trying to get rid of it because they knew something was wrong with it.

NHTSA ODI 11693012

MY CAR HAS 15 RECALLS AND 3 different FORD dealerships REFUSES TO do recall work This has gone on for more than 2 years. They claim to have done recall work that has not been done. It has a defective transmission. It took off while in park and hit a tow truck.

NHTSA ODI 11691261

Transmission has violent jerking and shuddering. Sometimes it has hard time accelerating. Dealer doesnt want to do anything. It is still messed up

NHTSA ODI 11690893

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

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

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

Vehicle keeps slipping in and out of lower gears.

NHTSA ODI 11673616

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 that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle hesitated and jerked, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that there was an oil leak. However, the source of the oil leak was unknown. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that recently while the vehicle was being repaired, the dealer found an oil leak by the rear turbo and diagnosed that the solenoid valve was damaged and needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the vehicle was previously included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (POWER TRAIN), and the vehicle was repaired. The vehicle was not repaired a second time because the VIN was no longer under recall. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 129,000.

NHTSA ODI 11663986

See attached document for complaint.

NHTSA ODI 11662374

Transmission failed around 81,000 miles resulting in a costly repair. Luckily I was not on a busy highway at the time so I was not in imminent danger.

NHTSA ODI 11659673

The transmission failed on the highway. I put a lot of money in repairs on this vehicle since purchased in 2022 and stopped working in 2024. The vehicle has the defective 6f35 transmission. Paid almost 5k to repair the transmission alone. Ford has issued no recalls for thos claim but they knew it was defective.

NHTSA ODI 11659407

My wife was driving the car on the interstate, when suddenly a "TRANSMISSION FAULT SERVICE NOW" message was displayed on the screen. Immediately after the message, the vehicle lost power. She managed to limp the vehicle off the interstate to an access road, and eventually into a parking lot. We had the vehicle towed to a local transmission shop. The independent shop told us that the torque converter had failed, causing damage to the transmission. We paid to have the transmission replaced. Three or four days prior to this event, my wife had noticed that the engine seemed to be revving higher than normal when accelerating. There were no warning messages displayed at that time.

NHTSA ODI 11658688

Was traveling for work in Ohio. On a major highway at night. The road was under construction and therefore had merging lanes and a reduced speed limit coming up. I passed 5 trucks before the merge to get ahead them before the tight lines. As I was passing I was losing power. Very dangerous in the left lane! I eventually was able to cut some people off with my flashers on to get to the right lane. There was no shoulder! My car continued slowing in 55mph construction zone. I was finally able to get on a shoulder. I was able to turn the car on and off around 8 times to limp off the highway to a near by Loves truckstop. No leaks or smoke. There was no warning. The transmission failed. Towed to a local Ford dealer. 370 miles from home. They were zero help. Had it transported to a dealer at home. Total catastrophic trans failure. Around $6700 to Ford with no discounts from them.

NHTSA ODI 11653592