Home · 2015 Ford Escape · Complaints

What 1,026 owners told NHTSA about the 2015 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 (1,026)Crash / fire / injury (52)Transmission & drivetrain (282)Engine (234)Electrical system (127)Backup camera & sensors (97)Steering (78)Fuel system (54)Engine & cooling (44)Body & structure (36)Latches & locks (29)Brakes (25)

6 of 1,026 complaints match · Brakes · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Jun 18, 2026BrakesCrash

Breaks suddenly failed with no warning.

NHTSA ODI 11745040

Apr 21, 2025AirbagsSeat beltsBrakesCrash1 injury

Older man pulled out in front of me, I t-boned his truck going 47 mph. His insurance totaled it. The airbags never deployed.

NHTSA ODI 11655901

Sep 25, 2023BrakesEngineCrash3 injuries

While my family and I were returning from lunch and pulling into a parking space at my moms apartment complex, my 2015 Ford escape SE eco-boost, had a sudden unintentional acceleration where it basically accelerated forward and we hit a building. During this, the brakes were unresponsive, and there was building and vehicle damage. Luckily, the post to the building prevented us from driving through the entire building. I have read several reports of the Ford escape experiencing this exact problem. We are lucky we were not killed. Ford has had no recalls for this very deadly issue.

NHTSA ODI 11546486

May 27, 2021BrakesCrash2 injuries

I have been in two accidents since my purchase of the vehicle. I haven’t even had a year. When it’s an emergency and breaks need to be applied suddenly the breaks are locking up and will not go down. It eventually does once I start pumping them. But I was recently in two accident BECAUSE OF THIS ISSUE AND THE PURCHASE OF THIS CAR HAS BECOME MY NIGHTMARE

NHTSA ODI 11418801

Jun 24, 2018BrakesCrash

ABS BRAKE FAILURE. GOING DOWN A HILL, BRAKES WENT TO THE FLOOR (ABS LIGHT CAME ON), THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN THE LIGHT SHUT OFF, BRAKES CAME BACK, BUT NOT BEFORE HITTING THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF US.

NHTSA ODI 11103633

Nov 18, 2015SteeringElectronic Stability Control (esc)BrakesCrash

WHILE BACKING INTO A PARKING SPACE, THE ABS AND TRACTION CONTROL LIGHTS STARTED FLASHING AND AUDIBLE WARNINGS SOUNDED. THE CAR STARTED SHAKING. I WAS UNABLE TO STOP OR STEER MY CAR. I HAD A LOW SPEED COLLISION WITH A PROPERLY PARKED CAR. THANK GOD NO ONE WAS INJURED. HAD THIS HAPPENED ON AN OPEN ROAD THE OUTCOME WOULD HAVE BEEN DIFFERENT. I HAD REPORTED THIS PROBLEM TO MY DEALER PREVIOUSLY. THEY APPLIED AN EXISTING RECALL SAYING THAT IT FIXED THE ISSUE. THAT WAS ON THE 20TH OF OCTOBER 2015. THE CAR IS BEING TOWED TO MY DEALER'S BODY SHOP FOR INSPECTION BY USAA. I NEVER WANT TO DRIVE IT AGAIN. I AM TOLD TO TRADE IT IN . HOW IN GOOD CONSCIENCE CAN I DO THAT??

NHTSA ODI 10794691

Working with the data? Download all 1,026 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 10, 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 2015 Ford Escape verdict →