Home · 2026 Ford Escape · Complaints

What 3 owners told NHTSA about the 2026 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 (3)Electrical system (2)Engine (2)Brakes (1)Fuel system (1)Visibility & wipers (1)

Newest first · 3 complaints

Jun 14, 2026Electrical systemBrakesEngine

Description On your vehicle, the integrated park module ipm may not properly engage the park pawl, preventing the vehicle from locking into park when park p is selected. If this condition occurs, a wrench light and shift system fault message will be displayed in the instrument panel cluster. Additionally, the vehicles electronic parking brake epb will automatically apply. Safety Risk If the park pawl is not properly engaged and the electronic parking brake - epb - is not applied, your vehicle may experience a roll-in-park, increasing the risk of a crash. Remedy A remedy is not yet available. Ford Motor Company is working to provide software for this repair. When the remedy becomes available, Ford Motor Company will notify you via mail to schedule a service appointment with your dealer for repairs to be completed free of charge. The remedy is anticipated to be available July 10, 2026. Next Steps Contact your dealer for more information to schedule the free service.

NHTSA ODI 11744045

Feb 25, 2026Electrical systemEngineFuel system

PHEV sometimes fails to "start". That is, vehicle will not enter "Ready" mode when brake is depressed and Start button is pressed. Instead, 'Refuel Error', 'Stop Safely Now', 'Service AdvancTrac', 'PreCollision Assist Not Available', and several other warnings appear. This only occurs on the first 'start' of the day, when the EV battery has been recharged overnight, indoors. Outdoor use/charging does not have this effect. Concerned that something is overheating during indoor charging. Dealer has not been able to fix.

NHTSA ODI 11720491

Feb 24, 2026Visibility & wipers

My 2026MY Ford Escape is having intermittent rear view camera issues. On two separate occasions in the last week, when I put the vehicle into reverse, there is no image displayed on the center stack screen. The screen was completely blank and did not show what is behind my vehicle. I tried putting the vehicle back into park and then back into reverse and it still did not work. Yesterday, I took the vehicle to my local Ford dealership and was told that there is no recall for this. I worked at Ford for 32 years and I am familiar with the laws governing safety features on passenger vehicles. I am concerned that this is similar issue that was announced recently by Ford on the Bronco Sport. The technician at the Ford dealership said for me to keep driving it until Ford becomes aware of the issue specific to other 2026MY Escapes and then issues a recall and a potential fix. Based on my experience working for the company, this may take several months. I am concerned that this will lead to accidents that could endanger kids, pets, or personal property. Please compel the company to address this quickly. Thanks.

NHTSA ODI 11720074

Working with the data? Download all 3 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 13, 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 2026 Ford Escape verdict →