2010 Ford Escape: Reliability Data

3171
Total Complaints
57,600mi
Median Mileage
Vehicle Speed Control
Top Issue
43
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

42,000 25th Percentile
57,600 Median Mileage
80,200 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Vehicle Speed Control
557
Engine
493
Power Train
492
Fuel/Propulsion System
439
Steering
414
Electrical System
204
Unknown Or Other
91
Fuel System, Gasoline
68
Body
57
Service Brakes
43

Severity Assessment

43
Crashes
3
Fires
39
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"AIR BAG SYSTEM SPONTANEOUSLY DEPLOYED WHILE CAR WAS IN MOTION- VEHICLE WAS NOT INVOLVED IN COLLISION- JUST DRIVING DOWN ROAD. *TR"
"PURCHASED 2010 FORD ESCAPE XLT ON 12-12-09. ON MONDAY, 12-14-09 POWER STEERING WENT OUT AND LIGHT FOR STABILIZER CAME ON AND WOULD NOT SHUT OFF. CAR WAS HARDLY DRIVABLE AND EXTREMELY HARD TO STEER. DEALERSHIP STATED THE POWER STEERING WAS NEWLY COMPUTERIZED THIS YEAR AND DID NOT RUN ON BELT AND PIST..."
"PURCHASED 2010 FORD ESCAPE XLT ON 12-12-09. ON MONDAY, 12-14-09 POWER STEERING WENT OUT AND LIGHT FOR STABILIZER CAME ON AND WOULD NOT SHUT OFF. CAR WAS HARDLY DRIVABLE AND EXTREMELY HARD TO STEER. DEALERSHIP STATED THE POWER STEERING WAS NEWLY COMPUTERIZED THIS YEAR AND DID NOT RUN ON BELT AND PIST..."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

Vehicle Speed Control 557 complaints
25th: 41,108 mi Median: 52,250 mi 75th: 65,251 mi
Engine 493 complaints
25th: 42,000 mi Median: 52,000 mi 75th: 67,000 mi
Power Train 492 complaints
25th: 41,000 mi Median: 52,400 mi 75th: 66,568 mi
Fuel/Propulsion System 439 complaints
25th: 42,000 mi Median: 56,001 mi 75th: 75,000 mi
Steering 414 complaints
25th: 85,742 mi Median: 114,000 mi 75th: 143,921 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

TX: 277 MI: 262 FL: 214 CA: 198 OH: 180 PA: 160 NY: 148 NC: 146 VA: 132 IL: 120

Who Files Complaints?

0.9%
Original Owners
99.1%
Second+ Owners

Ford Escape — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

YearComplaintsCrashes
20011387109
2002138896
200373655
200471549
2005203054
200662625
200735022
2008239880
2009233753
2011186750
201278857
2013366064
2014260878
2015122537
2016117846
2017308050
2018194338
201963733
2020190728
202134914
202225310
20231301
20241282
2025240

Active Recalls (5)

Federal safety recalls issued for this vehicle.

Fuel Pump
Campaign 16V777000 | 26/10/2016
A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the FDM flange with one that has a redesigned fuel supply port, free of charge. Remedy parts are currently unavailable. Interim notices were mailed to owners on December 13, 2016. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become availa
Wheel Bearing
Campaign 15E045000 | 03/06/2015
Use of an incorrectly sized wheel bearing can adversely affect the braking and steering of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Timken has begun notifying distributors who will offer purchasers replacement wheel bearings, free of charge. The recall began on May 21, 2015. Owners may contact Timken customer service at 1-866-984-6536.
Electric Power Assist System
Campaign 14V284000 | 29/05/2014
If power steering assist is lost, greater driver effort would be required to steer the vehicle at low speeds, increasing the risk of a crash.
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will update the software for the power steering control module (PSCM) and the instrument cluster module, free of charge. If a vehicle shows a history of a loss of the torque sensor signal or fault codes relating to the PSCM when the vehicle is brought in for the
Equipment
Campaign 10E043000 | 03/09/2010
AN IMPROPERLY DEPLOYED AIRBAG COULD RESULT IN SERIOUS INJURY.
MARATHON WILL NOTIFY OWNERS OF RECORD AND REPLACE THE SEAT COVER FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 14, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT MARATHON AT 1-800-735-2769.
Automatic Transmission
Campaign 10V222000 | 24/05/2010
A VEHICLE PARKED WITHOUT AN ENGAGED PARK PAWL AND WITHOUT AN APPLIED PARKING BRAKE MAY HAVE UNINTENDED MOVEMENT WHICH MAY CAUSE A CRASH.
FORD WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND DEALERS WILL REPAIR THE VEHICLES FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 28, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FORD MOTOR COMPANY CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP CENTER AT 1-866-436-7332 AND FOR THE HEARING IMPAIRED CALL 1-800-232-5952 (TDD). REPRESENTATIVES ARE AVAILABLE MONDAY T

General Vehicle Maintenance

Based on the most common issues reported for this vehicle.

  • Follow the manufacturer's maintenance schedule in your owner's manual
  • Don't ignore warning lights — early diagnosis prevents expensive repairs
  • Keep records of all maintenance and repairs
  • Use OEM or equivalent-quality parts for repairs
  • Address unusual noises, vibrations, or smells promptly

Looking for a replacement?

Based on the data above, here are relevant options.

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Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28