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Owner-Reported Problems · NHTSA

2011 Ford Escape — Problems & Complaints

NHTSA has 1,317 owner complaints on file for this vehicle. Every report below was filed by a real owner with the US government's road-safety agency.

1,317
Complaints
filed with NHTSA
38
Involved a Crash
owner-reported
7
Involved Fire
owner-reported
38
Injuries
across all reports
Years to Avoid

Ford Escape — Complaints by Model Year

Years flagged AVOID have at least twice this model's average complaint count — the strongest public-data signal of a bad year.

2,129 complaints

1,317 complaints

603 complaints

2,754 complaints

2,089 complaints

1,115 complaints

1,152 complaints

2,693 complaints

1,812 complaints

Problem Areas

What Owners Complain About Most

Steering 410 reports
Power Train 268 reports
Fuel/propulsion System 253 reports
Engine 248 reports
Vehicle Speed Control 245 reports
Electrical System 117 reports
Unknown Or Other 56 reports
Structure 43 reports
In Their Own Words

Recent Owner Reports

Steering ODI 10817213 12/31/2015

WHEN STARTING THE VEHICLE THE POWER STEERING WILL NOT ENGAGE. AFTER ONE OR MORE TRIES IT WILL FINALLY ENGAGE. ON MORE THAN ONE OCCASION THE STEERING DISENGAGED WHILE BACKING OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY AND HAD TO BE STOPPED AND RESTARTED AS ABOVE. MY LOCAL GARAGE FOUND ERROR CODE B1342 AND CONFIRMED BY A FORD DEALER. THE CODE MEAN THE STEERING COLUMN MUST BE REPLACED. THE DEALER SAID …

Electrical System ODI 10938727 12/30/2016

HAVING MECHANICAL ISSUES WITH MY DOORS NOT CLOSING. THIS HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES AND EACH TIME IT TAKES A LOT OF PLAYING AROUND WITH LOCKING AND UNLOCKING BEFORE I CAN GET THE DOOR SHUT. *TR

Power Train ODI 10557867 12/30/2013

DRIVING ON 5 LANRE PAVED ROAD AT 50 MPH WHEN ENGINE LOST POWER DID NOT STALL. NO THROTTLE RESPONSE. WAS ABLE TO SHIFT INTO NEUTRAL AND COAST INTO PARKING LOT SHUT OFF ENGINE AND RESTARTED PROBLEM WENT AWAY. TOOK TO DEALER 3 DAYS LATER WHERE THROTTLE BODY WAS REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY. *TR

Steering ODI 11633003 12/29/2024

We were sitting in a parking lot and the car was started, the steering wheel was very difficult to turn. Yes, the vehicle is available for inspection. No one’s safety was at risk. This is the first time this has happened, we have had the car since July 2024, we have not taken it to a mechanic yet. The vehicle has not been inspected yet. There was no warning light or other symp…

Steering ODI 11562663 12/29/2023

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the power steering function became inoperable. The contact stated that while making a turn, the power steering was inoperable, and the vehicle was very difficult to steer. In addition, the contact became aware of a failure with the electrical system. The contact stated the radio…

Same Vehicle

Recalls & Crash Tests

Complaints are one half of the picture — see the official recalls and NHTSA crash-test stars for the 2011 Ford Escape, or check your exact car by VIN with the free VIN lookup.

Check Another Car

Problems Checker

Any year, make and model: open the Car Problems Checker. Data: NHTSA (US DOT, public domain), cached up to 7 days.

Questions

FAQ

Is the 2011 Ford Escape reliable?
Owners have filed 1,317 safety complaints with NHTSA for the 2011 Ford Escape, most often about steering. Compare the complaint counts across model years above — a year with far more complaints than the model's average is the strongest 'avoid' signal in public data.
Which Ford Escape years should I avoid?
The rule of thumb used by analysts: a model year whose complaint count is well above the model's own average (we flag 2× or more) usually had a real manufacturing or design problem — not just noisy reporting. Use the year-by-year strip on this page.
Where do these complaints come from?
Directly from NHTSA, the US government road-safety agency. Any owner can file a Vehicle Owner Questionnaire; NHTSA publishes them as public domain data. We cache each lookup for up to 7 days.
Do complaints mean a recall is coming?
Sometimes. NHTSA opens defect investigations when complaint patterns emerge, and investigations can end in recalls. Check the recalls page for this vehicle to see what has already been recalled.