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Owner-Reported Problems · NHTSA

2023 Ford Escape — Problems & Complaints

NHTSA has 100 owner complaints on file for this vehicle. Every report below was filed by a real owner with the US government's road-safety agency.

100
Complaints
filed with NHTSA
2
Involved a Crash
owner-reported
3
Involved Fire
owner-reported
1
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.

1,152 complaints

2,693 complaints

1,812 complaints

595 complaints

1,539 complaints

349 complaints

235 complaints

100 complaints

76 complaints

0 complaints

0 complaints

Problem Areas

What Owners Complain About Most

Electrical System 41 reports
Engine 28 reports
Power Train 23 reports
Forward Collision Avoidance 11 reports
Unknown Or Other 9 reports
Lane Departure 7 reports
Vehicle Speed Control 7 reports
Fuel/propulsion System 7 reports
In Their Own Words

Recent Owner Reports

Electrical System ODI 11630551 12/13/2024

The contact owns a 2023 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the center console display remained off. The contact was able to continue driving the vehicle however, the center console and the display was independently turning on and off. No warning lights were illuminated. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repai…

Forward Collision Avoidance ODI 11559613 12/11/2023

After reviewing my owner’s manual on my newly purchased vehicle, I was shocked at how quickly and unexpectedly I was propelled from 75mph to 105mph because of a new-to-me feature on this model. I was surprised and moreover shocked that a system like this is mass-produced and sold worldwide. Seems like the manufacturer should provide proper training materials and not just the d…

Power Train ODI 11702397 12/02/2025

The transmission had an internal failure that caused metal fragments to end up in the transmission fluid and caused failure. The vehicle will not drive and required the transmission to be rebuilt

Electrical System ODI 11702158 11/30/2025

My 2023 Ford Escape Plug-In Hybrid has experienced repeated high-voltage battery safety issues and prolonged loss of intended function. In February 2025, Ford notified me under recall 24S79 that I must immediately stop charging the vehicle due to the risk of internal battery cell short, potential battery thermal venting, and fire. That “do not charge” instruction lasted approx…

Power Train ODI 11700484 11/20/2025

Purchased the vehicle approximately 45 days ago. Has driven fine with no problems. Randomly had a hard down shift and when I went to leave my destination put the vehicle in reverse and it would not go. The vehicle would not move in drive and when put in neutral it was still not even able to be pushed. Had it towed to the nearest ford dealership, they diagnosed that there were …

Same Vehicle

Recalls & Crash Tests

Complaints are one half of the picture — see the official recalls and NHTSA crash-test stars for the 2023 Ford Escape, or check your exact car by VIN with the free VIN lookup.

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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 2023 Ford Escape reliable?
Owners have filed 100 safety complaints with NHTSA for the 2023 Ford Escape, most often about electrical system. 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.