"How reliable is the 2006 Ford Escape?"

"Based on 626 NHTSA complaints, the 2006 Ford Escape has a median complaint mileage of 85000 miles. The most common issue is Vehicle Speed Control."

"What are common problems with the 2006 Ford Escape?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2006 Ford Escape is Vehicle Speed Control, accounting for a significant portion of the 626 total complaints filed."

2006 Ford Escape: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 626 complaints

626

Total Complaints

85,000mi

Median Mileage

Vehicle Speed Control

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

52,000 25th Percentile

85,000 Median Mileage

125,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Vehicle Speed Control

Suspension

Power Train

Engine

Body

Service Brakes

Electrical System

Automatic Transmission

Steering

Fuel/Propulsion System

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"ON 12/7/05, THE MAIN AIR BAG LIGHT LIT UP ON THE DASH. IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE OWNER'S MANUAL, THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR REPAIR. THE PROBLEM OCCURRED WITH ONLY 542 MILES DRIVEN ON THE VEHICLE. THIS VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED AS A REPLACEMENT TO A 2005 FORD ESCAPE THAT HAD THIS SAME CHRONI..."

"2006 FORD ESCAPE XLT AWD - VIBRATION IN STEERING WHEEL AND CAN BE FELT IN BODY AT ABOUT 55-65 MPH. INTO DEALER 4X FOR ATTEMPTED REPAIRS. CONSULTED WITH FACTORY. NO IDEA WHAT IS CAUSING IT. DEALER STATED SOME OF THE MODELS ON THE LOT HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. THIS COULD BE AN ENGINEERING FAULT OR AN..."

"DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE GRINDS DURING START UP IF IT SITS FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS. ON 04-18-06 THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO SPUTTER ALONG WITH A DELAY IN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL AND THE ENGINE. THE DEALERSHIP ADMITTED THERE WERE OTHER VEHICLE'S WITH THE SAME YEAR, MAKE AND MODEL THAT HAS THE PROBLE..."

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 92 complaints

25th: 47,272 mi Median: 75,000 mi 75th: 109,500 mi

Suspension 60 complaints

25th: 82,375 mi Median: 114,500 mi 75th: 133,000 mi

Power Train 55 complaints

25th: 69,000 mi Median: 89,000 mi 75th: 117,500 mi

Engine 47 complaints

25th: 74,750 mi Median: 93,000 mi 75th: 132,500 mi

Body 45 complaints

25th: 117,000 mi Median: 134,000 mi 75th: 159,000 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

OH: 60 MI: 54 IL: 44 CA: 41 PA: 39 FL: 27 WI: 26 NY: 26 GA: 23 MO: 20

Who Files Complaints?

Original Owners

92%

Second+ Owners

Ford Escape — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
2001	1387	81,000	Gasoline	109
2002	1388	89,000	Gasoline	96
2003	736	94,160	Suspension	55
2004	715	111,070	Suspension	49
2005	2030	109,000	Suspension	54
2007	350	71,800	Power Train	22
2008	2398	98,000	Steering	80
2009	2337	83,000	Steering	53
2010	3171	57,600	Vehicle Speed Control	43
2011	1867	52,000	Steering	50
2012	788	52,100	Fuel/Propulsion System	57
2013	3660	73,000	Engine	64
2014	2608	74,000	Engine	78
2015	1225	74,000	Power Train	37
2016	1178	71,400	Power Train	46
2017	3080	69,000	Engine	50
2018	1943	80,000	Engine	38
2019	637	58,300	Engine	33
2020	1907	41,000	Body	28
2021	349	30,000	Body	14
2022	253	33,503	Fuel System, Gasoline	10
2023	130	13,000	Electrical System	1
2024	128	9,062	Electrical System	2
2025	24	3,250	Electrical System	0

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