"How reliable is the 2012 Ford Escape?"

"Based on 788 NHTSA complaints, the 2012 Ford Escape has a median complaint mileage of 52100 miles. The most common issue is FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM."

"What are common problems with the 2012 Ford Escape?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2012 Ford Escape is FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, accounting for a significant portion of the 788 total complaints filed."

2012 Ford Escape: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 788 complaints

788

Total Complaints

52,100mi

Median Mileage

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

31,103 25th Percentile

52,100 Median Mileage

90,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

137

STEERING

134

ENGINE

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

POWER TRAIN

STRUCTURE:BODY

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

AIR BAGS

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FORD ESCAPE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH THE POWER STEERING FAILED AND IT BECMAE EXTREMELY DIFFICUTL FOR THE CONTACT TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THEY ADVISED HIM THAT THEY WERE UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAI..."

"TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FORD ESCAPE. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 75 MPH WHEN THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG OFF SENSOR ILLUMINATED WITH THE PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPIED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE W..."

"TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FORD ESCAPE. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 25 MPH WHEN THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE AND THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE CONTACT SUFFERED HEAD INJURIES AND A CRACKED STERNUM. THE CONTACT DID NOT CALL THE MANUFACTURER. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 800."

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.

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 137 complaints

25th: 37,031 mi Median: 54,000 mi 75th: 72,500 mi

STEERING 134 complaints

25th: 70,554 mi Median: 100,000 mi 75th: 133,200 mi

ENGINE 72 complaints

25th: 17,500 mi Median: 40,500 mi 75th: 64,576 mi

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 68 complaints

25th: 26,075 mi Median: 43,050 mi 75th: 54,000 mi

POWER TRAIN 63 complaints

25th: 18,678 mi Median: 42,933 mi 75th: 65,000 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 62 TX: 56 FL: 55 PA: 46 IL: 42 MI: 41 OH: 34 NY: 31 MD: 30 SC: 27

Who Files Complaints?

2.7%

Original Owners

97.3%

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	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE	109
2002	1388	89,000	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE	96
2003	736	94,160	SUSPENSION	55
2004	715	111,070	SUSPENSION	49
2005	2030	109,000	SUSPENSION	54
2006	626	85,000	VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL	25
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
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	STRUCTURE:BODY	28
2021	349	30,000	STRUCTURE: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