"How reliable is the 2012 Ford Escape Hybrid?"

"Based on 20 NHTSA complaints, the 2012 Ford Escape Hybrid has a median complaint mileage of 36000 miles. The most common issue is SERVICE BRAKES."

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

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2012 Ford Escape Hybrid is SERVICE BRAKES, accounting for a significant portion of the 20 total complaints filed."

2012 Ford Escape Hybrid: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 20 complaints

Total Complaints

36,000mi

Median Mileage

SERVICE BRAKES

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

17,252 25th Percentile

36,000 Median Mileage

48,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

SERVICE BRAKES

ENGINE

STEERING

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

STRUCTURE:BODY

VISIBILITY:GLASS, SIDE/REAR

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

AIR BAGS

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"AFTER STARTING THE CAR AND BACKING OUT OF MY GARAGE THE BRAKES DO NOT WORK. ALL OF THE WARNING LIGHTS COME ON SAYING CHECK BRAKES. THERE ARE NO CODES WHEN EVALUATED BY THE DEALERSHIP. IF THE CAR IS TURNED OFF AND THEN ON, THE BRAKES WORK AND THE WARNING LIGHTS GO OFF. THIS WEEK, I WAS NOTIFIED BY T..."

"IN BOTH INCIDENTS AND THERE WERE TWO I WAS DRIVING ABOUT 15 MPH OR LESS WHEN THE VEHICLE JUST ACCELERATED AND I WAS UNABLE TO STOP IT USING THE BRAKES. IN THE FIRST INCIDENT THERE WAS A VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME AND ONE COMING AT ME IN THE OTHER LANE TOO. I SWERVED TO THE RIGHT AND WAS FORCED TO JUMP ..."

"REAR DRIVERS SIDE WINDOW, EXPLODED WHEN I CLOSED THE HATCH. THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN THE GARAGE AND I HAD UNLOADED WHAT WAS IN THE VEHICLE AND THEN CLOSED THE HATCH AND HEARD A LOUD POP AND THEN SHARDS OF GLASS FLEW EVERYWHERE. LUCKILY I WAS NOT HURT BUT DID HAVE MARKS ON MY CHEST AREA FROM THE F..."

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

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 5 MN: 3 WI: 3 PA: 2 OH: 1 MO: 1 NJ: 1 TX: 1 NV: 1 MI: 1

Who Files Complaints?

Original Owners

95%

Second+ Owners

Ford Escape Hybrid — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
2005	237	105,000	SERVICE BRAKES	5
2006	305	105,000	SERVICE BRAKES	7
2007	155	89,000	SERVICE BRAKES	1
2008	583	90,000	SERVICE BRAKES	18
2009	192	86,500	STEERING	7
2010	73	70,315	STEERING	5
2011	46	75,000	STEERING	4
2020	357	21,500	STRUCTURE:BODY	3
2021	137	35,851	ENGINE	2
2022	79	37,449	ENGINE	5
2023	32	6,425	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	2

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