Ford Escape Years to Avoid and the Best Years

Years to avoid: 2011 and 2013 At least twice the 178.5 complaints of a typical Escape year. Most described: power steering problems (2011), overheating or coolant loss (2013).
Best years: 2018, 2019, and 2023 Under three quarters of the 165 complaints of a typical Escape year since 2016, with no open NHTSA investigation or do-not-drive or park-outside recall.

Based on owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, not adjusted for sales. The 2024 to 2026 models are too new to judge. See every year ranked

Data: US EPA and NHTSAUpdated Nov 12, 2026

Every model year since 2010 in one place: EPA fuel economy, NHTSA recalls, owner complaints and crash test ratings. The best fuel economy rating, 41 mpg combined, arrived in 2020. Includes the Escape Hybrid and Plug-in Hybrid.

Escape problems by year, ranked by owner complaints

How the years are ranked

Model years ranked by owner complaints filed with NHTSA in their first three years (model year Y: filed by the end of Y+2), so every year is measured over the same time on the road. Years without three full years of data, and launch or final years with very few sold, are left out. Counts are not adjusted for how many were sold.

A typical Escape year drew 178.5 complaints in its first three years: the median of all its ranked years, higher than the median of its years since 2016 (165). Years to avoid drew at least twice that, and at least 50. Best years are up to three years since 2016 with the fewest complaints, each under three quarters of a typical year since 2016 (165), with no open NHTSA investigation and no do-not-drive or park-outside recall that covers all versions; the 2020 is never picked, as its first three years fell in the pandemic. How the verdict works.

Model year	First 3 years	All complaints	Recalls
2011 Escape Avoid Most described: power steering problems or locked steering	451	1,357	2
2013 Escape Avoid Most described: overheating or coolant loss	389	2,758	18
2017 Escape Most described: overheating or coolant loss	221	2,710	4
2022 Escape Most described: loss of power or limp mode and the check engine light coming on	203	388	21
2020 Escape Most described: door lock or latch problems	197	1,912	25
2014 Escape Most described: overheating or coolant loss	193	2,091	16
2021 Escape Most reported: body structure	189	502	21
2010 Escape Most described: loss of power or limp mode	168	2,130	3
2016 Escape Most described: backup camera problems	141	1,193	4
2012 Escape Most described: power steering problems or locked steering	123	619	1
2018 Escape Best Most described: overheating or coolant loss	110	1,833	4
2015 Escape Most described: backup camera problems	104	1,148	9
2023 Escape Best Most described: loss of power or limp mode	86	140	13
2019 Escape Best Most described: overheating or coolant loss	71	604	3

Compare other models' worst years in the worst model years guide.

Check your Escape for open recalls

Opens NHTSA's lookup in a new tab; your VIN goes to NHTSA, not to us. The VIN is on the driver's side dashboard, the door jamb and your registration. Safety recall repairs are free at Ford dealers for vehicles up to 15 years old from first sale.

How to check a car for recalls, step by step

Get a vehicle history report from EpicVIN (opens in a new tab): a paid report with the car's title, odometer and salvage records, from an approved NMVTIS data provider. Affiliate link: we earn a commission if you buy. If you typed a full VIN above, the link sends it to EpicVIN and opens its checkout page for that VIN. Check the price before you pay: EpicVIN's $1 trial lasts 3 days, then becomes a monthly subscription until you cancel ($49.99 to $99.99 a month on its pages as of Oct 2, 2026). Disclosure

Year by year

Model year	Best rating	Recalls	Complaints	Crash test
2026 MPG · Recalls and problems	39 mpg Hybrid	3	4
2025 MPG · Recalls and problems	39 mpg Hybrid	10	31
2024 MPG · Recalls and problems	39 mpg Hybrid	10	90
2023 MPG · Recalls and problems	39 mpg Hybrid	13	140
2022 MPG · Recalls and problems	41 mpg Hybrid	21	388
2021 MPG · Recalls and problems	41 mpg Hybrid	21	502
2020 MPG · Recalls and problems	41 mpg Hybrid	25	1,912
2019 MPG · Recalls and problems	26 mpg Gas	3	604
2018 MPG · Recalls and problems	26 mpg Gas	4	1,833
2017 MPG · Recalls and problems	26 mpg Gas	4	2,710
2016 MPG · Recalls and problems	26 mpg Gas	4	1,193
2015 MPG · Recalls and problems	26 mpg Gas	9	1,148
2014 MPG · Recalls and problems	26 mpg Gas	16	2,091
2013 MPG · Recalls and problems	26 mpg Gas	18	2,758
2012 MPG · Recalls and problems	32 mpg Hybrid	1	619
2011 MPG · Recalls and problems	32 mpg Hybrid	2	1,357
2010 MPG · Recalls and problems	32 mpg Hybrid	3	2,130	Not rated

Best rating leaves out the plug-in hybrid, which EPA rates on gas and on electricity separately. MPG by year lists both ratings.

Owner complaints by model year

All complaints filed so far. Counts rise with sales volume and with time on the road, so recent years look better than they may turn out. The highlighted bar is the model year with the most complaints in its first three years.

2011: 1,357 complaints

Show as a table

Owner complaints by model year, Ford Escape
Model year	Complaints
2010	2,130
2011	1,357
2012	619
2013	2,758
2014	2,091
2015	1,148
2016	1,193
2017	2,710
2018	1,833
2019	604
2020	1,912
2021	502
2022	388
2023	140
2024	90
2025	31
2026	4

Best combined rating by model year

The best-rated version in each model year. Gas: 24 to 30 mpg (every year from 2010 to 2026); 30 since 2020. Hybrid: 32 to 41 mpg (2010 to 2012, 2020 to 2026); highest in 2020.

Best gas version
Best hybrid version

2026: gas 30 mpg · hybrid 39 mpg

Show as a table

Ford Escape best combined mpg by model year
Model year	Best gas version	Best hybrid version
2010	24	32
2011	25	32
2012	25	32
2013	26	–
2014	26	–
2015	26	–
2016	26	–
2017	26	–
2018	26	–
2019	26	–
2020	30	41
2021	30	41
2022	30	41
2023	30	39
2024	30	39
2025	30	39
2026	30	39

Every Escape year's ratings in one table

Questions

Which Ford Escape years should you avoid?

The 2011 and 2013 Escape are the years to avoid: each drew at least twice the 178.5 owner complaints of a typical Escape year in its first three years. Owners of the 2011 most often describe power steering problems. Complaints can't tell you whether a particular car is sound, so whatever the year, check its open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy. Safety recall repairs are free at Ford dealers for vehicles up to 15 years old from first sale.

What are the best Ford Escape years?

The 2018, 2019, and 2023 Escape are the best years: they drew 110, 71, and 86 owner complaints in their first three years, each under three quarters of the 165 complaints of a typical Escape year since 2016, and none has an open NHTSA investigation or recall telling owners not to drive or to park outside. Only years since 2016 are considered, since owners filed fewer complaints in the early 2010s. The 2024, 2025, and 2026 are not ranked yet: they have had fewer than three full years on the road.

Which Ford Escape years have the most problems?

Counting owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, the 2011 (451) drew the most, then the 2013 (389). Owners of the 2011 most often describe power steering problems or locked steering.

Which Ford Escape years have the most recalls?

The 2020 has the most safety recalls in NHTSA's file (25), then the 2022 (21). A recall can cover a problem that affects only a few cars, so open a year's page to see what each one covers. One recall tells owners not to drive the car or to park it outside until it is repaired: NHTSA 12V-336 (2013 models).

What are the most common Ford Escape problems?

In the 19,510 owner complaints NHTSA lists for 2010 to 2026 models, owners most often describe overheating or coolant loss (3,970 complaints, most of them for the 2013, 2017, and 2018); engine failure or replacement (2,284 complaints, most of them for the 2017 and 2018); and stalling or shutting off (2,155 complaints). One complaint can describe several problems. Each year's recalls and problems page lists what owners describe for that year.

Which Ford Escape year has the best MPG?

The best EPA fuel economy is 41 mpg combined, first reached by the 2020 hybrid version. The plug-in hybrid, rated separately, gets up to 41 mpg on gas alone and 105 MPGe on electricity.

Sources and method

US EPA fuel economy data (fueleconomy.gov), file dated Nov 4, 2026.
NHTSA recall file dated Nov 12, 2026 and owner complaint file dated Nov 11, 2026; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings.

Complaint counts are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.