NHTSA has received 4 owner complaints about the 2026 Ford Escape, or 4.0 per year on the road — far fewer complaints than typical (complaint index 0.10, where 1.00 is the average of all tracked vehicles). Among the 73 model-year 2026 vehicles we track, it ranks #14 of 73 by complaints per year (#1 = fewest). Against other Ford models its rate is 92% lower; against other Compact SUVs it is 93% lower.
Counts are normalized by time on the road, not by sales volume: a popular model generates more reports than a rare one, and complaints are not verified individually. How we count
Limited data: fewer than 30 complaints, so shares and indexes are unstable.
Complaints filed between 2026-02-24 and 2026-08-29. Median delay from incident to filing: 12 days.
4Complaints
4.0Complaints per year on the road
0.1Complaint index vs. all tracked vehicles
2Recalls
0.0%Share involving a crash or fire
4Last 12 months
Analysis
The previous model year (2025) drew 17.3 complaints per year, more than this one.
The most common problem area is Engine (50.0% of complaints), followed by Body & structure (25.0%) and Unspecified or other (25.0%). Engine complaints are 2.2 times as common here as across all tracked vehicles. No report describes a crash, fire, injury or death.
In the last 12 months 4 complaints were filed, versus none in the 12 months before.
When driving on the highway. The moonroof cloth screen was open and began hearing a crackling sound coming from the moonroof when suddenly shattered and collapsed inward.
Unspecified or other · 2026-08-29 · ODI 11760581
Description On your vehicle, the integrated park module ipm may not properly engage the park pawl, preventing the vehicle from locking into park when park p is selected.
Engine · 2026-06-14 · ODI 11744045
PHEV sometimes fails to "start". That is, vehicle will not enter "Ready" mode when brake is depressed and Start button is pressed.
Engine · 2026-02-25 · ODI 11720491
My 2026MY Ford Escape is having intermittent rear view camera issues. On two separate occasions in the last week, when I put the vehicle into reverse, there is no image displayed on the center stack screen.
Body & structure · 2026-02-24 · ODI 11720074
Excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length. The ODI number is NHTSA's record identifier.
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:INTERNAL:PARK PAWL Campaign 26V301000 · 2026-05-12
Summary: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2026 Escape and Lincoln Corsair vehicles. The integrated park module may fail to lock into the park position when the driver shifts into park. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 114, "Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention."
Risk: A loss of park function can allow the vehicle to rollaway, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: The Secondary On Board Diagnostic Module C (SOBDMC) software will be updated over-the-air (OTA) or by a dealer, free of charge. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed June 5, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the remedy is available, anticipated in August 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25C69. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on May 15, 2026. This recall expands previous NHTSA recall number 25V863.
Summary: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2025-2026 Corsair and Escape vehicles. The seat belt retractors for the left and right rear passenger seats may not be securely fastened.
Risk: An improperly secured seat belt retractor may not restrain an occupant as intended, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and secure, or replace the seat belt retractor bolts, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 26, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25C68. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on December 15, 2025.
