POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:GEAR POSITION INDICATION (PRNDL); POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:LEVER AND LINKAGE:FLOOR SHIFT
2002 Ford Escape
Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data
Data refreshed
Overview
Our database contains 1,027 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2002 Ford Escape, most frequently naming the engine, brakes and electrical categories. 10 safety recalls have been issued covering this model year; 10 NHTSA investigations name it; and 109 manufacturer communications are on file.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Complaint activity over time
When owners filed reports about this model year
View as table
| Month | Complaints filed | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2015 | 1 | 893 |
| Feb 2015 | 8 | 901 |
| Mar 2015 | 4 | 905 |
| Apr 2015 | 4 | 909 |
| May 2015 | 3 | 912 |
| Jun 2015 | 3 | 915 |
| Jul 2015 | 3 | 918 |
| Aug 2015 | 3 | 921 |
| Sep 2015 | 1 | 922 |
| Oct 2015 | 6 | 928 |
| Nov 2015 | 1 | 929 |
| Dec 2015 | 7 | 936 |
| Jan 2016 | 2 | 938 |
| Mar 2016 | 3 | 941 |
| May 2016 | 2 | 943 |
| Jun 2016 | 2 | 945 |
| Jul 2016 | 3 | 948 |
| Aug 2016 | 4 | 952 |
| Sep 2016 | 5 | 957 |
| Oct 2016 | 1 | 958 |
| Nov 2016 | 2 | 960 |
| Jan 2017 | 2 | 962 |
| Feb 2017 | 3 | 965 |
| Apr 2017 | 3 | 968 |
| May 2017 | 1 | 969 |
| Jun 2017 | 3 | 972 |
| Jul 2017 | 2 | 974 |
| Aug 2017 | 3 | 977 |
| Sep 2017 | 4 | 981 |
| Oct 2017 | 1 | 982 |
| Jan 2018 | 2 | 984 |
| Feb 2018 | 1 | 985 |
| Apr 2018 | 3 | 988 |
| May 2018 | 4 | 992 |
| Jun 2018 | 4 | 996 |
| Sep 2018 | 2 | 998 |
| Dec 2018 | 2 | 1,000 |
| Jan 2019 | 1 | 1,001 |
| Feb 2019 | 1 | 1,002 |
| Mar 2019 | 1 | 1,003 |
| Apr 2019 | 2 | 1,005 |
| May 2019 | 1 | 1,006 |
| Jul 2019 | 2 | 1,008 |
| Aug 2019 | 2 | 1,010 |
| Nov 2019 | 1 | 1,011 |
| Feb 2020 | 1 | 1,012 |
| Apr 2020 | 1 | 1,013 |
| Jun 2020 | 1 | 1,014 |
| Sep 2020 | 1 | 1,015 |
| Oct 2020 | 1 | 1,016 |
| Nov 2020 | 1 | 1,017 |
| Feb 2021 | 1 | 1,018 |
| Jun 2021 | 2 | 1,020 |
| Oct 2021 | 1 | 1,021 |
| May 2022 | 1 | 1,022 |
| Nov 2022 | 1 | 1,023 |
| Jan 2023 | 1 | 1,024 |
| Aug 2024 | 1 | 1,025 |
| Jul 2025 | 1 | 1,026 |
| Apr 2026 | 1 | 1,027 |
What owners report
Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded
- Engine33024.8%
- Brakes19714.8%
- Electrical1269.5%
- Driver assistance1057.9%
- Body & structure876.5%
- Suspension806.0%
- Airbags795.9%
- Transmission755.6%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Safety recalls
10 campaigns cover this model year
Recalls apply to specific vehicles, not to every vehicle of a model year. Check your VIN with NHTSA or your manufacturer's dealer to confirm whether a recall affects your vehicle.
Check a VIN on NHTSA.govSUSPENSION:FRONT:WHEEL BEARING
STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS
Safety investigations
NHTSA inquiries naming this vehicle. An investigation is not a finding of a defect.
Stuck Throttle
In a letter dated July 25, 2012 Ford Motor Company (Ford) submitted a Defect Information Report (DIR), NHTSA Recall No. 12V-353 to NHTSA identifying a safety defect involving inadequate clearance between the engine cover and the speed control cable connector, which could result in a stuck throttle condition.The vehicles involved are model year (MY) 2001 through MY 2004 Ford Escape vehicles equipped with 3.0L V6 engines and speed (cruise) control.A redesigned engine cover was implemented in production beginning in MY 2005, which provided additional clearance of the speed control cable to the engine cover.Similarly on July 26, 2012 Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) on behalf of Mazda Motor Corporation of Hiroshima, Japan submitted a DIR to NHTSA, NHTSA Recall No. 12V-357, identifying the safety defect described above in MY 2001 through MY 2006 and MY 2008 Mazda Tribute vehicles (no Tribute vehicles were produced in MY 2007) equipped with 3.0L V6 engines and speed control.Unlike the Ford Escape recall scope, the Mazda Tribute scope is broader as Mazda Tribute vehicles incorporated a similar engine cover design as related to the clearance to the speed control cable in MYs 2001 through 2006 and MY 2008.The failure report summary above reflects reports identified by ODI in review of data submitted to the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) and reports submitted to Ford and to Mazda.ODI identified 44 reports likely related to the safety defect described in the DIRs; 39 involving Ford Escape vehicles and 5 involving Mazda Tribute vehicles. This Preliminary Evaluation is closed.The ODI report cited above can be reviewed at www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchNHTSAID under the following identification (ODI) numbers: 10116267, 10128545, 10128681, 10137520, 10153327, 10165007, 10199728, 10234846, 10335779, 10466261, and 10468307.
Cruise Control Cable
On July 8, 2012, The Center for Auto Safety has petitioned NHTSA to open defect investigations on Model Year (MY) 2002 ? 2004 Ford Escape and Mazda Tribute vehicles with certain cruise control cables.The Center for Auto Safety has also petitioned for a hearing to address whether Ford Motor Company (Ford) and Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) met their obligations to notify owners and correct a defect in certain Ford Escape and Mazda Tribute vehicles.The petitions to open investigations are denied as unnecessary and the petitions to conduct hearingsare denied.ODI IDs referenced above are: 10109921, 10116267, 10116574,10121108, 10125928, 10128545, 10130133,10137520, 10153327, 10155295, 10155817, 10159048, 10164205, 10165007, 10177337, 10184382, 10195378,10199728, 10201424, 10203178, 10204179, 10207677, 10214472, 10218668, 10222869, 10229600, 10255417,10256387, 10258046, 10259777, 10260591, 10266150, 10273613, 10291508, 10303282, 10303434, 10316154,10321828, 10323339, 10325817, 10331278, 10334038, 10335779, 10341773, 10342450, 10345004, 10363982,10370338, 10379444, 10432635, 10451652, 10466261, 891605, 10053779, 10125132, 10146998, 10149101,10160004, 10161052, 10170988, 10178811, 10204780, 10215610, 10222996, 10239609, 10252790, 10253666,10262773, 10264280, 10280669, 10289784, 10294932, 10312464, 10316440, 10343662, 10354530, 10413665,10461195
Fleet Vehicle Recall Completion Audit
On November 18, 2010, NHTSA's Recall Management Division (RMD) opened an audit query (AQ10-001) to investigate recall remedy completion by rental car companies on safety recall campaigns.It was expected to provide the agency an indication of how completely and how quickly rental car fleets perform necessary recall-related remedies on the vehicles owned and then rented/leased for use on the roadways.RMD queried three (3) major motor vehicle manufacturers (Ford, Chrysler, and General Motors) and requested data regarding completion figures for fifteen (15) discreet safety recalls.Analysis of this data demonstrated that rental car recalls completion was neither complete nor consistent.The rental car companies representing the largest market share in the industry were then queried as to their respective policies for the rental, lease, and sale of vehicles with open recalls.The data and responses from the manufacturers and the rental car companies can be found in the document repository by accessing the ?Associated Documents link above.In December 2015, Congress enacted the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act.One section of the Act prohibits rental car companies from renting, leasing, or selling motor vehicles subject to open safety recalls.With the passage of the FAST Act and its prohibition, there is no continuing need for the agency to investigate rental car recall completions.Accordingly, this investigation is closed.The agency reserves the right to open any future investigations, including audits of individual recalls, or groups of recalls, or rental car companies, to examine more closely safety recalls performance and completion issues in this area.
Engine Compartment Fire
Ford and Mazda recalled model year (MY) 2001 through 2004 Ford Escape (07V-156) and Mazda Tribute (07V-157) vehicles due to non-crash fires or non-fire thermal events originating in the engine compartment at or near the ABS control module.Approximately 545,700 vehicles were subject to the initial safety recalls and approximately 424,700 vehicles were serviced under those campaigns. The campaigns addressed potentially damaged, missing or misplaced seals in the ABS control module wiring harness electrical connector that could allow brake fluid to enter the connector, possibly resulting in corrosion, short-circuit, melting, smoke and/or fire.Since the recall, the agency is aware of 260 subject vehicles that have reportedly experienced non-crash fires or non-fire thermal events originating at or near the ABS control module in vehicles some time after being serviced under the campaign. The post-recall repair incident rates for MY 2001 and 2002 subject vehicles are 90.9 and 126.7 (normalized per 100,000 vehicles serviced under the recall campaigns), respectively.These rates are much higher than the post-recall repair incident rate for MY 2003 and 2004 subject vehicles, which are 5.0 and 3.7 per 100K, respectively.Similarly, the post-recall repair key-off fire incident rates in the MY 2001 and 2002 subject vehicles is 54.3 per 100K, compared to 0.5 per 100K for the MY 2003 and 2004 subject vehicles.The agency is aware of 12 key-off fire incidents, all involving MY 2001 and 2002 subject vehicles, where the vehicle was parked inside a structure when the fire started.In five of those incidents, the fire spread from the vehicle to the structure itself.Ford has identified the brake master cylinder reservoir cap in certain MY 2001 and 2002 subject vehicles as a potential source for brake fluid leaks that could affect ABS module connector integrity.The reservoir caps used on the MY 2003 and 2004 subject vehicles are reportedly an improved design from those used on the earlier models.By letter dated January 4, 2012, Ford notified the agency that it would conduct another safety recall (identified by NTHSA Recall No. 12V-005 and Ford Recall No. 11S24) of certain MY 2001 and 2002 Ford Escape vehicles to perform a more thorough remedy to address the risk of fire originating at the ABS control module.In addition to double-checking the ABS control module wiring harness electrical connector weather seal (which should have been addressed under the previous recall campaign), Ford will replace brake master cylinder reservoir caps to address the leaking cap problem and reduce the risk of brake fluid entering the subject electrical connector.Ford will also modify the electrical system such that the ABS control module is de-energized when the ignition key is switched off to further reduce the risk of an unattended vehicle fire in units that may have sustained some small loss of connector integrity that may not be evident upon visual examination.Similarly, Mazda notified the agency by letter dated January 19, 2012, that it would also conduct a safety recall (identified by NTHSA Recall No. 12V-016 and Mazda Recall No. 6712A) of certain MY 2001 and 2002 Mazda Tribute vehicles.Ford estimates repair parts will be available beginning the second quarter of 2012. Until recall repairs are made both Ford and Mazda are advising owners of affected vehicles to reduce the safety concern by parking their vehicles outdoors away from structures to prevent a potential fire from spreading.Accordingly, this investigation is closed.
Recent owner complaints
Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words
I bought a vehicle that has recalls on it. I contacted a dealer. Im told the car is to old to fix the recalled abs relay. Now I have a vehicle thats on the road a fire hazard. The ford dealership have left me my with and kids and grand kids in danger
- NHTSA ID
- 11732085
- Incident
- Mar 5, 2026
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while shifted in park(P), the key failed to release while the engine was running. The contact drove to a local O'Reilly's where one of the employees was able to remove the key from the ignition. The failure had gotten progressively worse. The vehicle was diagnosed, and it was determined that the ignition lock cylinder had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 227,000.
- NHTSA ID
- 11676792
- Incident
- Jul 14, 2025
- Mileage
- 227,000 mi
I have had to replace my engine/transmission several times and the problem keeps repeating itself. The engine will just die for no reason which is an extremely severe safety risk.
- NHTSA ID
- 11608125
- Incident
- Aug 12, 2024
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle made an abnormal sound and started drifting to the left. The vehicle was towed to the residence. An independent mechanic diagnosed the vehicle with a rusted subframe. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.
- NHTSA ID
- 11503115
- Incident
- Dec 23, 2022
- Mileage
- 150,000 mi
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH and depressing forcefully on the accelerator pedal, the accelerator pedal got stuck. The contact was unable to disengage the accelerator pedal. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated he did not attempt to depress the brake pedal to stop the vehicle. The contact shifted the ignition to off to stop the vehicle. The contact was unable to move the vehicle safely out of the road. The contact stated a bystander called the police department to assist with traffic. A police report was filed. The contact towed the vehicle to an independent mechanic and disengaged the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 213,000. The VIN was not available.
- NHTSA ID
- 11491872
- Incident
- Nov 1, 2022
- Mileage
- 213,000 mi
Vehicle was manufactured 04/2002 recalls state that from oct99 to jan04 multiple states had issues with rusting with suspension causing the car to crash. My vehicle was made in one of the states and has alot of underbody rusting. Back hatch latch gets stuck often and will not open. Drums on the back are sticking causing the vehicle to drag at take off, abs had a recall ford dealer "fixed" the issue abs light stays on. Radiator light stays on constantly even though fluids are at correct level radiator is not damaged. Battery light constantly stays on as well brand new battery and alternator wire are connected free of corrosion. Interior lights caught on fire and melted the plastic housing so I had to take out the small bulbs. Everything is available for inspection if needed.abs was looked at by Ford dealer and "fixed" but problem is still there. Problems have not been inspected by anyone other than the abs, no warnings at all. Events happened at different times during the time I got the vehicle. 2022 Jan
- NHTSA ID
- 11466662
- Incident
- Jan 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while the vehicle was at the dealer, he was informed that the subframe was severely corroded. The vehicle was repaired under NHTSA campaign number 14V165000 (Structure) however, the remedy failed to fix the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 177,000.
- NHTSA ID
- 11435096
- Incident
- Sep 15, 2021
- Mileage
- 177,000 mi
The passenger side flashes with the Air bag symbol and has the seat belt too. Sometimes the symbol just stays on the dash board.
- NHTSA ID
- 11421224
- Incident
- Jun 16, 2021
Manufacturer communications
A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.
STRUCTURE; SUSPENSION
2001-2004 Escape vehicles Safety Recall 14S02 has been issued for vehicles that are operated in high corrosion areas for an extended period, where a corrosion-related separation of the forward attachment of the lower control arm (LCA) from the subframe may occur. Separation of the LCA from the subframe may result in diminished vehicle directional control, increasing the risk of a crash.
SUSPENSION
Safety recall 14S02 - Corrosion at forward attachment of lower control arm - requests for recall service action
SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER ARM
FORD: THE LOWER CONTROL ARM (LCA) FORWARD ATTACHMENT WILL SEPARATE FROM SUBFRAME, CAUSING DIMINISHING DIRECTIONAL CONTROL, DUE TO OPERATING IN HIGH CORROSION AREAS FOR EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME. MODEL 2001-2004 ESCAPE. *PE
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
PCM FAILURE - ELECTRICAL ACCESSORIES INTERMITTENT - INOPERATIVE. *TT
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE:BELTS AND ASSOCIATED PULLEYS
REPLACE TIMING BELT IDLER PULLEY DURING 2.0L ZETEC ENGINE CYLINDER HEAD REPLACEMENT - SERVICE TIP. *TT
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
CAMSHAFT TICK NOISE - 3.0L 4V ENGINE ONLY. *TT
Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.
Compare model years
Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model
| Year | Complaints | Recalls | Investigations | Issue Index |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 3 | 2 | 0 | — |
| 2025 | 21 | 9 | 0 | 53.9 |
| 2024 | 76 | 8 | 0 | 63.3 |
| 2023 | 94 | 11 | 0 | 60.3 |
| 2022 | 226 | 19 | 2 | 68.5 |
| 2021 | 332 | 19 | 2 | 67.9 |
| 2020 | 1,578 | 23 | 2 | 63.6 |
| 2019 | 571 | 3 | 0 | 60.0 |
| 2018 | 1,765 | 4 | 0 | 60.3 |
| 2017 | 2,654 | 4 | 0 | 58.8 |
| 2016 | 1,079 | 4 | 0 | 61.2 |
| 2015 | 1,056 | 9 | 2 | 68.0 |
| 2014 | 2,074 | 16 | 2 | 65.2 |
| 2013 | 2,743 | 18 | 3 | 61.4 |
| 2012 | 598 | 2 | 2 | 54.7 |
| 2011 | 1,313 | 3 | 4 | 56.2 |
| 2010 | 2,068 | 5 | 4 | 56.1 |
| 2009 | 1,691 | 3 | 3 | 55.2 |
| 2008 | 1,973 | 5 | 3 | 58.3 |
| 2007 | 254 | 4 | 2 | 54.8 |
| 2006 | 464 | 5 | 1 | 53.9 |
| 2005 | 1,394 | 5 | 2 | 55.3 |
| 2004 | 499 | 8 | 6 | 61.8 |
| 2003 | 558 | 9 | 8 | 65.2 |
| 2002Viewing | 1,027 | 10 | 10 | 67.3 |
| 2001 | 996 | 15 | 11 | 66.3 |
| 2000 | 5 | 0 | 0 | — |
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.