2014 Ford Escape

In December 2019, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this investigation based on 235 Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQs) alleging doors failed to latch when closed, and/or inadvertently opened while driving, on model year (MY) 2012-2014 Ford Fiesta, and 2013-2014 Fusion and Lincoln MKZ. Some VOQs reported the failure occurred after the latch had been remedied under a prior recall which involved fracture of the latch pawl spring tab due to thermally induced cyclic fatigue. Other VOQs alleged a similar failure in vehicles not previously recalled. A latch with a fractured pawl spring tab typically results in a ?door will not close? condition, however in certain somewhat rare circumstances, may result in the door coming open while driving. In response to ODI?s investigation, Ford has announced three field actions, as discussed below.On March 23, 2020, Ford submitted Safety Recall 20V-177 (Ford 20S15), a regional recall campaign to address door latch failures in vehicles not previously recalled under Safety Recalls 15V-246, 16V-643 and 17V-210. The recall affects vehicles currently or ever registered in certain high ambient temperature states (see 20V-177 for affected states). As a remedy, Ford will replace all four door latches free of charge.On August 24, 2020, Ford issued a non-safety regional field action (Ford 20R01) to address door latch failures on the same model/MY vehicles not covered under 20V-177 (i.e., not currently/ever registered in affected states). According to Ford, spring tab failure rates for vehicles covered by this action are about half that of the 20V-177 vehicles. Under this action, dealers will replace all door latches, free of charge, if either; a) the vehicle exhibits a related latch concern, or b) if the vehicle owner expresses a concern about the latches in their vehicles. Details can be found under NHTSA TSB No. 10190990, a copy of which is available in this investigative file available at NHTSA.gov.On June 8, 2020, Ford submitted Safety Recall 20V-331 (Ford 20S30) addressing vehicles previously remedied under NHTSA Recalls 15V-246, 16V-643 and 17V-210, where the repair may not have been properly completed, specifically not all of the door latches were replaced, or replaced correctly. This recall involves an inspection of the latches, with the option for a consumer self-inspection; owners could view the date codes on their latches (and confirm child safety locks are present on the rear doors) and then submit the information to Ford?s mobile app or website. A dealership inspection option was also available. Any vehicle found to have unreplaced defective latches requires the replacement of all door latches as directed by Ford.Regarding the 4,494 reports cited above, 1,485 involve scope-related failures (with 13% alleging door opening), and the remaining 3,009 reports involving remedy concerns (with 18% alleging door opening - note ODI was unable to verify the allegations of door opening). The three ODI injuries were all relatively minor. Ford?s reported injury incidences include one (unconfirmed) report of an ejection, three minor injuries with the others involving undisclosed injuries. Ford?s crashes involved two (unconfirmed) crashes alleging the incident door contacted another vehicle and three involving doors striking other property.The recalled vehicles include MY 2011-2015 Ford Fiesta, 2013-2016 Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ, 2015 Ford Mustang and Lincoln MKC, 2013-2015 Ford Escape and Ford C-MAX, 2012-2015 Ford Focus and 2014-2016 Ford Transit Connect.Ford's actions address ODI's concerns at this time. ODI will take further action if warranted by new information. The reference (OD

In January, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this Preliminary Evaluation based on consumers' allegations of doors failing to latch and/or inadvertently opening on model year (MY) 2012-2013 Ford Focus vehicles (subject vehicles).ODI has received 464 unique reports related to the alleged problem, with over 200 claiming that the door(s) opened inadvertently while the vehicle was in motion.One consumer alleged an injury that occurred while driving when a door inadvertently opened and then closed on a child's arm.Another alleged that a door that inadvertently opened struck a parked vehicle.In response to ODI's information request, Ford Motor Company (Ford) provided 500 unique reports related to the alleged problem on the subject vehicles.Ford reported no injury or accident claims.Ford also submitted 1,513 warranty claims related to door latch failures.Many customers indicated that the affected door could not be latched at all and some of them decided to restrain the door by other means in order to operate the vehicle.Some customers also reported door latch failures occurring on multiple doors and at different times.Additionally, Ford stated that MY 2014-2015 Ford Focus, 2013-2015 Ford Escape, 2013-2015 Ford C-Max, 2014-2016 Ford Transit Connect, 2015 Ford Mustang, and 2015 Lincoln MKC, all use the same door latch as the 2012-2013 Ford Focus.On September 6, 2016, Ford notified ODI that it would conduct a safety recall (16V-643) to remedy the door latches in the MY 2012-2015 Ford Focus and other Ford models mentioned above (total of approximately 2 million vehicles).According to Ford, a component within the door latch may break preventing the door from latching.Ford dealers will replace all four door latches in the recalled vehicles with a new more robust latch design that is currently in production.The recall action initiated by the manufacturer appears to address the safety risks.Accordingly, this investigation is closed.The ODI reports cited above can be reviewed at www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchNHTSAID under the identification (ODI) numbers found in the attached list.

2014 Ford Escape 1.6L EcoBoost – Coolant System Failure Following Safety Recall 17S09 I own a 2014 Ford Escape equipped with the 1.6L EcoBoost engine. My vehicle is experiencing a significant coolant leak involving a broken coolant outlet flange located near the cylinder head. Before the failure, my vehicle’s cabin heater stopped producing heat for several days. Shortly afterward, the dashboard displayed a high-temperature warning instructing me to stop the vehicle. I pulled over and shut off the engine almost immediately. My mechanic inspected the vehicle and identified a significant coolant leak from the coolant outlet flange. The plastic component was broken, and the attached hose also requires replacement. The estimated repair cost is approximately $1,600. I contacted Ford regarding Safety Recall 17S09, which concerns the cooling system and the risk of cylinder-head overheating in certain 2014 Ford Escape 1.6L EcoBoost vehicles. Ford Corporate verbally confirmed that Recall 17S09 was performed at Gwinnett Place Ford and that a coolant kit was replaced. Ford also provided the following historical information: * June 6, 2017: 17S09 pressure test performed; no concern found. * January 2018: Coolant kit and exhaust gas recirculation kit installation recorded by the dealership. Despite multiple calls, Ford has been unable to provide me with written documentation, detailed repair records, or a list of the components installed during the recall repair. The dealership has also been unable to retrieve the original repair order because its database does not go back far enough. I am concerned that the current coolant-system failure may involve a component affected by, or related to, the previous recall repair. I cannot independently establish whether the failed coolant outlet flange was replaced or modified during the recall because Ford has

NHTSA ID

11776814

Incident

Nov 8, 2026

I am the original owner of a 2014 Ford Escape SE equipped with the 1.6 L EcoBoost engine. The vehicle currently has approximately 122,000 miles. Within he first three years of ownership, while the vehicle was still under its initial warranty, it suffered from a cracked cylinder block that required repair at the dealership. The vehicle has a severe persistent history of cooling system failures. I am forced to constantly add engine coolant to the reservoir, and the vehicle previously broke down and left me stranded on the freeway due to sudden engine overheating. Most recently, the engine coolant turned into a thick, creamy, milky substance, confirming severe internal coolant intrusion and mixing with the engine oil. This is known, unrepairable structural manufacturing defect in the open-deck block and cylinder head design of the 1.6 engine, which leads to catastrophic internal block cracking localized overheating. This severe cooling system failure directly present a critical vehicle safety and engine compartment fire hazard, directly matching the safety risks detailed in Safety Recall 17S09. The original safety recall remediation failed to fix the core manufacturing defect. The vehicle now requires a total long-block engine replacement. Sincerely, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11774670

Incident

Oct 30, 2026

in my 2014 ford escape has a coolant intrusion in the first cylinder.

NHTSA ID

11770094

Incident

Oct 8, 2026

While driving, a message was displayed [Hill Start Assist Not Available] and all mileage figures previously displayed disappered. Additional warning lights were displayed indicating Traction Control, and ABS failures. Electric Power steering assist also stopped. Subsequent testing indicated the EBCM had failed. The part is on National Backorder. While drivable, I'm afraid other issues will arise. This is my only vehicle and I'm within 20,000 miles of needing the timing belt and water pump replaced as well. I could not find a recall for the EBCM (a part not usually prone to failure) for the 2014 Ford Escape SE 1.6L 4-cyl Ecoboost. In 2017, I had the entire transmission replaced @ 70,000 miles, under warranty, but Ford did not honor the warranty terms: coverage for lodging and rental vehicle, so I lost $$$$ that shouldn't have happened.

NHTSA ID

11768433

Incident

Sep 23, 2026

At first, I just bought it two weeks ago. It was smoke coming from the engine and there was no coolant. The coolant wasn’t holding in the car now I was driving last night. I had coolant in it and there was just flames coming out by where the Oil is

NHTSA ID

11768215

Incident

Sep 30, 2026

My car warned me via service light that there was low coolant in my car, so I went to go get it topped off but the guys at valvoline said my coolant was almost completely full. I continued to drive it since the service light turned off, but when I drove it a day later, it suddenly warned me that my car was over heating and I needed to stop immediately. A local mechanic said that my head gasket failed and my coolant hose was leaking. My car only warned me once of the coolant being low, then the light turned off until my head gasket blew.

NHTSA ID

11767576

Incident

Sep 20, 2026

My car warned me via service light that there was low coolant in my car, so I went to go get it topped off but the guys at valvoline said my coolant was almost completely full. I continued to drive it since the service light turned off, but when I drove it a day later, it suddenly warned me that my car was over heating and I needed to stop immediately. A local mechanic said that my head gasket failed and my coolant hose was leaking. My car only warned me once of the coolant being low, then the light turned off until my head gasket blew.

NHTSA ID

11767575

Incident

Sep 20, 2026

In the ford escape, when the remote start is activated. The car will show as overheating. I was told it was a known issue with ford. This occurred twice resulting in over $1900 in towing and repairs. Those repairs did not fix issue as 4 weeks later it did it again.

NHTSA ID

11765816

Incident

Jul 5, 2026

Harvest Program 25H05 – Supplement #1 Certain 2011-2021 Model Year Vehicles Software Verification Harvest Program

Ford and Lincoln vehicles equipped with wired keyless entry keypad systems and accessory wireless keyless entry keypad systems may or may not come with a wallet card containing the master code. Unlike the integrated wired keypad, the accessory wireless keypad master code cannot be retrieved from the vehicle using a diagnostic scan tool or from the label printed on the body control module (BCM). The Factory Keyless Entry Code application within the diagnostic scan tool will not provide an applicable master code for the accessory wireless keypad. If the wallet card for an accessory keypad is not available, the "Wireless RF Keypad Diagnosis Guide" can be referenced and provides direction on how to retrieve the master code. This guide is located under the Workshop Manual tab > Accessories > Installation > Wireless RF Keypad Diagnosis Guide > PPT C > Step C2.<br /><br /> Note: The only available keypad for some vehicles from the assembly plant is the accessory wireless keyless entry keypad. The integrated wired keypad cannot be installed on vehicles not equipped from the factory with a wired keyless entry k

Certain 2013-2014 Model Year Escape and 2013-2016 Fusion Vehicles Equipped with a 6F35 Transmission Shift Cable Bushing Inspection and Protective Service Cap Installation

This is a proactive investigation program by Ford Motor Company to inspect a limited number of affected vehicles that are customer-owned. Ford is voluntarily conducting this program to evaluate the software currently installed on one or more electronic modules in the affected vehicles.

Some 2013-2016 Escape vehicles may exhibit an ABS warning indicator with diagnostic trouble code (DTC) U2300 after the ABS module is replaced.

While performing a transmission repair on some 2012-2024 Ford and Lincoln vehicles, a transmission seal kit may be on backorder due to supply chain interruptions. While performing a transmission repair on some 2012-2024 Ford and Lincoln vehicles, a transmission seal kit may be on backorder due to supply chain interruptions.