RoadVitals

2015 Ford Escape Exterior lighting Problems

Owner-reported complaints naming the exterior lighting system, filed with NHTSA

Data refreshed

Exterior lighting reportsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
13
Latest Dec 9, 2025
Share of all reportsThis category as a share of every owner report on file for this model year. One report can name more than one component, so the categories overlap.
1%
of 1,056 total
Crash or fire reportedReports in this category whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. The reporter's own answer on the NHTSA form, not a verified finding.
1
Injuries or deaths reportedTotals the submitters entered on their own reports in this category. Not verified by NHTSA and not a casualty statistic.
0

What this page shows

Reports naming headlights, tail lights, turn signals and other exterior lighting. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2015 Ford Escape submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 13 reports on file name it.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Owner reports naming exterior lighting

Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed

Exterior lighting
Filed Dec 9, 2025

My headlight are severely oxidized and are cracking. It makes it very hard to see at night. I took it to a repair shop and they could not get the headlight anywhere but from the dealer which are to expensive. I’m a student and can’t afford what they charge for new ones.

NHTSA ID
11704077
Incident
Sep 30, 2025
Exterior lighting
Filed Sep 9, 2025

When one of my back up lights went out it shorted out the back up video camera. After replacement, found out from Ford that the wiring of the lighting is tied also into the video camera system. After replacement the camera shorts out and is not replaceable.

NHTSA ID
11685931
Incident
Aug 5, 2025
Exterior lighting
Filed Apr 27, 2025

My TRANSMISSION AND ELECTRICAL.. HOW'S A VEHICLE MADE WITH "NO DIP STICK"🤔 AND MY "ONLY GOES TO A FORD CAR SERVICE CENTER..👎🏿👎🏿👎🏿👎🏿👎🏿

NHTSA ID
11657032
Incident
Apr 18, 2025
Exterior lighting
Filed Sep 30, 2024

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the headlights became inoperable. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that neither the VIN nor the vehicle was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V861000 (EXTERIOR LIGHTING). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 13,000.

NHTSA ID
11617352
Incident
Sep 16, 2024
Mileage
13,000 mi
ElectricalExterior lightingSeat belts
Filed May 6, 2024

The cars electrical system has failed multiple times while driving leading to no headlights , brake lights and all other electrical components. we have had vehicle serviced by multiple different mechanics including ford dealership however problem persists shortly after repair each time. vehicle does not display any forewarning of failure such as no check engine lights or any indication that anything is wrong. all services and inspections show nothing is wrong however vehicle service records show electrical system and battery serviced/changed multiple time due to reoccurring problem. manufacturer says that our vin is not included in the recall however vehicle has all same issues as recalls from May 2014 to July 2015 .Vehicle was manufactured April 04,2015. how are vehicle does not fall under any of these recalls is beyond my understanding , at this point in time vehicle does not run due to multiple mechanics being unable to pin point or fix electrical issues. Would like vehicle reinspected for any of these recalls and car fixed and safe to drive.

NHTSA ID
11587274
Incident
Oct 10, 2023
Exterior lighting
Filed Apr 3, 2023

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the headlights failed to provide sufficient illumination. Additionally, while inspecting the vehicle, the contact noticed there were small cracks on the headlights. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 92,400.

NHTSA ID
11515099
Incident
Jan 1, 2021
Mileage
92,400 mi
Exterior lighting
Filed Sep 27, 2022

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the front passenger’s side headlight and rear passenger’s side taillight malfunctioned and failed to illuminate as needed. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who discovered the headlight and taillight assemblies had been damaged due to overheating and melting of the assemblies and both needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 81,840.

NHTSA ID
11486639
Incident
Sep 23, 2022
Mileage
81,840 mi
Exterior lighting
Filed Sep 22, 2020

MY 2015 FORD ESCAPE IS MELTING MY REAR BRAKE LIGHT BULB SOCKET HARNESS AND THE BRAKE LIGHT LENSE HOUSINGS

NHTSA ID
11360544
Incident
Jul 1, 2020
Mileage
9,550 mi
ElectricalExterior lighting
Filed Oct 24, 2019
Fire reported

VEHICLE HAS HAD FUSE ISSUES FROM DAY 1. HAD THE WIRING GOING TO SUNVISOR LIGHTED MIRROR START SMOKING WHEN WE CHANGED THE FUSE. WIRING WAS PINCHED FROM THE FACTORY. THEN THE HEADLIGHT DRIVERS SIDE KEEPS BLOWING FUSE. NOW TRYING FIND OUT WHY.

NHTSA ID
11270707
Incident
Oct 20, 2019
Mileage
96,000 mi
ElectricalEngineExterior lighting
Filed Apr 28, 2019

AFTER AUTO PARKED OVERNIGHT ON 04/26/2019, IN HEATED GARAGE, NO POWER TO START ENGINE, NOR OPERATE LIGHTS, RADIO, ETC. IN THE NEXT MORNING. NO BATTERY TO POWER ANY EQUIPMENT. AAA SERVICE ATTENDANT JUMP STARTED AUTO. BATTERY TESTED 100% POWER AFTER SEVERAL MINUTES OF RUN TIME ON ENGINE. 2ND OCCURRENCE IN 12 MONTHS. I WAS TOLD THIS IS CALLED A "BRAIN FREEZE" AND IS NOT UNCOMMON FOR FORD PRODUCT. ORIGINAL BATTERY IN VEHICLE REPLACED 04/27/2019.

NHTSA ID
11204201
Incident
Apr 27, 2019
Mileage
32,267 mi
ElectricalExterior lighting
Filed Sep 22, 2018

DRIVING ALONG AND THE DASHBOARD WENT OFF AND ON. WINDOWS WON'T GO UP OR DOWN. NO LIGHTS. EVERYTHING WAS FLASHING. CAR ONLY HAS 22,000 MILES ON IT. IT IS ALSO ALWAYS KEPT IN THE GARAGE. ELECTRICAL SYSTEM PROBLEMS. IT'S AN SEL AND 6 CYLINDERS. I WAS ON A CITY STREET AND JUST DROVE IT STRAIGHT TO BILL KNIGHT FORD. THEY GAVE ME NO CAR AND I'M SINGLE SO IT'S MY ONLY MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION. I AM ALSO A RETIRED TEACHER AND IT IS DIFFICULT TO BUY A CAR. I EXPECT MORE OUT OF A FAIRLY NEW CAR.

NHTSA ID
11130799
Incident
Sep 21, 2018
Mileage
22,000 mi
Exterior lighting
Filed Jan 13, 2016

I RECENTLY SENT THIS TO FORD - I AM NOT A FORD OWNER BUT I'VE BEEN BEHIND SEVERAL ESCAPE'S AND A SMALLER MODEL HATCHBACK. BOTH HAD THEIR HEADLIGHTS ON BUT THEIR TAIL LIGHTS WERE NOT. I SEE THIS AS A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE AND WHILE I UNDERSTAND THE DRIVER CAN SELECT ANOTHER SETTING - THEY DON'T KNOW THAT! AND SOMEONE IS GOING TO GET INTO A TERRIBLE ACCIDENT. SEND A RECALL TO YOUR OWNERS! FORD'S RESPONSE - MY NAME IS [XXX], I AM FROM FORD`S CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP CENTER (CRC). I HAVE REVIEWED YOUR EMAIL REGARDING THE TAIL LAMPS FUNCTIONALITY ON FORD VEHICLES. FROM TIME TO TIME NEW VEHICLE OPTIONS/FEATURES ARE ADDED, DELETED OR MODIFIED. DECISIONS TO MAKE THESE CHANGES TAKE INTO ACCOUNT FACTORS SUCH AS MARKET TRENDS, CUSTOMER DEMANDS, ENGINEERING ADVANCES AND DEALERSHIP INPUT. WE HAVE DOCUMENTED YOUR COMMENTS WHICH WILL BE FORWARDED TO THE APPROPRIATE DEPARTMENT FOR REVIEW AND CONSIDERATION. MOREOVER, FORD MOTOR COMPANY AND THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC AND SAFETY ADMINISTRATION (NHTSA) WORK TOGETHER TO PROACTIVELY IDENTIFY AREAS OF CONCERN THROUGH INVESTIGATION OF CONSUMER AND DEALER FEEDBACK. DURING AN INVESTIGATION FORD CO-OPERATES FULLY WITH NHTSA. DUE TO OUR RIGOROUS SAFETY STANDARDS AND CONSTANT TESTING, NOT ALL ISSUES RESULT IN RECALL OR CUSTOMER SATISFACTION PROGRAMS. THANK YOU FOR CONTACTING FORD MOTOR COMPANY. SINCERELY, [XXX] CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP CENTER FORD MOTOR COMPANY I'VE TRIED TO NOTIFY THE DRIVERS BUT FLASHING MY HEADLIGHTS AT THEM ONLY MAKES THEM THINK THAT I WANT TO GET AROUND THEM AND THEIR IS NO WAY TO TALK TO THEM ON THE FREEWAY. AT THE VERY LEAST PLEASE MAKE FORD NOTIFY THEIR DRIVERS OF THE CORRECT SETTING FOR THEIR CARS. THANKS FOR LISTENING. P.S. I ACTUALLY DON'T KNOW THE CAR YEAR, BUT SINCE I'VE NOT NOTICED THIS BEFORE I BELIEVE IT TO BE NEW MODELS. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

NHTSA ID
10820037
Incident
Jan 4, 2016
Exterior lighting
Filed Apr 20, 2015

THIS ISN'T PERTAINING TO MY VEHICLE, BUT THIS IS RATHER A COMPLAINT ABOUT THE CURRENT BRAKE LIGHT STYLING TRENDS IN MOST NEWER VEHICLES (NOT JUST THE FORD ESCAPE, BUT I'VE ALSO SEEN IT IN OTHER MAKE/MODEL VEHICLES AS WELL). THE ISSUE IS THE BRAKE LIGHTS SHOULD BE NOTICEABLE AND DISTINGUISHABLE WHEN THE BRAKES ARE ENGAGED, BUT IN THE CASE OF THE FORD ESCAPE (AND SEVERAL OTHER VEHICLES), THE BRAKE LIGHTS ARE A SIMPLE STRIP OF WHAT I PRESUME ARE LED LIGHTS THAT ARE VERY DIM AND HARD TO TELL THAT THEY ARE LIT (EXCEPT MAYBE AT NIGHT), ESPECIALLY WHEN THE BODY VEHICLE IS SIMILARLY RED IN COLOR. I ALMOST HIT ONE THE FORD ESCAPE BECAUSE I COULD NOT TELL (UNTIL I WAS UP CLOSE AND WAS THEN ABLE TO SEE THAT THE THIN BAND OF BARELY LIT LIGHTS WERE ACTUALLY LIT), AND ONLY REALIZED THEY WERE BRAKING DUE TO THE RELATIVE SPEEDS OF NEARBY VEHICLES. THESE NEW "STYLES" FOR THE BRAKE LIGHTS SHOULD BE LOOKED AT AS I BELIEVE THEY POSE A SAFETY HAZARD RATHER THAN BEING A SAFETY FEATURE. *TR

NHTSA ID
10711842
Incident
Apr 9, 2015

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.

Other components reported on this vehicle

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Elsewhere on this vehicle

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .