2015 Ford Escape Visibility Problems

For approximately two years, my Ford Escape’s rearview camera has been inoperative, displaying “Camera Not Available. Please Contact Ford Dealership.” I subsequently discovered an outstanding safety recall addressing rearview camera defects. Approximately one year after the recall was issued, Ford still has not made an official remedy available for my vehicle. I contacted Ford Customer Support multiple times to request a repair timeline. Ford suggested that I pay a dealership to replace the camera now and seek reimbursement once the official recall remedy becomes available. Local Ford dealerships quoted $643–$978 for this repair. Ford did not provide a definite timeline for either the remedy or reimbursement. I am concerned that Ford is shifting the upfront cost of addressing a recognized safety issue onto vehicle owners. Some owners may be unable to afford the repair; others may lose receipts, sell their vehicles, or miss the opportunity to request reimbursement after an extended delay. If a replacement camera can restore functionality, Ford should explain why it cannot fund that interim repair directly. An inoperative rearview camera reduces visibility of pedestrians, children, vehicles, and obstacles while reversing. It may also reduce the vehicle’s resale value while the recall remains unresolved. My camera has already been unusable for approximately two years, and the recall has remained without an available remedy for about a year. I request that NHTSA review Ford’s delay, its customer-paid interim repair proposal, and whether affected owners should receive free temporary replacements while awaiting a permanent remedy. I also ask NHTSA to assess whether further oversight is warranted to ensure a timely, effective, no-cost recall repair.

NHTSA ID

11771029

Incident

Dec 1, 2024

Backing out of parking place at Kroger and camera not working almost hit a pedestrian.

NHTSA ID

11767655

Incident

Sep 2, 2026

Backup camera recall has been since October 2025 and they have not stocked the parts since. I feel that that has been excessively long

NHTSA ID

11750127

Incident

Jun 1, 2026

I own a 2015 Ford Escape. The rearview backup camera intermittently fails when I first start the vehicle. Each time I put the car in reverse shortly after startup, the screen displays the message: “Camera is unavailable. Please contact your dealership.” After driving for several minutes, the camera usually begins working again. This is a safety concern because the camera is not available when I first back out of parking spaces, driveways, or other areas where pedestrians, children, or other vehicles may be present. The failure is unpredictable, and the camera is supposed to be a safety device to prevent accidents while reversing. The issue seems to worsen in hot weather, but it has happened on multiple occasions regardless of temperature. I have researched and found that other Ford owners report similar issues with backup cameras failing intermittently. Since rearview cameras are federally mandated safety equipment, I believe this problem should be investigated for a possible recall.

NHTSA ID

11685305

Incident

Sep 2, 2025

The contact's mother owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while approaching the vehicle, he observed what appeared to be thousands of bubbles forming on the front windshield. The contact stated that the windshield was delaminating. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 72,000.

NHTSA ID

11653900

Incident

Apr 9, 2025

Mileage

72,000 mi

2023 my back up camera was only working 75% of the time. I took the car into the Ford dealer and they said it is a known problem and the waiting period for the replacement takes up to a year. They recommended I keep checking back to see if it's in stock. The fee to replace is about $350. I was told I could prepay, but they couldn't give me a date for arrival of the part. They openly admit, some have waited up to a year. Here we are 6 months later and now the camera works less than 50% of the time. Ford knows this is an issue but it's not a recall item. To me this is a safety issue. I still view my surroundings in total prior to backing up, but the back up camera was always an added safety feature. I feel that this is not a cost the consumer should bear. Ford should recall faulty backup cams. Thank you for your time and consideration.

NHTSA ID

11582866

Incident

Oct 30, 2023

First problem- over the course of the last few years, the car intermittently gets "jumpy" when changing to/from different gears like (from reverse to drive OR drive to reverse, all after completely braking-not in the middle of gear shift). It has not completely stalled but feels very close to it. i had brought it in in the past and they had never found anything wrong with it. It does not always happen. Second problem- the rear view back up assistance has not been working properly for over 3 years. I will be in reverse and either the beeping continues even though nothing is around or, the screen goes blank and shuts off. I was told this would be at my expense, not a recall. this does not happen all the time but is very often.

NHTSA ID

11448527

Incident

Jan 3, 2022

WIPERS EXTEND BEYOUN WINDSHIELD UNCONTROLLABLE SHAKE AND TWITCH WON'T RETURN TO HOME. REPLACE STEERING COLUMN CONTROLLER TO NO EFFECT T.. WHAT IS CAUSE THIS. DEALER LOONS FORD FALLS CHURCH VA NO HELP? ALSO JUST REPLACED $5000 TRANSMISSION @ 100,000 MILES..... [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

NHTSA ID

11365530

Incident

Oct 1, 2020

Mileage

100,000 mi

FOLLOW UP... PANORAMIC SUNROOF EXPLODED ON 7-17-20. VERIFIED BY INSURANCE APPRAISER ON 7-20-20. NOBODY WILL COVER! SUNBURY MOTORS REFUSING UNDER WARRANTY AND INSURANCE SAYS ' DEFECT' !!!! VERY DANGEROUS!!!!!!

NHTSA ID

11340831

Incident

Jul 17, 2020

Mileage

56,000 mi

DRIVING TO WORK. HEARD AN EXPLOSION, GLASS SHATTERED... PANORAMIC SUNROOF EXPLODED!

NHTSA ID

11339884

Incident

Jul 17, 2020

PROFUSELY LEAKING WATER INTO CABIN SOAKING REAR HEADLINER ABOVE REAR DRIVER AND PASSENGER WINDOWS. COMING FROM ROOF RACKS OR SUNROOF, NO DAMAGE TO VEHICLE. CONCERNED LEAKING WATER WILL CAUSE ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS TO VEHICLE. NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS AND A TSB ON ISSUE. *TR

NHTSA ID

11297679

Incident

Jan 1, 2020

Mileage

51,250 mi

WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AT APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH I HEARD A NOISE THAT SOUNDED LIKE THE TRACKS FLEW OFF THE ROOF OF MY CAR. WATER BEGAN LEAKING IN THROUGH THE ROOF, SO I THOUGHT THE SUNROOF MAY NOT BE CLOSED ALL THE WAY. I OPENED THE FABRIC COVER UNDERNEATH THE SUNROOF TO SEE WHERE AND IF IT WAS LEAKING AND WHEN I DID SHATTERED GLASS BEGAN FALLING IN ON ME. I IMMEDIATELY TRIED TO CLOSE THE FABRIC PORTION AGAIN, BUT I COULDN'T GET IT CLOSED. IT KEPT CRUMBLING UNTIL THE MAJORITY OF THE SUNROOF WAS COMPLETELY GONE. I NEARLY SWERVED INTO THE OTHER LANE ALMOST HITTING ANOTHER VEHICLE WHILE TRYING TO MANAGE THE SITUATION. I WASN'T PASSING UNDER ANY OVERPASSES AND I WASN'T FOLLOWING ANYONE TOO CLOSELY.

NHTSA ID

11219632

Incident

Jun 12, 2019

Mileage

83,500 mi

OCCASIONALLY, WHEN OPERATING MULTIPLE WINDOWS FROM THE DRIVER'S DOOR PANEL, THE LOCKS ENGAGE OR DISENGAGE. THUS FAR, THIS SYMPTOM ONLY HAPPENS IN PARK. ALSO, UPON PLACING THE KEY IN THE IGNITION AND TURNING TO ACC, THE VISTA ROOF OCCASIONALLY BEGINS TO RETRACT WITHOUT THE OPERATOR TOUCHING ANY OF THE VISTA ROOF CONTROLS.

NHTSA ID

11119961

Incident

Aug 14, 2018

Mileage

130,000 mi

THE DRIVERS SIDE WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR HAS BEEN REPLACED 4 TIMES DUE TO ERRATIC MOVEMENT OF THE WIPER BLADE WHEN DRIVING IN THE RAIN. FORD MOTOR CORP KNOWS OF THE PROBLEM BUT HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO FIX IT. AS IS THE VEHICLE WILL NOT PASS STATE INSPECTION AND IT IS A SAFETY HAZARD ON THE HIGHWAY AND/OR CITY OR STATE HIGHWAYS WHEN IT RAINS. *JS *TT

NHTSA ID

11112199

Incident

May 4, 2018

Mileage

16,835 mi

WIPERS CAME IN SUDDENLY WITHOUT BEING TURNED ON WHILE I WAS DRIVING IN MOTION. THIS HAS OCCURRED 4 TIMES IN THE LAST 3 DAYS. HAD TO TURN OFF ENGINE TO GET THEM TO STOP.

NHTSA ID

11111465

Incident

Jul 13, 2018

Mileage

48,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 FORD ESCAPE. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH WITH THE SHADE OF THE SUN ROOF RETRACTED, THE GLASS EXPLODED UPWARD. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE CONTACT STOPPED THE VEHICLE ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND THEN DROVE HOME. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO NEWBERG FORD IN NEWBERG, OREGON FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THERE WAS NO EXPLANATION AS TO WHY THE SUN ROOF EXPLODED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED BY AN UNKNOWN INDEPENDENT GLASS SPECIALIST. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 45,000.

NHTSA ID

11080385

Incident

Jul 10, 2017

Mileage

45,000 mi

RIGHT DOOR REVIEW MIRROR GLASS SUDDENLY SHATTERED WHILE DRIVING STRAIGHT ON A CITY STREET. DID NOT PREVIOUSLY HIT OR OTHERWISE DAMAGE UNIT. LOOKED THIS UP ON INTERNET AND LEARNED THIS PROBLEM HAS OCCURRED WITH OTHERS DRIVING THEIR FORD ESCAPE.

NHTSA ID

11020055

Incident

Aug 27, 2017

Mileage

41,000 mi

WIPERS ARE NOT NORMAL - THEY ARE A DISTRACTION AND COULD POSSIBLY BE A ROAD HAZARD - HAS BEEN LIKE THIS SINCE WE PURCHASED - NEEDS A RECALL

NHTSA ID

11016418

Incident

Aug 13, 2017

PURCHASED 2015 FORD ESCAPE ON MAY 1, 2015. IN FEBRUARY OF 2016 THE WINDSHIELD WIPER FLUID AND PUMP STOPPED WORKING. TOOK TO FORD DEALER WHO SAID THAT RODENTS HAD CHEWED THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD WIPER LINES AND PUMP AREA ELECTRICAL. MADE REPAIR. NOW, DECEMBER 2016 I TRIED TO USE THE WINDSHIELD WIPER FLUID TO FIND THAT IT HAD ONCE AGAIN BEEN CHEWED. I HAVE BEEN PARKING MULTIPLE VEHICLES (NEW AND USED) IN THE SAME DRIVEWAY SINCE 1989 WITH NO ISSUES. RODENTS HAVE CHEWED THE SOUND BARRIER MATERIAL IN THE FRONT WHEEL WELLS AS WELL AS THE WIPER FLUID LINES, ETC. AND MADE A NEST IN THE WHEEL WELL.

NHTSA ID

10936445

Incident

Dec 9, 2016

Mileage

5,500 mi

VEHICLE EXHIBITS EXTREME GLARE ON FRONT WINDSHIELD-- THIS CAN OCCUR DAY OR NIGHT. DAY GLARE CAN BE SO BAD AS TO MAKE VEHICLE TOTALLY UNSAFE TO DRIVE-- NOT REFERRING TO GOING INTO A SETTING OR RISING SUN-- THIS IS NORMAL DAYLIGHT BETWEEN 9:00 AM AND 6:00 PM. METAL DASH PIECES REFLECT IN SIDE MIRRORS AND MAKE IT DIFFICULT TO SEE APPROACHING CARS

NHTSA ID

10872806

Incident

Jun 5, 2016

Mileage

2,100 mi

I HAVE BEEN TO FORD 3 TIMES TRYING TO GET HELP WITH AN ABSURD AMOUNT OF ROAD NOISE COMING FROM MY 2015 ESCAPE. THIS HAS BECOME A RECENT ISSUE TO THE POINT WHERE THE BACK SEAT PASSENGER CANNOT MAKE OUT WHAT THE DRIVER OR FRONT SEAT PASSENGER ARE SAYING. AFTER MY 3 VISITS, FORD HAS DISMISSED THIS PROBLEM WITH LITTLE INTEREST. WHEN DRIVING YOU CAN FEEL AIR FROM THE ROAD AS YOU ARE IN THE VEHICLE. THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD AS I AM WORRIED IF DEBRIS WERE TO HIT MY CAR OR IF I WERE TO GET IN AN ACCIDENT THERE COULD BE SERIOUS DAMAGE TO MYSELF OR MY PASSENGERS. I HAVE ALSO HAD ISSUES WITH MY TRUNKS LIFT GATE. IT FAILS TO LATCH REQUIRING ME TO EITHER DRIVE WITH IT UNLATCHED OR FIDDLE WITH IT UNTIL IT CLOSES. I HAVE ALSO STRUGGLED WITH THE DOORS LATCHING CLOSED WHICH HAVE RESULTED IN MY PASSENGERS OPENING AND CLOSING THE DOORS SEVERAL TIMES UNTIL THE SENSOR SAYS THEY ARE CLOSED. FOR A 2015 THIS SHOULD NOT BE HAPPENING AND I AM ASHAMED IN MYSELF FOR LEASING A CAR FROM SUCH A CARELESS COMPANY WHO LACKS CONCERN FOR ITS CONSUMERS.

NHTSA ID

10821553

Incident

Jul 23, 2015

Mileage

12,000 mi