2011 Ford ESCAPE - Ratings, Complaints and Recalls

The 2011 Ford Escape SUV 4x2 has an overall safety rating of 3 out of 5. It received a mixed rating in various crash scenarios, with a 3-star rating for front crash, side crash, and rollover. This model comes equipped with standard electronic stability control, which enhances its safety features. However, it lacks both forward collision warning and lane departure warning systems.

On a concerning note, there have been 1223 complaints reported for this vehicle, indicating potential issues that owners have faced. Additionally, there have been 3 recalls associated with the Ford Escape, suggesting some safety-related concerns that needed to be addressed by the manufacturer. Overall, while the Ford Escape has some safety features like stability control, potential buyers should consider the reported complaints and recalls when making their decision.

auto generated summary, may be inaccurate.

Top stats at a glance

Complaint Count

1,223

Recall Count

3

Investigation Count

4

Safety Rating

3/5

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Safety Features

2011 Ford Escape SUV 4x2 Safety Features

Here are the safety features that come as standard on the 2011 Ford Escape SUV 4x2

Electronic Stability Control (ESC)

ESC is an advanced safety feature in vehicles designed to help drivers maintain control during challenging driving conditions. By continuously monitoring various factors such as steering angle, vehicle speed, and individual wheel speeds, ESC can detect and reduce the risk of skidding or loss of control. It achieves this by automatically applying brakes to specific wheels to stabilize the vehicle.

Standard
Forward Collision Warning (FCW)

Forward Collision Warning (FCW) is a safety feature in vehicles that helps prevent frontal collisions by alerting the driver of an imminent collision with a vehicle or obstacle ahead. Using sensors such as radar or cameras, FCW monitors the distance and speed of vehicles in front, and if it detects a potential collision, it provides visual and/or auditory warnings to prompt the driver to take evasive action.

No
Lane Departure Warning (LDW)

Lane Departure Warning (LDW) is a safety feature in vehicles that alerts drivers when their vehicle unintentionally drifts out of its lane without signaling. Utilizing cameras or sensors to monitor lane markings on the road, LDW detects when the vehicle crosses these lines and triggers visual, auditory, or haptic alerts to notify the driver of potential lane departure.

No

2011 Ford Escape SUV 4x2 Safety Ratings

Here we have the crash and rollover ratings for the 2011 Ford Escape SUV 4x2 Where possible we've included the ratings for the oldest and latest models of this car so you can compare how the safety ratings have changed over time.

Frontal Crash Ratings

Combines Driver and Passenger star ratings into a single frontal rating. The frontal barrier test simulates a head-on collision between two similar vehicles, each moving at 35 mph.

Test 2005 Score 2011 Score 2022 Score
Overall Front Crash Rating Not Rated 3 5
Front Crash Driver Side Rating 4 2 5
Front Crash Passenger Side Rating 4 4 5

Side Crash Ratings

Combines Side Barrier and Side Pole Star Ratings into a single side rating.

Test 2005 Score 2011 Score 2022 Score
Overall Side Crash Rating Not Rated 3 5
Side Crash Drivers Side Rating 5 3 5
Side Crash Passenger Side Rating 5 3 5
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Front Not Rated 3 5
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Rear Not Rated 3 5
Overall Side Barrier Rating Not Rated 3 5

Rollover Ratings

The Rollover Resistance test measures the risk of rollover in a single-vehicle, loss-of-control scenario.

Test 2005 Score 2011 Score 2022 Score
Rollover Rating 3 3 4
Rollover Possibility % 0% 0% 0%
Dynamic Tip Result Tip No Tip No Tip
Side Pole Crash Rating Not Rated 4 5

Complaints for the 2011 Ford ESCAPE

This chart show the number of complaints for each car component. A Higher number of complaints could indicate that this car might have a common fault. Something to look out for when purchasing one.

Component Complaints

Choose a component to see what complaints people have made about them.

Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2011 ford escape. the contact stated while driving 20 mph, she became aware that the electronic power steering was not functioning properly, prompting her to pull to the shoulder of the roadway. after restarting the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. no warning lights were illuminated. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the power steering torque sensor. the vehicle was not repaired. after investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to nhtsa campaign number: 14v284000 (steering) however, the vin was not included in the recall. the manufacturer was notified of the failure but referred the contact to the nhtsa hotline for assistance. the failure mileage was 150,000."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2023-01-10
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2011 ford escape. the contact stated when he entered the vehicle, the vehicle was without power steering functionality. the contact stated that while the vehicle was started, the vehicle was jerking. no warning light was illuminated. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer and was not repaired. the contact referenced nhtsa campaign number: 14v284000 (steering) as a possible solution; however, the vin was not included in the recall. the manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the nhtsa hotline. the failure mileage was approximately 313,000."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2025-01-01
Complaint:
"loses power steering. recall had been fixed way before i bought it."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2025-11-01
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2011 ford escape. the contacted stated while driving at approximately 30 mph and steering the vehicle to the right around a traffic circle, the power steering functionality failed. the contact was able to pullover and stop the vehicle. the contact turned off and restarted the vehicle and the power steering functionality returned. the contact stated no warning light was illuminated. the contact stated that the steering failure was intermittent but was a reoccurring failure. the contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic. the vehicle was not diagnosed and was not repaired. the manufacturer was not informed of the failure. the contact researched online and related the failure to nhtsa campaign number: 14v284000 (steering). the failure mileage was approximately 206,000."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2024-08-10
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2011 ford escape. the contact stated that while her granddaughter was driving at approximately 10 mph and making a turn, the steering wheel started spinning abnormally. the contact was unaware if there were any warning lights illuminated. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the steering sensor and steering column needed to be replaced. the contact called the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not contacted. the failure mileage was approximately 85,000."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2023-04-12
Complaint:
"power steering will go out. sometimes if i turn the car off and back on it will come back. very stiff steering when it goes out. drives really rough when it’s out."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2024-10-12
Complaint:
"my 2011 ford escape loses power steering while driving. there was recall out for this issues; however, my car did not receive a recall. the symptoms on the recall are the excact symptoms i am experiencing. it appears to be a fault with the electric power steering sytem. please take into consideration this is a mjor safety concern and i believe this car should have been under the recall procedure. i can be reached at [xxx] . thank you for your consideration. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6)"
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2023-01-11
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2011 ford escape. the contact stated that while his wife was at an intersection and attempting to make a left turn, the vehicle lost power steering inadvertently. there was no warning light illuminated. the contact's wife turned off and restarted the vehicle; however, the failure persisted. the contact's wife was able to drive on a straightforward roadway to his daughter's residence. the dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that a fee would be charged for a diagnostic test. the contact related the failure to nhtsa campaign number: 14v284000 (steering). the dealer informed the contact that the vin was not included. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 98,000."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2024-11-11
Complaint:
"steering goes out randomly. steering becomes very stiff and sometimes corrects itself after turning vehicle off and back on."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2023-08-01
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2011 ford escape. the contact stated while driving approximately 15-10 mph and attempting to make a left turn, the power steering assist failed. the contact was able to maneuver the vehicle with excessive force to the side of the roadway. there were no warning lights illuminated. the vehicle was taken to a certified mechanic who diagnosed and determined that the power steering assist had failed. the contact was informed of nhtsa campaign number: 14v284000 (steering) and became aware that the vin was not included. the vehicle had not been repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 130,000."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2023-02-11

Recalls for the 2011 Ford ESCAPE

Component Recalls

Choose a component to see what recalls people have made about them.

Recall:
"ford motor company (ford) is recalling certain model year 2010-2012 ford escape vehicles manufactured february 26, 2009, to april 29, 2012, and 2010-2011 mercury mariner vehicles manufactured february 25, 2009, to december 12, 2010. on vehicles with a 3.0l engine, the fuel delivery module (fdm) may crack, causing a fuel leak."
Consequence:
A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.
Remedy:

Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the FDM flange with one that has a redesigned fuel supply port, free of charge. Remedy parts are currently unavailable. Interim notices were mailed to owners on December 13, 2016. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 16S41.

Component(s) Involved: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE > DELIVERY > FUEL PUMP
Date of incident: 2016-10-26

FORD Overall Complaint Ranking

This table shows the ranking of car manufacturers when it comes to most complaints and recalls. The manufacturer with the most complaints is at the top. However this doesn't necassarily mean they should be avoided. Some manufacturers might just have more popular or affordable cars which a lot of people have bought. Which means there's more scope for a complaint to be made. Use the ranking table below as a part your wider research into buying a car.

FORD ranks 1 out of 44 in the complaints ranking table.

Manufacturer Complaint Count Recall Count Ranking
FORD 208,358 3,259 1
CHEVROLET 111,306 2,082 2
TOYOTA 81,019 1,852 3
HONDA 61,937 1,268 4
NISSAN 56,226 930 5
DODGE 45,756 827 6
HYUNDAI 44,150 649 7
GMC 34,441 1,410 8
KIA 29,832 501 9
CHRYSLER 27,698 254 10
TESLA 26,230 730 11
BMW 24,890 1,877 12
VOLKSWAGEN 23,125 829 13
MERCEDES-BENZ 19,066 2,925 14
SUBARU 18,513 703 15
MAZDA 10,599 364 16
PONTIAC 10,430 138 17
CADILLAC 9,434 444 18
AUDI 7,865 1,093 19
BUICK 7,851 279 20
SATURN 7,672 84 21
MERCURY 7,374 135 22
LEXUS 6,373 408 23
LINCOLN 5,897 423 24
ACURA 5,722 382 25
MINI 5,585 366 26
INFINITI 4,000 187 27
MITSUBISHI 3,912 397 28
VOLVO 3,875 727 29
PORSCHE 2,646 1,231 30
SUZUKI 2,272 123 31
FIAT 2,205 80 32
SAAB 1,536 76 33
JAGUAR 1,195 198 34
SMART 528 17 35
GENESIS 436 42 36
ISUZU 249 37 37
ALFA ROMEO 161 37 38
MASERATI 76 46 39
BENTLEY 46 159 40
POLESTAR 42 2 41
LUCID 14 6 42
CODA 4 2 43
MAYBACH 0 0 44

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