2014 Ford ESCAPE - Ratings, Complaints and Recalls

The 2014 Ford Escape SUV 4x4 has received a respectable overall safety rating of 4 out of 5. It excels in side crash protection with a rating of 5 for both the driver and passenger sides, as well as a combined side barrier pole rating of 5 for both front and rear. The vehicle also scores well in the overall side barrier rating and side pole crash rating, each receiving a top score of 5.

In terms of safety features, the Ford Escape comes equipped with standard electronic stability control, which is a crucial system for enhancing vehicle stability and helping prevent loss of control. However, it does not have forward collision warning or lane departure warning systems, which provide additional safety alerts and assistance to drivers.

It is important to note that the Ford Escape has a relatively high number of complaints, totaling 1700, and has been subject to 15 recalls. These numbers should be taken into consideration when evaluating the overall safety and reliability of the vehicle.

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Top stats at a glance

Complaint Count

1,700

Recall Count

15

Investigation Count

2

Safety Rating

4/5

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Safety Features

2014 Ford Escape SUV 4x4 Safety Features

Here are the safety features that come as standard on the 2014 Ford Escape SUV 4x4

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

2014 Ford Escape SUV 4x4 Safety Ratings

Here we have the crash and rollover ratings for the 2014 Ford Escape SUV 4x4 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 2014 Score 2022 Score
Overall Front Crash Rating Not Rated 4 5
Front Crash Driver Side Rating 4 4 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 2014 Score 2022 Score
Overall Side Crash Rating Not Rated 5 5
Side Crash Drivers Side Rating 5 5 5
Side Crash Passenger Side Rating 5 5 5
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Front Not Rated 5 5
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Rear Not Rated 5 5
Overall Side Barrier Rating Not Rated 5 5

Rollover Ratings

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

Test 2005 Score 2014 Score 2022 Score
Rollover Rating 3 4 4
Rollover Possibility % 0% 0% 0%
Dynamic Tip Result Tip No Tip No Tip
Side Pole Crash Rating Not Rated 5 5

Complaints for the 2014 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 2014 ford escape. the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle overheated. the contact stated that a year ago, the vehicle was serviced under an engine recall repair due to coolant leak. the contact stated on several occasions, the vehicle had been taken back to the dealer due to the failure after the recall repair had been completed. the vehicle was towed to the dealer and remained at the dealer since the beginning of january 2024. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 90,000."
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2024-06-01
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2014 ford escape. the contact stated that while she and a guest were driving at 35 mph, the vehicle lost motive power, with unknown warning lights flickering. the contact stated that she observed white smoke coming from the rear of the vehicle. the vehicle was steered to the side of the road where the vehicle was shut off. on another occasion, that engine started to overheat. the vehicle was steered to the side of the road where coolant was added; however, the failure persisted. the vehicle was turned off and was not able to operate. the vehicle was towed to the residence. the vehicle was then towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the cylinder head was cracked, and coolant and oil were leaking into the engine. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 132,000."
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2024-03-07
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2014 ford escape. the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine misfired. the contact stated that occasionally, the vehicle failed to start. additionally, the contact stated that coolant had been leaking out of the reservoir and the contact noticed a burning odor coming from under the hood. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that coolant leaked into the engine and caused engine failure. the contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 70,000."
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2023-06-11
Complaint:
"i've had to send this car into the shop multiple times since i bought it 2 years ago. it has cost me thousands. every time it gets 'fixed' the same issue pops up a month or two later. disaster of a vehicle."
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2023-05-11
Complaint:
"engine slowly loses antifreeze which is leaking into cylinders. this causes overheating and cracked block. this is a problem with all ford 1.6 litre motors. ford knows this!"
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2025-05-12
Complaint:
"unknown my engine is cracked and leaking fluid. this has been verified by an independent mechanic inspection. passenger safety is threatened by stalling in traffic or engine fire. the check engine light signaled the issue. strikingly similar issues for similar vehicles of the same make (2014 ford escape ) from the same factory (louisville) built at the same time (2014) have already been documented in recall 17v09 (ford recall 17s09). i am fearful my car will catch fire as well. i would have reported this issue sooner but i received misleading information from ford which told me that nhtsa bore responsibility for including my vehicle in this recall. since the incident i have been working with my mechanic, the dealer, and ford, and finally called nhtsa on 12/22/2023 (call 1459052)."
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2024-03-10
Complaint:
"coolant intrusion fire confirmed by a dealer only a dealer symptoms, very low coolant. appeared sept 2022 and sept 2023"
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2024-06-09
Complaint:
"vehicle is leaking coolant. this seem to be common on this model even after the coolant recall service was performed."
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2024-02-12
Complaint:
"engine overheated, loss of coolant, check engine light illuminated. towed to ford dealership. replaced valve cover gasket and spark plugs. dealership said this would fix overheating issue. 3 weeks later engine overheated again, loss of coolant, check engine light illuminated. towed for a different ford dealership. no stored code for check engine light illuminated. mechanics cannot reproduce overheating. mechanics said they have found nothing wrong, no loss of coolant. there is a recall for 2014 ford escape 1.6l ecoboost, ford is saying my vin number does not fall in this recall of engine and engine cooling. recall # 17v2009000. both dealerships say nothing is wrong with the car, they cannot find an issue yet it has happened 2 times now."
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2023-11-12
Complaint:
"i was not notified by ford of two recalls issued on my vehicle."
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2023-11-12

Recalls for the 2014 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 2012-2015 ford focus, 2013-2015 ford escape and ford c-max, 2015 lincoln mkc and ford mustang, and 2014-2016 ford transit connect vehicles. a component within the door latches may break, preventing the doors from latching and/or leading the driver or a passenger to believe a door is securely closed when, in fact, it is not."
Consequence:
A door that is not securely latched could open while the vehicle is in motion, increasing the risk of injury to a vehicle occupant.
Remedy:

Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the door latches with an improved part, free of charge. The recall began on January 27, 2017. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 16S30.

Component(s) Involved: LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES > DOORS > LATCH
Date of incident: 2016-09-06
Recall:
"ford motor company (ford) is recalling certain 2011-2014 fiesta, 2013-2014 fusion, 2015 mustang, 2013-2015 escape and c-max, 2012-2015 focus, 2014-2016 transit connect, 2013-2014 lincoln mkz, and 2015 mkc vehicles. these vehicles were previously recalled and repaired under recalls 15v-246, 16v-643 or 17v-210, however the repair may not have been completed properly. a component within the door latches may break making the doors difficult to latch and/or leading the driver or a passenger to believe a door is securely closed when, in fact, it is not."
Consequence:
A door that is not securely latched could open while the vehicle is in motion, increasing the risk of injury to a vehicle occupant.
Remedy:

Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the latch date codes to confirm if the repair was done correctly, and replace the side door latches if necessary, free of charge. Owners will also have the option to inspect their own vehicle's door latches and enter the date codes into a website to determine if the latches are correct. Owner notification letters were mailed on July 27, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20S30.

Component(s) Involved: LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES > DOORS > LATCH
Date of incident: 2020-06-08

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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