CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2012 Ford Escape has an acceptable complaint history so far, with leaking rear window problems showing up as the main concern so far. NHTSA complaint data shows an early pattern of problems with stalling while driving.
Both hinges on rear window disintegrated and left marks on window. Went to open it and the window fell. I have heard of this problem a lot with Escapes. This really could have been a safety problem. I travel on the highway every day, it could have flown out into another car and hurt someone.
Along with the rust on the wheel wells, apparently the faulty window seal on the tailgate has caused the tailgate to become inoperable.
The problem is that they admittedly had an issue with the seal on the window glass (yet another complaint) which allows water into the back tailgate and fries the button and or the actuator for the tailgate.
Luckily there are thousands of videos on how to fix this, but this is a $120 part for the actuator, another $25 for the button and if you want to fully resolve the issue another however much to get the new window glass seal.
Motor on hatch stopped working. Greased/Oiled the latch and it worked temporarily. Replacement part is $170CDN + labour to replace. Shame that even that part is electronic and needs to be replaced at a premium priced where a simple hole/key would have prevented this from occurring in the first place. The trunk is useless without being able to open the door to it.
The car was only 19,862 but because it was 3 years old, Ford did not cover the warranty. The Liftgate Latch broke because of manufacturer's defects, I read on some reviews that water gets inside and damages the latch but they did not want to cover in warranty. After reading all the bad reviews about 2012 Ford Escape cars, I decided to trade it in and got a new Toyota Highlander because I did not feel safe on the Ford Escape. I will never buy a Ford car again. The Escape proved bad quality.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
My lift gate will open sometimes. Other times it won't and makes a sad sound.
- Jessie H., Gloucester, VA, US