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CarComplaints.com Notes: The top problem trend for the 2014 Escape is transmission failure at around 70k miles.

This is relatively low mileage for an expensive transmission failure ($4,500 average to fix), but unless the trend becomes more established, we are only awarding the 2014 Escape our "Beware of the Clunker" badge for now.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
3 / 14
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
41,475 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2014 Ford Escape electrical problems

electrical problem

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2014 Ford Escape Owner Comments (Page 1 of 9)

problem #165

May 012024

Escape

  • 171,732 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Unknown. Something at the backside of the motor caught on fire. The car overheated and would not drive. Pulled over, cooled off, added coolant, drove home. Car won't go over 40, shakes, and makes noises. Took it to automotive place. They took the manifold(?) and stopped! Called and told us there had been a fire in the motor, we need to call our insurance company and take it to a Ford dealership. Warranty and insurance company are both fighting with us. Neither one wants to pay!!! This is total BS!!!! No recalls"! Google this cars problems and their #1 problem is they catch on fire!!! WHY IS THERE NO RECALLS?!?!? Does someone have to die to get a recall"

- Fort Wayne, IN, USA

problem #164

Feb 152024

Escape

  • miles
the instrument panel cluster gets inoperative including a blank multiple functional display (MFD), and non-functional warning chimes, messages and warning lights. The engine cylinder head overheats crack and leak oil. Other 2014 Ford escapes have had recalls for the same issues but they are saying mine isn't affected. Obviously it is.

- Rogers City, MI, USA

problem #163

Feb 222024

Escape

  • miles
I have maintained my vehicle as I always have with previous autos in the past. In 11/22 I had to replace the transmission, which left me 6k+ in debt. My auto is now seemingly going into limp mode for no reason whatsoever and just shutting off while driving. This almost caused an accident, there was NO forewarning of any mechanical issues prior to it doing this. The check engine light came on, rpm-??s declined, tried to move to side of the road by pressing gas pedal with no acceleration. Shut car off, called a tow truck mechanic could not diagnose any problem. Since this first incident it has happened almost everytime I-??ve driven it. This last time left me and my dog on side of road, unable to move to safe place due to no acceleration with gas pedal. My car is now leaking oil once parked, there-??s oil all over hood and internal parts of car, auto is now spuddering with intermittent bursts of power. I-??ve never had as many issues with a vehicle as I have with my -??14 Ford escape ecoboost titanium suv. Upon researching common problems with this year and make this is a MAJOR COMMON ISSUE. For an auto to be -??known-?? for these mechanical issues, these should be ALL covered by the manufacturer!! Transmission is a known issue, the deacceleration and oil leak issue once this issue starts are all known issues. Every mechanic I-??ve either brought it to or discussed my issues tell me the same thing, -?? oh yeah, that year is known for these issues-?? so what does one do, when they can-??t afford a new vehicle, they owe more on the car due to the repairs? I-??ve also needed to replace minimum of 5 headlight bulbs and tail light bulbs within the last 6 months. That-??s not normal. Please advise

- Spencer, MA, USA

problem #162

Apr 022024

Escape

  • 125,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle unintendedly decelerated to 30 MPH. The check engine warning light and an unknown sensor warning light were illuminated. The contact veered to the side of the road. The contact stated that he turned off and restarted the vehicle and was able to continue driving. The contact stated that the failure recurred while driving the following day, and the vehicle decelerated from 65 MPH to 10 MPH, nearly causing a semi-truck to crash into the vehicle. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road and turned off the vehicle for 15 minutes. The contact stated that he restarted the vehicle, activated the hazard lights, and continued driving at 40-50 MPH. The contact stated that the failure mostly occurred while driving and exceeding 60 MPH. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be inspected. The dealer determined that an unknown sensor had failed, and the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V495000 (Electrical System); however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not covered due to the VIN. The failure mileage was approximately 125,000.

- Daytona Beach, FL, USA

problem #161

Feb 032024

Escape

  • miles
2014 Ford Escape Power Steering failure while on the interstate in fast moving and heavy traffic. Almost caused a pile up and barely got out of the way of a semi truck going 70 or more mph to the safety of the edge of interstate. The power steering had been working fine. Until a couple days prior to the incident, I cranked it up and it seemed like it was in manual steering mode. I cut it off re cranked it and it was fine. So i thought just a randon glitch when starting it. Always loved and relied and trusted ford vehicles until the incident on the interstate. I got it off the interstate cut it off and started it again, it was no longer power steering and felt it was in manual steering mode all the way on the back roads getting it home. I contacted Ford and told them of the problem, they instantly said they had repared vehicles and also numerous complaints on this problem and that there was not a recall on it, only on vehicles up to 2012. Then after further research I found tons of folks who were experiencing the same problem and some in the process of lawsuits or in process of filing one against Ford for the problem. I ask on line and researched others complaints about their experience, for some it was just the battery, so I replaced it with a new battery, it was not the problem and soon after had someone put a scanner on it and it shows the electric steering rack as the error. the dealership when called about the part stated that Ford had several problems with the steering part, that the system had a faulty boot which would allow water to get into the electric steering component and basically fry the board. The solution Ford has for it is not to do anything about it in numerous vehicles having the same faulty parts is to sell you a corrected part and charge you around $4000/labor" Really? You are getting sued and you are telling others to repair it with another probably faulty part again? Should I sue for the repairs? Can they be forced to recall"

- Moody, AL, USA

problem #160

Aug 142023

Escape

  • 65,000 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated while the vehicle was idling, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that several attempts were needed to restart the vehicle while depressing the accelerator pedal. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact became aware of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 14V495000 (Electrical System) and 15V005000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) however, the VIN was not included in the recalls. The failure persisted and occurred more frequently. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the fuel injector line had failed as well as there was a wiring failure causing the battery and engine to engage or disengage unintentionally by the driver. The alternator and battery had been replaced; however, a third repair had not been completed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure where it was confirmed that the failure was related but was not included in the recall with the NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V495000 (Electrical System). The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to file a complaint. The failure mileage was 65,000.

- Saint Louis, MO, USA

problem #159

Feb 092024

Escape

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My car has 15 recalls. I was only notified of 2. According to one of the letters I received It states that repairs were done but not completed and that is a lie. I have never had any recall work done, mainly because the first letter said they didn't have parts. I was only made aware of the latest 2 and no work has ever been done that I am aware of nor have I ever been notified until recently. So why are they saying work was done when I know it wasn't" One of the recalls says my car should not be driven for safety reasons. How can they be trusted? I know the repairs were not done even though the letter says it has been done. How can they claim it was fixed, when I know for a fact it wasn't. What can I do to prove they are lying? Shouldn't there be records" I would love to see these records. My name is [XXX] [XXX]. or [XXX]. My car is a 2014 ford escape. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Fayetteville, GA, USA

problem #158

Nov 302023

Escape

  • miles
My car was put into safety mode and dropped down to 3 miles per hour

- Louisville , KY, USA

problem #157

Nov 102023

Escape

  • miles
The car announced a low coolant in the system and then 10 seconds after the car turn on fire and burned down completely.

- Fayetteville, NC, USA

problem #156

Oct 162023

Escape

  • miles
My instrument cluster/panel went out on my car. I know I have a 2014 but my car only has 89,000 miles on it. I cannot imagine that something as important as an instrument cluster/panel was made to last under 100,000 miles let alone ever. So I looked for a recall and was excited to know that I would not have to pay for such an expensive repair. It was short lived however when I realized that my vehicle having a manufacture date of 02/12/2014 was not included in the recall which is for May 2014 - July 2015. Seriously this is unbelievable to me. I had to pay $1,130.18 to fix this and I can't believe that others have not had the same problem.

- Quincy, MI, USA

problem #155

Sep 092023

Escape

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

This vehicle was purchased by an -??Authorized Dealer -?? on August 31st 2023. I was unaware of the many issues that this vehicle had. Within the first few hours of driving off the lot in this car, I put the car in reverse and for one the back up camera stalled, secondly, a message appeared stating the camera is unavailable and for me to contact the dealer. Well I did, I contacted Five Star Ford and was told $165 just for a diagnostic. Additionally, I was driving on the highway Sept. 9th and the car just began to lose power. I literally was pedal to the metal trying to get home in hopes that this vehicle didn-??t give out on me. Shortly after that, the check engine light came on and as I accelerated, this rough noise seemed as though it was getting louder and louder. Last but not least, this car drinks gas likes it-??s going out of style. The overall mileage is bogus. According to the odometer after having this car for 11 days, I had supposedly put 1,000 miles on this vehicle!!!! That-??s absurd to me!! I haven-??t been out of the town or anything. I-??ve watched the odometer jump from 120812 to 120837 after only traveling about 2 and half miles. Like what-??s going on with this these faulty transmissions in these cars, FORD! What are you doing about it"?? People work hard to purchase a car for them and their family. Why make our lives more difficult with these faulty vehicles?"!!

- Dallas, TX, USA

problem #154

Aug 012020

Escape

  • miles
The backup camera is showing upside down in view screen. When backuping

- Orlando, FL, USA

problem #153

Jun 292023

Escape

  • miles
When driving vehicle on highway it slows down then have to push on gas pedal to exelarate like it sputters then shuts off. Dashboard says Engine Failure park vehicle immediately very frustrating!! I-??m about to file a lawsuit if this doesn-??t get taken care of!

- Kansas City, MO, USA

problem #152

Apr 122023

Escape

  • 53,000 miles
The contact-??s mother owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of the NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train) however, the contact stated that upon taking the vehicle for the recall repair, while driving at an undisclosed speed, the speedometer failed to display an accurate reading and remained at 0. Several unknown warning lights started flashing. The contact then stated that the electrical system started to malfunction, and the warning lights remained illuminated. The contact stated that he veered off the road to park the vehicle and then had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed by the mechanic that the diagnostic result indicated several unknown failures, and it was suggested that the vehicle be taken to the dealer for assistance. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the ABS, the ABS module, and the battery voltage had failed. The vehicle had not yet been repaired and remained with the dealer. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no further assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 53,000.

- Oviedo, FL, USA

problem #151

Oct 172022

Escape

  • miles
Back up camera at times is showing upside down view, sometime squiggle lines, and sometime a message that reads camera not available. I have become used to using the camera and rely on it for backing up in in parking lots and such. I grew up using the mirrors and can still do that but the camera give extra security. My vehicle has about $78,000, the camera should not be acting up. I have taken it to the local dealer and got a large quote to replace it. I did see on the news last night about a recall on this issue, but my year model was not included. This started about eight months ago. I had no idea I could file a complaint until today after calling Ford directly and being transferred to National Highway Safety Division. I am always available if someone want to inspect my vehicle. I don't drive much, as you can tell a 2014 with 78,000 miles, but when I do i like to feel like I can rely on the safety features of my vehicle.,

- Ellijay, GA, USA

problem #150

May 132023

Escape

  • miles
Amongst SEVERAL problems with this vehicle, it often slips out of gear while driving. Which has caused me to have to stop in the middle of the lane. It has had multiple mega fuses go out. It will often say -??power steering fault-?? and then the message will go away. I am genuinely scared to drive this vehicle because I never know when the power system is going to go out. I have always stayed up to date on maintenance and it has less than 90k on miles. I do not understand why this has not been pulled off the market. It seems like all the escapes before mine were pulled for the same issues.

- Cedartown , GA, USA

problem #149

Apr 192023

Escape

  • miles
The vehicle will get a steering assist fault message and go into limp mode immediately giving you no time to pull to the side of the road. Please make ford do something about the steering issues on these vehicles. These escapes are too dangerous to drive.

- Omaha, NE, USA

problem #148

Mar 062023

Escape

  • 97,000 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the instrument panel cluster started to malfunction. Additionally, the contact stated that the audio panel, the radio, and the hands-free communication device failed to operate as designed. The dealer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the APIM may need to be repaired however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was transferred to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 97,000.

- Rochester Hills, MI, USA

problem #147

Feb 132023

Escape

  • miles
The contact's girlfriend owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was firm while being depressed. The contact had to apply pressure to the brake pedal to stop the vehicle. Additionally, the instrument cluster was inoperable with a blank display. The contact related the instrument cluster failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V406000 (Electrical System) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the brake master cylinder was leaking fluid and that the brake booster needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was unknown.

- Columbia, SC, USA

problem #146

Jan 222023

Escape 4-cyl

  • miles
Steering assist fault: Service requied light came on. Steering wheel hard to turn. Steering wheel system is electrical and cannot use power steering fluid to receitfy the problem. Towed vehicle to nearest Ford dealership to repair the issue. Diagnostic test ($170) is being conducted to determine the issue. I research the internet and most complainents indicated the steering rack need to be replaced. Cost range, very costly. The contact has stated that their vehicle is not included in the recall because it only includes MY 2013 Ford Escapes. The diagnostic test determined that a new power steering rack was needed but the part was on backorder. No assistance from Ford has been offered.

- Winter Park, FL, USA

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