2010 Ford Escape
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Vehicle speed control is the leading concern among 2,129 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 4th highest complaint count among 26 Escape model years with reports.
Of the 2010 reports, 32 involved a crash and 3 involved a fire. 23 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Fuel system, gasoline, delivery, fuel pumpOct 26, 2016
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.
A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.
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.
Campaign 16V777000 on NHTSA.gov
Suspension, front, wheel bearingJun 3, 2015
The Timken Company (Timken) is recalling certain aftermarket front wheel bearings, part number 510072, sold from January 22, 2015, to May 21, 2015, to be used as service parts on 2001-2012 Ford Escape, 2001-2011 Mazda Tribute, and 2005-2011 Mercury Mariner vehicles. The affected wheel bearings have incorrect dimensions of a 42mm bore, 76mm outer dimension, and 39mm width, instead of a 42mm bore, 78mm outer dimension and a 45mm width.
Use of an incorrectly sized wheel bearing can adversely affect the braking and steering of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Timken has begun notifying distributors who will offer purchasers replacement wheel bearings, free of charge. The recall began on May 21, 2015. Owners may contact Timken customer service at 1-866-984-6536.
Campaign 15E045000 on NHTSA.gov
Steering, electric power assist systemMay 29, 2014
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2008-2011 Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner vehicles manufactured August 18, 2006, through September 11, 2010. The affected vehicles have a steering torque sensor that may not be able to properly detect driver steering input. As a result, the system could remove the Electric Power Steering (EPS) assist.
If power steering assist is lost, greater driver effort would be required to steer the vehicle at low speeds, increasing the risk of a crash.
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will update the software for the power steering control module (PSCM) and the instrument cluster module, free of charge. If a vehicle shows a history of a loss of the torque sensor signal or fault codes relating to the PSCM when the vehicle is brought in for the recall remedy, the affected components will be replaced, free of charge. The recall began on July 18, 2014. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-800-392-3673. Ford's number for this recall is 14S05.
Campaign 14V284000 on NHTSA.gov
EquipmentSep 3, 2010
MARATHON IS RECALLING CERTAIN SEAT COVERS, BRAND SUPERHIDES WITH PART NUMBERS 593, 594, 578, 960, 228, 228-09, 267-08, 333, 625, AND 630, SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE SEAT COVERS ARE MADE OF HEAVIER THREAD AND ARE NOT COMPATIBLE WITH SEATS CONTAINING SIDE AIRBAGS. THE HEAVIER SEAT COVER COULD INTERFERE WITH FULL DEPLOYMENT OF THE AIRBAG IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH.
AN IMPROPERLY DEPLOYED AIRBAG COULD RESULT IN SERIOUS INJURY.
MARATHON WILL NOTIFY OWNERS OF RECORD AND REPLACE THE SEAT COVER FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 14, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT MARATHON AT 1-800-735-2769.
Campaign 10E043000 on NHTSA.gov
Power train, automatic transmissionMay 24, 2010
FORD IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2010 FUSION, MILAN, AND ESCAPE VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM FEBRUARY 27, THROUGH MARCH 26, 2010. THE PARK ROD GUIDE RETENTION PIN MAY NOT HAVE BEEN PROPERLY INSTALLED WHICH FAILS TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENT OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 114, "THEFT PROTECTION AND ROLLAWAY PREVENTION".
A VEHICLE PARKED WITHOUT AN ENGAGED PARK PAWL AND WITHOUT AN APPLIED PARKING BRAKE MAY HAVE UNINTENDED MOVEMENT WHICH MAY CAUSE A CRASH.
FORD WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND DEALERS WILL REPAIR THE VEHICLES FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 28, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FORD MOTOR COMPANY CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP CENTER AT 1-866-436-7332 AND FOR THE HEARING IMPAIRED CALL 1-800-232-5952 (TDD). REPRESENTATIVES ARE AVAILABLE MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY: 8:00AM - 5:00PM.
Campaign 10V222000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints
2,129 reports, newest first.
Service brakes, Jul 27, 2023
I was sitting at a red light with my foot on the brake. I was behind another car when all of a sudden I hear a chime looked at my cluster and it said "check brake system" and my car was rolling forward. I could feel I still was pressing on the brake and wasn't sure what to do so I put the car in park. Once the light changed I turned into the side street and when braking realized that while my brakes were slowing down the car they were not stopping it as normal. I made my way carefully to my mothers home as I was on my way to drop her off when it occurred. While driving I realized I could still stop the car with the brakes but I needed to put more force than usual and the brakes had more resistance. The car also did not stop smoothly but more like hard braking. Once I arrived at her home I turned off and on the car and it was still displaying the check brakes. I turned off the car again and pulled on the emergency brake release just in case and when I turned on the car everything worked as normal. I had the car towed home and had a mobile mechanic come and check it out. For him the car worked fine and no codes displayed in his system. I have contacted my local dealership and Ford Twitter to seek help. As of now my dealership hasn't contacted me after 24 hours and the Twitter account states they will look into it. Searching online there appears to be many other instances reported similar to mine. Possibly related to the Ford Fusion brake recall NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 19V904000. This car was purchased used but has been taken care of and had regular maintenance at both a local shop and Ford. I've never experienced this before but am extremely hesitant to drive now as I don't want to cause an accident or be stranded somewhere. If this is indeed related to the Fusion campaign there should be a recall as all other incidents reported were also for a 2010 Ford Escape Hybrid.
Other or unspecified, Jul 1, 2023
UNKNOWN Passenger side rear quarter panel rusting above tire well. No other rust on vehicle. In review of online complaints this is common for Ford Escape’s 2008-2012.
Power train, Jun 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2010 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle jolted and then lost motive power. The contact stated that fuel was leaking from the vehicle, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact stated that she was informed by the manufacturer and the dealer that the recalls on the vehicle had expired. The failure mileage was 161,542.
Steering, May 19, 2023
Vehicle was involved in a minor car accident. Vehicle was parked outside my residence on the street. At the time there was only minor body damage. Next day was on my way to work and I noticed that my steering wheel was hard to turn while making a right hand turn. Almost cause an accident and was having a hard time maneuvering the vehicle to a safe location. Vehicle was taken to repair shop per insurance but they didn’t fix the problem claiming that the issue was pre existing prior to accident. Had no lights or indicators on dash. Vehicle was functioning properly before accident. It wasn’t listed in any recalls that were mentioned. I’m currently waiting for my vehicle to be fixed as the part that needs repair is on back order. Been without my vehicle since February 13th when it was towed by my insurance company at the time.
Air bags, May 15, 2023, crash
The airbag on the driver's side did not deploy when the vehicle was hit from behind. -It is available for inspection -I was injured -I have not had the airbag inspected by a dealer, but did have the car repaired at an auto collision repair shop -The vehicle has not been inspected by police, insurance rep or dealer, but did have an annual inspection by an auto shop before the failure -There were no warning messages prior to the failure
Suspension, May 4, 2023
Had an alternator problem , had vehicle towed to garage for repair. When I picked the owner of the garage there is significant rust to the suspension. I inspected the damage my self and found the "suspension part" that holds the strut was just about rusted through. I researched the web and found out that there were plenty of others who have the same
Other or unspecified, Back over prevention, Apr 22, 2023
Rear frame over rear tires, rusting through frame, I was told by collision shop that the 2008 through 2012 has this problem and Ford motor company has done nothing to fix this problem. It is a safety problem and everyone knows about it and nothing has been done. If this area breaks the driver can lose control and kill someone, I don't think this problem should be ignored any longer. I've kept my escape in mint condition and just found out about this problem. I hope you can look into this and resolve the problem before someone dies because of it. Thank you From: Coy Tidwell
Steering, Apr 5, 2023
I was making a left turn from a complete stop across traffic, and my steering wheel would not turn. I almost got hit by a car, and had to reverse quickly to keep from being hit. I was able to man handle the steering wheel to get home. I had it towed to the local dealership, and they told me it was electrical parts that would cost over $4k to repair. The dealership would not give me specifics on the issues, and i've been trying to reach them all day to get a print out, so I can have a private mechanic look at it. The dealership told me that the steering recall had been fixed way back in 2014 before I took ownership of the car, but I can't find that proof anywhere. The car is running just fine other than that. I did notice after I got two new tires a few months ago, that when I got up around 80mph on the interstate, the car would shake a lot. I had to slow down to around 70mph to keep it from shaking.
Steering, Mar 27, 2023
The contact owns a 2010 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced loss of power steering assist. The message "Power Steering Failure" was displayed. The contact pulled to the side of the road, turned off and restarted the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 159,000.
Steering, Mar 24, 2023
The contact's cousin owns a 2010 Ford Escape. The contact stated while his cousin was driving 45 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. A message indicating a power steering assist failure was displayed. The contact's cousin veered to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The contact diagnosed that the steering shaft torque sensor had failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist because the vehicle was previously repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering). However, the contact stated that only the power steering control module (PSCM) update was completed during the recall repair. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 107,644.
Steering, Mar 23, 2023
The contact owns a 2010 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, the steering wheel started to vibrate and occasionally jerked to either the right or left, depending on the direction the contact was steering the vehicle. The contact stated that the shaking and vibration was intermittent but gradually became more frequent, leading to a total loss of power steering functionality. The contact stated that the "power steering assist fault" warning light was illuminated. The contact parked the vehicle at her mother's residence. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering). The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Steering, Mar 21, 2023
The electronic steering system failed on Interstate 71 southbound. The system completely failed, the instrument panel gave a trouble code. The vehicle almost caused a result on account of the failure. I don't understand how my vehicle is exempt from this recall....the same junk parts are installed in the 2010 model that I own. Makes no sense if Ford or NTSB actually cared about public safety.
Steering, Mar 16, 2023
while driving my vehicle and exiting the expressway making a left-hand turn approximately 35mph suddenly my steering became extremely hard to turn, and I almost crashed into another vehicle. On the dash the power steering assist fault warning light alerted me. extremely hard to turn the vehicle at lower speeds and dangerous.
Service brakes, Mar 8, 2023
Brakes spontaneously failing. When you start the car the brakes go all the way to the floor. Despite bleeding the brakes and replacing the master cylinder no change. Appears to be ABS which is a common report of failure in these cars.
Steering, Mar 3, 2023
The contact owns a 2010 Ford Escape. The contact stated while his girlfriend was driving approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality and the steering wheel became difficult to turn, nearly causing the driver to lose control of the steering and crash. During the failure the message "power steering" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the power steering torque angle sensor module was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 140,000.
Structure, Mar 3, 2023, crash
Available for inspection upon request. Front SUB- FRAME RUSTED IN 2 ON RIGHT LOWER SIDE. Right lower control arm bushing pulled out of arm. Driving on highway car without warning jerked off the road. Could have killed everyone in the car had it collided with anything. Car is completely in drivable because it is not safe. Problem has been confirmed. No there was not any warning lights or warning. I was told by a ford mechanic that there is no way that this car should have a subframe rust through.
Steering, Feb 22, 2023, crash
I was driving at a speed of less than 40mph. I was going around a curve and the wheel felt as though it yanked from my hand to the right and I went into the ditch and up the embankment. I was unable to control the wheel. I came to a stop partially on my side due to the steep incline. Due to the snow and ice in the ditch, many components under my right side were broken and torn off making it difficult to see all the damage. My car was totaled. Police responded and I was helped out of my vehicle. The tow company came and towed it. No warning lights were on. I am very lucky to be alive- if I had been going any faster I would likely have rolled my vehicle due to the lack of control I had of the wheel and tires. It felt as though it was "slippery" under my grip, like the wheel wasn't controlled tightly by my steering. I was not majorly injured but am very sore and will need continued chiropractic care of my neck and right hip and shoulder.
Other or unspecified, Fuel/propulsion system, Feb 21, 2023
Talked to [XXX] (service Manager) AutoNation Ford regarding issues encountered. Service recall dates back to Nov 16, 2017 where recall issue was not completed correctly. We had contacted AutoNation Ford to address this fuel leak issue. Original recall (16S41) description was about fuel leak underneath the vehicle and after service recall completed in 2017 the issue persisted. This would have caused gasoline leakage causing dangerous condition operating vehicle. This has also been forwarded to NHTSA. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).”
Steering, Feb 15, 2023
The contact owns a 2010 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the steering wheel was making abnormal rattling sounds. There was no further information provided. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the failure was related to Ford Campaign Number: 13N03. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle could not be repaired under the campaign because the campaign had expired. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 143,900.
Steering, Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Feb 6, 2023
My power steering went out after I got my car. My starter doesn’t work I have to use a button on my keys to always start my car the key will not start my car. It’s very hard to turn my car and it went out while I was making a turn and myself siblings and boyfriend almost got hit by an oncoming car. The car has not been inspected, I can have my car looked at most likely upon request unless I have work but I can come in the next available day. There were no messages or warnings to my car or any symptoms before they went out.
Service brakes, Jan 20, 2023
Serious safety issue. Brake system complete failure in the driveway at my house. Luckily nobody was hurt and no damage to the vehicle or our home. Vehicle had to be towed to dealer. Critical electric brake component failed. Which one is unclear. There are several in "series" in the braking system. When the one failed it destroyed the others as well. Serious safety design flaw. One compenant detroys all? Fortunate we were not in traffic and or highway speed etc. Very popular vehicle. Millions sold. Unknown if others have eperienced the same catastophic failure. Vey expensive repair. They say it will be $4820 + tax.
Fuel/propulsion system, Jan 19, 2023
When stopping for a red light, the engine shuts off. I can restart it. It has happened twice in a one year period . it is a Ford Escape 2010. Vin 1FMCU9DGXAKC64776
Service brakes, Jan 11, 2023
I found out there is a recall on over 600,000 cars from 2006 to 2010. Mainly Ford fusion for the same problem I'm having on my 2010 Ford escape. There is an ABS breaking valve that sticks and the ABS module needs to be replaced. This is happened on my car and is not under the recall but it's the same model as the 2010 Ford fusion and the same part. Why is this? I brought this into my dealer the first time they said the brakes were bad and the rear brakes needed to be adjusted and the valve was sticking but they were able to get it unstuck. They flush the brake fluid as well after $500 nearly $600 I went to drive the car and it was exactly the same. That's when they said it was the ABS brake module, the valve sticking and needed to be replaced. This seems to be a pretty common problem with these cars. Why is there no recall on this?
Steering, Jan 5, 2023
The contact owns a 2010 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the steering wheel was difficult to turn in either direction. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who replaced the steering torque sensor under NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering); however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 117,000.
Steering, Jan 3, 2023
The steering column assist motor malfunctioned while operating the vehicle. It quit while driving so I could not operate the vehicle properly. I had two young kids in the car when this occured and I had to swerve out of traffic because the steering column locked up. Yes the problem was assessed by an independent service center and it was determined that the steering assist motor did indeed malfunction. There were no warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms prior to the failure of the steering motor.