2002 Ford Escape problems and complaints
Owners have filed 1079 complaints with NHTSA about the 2002 Ford Escape. The most-reported areas: Engine And Engine Cooling (298), Service Brakes (200), Hydraulic (152).
Key takeaways
- 1079 owner complaints on file with NHTSA.
- 68 involve a crash, 108 a fire, 45 reported injuries.
- Complaints are unverified owner reports; recalls are confirmed defects.
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Engine And Engine Cooling | 298 | 28% |
| Service Brakes | 200 | 19% |
| Hydraulic | 152 | 14% |
| Electrical System | 125 | 12% |
| Power Train | 115 | 11% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 103 | 10% |
| Structure | 91 | 8% |
| Suspension | 90 | 8% |
| Air Bags | 83 | 8% |
| Steering | 71 | 7% |
| Engine | 36 | 3% |
| Unknown Or Other | 35 | 3% |
One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
| Version | Overall | Front | Side | Rollover |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 Ford Escape 4-DR. | Not rated | Not rated | Not rated | 3/5 |
Latest complaints, as filed
Owner-written and unverified by NHTSA.
Electrical System,unknown Or Other,service Brakes - filed 2026-04-18
I bought a vehicle that has recalls on it. I contacted a dealer. Im told the car is to old to fix the recalled abs relay. Now I have a vehicle thats on the road a fire hazard. The ford dealership have left me my with and kids and grand kids in danger
Electrical System - filed 2025-07-28
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while shifted in park(P), the key failed to release while the engine was running. The contact drove to a local O'Reilly's where one of the employees was able to remove the key from the ignition. The failure had gotten progressively worse. The vehicle was diag...
Engine - filed 2024-08-12
I have had to replace my engine/transmission several times and the problem keeps repeating itself. The engine will just die for no reason which is an extremely severe safety risk.
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More for the 2002 Ford Escape
Complaints are reports filed by owners with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. NHTSA publishes them without verifying them, and counts rise with how many cars were sold, so compare years of the same model rather than different models. Crash ratings are NHTSA's own 5-Star Safety Ratings results.