UsedScore

2011 Ford Escape: Use caution

Owners filed 616 complaints with NHTSA about the 2011 Ford Escape in its first five years on the road, about 258 for every 100,000 sold: 1.2× the rate of a typical Escape year. That's above average, so use caution.

The biggest problem area, counting serious complaints more, is the powertrain (transmission and drivetrain) (37% of complaints, median 44,000 miles).

Complaint index
1.2×
per vehicle sold, vs. a typical Escape year
Rank
9th of 14
1st = fewest complaints
Complaints
616
first five years; 258 per 100,000 sold
Recalls
2
campaigns
2nd generation, 2008–2012 · Updated September 24, 2026 · How we rate
2010 Ford Escape XLT

Photo: 2010 Ford Escape XLT · IFCAR, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Problem areas

Ranked by severity-weighted complaints · share · median miles
  1. Powertrain37% · 227 complaints · median 44,000 miles
  2. Engine35% · 214 complaints · median 44,000 miles
  3. Speed control38% · 231 complaints · median 44,000 miles
  4. Fuel and propulsion24% · 148 complaints · median 46,000 miles
  5. Electrical10% · 63 complaints · median 46,000 miles
  6. Air bags2% · 13 complaints · median 50,000 miles
  7. Visibility6% · 34 complaints · median 31,000 miles
  8. Steering5% · 30 complaints · median 50,000 miles
  9. Seats and belts1% · 6 complaints · median 9,000 miles
  10. Body and structure3% · 19 complaints · median 34,000 miles

Bars rank problem areas by complaints weighted for severity (crashes, fires, injuries and deaths count more). A complaint can name more than one area. Mileage is reported on about half of complaints.

What owners describe

Engine

Owners describe their 2011 Ford Escape suddenly losing power or stalling, often at highway speed, sometimes with a dashboard wrench light. Many say dealers identified a faulty throttle body, though parts shortages and repeat failures were common complaints.

Warning signs:
Many owners noticed a dashboard wrench or check engine light, rough idling, jerking, surging, or hesitation before or during the loss of power.
What shops did:
Dealers frequently diagnosed a faulty throttle body and replaced it, though many owners report parts were on backorder or the issue could not be duplicated.
Mileage:
most between 40,000 and 60,000 miles, among 255 complaints that give it

“I was driving on the interstate at 70mph when my car seemed to just completely lose power.”

“The engine suddenly dropped to approximately 600 RPM and subsequently down shifted to low gear.”

Powertrain

Owners report their Escape suddenly losing power or stalling at speed, often preceded by a dashboard wrench light, sometimes while merging or in heavy traffic. Many say dealers replaced the throttle body, though parts shortages and repeat failures left some without a working vehicle for weeks.

Warning signs:
Many describe a dashboard wrench light illuminating along with rough idling, jerking, vibrating, or bucking just before the vehicle lost power or accelerated on its own.
What shops did:
Most had the throttle body replaced, though many report parts were on national backorder; some had the transmission reprogrammed, rebuilt, or replaced, and a few say dealers could not duplicate or fix the issue.
Mileage:
most between 35,000 and 60,000 miles, among 259 complaints that give it

“The "wrench" light came on and car started to slow down. First reaction was to press accelerator pedal but it was unresponsive”

“The "bucking/slipping" is experienced with all gears but generally worse between 2nd and 3rd and just starting out”

Speed control

Owners of this Escape report sudden, unpredictable loss of acceleration or stalling while driving, sometimes at highway speed, often accompanied by a wrench warning light. Many say dealers replaced the throttle body, though parts were frequently backordered and some say the problem returned.

Warning signs:
Many report jerking, lurching, rough idling, sudden deceleration or a wrench-shaped warning light appearing just before or during the loss of power.
What shops did:
Dealers commonly diagnosed and replaced the throttle body, though many owners say the part was on extended back order and some report the failure recurred after repair.
Mileage:
most between 35,000 and 55,000 miles, among 248 complaints that give it

“The vehicle began to jerk violently and suddenly shut down and would not accelerate”

“At times when I am trying to accelerate that the car will kind of jerk or surge, almost like it's trying to get fuel to the engine”

Summaries are written with AI from the owner complaints shown on NHTSA's site and checked against them; quotes are word for word.

Recalls (2)

Check a VIN on NHTSA ›
  • NHTSA 16V777000October 2016329,265 vehicles

    Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: fuel pump

    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.

    Risk: A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.

    Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the FDM flange with one that has a redesigned fuel supply port, free of charge.

  • NHTSA 14V284000May 2014740,878 vehicles

    Steering: electric power assist system

    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.

    Risk: 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.

    Fix: 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.

A recall only helps if the repair was done. Enter the vehicle's 17-character VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup before you buy.

Service bulletins

Ford sent NHTSA 50 service bulletins and other notices to dealers covering the 2011 Escape. These are repair instructions, not recalls. Warranty extensions and bulletins about its top problem areas:

  • DOR-M3J3F-07 · June 2020These SKUs are Exhaust Manifolds with Catalytic Converters.
  • DOR-M9J4S-07 · June 2020These SKUs are Exhaust Manifolds with Catalytic Converters.
  • SSM 46085 · September 2016The Powertrain Control/Emissions Diagnosis (PC/ED) manual has been revised for diagnosing electronic throttle bodies (ETBs).
  • 16-0043 · March 20166F35 TRANSMISSION - FLUID LEAK AT LEFT SIDE HALFSHAFT SEAL BUILT ON OR BEFORE 10/14/2013 ISSUE Some 2009-2014 Escape, 2009-2011 Mariner, 2010-2014 Fusion, 2010-2011 Milan, 2012-2014 Edge/Explorer,…
  • 15-0079 · May 2015Ford 2009-2014 escape, 2010-2014 fusion, 2012-2014 edge, explorer, 2013-2014 taurus: lincoln 2013-2014 mkt,mkz: mercury 2009- 2011 mariner, 2010-2011 milan.
  • ASI-44707 · September 2014Ford: after powertrain control module reprogramming, the malfunction indicator lamp (mil) is on with several diagnostic trouble codes (dtc) p06b8, p068a, p2610, if key not left for 30 seconds in off…
  • CSP-14N02 · August 2014Ford/lincoln: there is an extended warranty coverage for the loss of ABS speed signal related communication that disable obdii system monitors for pcm reprogramming.
  • TSB-14-0056 · March 2014Mercury/ford: on some vehicles, there is a fluid leakage, coming from left hand (lh) halfshaft seal of the automatic transmission and a service kit is available now, for repair.

All 2011 Escape bulletins on NHTSA ›

Questions owners ask

Is the 2011 Ford Escape reliable?
Owners filed 616 complaints with NHTSA about the 2011 Ford Escape in its first five years on the road, about 258 for every 100,000 sold: 1.2× the rate of a typical Escape year. That's above average, so use caution. Ratings compare Escape years with each other using complaints filed with NHTSA; they don't measure every problem owners have.
What are the most common 2011 Escape problems?
Owners' complaints most often involve the powertrain (transmission and drivetrain) (37%), the engine (35%) and speed control (38%). A complaint can name more than one area.
Has the 2011 Ford Escape been recalled?
Yes. NHTSA lists 2 recall campaigns for the 2011 Ford Escape, the most recent in October 2016 (fuel system, gasoline). Enter the vehicle's VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup to see whether the repairs were done.

Sources

Owner complaints, recalls and manufacturer communications from NHTSA's public data files, as of September 24, 2026. Complaints are counted once each, over the model year's first 60 months on the road. UsedScore is not affiliated with NHTSA or Ford. The 2011 Ford Escape on NHTSA.gov · How we rate