FORD ESCAPE · model year

2019 FORD ESCAPE

624 NHTSA complaints, 33 crash reports, and 3 active recalls for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

5 / 5 ★

New Car Assessment Program

The 2019FORDESCAPE carries 624 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 33 crashes, 4 fires, 40 injuries, and 0 fatalities. For crash performance, NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program gave this cohort an overall 5/5 rating, with 5/5 front crash, 5/5 side crash, and 4/5 rollover scores derived from standardized barrier and dynamic tests.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2019 ESCAPE is engine with 244 filings, followed by power train (102) and engine and engine cooling (82). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability. This model year has 3 active recall campaigns, which means the manufacturer is obligated to remedy the covered defect at no charge for the life of the vehicle — the full NHTSA campaign numbers are listed below.

NHTSA currently has 8 investigation files overlapping the 2019 ESCAPE. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

624
Complaints
33
Crashes
4
Fires
40
Injuries
0
Deaths
2019 FORD ESCAPE — NHTSA crash-test profile NHTSA NCAP crash-test star ratings for the 2019 FORD ESCAPE. Overall composite: 5.0 of 5 stars across 3 safety dimensions. Front CrashSide CrashRollover 5.0 NHTSA NCAP of 5 stars
  • Front Crash 5.0 ★
  • Side Crash 5.0 ★
  • Rollover 4.0 ★
NHTSA overall 5.0/5 stars, with front-crash, side-crash and rollover ratings from standardized NCAP barrier and dynamic tests.

Total Complaints

624 filings

Crashes Reported

33 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

Above median complaint volume — review patterns below.

NHTSA NCAP overall: 5/5 — Top NCAP rating · Front: 5/5 · Side: 5/5 · Rollover: 4/5

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
ENGINE244
POWER TRAIN102
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING82
UNKNOWN OR OTHER34
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM32
STEERING16
EXTERIOR LIGHTING10
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM10
SERVICE BRAKES8
AIR BAGS8
WHEELS8
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL8
STRUCTURE:BODY6
TIRES6
SEAT BELTS4

Recalls (3)

26V01100015/01/2026

EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL:ENGINE BLOCK HEATER

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2018 Focus, 2013-2019 Escape, and 2015-2016 MKC vehicles equipped with a 2.0L engine. The engine block heater may crack and develop a coolant leak, causing it to short circuit when the block heater is plugged in.

22V41300010/06/2022

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:GEAR POSITION INDICATION (PRNDL)

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2019 Escape, 2013-2018 C-Max, 2013-2016 Fusion, 2013-2021 Transit Connect, and 2015-2018 Edge vehicles. The bushing that attaches the shifter cable to the transmission may degrade or detach.

21V15500010/03/2021

TIRES

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018 F-150, 2018-2020 F-250, F-350, and 2019 Escape vehicles equipped with Continental tires. On the affected vehicles, it is possible that one or more tires were cured for too long during tire production.

Recent Complaints

20260219SUSPENSION

On 2/12/2026 I was driving in Gordon County, GA. I was going about 25 MPH when I hit a pothole on the right hand side of the road. It resulted in a split wheel/rim on the right front side of my vehicle. It also damaged the wheel/rim on the right hand back side, as well as breaking the shock absorber on the right back side.

20260219WHEELS

On 2/12/2026 I was driving in Gordon County, GA. I was going about 25 MPH when I hit a pothole on the right hand side of the road. It resulted in a split wheel/rim on the right front side of my vehicle. It also damaged the wheel/rim on the right hand back side, as well as breaking the shock absorber on the right back side.

20260212POWER TRAIN

The contact owned a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle unexpectedly stalled, and an abnormal sound was coming from the vehicle. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was able to restart; however, the failure persisted. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to accelerate and unexpectedly lunged forward while shifting gears. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The mechanic determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 126,000.

Mileage: 126,000

20260205ENGINE

my 2019 ford escape engine has recently taken a big decline due to coolant leaking into the cylinders of the car. i was told this is a common occurrence with 2019 Escapes, so why has it not been situated? it is unsafe and over all inconvenient for the ones who are with out a car now. my car decided in the middle of traveling that it was no longer going to move no matter how hard the gas was pushed, unsafe. the engine is now loud, shaky, and over heats, while idling and driving. i have had this car for a year and a half and every time the check engine light came on and i took it to be diagnosed i was met with another issue that i paid to fix, and still no place fixed the engine. it was not until the car is no longer drivable that i finally got an answer on what has happened to my engine. this car was regularly maintained. my vehicle was inspected by a Ford specialist who said this problem caused my car to now be valued at $500. if this is a known problem with this car why are they still

20260205FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

my 2019 ford escape engine has recently taken a big decline due to coolant leaking into the cylinders of the car. i was told this is a common occurrence with 2019 Escapes, so why has it not been situated? it is unsafe and over all inconvenient for the ones who are with out a car now. my car decided in the middle of traveling that it was no longer going to move no matter how hard the gas was pushed, unsafe. the engine is now loud, shaky, and over heats, while idling and driving. i have had this car for a year and a half and every time the check engine light came on and i took it to be diagnosed i was met with another issue that i paid to fix, and still no place fixed the engine. it was not until the car is no longer drivable that i finally got an answer on what has happened to my engine. this car was regularly maintained. my vehicle was inspected by a Ford specialist who said this problem caused my car to now be valued at $500. if this is a known problem with this car why are they still

20260129STEERING

Electric power steering failed and the vehicle is available for inspection upon request. The power steering unit failed while driving down a curvy highway in Kenai Burrow, Alaska. I took the vehicle to the local Ford dealer and dropped said vehicle off. The service tech stated that the 2019 Ford escape was prone to having issues with the power steering unit. The vehicle is in the shop at this time. The warning lamp came on stating that there was a problem with the power steering unit that however, happened while we were driving down the highway. This was a life-threatening incident that it could’ve caused my wife and I and any oncoming traffic to parish in a car accident. The roads were snow covered and icy

20260129ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Electric power steering failed and the vehicle is available for inspection upon request. The power steering unit failed while driving down a curvy highway in Kenai Burrow, Alaska. I took the vehicle to the local Ford dealer and dropped said vehicle off. The service tech stated that the 2019 Ford escape was prone to having issues with the power steering unit. The vehicle is in the shop at this time. The warning lamp came on stating that there was a problem with the power steering unit that however, happened while we were driving down the highway. This was a life-threatening incident that it could’ve caused my wife and I and any oncoming traffic to parish in a car accident. The roads were snow covered and icy

20260125ENGINE

Waterpump pulley/ waterpump, yes it's available for inspection. I lost power and a message came up on the screen to shut off the vehicle there was a engine failure , overheating. No, I have not had it confirmed by a dealer yet. No it has not been inspected by any person. I started hearing a noise about a month ago and I was going to make an appointment the same week it happened to break down on me. I have a disabled daughter and I'm thankful I just took her home because of the extreme cold weather. I was outside for over an hour waiting to get suv towed.

20260115ENGINE

I have a coolant intrusion in my 2019 Ford Escape. It idles roughly, there’s thick sweet smelling white smoke coming from the exhaust and when we refilled the coolant to max and started it once, the coolant level was immediately at the minimum. We have not turned it on or driven it since we found this out. There is a customer satisfaction program for 2019 Ford Escapes for Powertrain Control Module reprogramming (Campaign 19B37) that then makes the vehicle eligible for a one time repair under campaign 21N12. This campaign fixes exactly what is wrong with my vehicle. It applies to vehicles built in Louisville until April 2019. My vehicle was built in Louisville in May 2019. The dealership told me to call Ford Customer Relations/Recall Team to explain the situation and get a goodwill repair since my vehicle is having the exact same issues as the vehicles built at the same plant the month before. The recall team refused to provide me with a goodwill repair and also refused to give me in

20260114ENGINE

I am submitting this complaint to formally document a known engine defect affecting my 2019 Ford Escape prior to initiating direct contact with Ford Motor Company. My vehicle has recently been diagnosed with a cracked engine block, a defect that is well documented for this model and engine type. I understand that Ford has acknowledged this issue and established a repair or replacement program; however, I have been informed that eligibility is limited to vehicles manufactured on or before April 2019. My vehicle’s manufacture date reportedly falls just one day after this cutoff. Given the nature of this defect, specifically that it is a manufacturing flaw in the engine block material itself. The one-day exclusion appears arbitrary and unrelated to the actual failure mechanism. The failure occurred under normal use, and there was no warning or misuse that would account for the damage. This strongly suggests the issue is consistent with the known defect affecting other vehicles within

20260113POWER TRAIN

My first incident with my 2019 Ford Escape happened when I had my [XXX] in the vehicle with me at a stop sign In November of 2024. As I proceeded to enter the intersection, the vehicle would not accelerate. I was able to reverse enough to get out of the intersection, but was still on the roadway, which is a safety hazard. While I waited for help, I was having to direct traffic around my vehicle, another safety hazard. The vehicle would not drive at all. The milage at the time of failure was approx. 112,000 miles. I was later informed the vehicle's transmission needed to be replaced and that they had found metal shavings in the transmission fluid. The Ford dealership stated my vehicle was financed used and there was no warranty on it. The dealership also informed me there was no recalls on my vehicle. I spent approx. $4,600 to have this repaired by a local mechanic shop. Now, a year later, I had pulled over to let a funeral procession pass and once I began to accelerate, my vehicle beg

20260103POWER TRAIN

The transmission in the vehicle needs replaced. There have been recalls on 2019 ford escapes for the same issue that this vehicle is having.

20260102ENGINE

Coolant intrusion into the engine potentially causing engine failure. A cracked cylinder head was allowing coolant to leak into one of the 4 cylinders.

20251228ENGINE

I went to get my spark plugs changed as maintenance on my vehicle. The plugs on both the second and third cylinder were very tight and breaking with residue all over the plugs. The shop I took my car to had to send it to another shop in order to get the plugs put back into the engine. Since then it sounds like a blown muffler whenever I start my car and I have a check engine light with a third cylinder misfire. I have also been having white smoke whenever I start my car with a cool engine. I tried seeing about getting the car fixed but mechanics don’t want to touch my car because they said it will not fix the issue because this is a manufacturer defect caused by coolant intrusion. Now I have to sell my car and. I am under because I still owe 6340.95 on my Loan. The most I can get for it is $3300 through Carvana. The car has less 96,092 miles.

20251226POWER TRAIN

Coolant intrusion into Cylinders 2 and 3.

20251226BACK OVER PREVENTION: WARNINGS

Coolant intrusion into Cylinders 2 and 3.

20251226ENGINE

The engine recall was warrenteed up to 80,000 miles. l bought the vehicle with 75,000 miles. Sure enough l had the defective engine and it blew out at 113,000 miles. l ended up getting a personal loan as the engine was $10,000. I'm upset because Ford can set what ever mileage they want to establish a warranty expiration period. Hope you can help

20251222EXTERIOR LIGHTING

To Whom It May Concern, I am submitting this complaint to report a design defect affecting serviceability and safety on my 2019 Ford Escape. On this vehicle, replacement of a standard headlight bulb requires removal of the fender assembly in order to access the headlight housing. This design transforms a routine, safety-critical maintenance item into an excessively complex and costly repair. I have had to replace a headlight twice within the past two years. The most recent replacement cost approximately $800, with the majority of the cost attributable to labor required solely because of the vehicle’s design, not due to damage or abnormal conditions. The headlight bulb itself represents only a small portion of the total cost. Headlights are a required safety component that must be replaced periodically. A design that makes replacement prohibitively expensive discourages timely maintenance and may result in vehicles being operated with failed lighting, creating a potential safety r

20251222ENGINE

engine misfire, white smoke, loss of power while driving. Due to Coolant intrusion which could lead to dangerous situations, such as an unexpected stall in traffic or an engine compartment fire. Ford had offered a campaign thro' CSP 21N12 program but for a short time in 2022 which excluded many vehicles for people whose did have issues at that time.

20251216CrashELECTRICAL SYSTEM

he freeway I notified future ford of concord and I was told I would receive a call back but as I recall I didn’t receive a call back. The car started acting as if nothing was wrong about a week or so later then two days ago December 13,2025 first my head lights went out and a message saying there’s a bulb outage or electrical issue appeared and also the hill assist unavailable warning light appeared , following the 911 calling assistance is unavailable as well, and I also noticed my radio is no longer producing sound so I believe the engine ( block , head gasket etc) component also electrical system, sync 3 system has also failed or malfunctioned. During the second occurrence I was driving as I was before which led to The safety of my children, my husband and myself put at risk being it was night time and I could no longer see the road the car acted as if it was turning off and slowing down.. yes there was warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem during the failures

Compare 2019FORDESCAPE to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2019 FORD ESCAPE have?
The 2019 FORD ESCAPE has 624 NHTSA complaints, 33 crashes, 4 fires, 40 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What is the safety rating for the 2019 FORD ESCAPE?
The 2019 FORD ESCAPE received an overall NHTSA safety rating of 5/5, front crash rating of 5/5, side crash rating of 5/5, and rollover rating of 4/5.
Are there any recalls for the 2019 FORD ESCAPE?
Yes, the 2019 FORD ESCAPE has 3 recall(s). The most common affected component is EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL:ENGINE BLOCK HEATER. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2019 FORD ESCAPE?
The most-complained component for the 2019 FORD ESCAPE is ENGINE with 244 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include POWER TRAIN and ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING.
Is the 2019 FORD ESCAPE safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. The 2019 FORD ESCAPE has an NHTSA safety rating of 5/5. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.