The 2015 Ford Escape is a small sport utility vehicle 2wd vehicle covered by 5 EPA fuel-economy configurations. In NHTSA's records it has accumulated 1,129 owner complaints and 9 recall campaign(s). Of those complaints, 30 report a crash and 20 report a fire; 25 complaints report injuries totalling 35 injured people, and 0 deaths are recorded across all complaints for this model-year. The single most-reported component is Power Train, named in 286 complaints (25.3% of the total). The sections below reproduce the underlying records in full: crash-test ratings, every recall campaign with its NHTSA campaign number, complaint counts by component, and EPA fuel-economy figures for each configuration.
NHTSA Safety Ratings
NHTSA tested the 2015 Ford Escape SUV AWD under its 5-Star Safety Ratings program. Ratings run from 1 to 5 stars; "Not rated" means NHTSA did not publish a score for that test for this variant.
| Test | Rating |
|---|---|
| Overall rating | ★★★★☆ |
| Frontal crash — overall | ★★★★☆ |
| Frontal crash — driver | ★★★★☆ |
| Frontal crash — passenger | ★★★★☆ |
| Side crash — overall | ★★★★★ |
| Side crash — driver | ★★★★★ |
| Side crash — passenger | ★★★★★ |
| Side pole crash | ★★★★★ |
| Rollover resistance | ★★★★☆ |
NHTSA also rated other 2015 Ford Escape variants: 2015 Ford Escape SUV FWD — 4★ overall. The table above shows the most completely rated variant.
Electronic stability control was fitted as standard equipment on the tested variant, and NHTSA records no safety recall investigation rating adjustments for it.
Recall Campaigns (9)
NHTSA lists 9 recall campaign(s) that include the 2015 Ford Escape. Each campaign below shows the official NHTSA campaign number, the affected component, and the manufacturer's own summary, consequence and remedy statements as published by NHTSA. To check whether a specific vehicle is covered, search its VIN at nhtsa.gov.
Campaign 17V472000 — Seat Belts 25/07/2017
Summary: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2014 Ford F-150 and E-350, 2014-2015 Ford Escape, and 2015 Lincoln MKC vehicles. Improperly manufactured bolts may have been used to install certain seats, seatbacks, seatbelt buckles, or seatbelt anchors on these vehicles.
Consequence: The improperly manufactured bolts may fracture. If a seat, seatback, or seatbelt anchor attaching bolt fractures, the affected component may not be properly secured, increasing the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected bolts, free of charge. Interim notices informing owners of the safety risk were mailed September 8, 2017. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available in the fourth quarter of 2017. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 17S17.
Campaign 16V643000 — Latches/locks/linkages:doors:latch 06/09/2016
Summary: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2012-2015 Ford Focus, 2013-2015 Ford Escape and Ford C-MAX, 2015 Lincoln MKC and Ford Mustang, and 2014-2016 Ford Transit Connect vehicles. A component within the door latches may break, preventing the doors from latching and/or leading the driver or a passenger to believe a door is securely closed when, in fact, it is not.
Consequence: A door that is not securely latched could open while the vehicle is in motion, increasing the risk of injury to a vehicle occupant.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the door latches with an improved part, free of charge. The recall began on January 27, 2017. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 16S30.
Campaign 15V406000 — Electrical System: Instrument Cluster/panel 24/06/2015
Summary: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 Ford Escape vehicles manufactured May 19, 2014, to February 6, 2015, and Transit Connect vehicles manufactured May 11, 2014, to July 2, 2015. Due to a software incompatibility issue, the instrument panel cluster be inoperative including a blank multiple functional display (MFD), and non-functional warning chimes, messages and warning lights. Specific warning chimes, messages and warning lights. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 101, "Control and Displays."
Consequence: If the instrument cluster is inoperative, the driver of may not be warned of safety related issues such as low tire pressures or disabled air bags, increasing the risk of personal injury or a crash.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will update the instrument panel software, free of charge. The recall began on August 4, 2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15C03.
Campaign 15V436000 — Electrical System:ignition 08/07/2015
Summary: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2015 Ford Escape vehicles manufactured April 1, 2014, to June 12, 2015, Ford Focus vehicles manufactured June 17, 2014, to June 12, 2015, and Ford C-Max vehicles manufactured April 22, 2014, to June 12, 2015. In the affected vehicles, the engine may continue to run after the key or the START/STOP engine button is turned to off. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 114, "Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention."
Consequence: If the engine does not turn off as expected, someone could move the transmission shifter out of park and the vehicle may move unintentionally, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will update the body control module software, free of charge. The recall began on July 27, 2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15C06.
Campaign 20V331000 — Latches/locks/linkages:doors:latch 08/06/2020
Summary: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2011-2014 Fiesta, 2013-2014 Fusion, 2015 Mustang, 2013-2015 Escape and C-Max, 2012-2015 Focus, 2014-2016 Transit Connect, 2013-2014 Lincoln MKZ, and 2015 MKC vehicles. These vehicles were previously recalled and repaired under recalls 15V-246, 16V-643 or 17V-210, however the repair may not have been completed properly. A component within the door latches may break making the doors difficult to latch and/or leading the driver or a passenger to believe a door is securely closed when, in fact, it is not.
Consequence: A door that is not securely latched could open while the vehicle is in motion, increasing the risk of injury to a vehicle occupant.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the latch date codes to confirm if the repair was done correctly, and replace the side door latches if necessary, free of charge. Owners will also have the option to inspect their own vehicle's door latches and enter the date codes into a website to determine if the latches are correct. Owner notification letters were mailed on July 27, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20S30.
Campaign 22V254000 — Power Train:automatic Transmission:gear Position Indication (prndl) 14/04/2022
Summary: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015 Escape vehicles equipped with 2.0L engines. The bushing that attaches the shifter cable to the transmission may degrade or detach.
Consequence: A damaged or missing bushing may prevent the vehicle from shifting into the intended gear, and cause the vehicle to move in an unexpected direction. Additionally, the vehicle may roll after the driver selects the 'Park' position. Either scenario increases the risk of a crash or injury.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the under hood shifter bushing and add a protective cap over the shift cable bushing, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 27, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S25.
Campaign 22V413000 — Power Train:automatic Transmission:gear Position Indication (prndl) 10/06/2022
Summary: 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.
Consequence: A damaged or missing bushing may prevent the vehicle from shifting into the intended gear, and cause the vehicle to move in an unexpected direction. Additionally, the vehicle may roll after the driver selects the 'Park' position. Either scenario increases the risk of a crash or injury.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the under hood shift bushing and add a protective cap over the shift cable bushing, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters, informing owners of the safety risk, were mailed July 1, 2022. Remedy parts are expected to be available in 4th Quarter 2022. Owner notification letters were mailed October 27, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S43.
Campaign 25V695000 — Back Over Prevention: Sensing System: Camera 13/10/2025
Summary: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2019 Flex, 2015 Explorer, Lincoln MKT, Lincoln MKZ, 2015-2016 C-Max, Escape, Taurus, 2016 Fusion, 2018-2019 Taurus, 2019 Lincoln MKT, Fiesta, and 2020 Mustang vehicles. The rearview camera may display a distorted, intermittent, or blank image when the vehicle is in reverse.
Consequence: A rearview camera that fails to properly display an image can reduce the driver’s view behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the rearview camera as necessary, free of charge. This will be a phased campaign, with the remedy becoming available in different phases based on model and model years. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on October 25, 2025. Additional letters will be mailed once the final remedy is available on each phase. Mustang owner notification letters were mailed January 2, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25SA9. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on October 14, 2025.
Campaign 26V011000 — Equipment:electrical:engine Block Heater 15/01/2026
Summary: 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.
Consequence: An electrical short circuit can increase the risk of a fire.
Remedy: Owners are advised not to plug in their block heater until the vehicle is remedied. Dealers will replace the block heater, free of charge. Owners will also have a alternative option to replace engine block heater element with a threaded plug, and remove the block heater electrical cord. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed March 6, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S01. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on January 16, 2026.
Owner Complaints (1,129)
Owners have filed 1,129 complaints about the 2015 Ford Escape with NHTSA. Complaint counts are not sales-adjusted — higher-selling vehicles naturally attract more complaints — but the breakdown by component shows where owners report problems most often.
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Power Train | 286 | 25.3% |
| Engine | 239 | 21.2% |
| Back Over Prevention | 168 | 14.9% |
| Unknown Or Other | 148 | 13.1% |
| Electrical System | 135 | 12.0% |
| Steering | 81 | 7.2% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 50 | 4.4% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 44 | 3.9% |
| Structure | 36 | 3.2% |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 29 | 2.6% |
| Service Brakes | 26 | 2.3% |
| Wheels | 25 | 2.2% |
Complaints by Component — Visual
Bar length is proportional to the most-reported component for this model-year (Power Train, 286 complaints).
By filing year, complaints peaked in 2026 with 208 filings. Owners filed 1,129 complaints in total across 13 calendar years in the database extract. Complaints involving a crash number 30 and those involving a fire number 20; 25 complaints report at least one injury.
EPA Fuel Economy
The EPA classifies the 2015 Ford Escape as a small sport utility vehicle 2wd vehicle and published ratings for 5 configurations (engine, transmission, drive and fuel combinations). Combined fuel economy spans 23–26 MPG; the median configuration returns 21 city / 29 highway / 25 combined MPG. Fuel types covered: Regular Gasoline.
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | Fuel | Combined MPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.6L 4-cyl | Automatic (S6) | Front-Wheel Drive | Regular Gasoline | 26 |
| 2.0L 4-cyl | Automatic (S6) | Front-Wheel Drive | Regular Gasoline | 24 |
| 2.5L 4-cyl | Automatic (S6) | Front-Wheel Drive | Regular Gasoline | 25 |
| 1.6L 4-cyl | Automatic (S6) | All-Wheel Drive | Regular Gasoline | 25 |
| 2.0L 4-cyl | Automatic (S6) | All-Wheel Drive | Regular Gasoline | 23 |
Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls and safety ratings databases and EPA FuelEconomy.gov dataset, accessed October 2026. See our methodology.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 2015 Ford Escape have?
NHTSA's complaints database held 1,129 complaints for the 2015 Ford Escape when accessed in October 2026. The most-reported component was Power Train with 286 complaints.
How many recalls affect the 2015 Ford Escape?
NHTSA lists 9 recall campaign(s) covering the 2015 Ford Escape in the data accessed in October 2026, including campaign 17V472000 for Seat Belts.
What is the 2015 Ford Escape's safety rating?
NHTSA gave the tested 2015 Ford Escape SUV AWD an overall rating of 4 out of 5 stars, with 4 stars for frontal crash, 5 for side crash and 4 for rollover resistance.
What MPG does the 2015 Ford Escape get?
The EPA rated 5 configurations of the 2015 Ford Escape. Combined fuel economy ranges from 23 to 26 MPG, with a median of 25 MPG (median city 21, median highway 29).