This hub covers 16 Ford model-years across 3 models: Escape, Explorer, Fusion. Across those model-years, NHTSA's databases record 18,762 owner complaints and 185 recall campaigns. The most-recalled is the 2021 Ford Explorer with 26 campaigns, while the 2013 Ford Escape has the most owner complaints at 2,755. 14 of the 16 model-years earned NHTSA's top overall rating of five stars. Complaint totals are raw counts from the database and are not adjusted for sales volume, so they are best used to compare components and patterns within a model rather than as a league table between brands. Each model-year page reproduces the full underlying records: every recall campaign with its official summary and remedy, complaint counts by component, the complete crash-test scorecard, and EPA fuel-economy figures for every configuration.
Ford Model-Years
| Model-Year | Complaints | Recalls | Overall Rating | Combined MPG (median) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 Ford Escape | 2,755 | 18 | ★★★★☆ | 25 |
| 2015 Ford Escape | 1,129 | 9 | ★★★★☆ | 25 |
| 2017 Ford Escape | 2,698 | 4 | ★★★★★ | 24 |
| 2019 Ford Escape | 596 | 3 | ★★★★★ | 24 |
| 2021 Ford Escape | 351 | 19 | ★★★★★ | 35 |
| 2023 Ford Escape | 101 | 11 | ★★★★★ | 34.5 |
| 2013 Ford Explorer | 2,237 | 12 | ★★★★★ | 19.5 |
| 2015 Ford Explorer | 1,811 | 9 | ★★★★★ | 19.5 |
| 2017 Ford Explorer | 1,712 | 14 | ★★★★★ | 20 |
| 2019 Ford Explorer | 299 | 6 | ★★★★★ | 20 |
| 2021 Ford Explorer | 447 | 26 | ★★★★★ | 23 |
| 2023 Ford Explorer | 111 | 15 | ★★★★★ | 21 |
| 2013 Ford Fusion | 1,957 | 19 | ★★★★★ | 27.5 |
| 2015 Ford Fusion | 1,066 | 13 | ★★★★★ | 28 |
| 2017 Ford Fusion | 1,114 | 4 | ★★★★★ | 25 |
| 2019 Ford Fusion | 378 | 3 | ★★★★★ | 27 |
What Ford Owners Complain About
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Engine | 5,486 | 29.2% |
| Power Train | 2,640 | 14.1% |
| Unknown Or Other | 2,468 | 13.2% |
| Steering | 2,396 | 12.8% |
| Structure | 2,212 | 11.8% |
| Electrical System | 1,690 | 9.0% |
Across the tracked Ford range, 439 complaints report a crash and 282 report a fire, with 533 injuries recorded in owner filings. The most fuel-efficient tracked Ford is the 2021 Ford Escape, whose EPA configurations return a median of 35 combined MPG, while the most-complained-about is the 2013 Ford Escape with 2,755 filings. Tracked years run from 2013 to 2023. Component shares are computed against the make's tracked complaint total; because an owner can name several components in one filing, shares can sum to slightly more than 100%. Use the component table to see whether a make's problems concentrate in one system — a pattern worth checking on the individual model-year page — or spread evenly across the vehicle, which usually reflects age and mileage rather than a single defect.
Models covered: the Escape (6 model-years, most-reported component: Engine); the Explorer (6 model-years, most-reported component: Structure); the Fusion (4 model-years, most-reported component: Engine). The highest-rated tracked Ford is the 2017 Ford Escape at 5 stars overall for its tested variant. Where a model's most-reported component repeats across several of its model-years, the pattern is visible in the model-year pages' component tables — the clearest sign in this dataset of a systemic issue rather than scattered owner experience.
Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls and safety ratings databases and EPA FuelEconomy.gov dataset, accessed October 2026.