Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2005 Ford Escape, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Suspension459
- Structure434
- Electrical system153
- Vehicle speed control149
- Engine130
- Power train117
- Wheels98
- Engine and engine cooling90
- Unknown or other76
- Steering49
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 28 injuries and 2 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
Fatal crashes in the US
From 2020 to 2023, 113 2005 Escape vehicles were involved in crashes on US public roads in which someone died; 80 people died inside them, and 31 of the vehicles rolled over. This is a count, not a crash rate: it grows with the number of cars on the road.
NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), crash years 2020–2023 (public domain)
New York safety inspections
At its first New York inspection the 2005 Ford Escape failed the safety check 3.03% of the time — 32% more often than the average 2005 passenger car (2.30%). Median odometer at inspection: 141,576 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
In Finland
7 of these cars first registered in 2005 were in use in Finland on 30 Jun 2026, with an average of 191,000 km on the odometer at their last inspection.
Traficom (Finnish Transport and Communications Agency), open data on vehicles in use · CC BY 4.0
In New Zealand
171 2005 cars are on the New Zealand register; 33% arrived as used imports, 66% were sold new in New Zealand.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, Motor Vehicle Register (March 2026) · CC BY 4.0
Fuel consumption
Official Canadian test results for 5 variants: combined 10.0–13.4 L/100 km (about 18–24 mpg US), CO₂ 230–308 g/km.
| Variant | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Escape · Sport utility vehicle · Regular gasoline | 11.1 | 8.7 | 10.0 |
| Escape · Sport utility vehicle · Regular gasoline | 12.3 | 10.2 | 11.4 |
| Escape · Sport utility vehicle · Regular gasoline | 13.5 | 10.4 | 12.1 |
| Escape 4X4 · Sport utility vehicle · Regular gasoline | 14.3 | 11.7 | 13.1 |
| Escape 4X4 · Sport utility vehicle · Regular gasoline | 14.9 | 11.7 | 13.4 |
Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls in Canada
3 Transport Canada recalls for the 2005 Ford Escape.
| 2015438 29 Sept 2015 | Powertrain A safety defect may exist in vehicles in which remanufactured automatic transmissions were installed as service replacement parts. The shift lever bolt may not … |
| 2014374 4 Sept 2014 | Engine On certain hybrid vehicles, the motor electronics coolant pump may wear out and fail, resulting in a loss of coolant flow and high temperature condition within … |
| 2004441 20 Dec 2004 | Other Certain vehicles do not comply with the requirements of CMVSS 206 - Door Locks and Door Retention Components. The rear liftgate latching system does not meet t… |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2001-2008 Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner vehicles manufactured March 31, 2001, to September 1, 2009. The affected vehicles are equipped with either a 2.3L or 3.0L engine and have had their CD4E transmission replaced with remanufactured one that was rebuilt between June 11, 2015 through July 15, 2015. These service repair part transmissions have a shift lever bolt that may not be properly tightened. As a result, the shift control lever could disengage from the transmission without warning.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2005-2008 Ford Escape hybrid electric vehicles manufactured October 13, 2003, to June 20, 2008, and 2006-2008 Mercury Mariner hybrid electric vehicles manufactured June 10, 2005, to June 20, 2008. The coolant pump for the hybrid system may fail resulting in the hybrid electronics overheating.
CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITHOUT SIDE AIR CURTAINS OR MOONROOFS FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 201, "OCCUPANT PROTECTION IN INTERIOR IMPACT." DURING TESTING, THE FREE MOTION HEAD FORM REGISTERED A MEASUREMENT ABOVE THE PERMITTED LIMIT AT THE LEFT HAND A-PILLAR TRIM AREA.
CERTAIN 2004-2005 SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES AND CERTAIN 2001-2003 SPORT UTIITY VEHICLE HAVING REAR LIFTGATE COMPONENTS SERVICED WITH 2004 EQUIVALENT COMPONENTS FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 206, 'DOOR LOCKS AND DOOR RETENTION COMPONENTS.' THE REAR LIFTGATE LATCHING SYSTEM DOES NOT MEET THE INERTIA LOAD REQUIREMENT IN ONE DIRECTION.
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words
Service bulletins
What Ford told its dealers about the 2005 Ford Escape: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 10235153 | For 2000-2024 Ford and Lincoln vehicles, swapping a module from a vehicle for diagnosis purposes is likely to cause errors and is not recommended. It is also not recommended to order a replacement module using a vehicle identification number (VIN) from a different vehicle. Most modules on these affected vehicles are VIN/vehicle specific and hardware variations between modules do exist. Swapping a module from a vehicle or ordering a module using a different vehicle/VIN can cause ineffective repairs and additional vehicle down time. Make sure all appropriate Workshop Manual (WSM) procedures are |
| 10109070 | The Powertrain Control/Emissions Diagnosis (PC/ED) manual has been revised for diagnosing electronic throttle bodies (ETBs). The ETC_ACT and ETC_DSD PIDs should not used to diagnose possible ETB concerns. The IDS has a limited refresh rate when reading these PIDs and cannot display quickly enough to validate a concern. The PCM automatically monitors these inputs more accurately and will set diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) when appropriate. Using these PIDs for diagnostics will lead to inaccurate results and improper ETB replacements. If a concern is intermittent and no DTCs are present, refer |
| 10036913 | FORD/MERCURY: MIL ON WITH DTC P0351-P0356; MULTIPLE COIL PRIMARY CIRCUIT. BUILT ON OR BEFORE 10/03/05. SOME VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A 3.0L ENGINE MAY EXHIBIT A MULFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP (MIL) ON WITH TWO OR MORE DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODES (DTCS) FOR COIL ON PLUG (COP) PRIMARY CIRCUIT FAULTS. *PE |
| 10024845 | 2005-08 ESCAPE/ESCAPE HYBRID/MARINER - 2006-08 MARINER HYBRID - WHEEL SPEED SENSOR RING REPLACEMENT PROCEDURE UPDATE TO WORKSHOP MANUAL. *NJ |
| 10024841 | SLOW FUEL FILL AND/OR DTC P0451. *NJ |
| 10022672 | COLD CLIMATE SLOW FUEL FILL. *NJ |
| 10022235 | SLOW FUEL FILL DUE TO CLOGGED VENT. *KB |
| 10021601 | ENGINE STALLING ON ENGAGEMENT/STOPPING. *KB |
| 10021057 | SPARK KNOCK, HARD START AND/OR HESITATION - VEHICLES BUILT AFTER 08-02-2004 WITH A 3.0L ENGINE. *KB |
| 10021051 | POSSIBLE ENGINE DAMAGE - INSTALL SPECIAL SERVICE TOOLS PRIOR TO REMOVING CRANKSHAFT PULLEY BOLT. *KB |
| 10020751 | ABS LIGHT ON AND DTC C1475 IS SHOWN. *KB |
| 10020173 | POSSIBLE ENGINE DAMAGE - INSTALL SPECIAL SERVICE TOOLS PRIOR TO REMOVING CRANKSHAFT PULLEY BOLT - SERVICE TIP. *TT |
| 10019947 | NEUTRAL TOW CAPABILITY - SERVICE KIT REQUIREMENTS. *TT |
| 10019803 | SLOW FUEL FILL. *TT |
| 10019382 | CAMSHAFT TICK NOISE - 3.0L 4V ENGINE ONLY. *TT |
| 10019081 | MIRFIRE DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODES P0316, P0300, P0301, P0302, P0303, OR P0304 - SERVICE TIP. *TT |
| 10018947 | LONG CRANK/HARD START -- 3.0L. *TT |
| 10018938 | VIBRATION DIAGNOSIS - TIRE/WHEEL RUNOUT. *TT |
| 10018934 | NEUTRAL TOW CAPABILITY -- SERVICE KIT REQUIREMENTS. *TT |
| 10018745 | WDS COP KIT DIAGNOSTIC TIP - COIL ON PLUG (COP) IGNITION SYSTEMS - ENGINE MISFIRE OR ROUGH RUNNING. *TT |
| 10018068 | STEERING CLUNK/RATTLE NOISE - VEHICLES BUILT 3/29/2005 TO 4/4/2005. *TT |
| 10018057 | SLOW FUEL FILL - REPEAT FILLING STATION PUMP SHUT-OFF. *TT |
| 10017927 | PASSENGER AIR BAG DISABLED (PAD) LAMP INTERMITTENTLY ON WHILE DRIVING - DTC C1414 RETRIEVED DURING OCS DIAGNOSIS/REPAIR. *TT |
| 10017923 | SERVICE WIRING HARNESS REPLACEMENT GUIDELINES - SERVICE TIPS. *TT |
| 10017906 | VIBRATION AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS OVER A WIDE SPEED RANGE ON VEHICLES BUILT AFTER 8/1/2004 EQUIPPED WITH A 3.0L ENGINE AND CONTINENTAL CONTITRAC P235/70R16 104T TIRES ONLY. *TT |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)
NHTSA investigations
Electronic Throttle Body Malfunction
Fleet Vehicle Recall Completion Audit
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation