Problems · by component
2011 Ford Escape Hybrid service brakes problems
26 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2011 Ford Escape Hybrid cite service brakes, 2% of all 1,334 complaints for this model year.
Complaints
26
2% of all complaints
Crashes
3
Reported by owners
Fires
1
Reported by owners
Injuries
1
Reported by owners
What owners say about the service brakes
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“The contact owned a 2011 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at 25 MPH, as the contact was approaching a traffic light, the brake pedal was depressed; however, it failed to stop as intended. The contact moved to the other lane when the vehicle came to a stop. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to AutoZone and the contact was informed that three sensors needed to be replaced. Two sensors were replaced; however, the ABS sensor was not replaced due to cost. The contact stated that on the drive home, an abnormal odor was coming from the vehicle. While the vehicle was parked, the vehicle was consumed by fire and destroyed. The Fire and Police departments were called. A fire report was filed; the Fire Department stated the cause of the fire was due to faulty wiring. The contact notified her insurance company and the vehicle was towed to an unknown location. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 170,000.”
“The brakes completely failed and I was unable to stop the car except by turning up hill and applying the emergency brake. I had it repaired by Ford in Bangor and it turned out that the ABS module had failed. It seems unreasonable that there was no mechanical backup to a failure of an electronic part.”
“My 2011 Ford Escape Hybrid lost all braking when the brake peddle went to the floor while in the electronic mode on the battery not with the motor running. The internet has hundreds of ford escape with the same problem. My Ford dealer is not sure what is wrong. Can you please start an investigation to figure out how to fix this problem. I hit my own fence on the driveway after starting the car. Thank You [XXX] VIN: [XXX] 2011 Ford Escape Hybrid 4 door”
“2011 Ford Escape AWD- passenger side brake issue- after driving and brake/rotor getting hot making the rim even feel hot. My car vibrates when driving down the street because of this problem. It also has very poor stopping and after stop vehicle doesn’t like to move until I hit the gas pedal. I have very poor gas mileage because something is hanging up ( passenger side only ) THIS IS DANGEROUS and no one wants to do a recall- I’ve been having problems since 2020 we have replaced caliper/rotor/brake pads and the rubber brake hose fixes the problem for about 3-4 months then comes back getting where I don’t feel safe in my own vehicle and FORD doesn’t want to do NOTHING about it. Guess when someone gets hurt/death they will have a law suit on their hands because they know about the problem with the brakes”
“2011 Ford Escape AWD- passenger side brake issue- after driving and brake/rotor getting hot making the rim even feel hot. My car vibrates when driving down the street because of this problem. It also has very poor stopping and after stop vehicle doesn’t like to move until I hit the gas pedal. I have very poor gas mileage because something is hanging up ( passenger side only ) THIS IS DANGEROUS and no one wants to do a recall- I’ve been having problems since 2020 we have replaced caliper/rotor/brake pads and the rubber brake hose fixes the problem for about 3-4 months then comes back ( I called a FORD DEALER and they no about the issues I’m getting where I don’t feel safe in my own vehicle and FORD doesn’t want to do NOTHING about it. Guess when someone gets hurt/death they will have a law suit on their hands because they know about the problem with the brakes”
“ALL BRAKE/ABS WARNING LIGHTS COME ON AND BRAKE PEDAL GOES ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR ON STARTUP BRAKE SYSTEM FAILURE OCCURS INTERMITTENTLY, AND REPEATEDLY AT ONLY 50K MILES. RESTARTING THE CAR RESULTS IN SOME BRAKE FUNCTION WITH ABS AND CHECK BRAKE WARNINGS. MECHANIC HAS READ THE CODES WHICH INCLUDE EVERY PART OF THE BRAKE SYSTEM. EVERY. SINGLE. PART.”
Showing 6 of 26 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 7, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.