Problems · by component
2001 Ford Escape air bags problems
63 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2001 Ford Escape cite air bags, 6% of all 1,027 complaints for this model year.
Complaints
63
6% of all complaints
Crashes
34
Reported by owners
Fires
2
Reported by owners
Injuries
29
Reported by owners
What owners say about the air bags
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“I put money down on the vehicle the next day when I drove it I noticed that the seat belt doesn’t work. I told him about it and he told me to se if it stays clicked on the passenger side. It does but I couldn’t drive that way it was choking me. He said he would put a new one in it but never did. I have gone there several times a week and several times in a day for a couple of weeks. It has airbags or they don’t work. Because the light will flash a bunch of times and then stay on. I can’t drive it because there are no safety devices to keep me from being killed in the event of an accident. I would like help getting my down payment back so I can get a road worthy vehicle. I have spent all if this time trying to find away to get my money back. I have lost almost all of my clients due to not having reliable transportation to get to my the homes to clean them.”
“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 FORD ESCAPE. WHILE DRIVING DIFFERENT SPEEDS, THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL BECAME STUCK. THE CONTACT PLACED THE VEHICLE IN NEUTRAL AND DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL, WHICH CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO JERK AND CONTINUE NORMAL DRIVING. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG HAD BUBBLES AND APPEARED AS THOUGH IT WOULD EXPLODE. THE FAILURES WERE NOT DIAGNOSED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 163,000.”
“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 FORD ESCAPE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED INTERMITTENTLY AND THE POWER STEERING SEIZED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, BUT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT WAS MADE AWARE OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V597000 (AIR BAGS, SEAT BELTS). THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 119,345.”
“WHILE GOING DOWN THE ROAD 60 MILES AN HOUR AT NIGHT TIME A DEER RAN IN FRONT OF THE CAR. MY SON JAMMED ON THE BRAKES SKIDDING A DISTANCE HITTING THE DEER. BECAUSE OF JAMMING ON THE BRAKES MY SON HIT THE STEERING WHEEL WITH HIS FACE CAUSING INJURY TO HIS NECK, FACE AND HEAD. HIS SEAT BELT WAS ON AND THE AIRBAGS NEVER WENT OFF. HE SKIDDING A DISTANCE SWERVING RIGHT TO THE EDGE OF THE ROAD HITTING A METAL BAR AT THE EDGE OF A DRIVEWAY. I SENT A COMPLAINT INTO THE NHTSA AND WAS TOLD THE AIR BAGS WOULDN'T OF GONE OFF. I ALSO HAVE A PICTURE OF A FRIENDS FORD TRUCK GOING OFF THE ROAD AT 60 HITTING A HOUSE AND THE AIRBAGS NEVER WENT OFF. SO THE EXCUSE THE AIRBAGS WOULDN'T GO OFF HITTING A DEER IS COMPLETELY WRONG. FIGURE OUT THE FORCE OF JAMMING ON THE BRAKES AT 60 MILES AN HOUR SKIDDING A DISTANCE. FORD HAS A PROBLEM AND SHOULD STAND BY THEIR VEHICLES. YOU HAVE LOST A FEW CUSTOMERS BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF STANDING BY YOUR PRODUCT. I AM SENDING COMPLAINTS TO WHOMEVER I CAN BECAUSE I KNOW THE NHTSA WOULD DO ANYTHING. *TR”
“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 FORD ESCAPE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH, THE AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED CONTINUOUSLY. THE FAILURE RECURRED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER NOR AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC TO BE DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 67,230.”
“MY SON WAS GOING DOWN THE ROAD ABOUT 60 MILES AN HOUR WHEN A BIG DEER CAME OUT IN FRONT OF HIM. HE JAMMED ON HIS BRAKES SKIDDING BUT STILL HIT THE DEER TOTALING THE CAR. NOT ONE OF THE AIRBAGS CAME OUT. HE WENT FORWARD HITTING HIS UPPER BODY AND FACE ON THE STEERING WHEEL. HE HAD HIS SEAT BELT ON. THE POLICE WERE CALLED TO THE ACCIDENT. HE WAS TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL BY FRIENDS. HE TURNED BLACK AND BLUE AND STILL IS HURTING. THE CAR WAS JUST INSPECTED THE END OF OCTOBER. I FEEL FORD AND THE MANUFACTURER SHOULD BE HELD LIABLE. THAT THE CAR SHOULD BE REPLACED BECAUSE OF THE AIRBAGS NOT WORKING CAUSING INJURY. I'M WITHOUT A CAR...UPDATED 12/04/14*BF UPDATED 06/2/2015 *JS”
Showing 6 of 63 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 10, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.