Problems · by component
2011 Ford Escape engine problems
248 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2011 Ford Escape cite engine, 19% of all 1,319 complaints for this model year.
Complaints
248
19% of all complaints
Crashes
3
Reported by owners
Fires
5
Reported by owners
Injuries
0
Reported by owners
What owners say about the engine
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“I purchased this vehicle on 10/16/25 through Affordable Auto Sales 692 Pleasant St Fall River Ma as it is a buy here pay here. It had 97,626 miles on it day of purchase. I noticed trouble with power steering as it is electric and kept locking up and asked several times to fix it. It didn't get repaired until the week before Christmas. On 1-10-26, took it for first oil change and it had 100,837 miles in total I put 3,211 miles on it. The mechanic called me into the garage and showed me 3 things that were critically wrong with the vehicle. It had severe rot in front and rear, mostly rear, the transmission had a significant leak, and the power steering was still not properly fixed. The mechanic informed me that the dealership had not done their safety inspection and this was deemed an unsafe vehicle and I should not be driving it. I brought it to the attention of Affordable Auto sales and they are accusing me of the damage. The owner Lucy Sousa also changed the mileage on the paperwork saying I put 20,000 on itinerary 2 months time. She changed it to 82,294 which is false. I have my inspection report to show accurate mileage. I no longer have this vehicle. I…”
“The contact owns a 2011 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shuddered and jerked, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact also stated that while attempting to accelerate, the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was diagnosed by Roadside Assistance as a failure with the alternator. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed as it was confirmed that the alternator had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure persisted. The dealer was not contacted; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 134,499.”
“The contact owns a 2011 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the power steering failed to work as needed. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The vehicle was diagnosed with EGR valve failure. The contact was informed that the steering column needed to be replaced. The contacted stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering). The dealer confirmed that the vehicle was not included the recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the vehicle was not included in the recall, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.”
“Discovered my car has electric power steering not seeing a reservoir did some research and seen that there were a lot of 2011 Ford Escapes with safety recalls three being the main problems I've had with my car since I began financing it almost 4 years ago my last payment is in 2 weeks. Went to leave a driveway and within a few seconds my steering wheel locked up and I thought it was strange that's when I found out I have electric power steering and that there has been recalls turned the car off turn to back on and it was just fine. Found out that is a common thing although it may not be considered a safety recall just yet but I would believe it is a major problem because anytime in my life if I was to believe my power steering was failing me I would still have control over the wheel but this thing locks up as if I ain't going nowhere. I seen that there has been recalls for fuel systems front wheel bearings and electric power steering. My engine light has been on for a very long time and people say it's because of the O2 sensor causing a misfire to appear random. My front wheels kind of knock making me think it could be between the rack axle and bearing. Other…”
“Back in June, I took my vehicle to have it checked out. When I accelerate, the SUV would feel like it was dragging something under the tires and riding very rough and bumpy, actually the vehicle was shaking while driving, then it would stop when I slow down. Even when I turn off the engine for a few hours and then drive it, its fine. No warning lights on dashboard. Fred Beans replaced spark plugs, changed filters, cleaned throttle body, oil change. Now it 's doing the same thing. If I am idle in park with AC on for a few minutes, it does it. Sometimes after I fill it with fuel, it does it. As far as I am know, they never checked the fuel pump. SUV shakes for about 2 minutes then stops. It feels as though I am getting a flat in all tires.”
“The contact owns a 2011 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at 50 MPH, he heard abnormal knocking sounds coming from the engine. The oil pressure warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled to the nearby gas station where an independent mechanic inspected the vehicle and informed the contact that the engine had thrown a rod and there were metal shavings in the engine oil. The contact stated the failure increased significantly while driving at 50 MPH. The contact veered to the side of the road and unlocked the doors. Another driver informed the contact that there there was a fire underneath the vehicle. The contact was able to extinguish the fire with a fire extinguisher. There were no injuries sustained. The contact stated upon towing the vehicle there was a significant amount of oil leaked from the oil pan onto the tow truck vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who diagnosed that the engine blew up and had shattered. The dealer diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced and additional repairs needed to be completed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage…”
Showing 6 of 248 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.