VehicleVerdict

2005 Ford Escape engine problems

The 2005 Ford Escape has 221 engine complaints filed with NHTSA — 11% of the year's total, and up sharply from the prior model year.

221

Engine complaints

11%

Share of year

3

Crash-involved

0

Related recalls

Engine complaints by year

Escape engine complaints by model year2,012 complaints2001: 325 complaints2002: 333 complaints2003: 73 complaints2004: 49 complaints2005: 221 complaints2006: 68 complaints2007: 31 complaints2008: 121 complaints2009: 292 complaints2010: 528 complaints2011: 265 complaints2012: 78 complaints2013: 1,435 complaints2014: 903 complaints2015: 277 complaints2016: 247 complaints2017: 2,012 complaints2018: 1,419 complaints2019: 376 complaints2020: 117 complaints2021: 41 complaints2022: 34 complaints2023: 31 complaints2024: 14 complaints2025: 8 complaints2026: 2 complaints
Escape engine complaints by model year. Red bars are years to avoid.

What owners report

“THIS CASE INVOLVES AN ENGINE FIRE TO A 2005 FORD ESCAPE THAT WAS BEING OPERATED UNDER NORMAL CONDITIONS IN URBAN DRIVING IN THE GREATER ATLANTA, GA AREA. SMOKE WAS SEEN COMING FROM THE FRONT PART OF THE VEHICLE. THE FRONT SEAT PASSENGER WAS BURNED AFTER OPENING THE GLOVE BOX TO INVESTIGATE THE…”

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Engine · March 26, 2007 · fire

Common questions

How many engine complaints does the 2005 Ford Escape have?

NHTSA has 221 complaints about the 2005 Ford Escape engine — 11% of all complaints filed for that model year.

Related

Based on NHTSA ODI data through June 2026. Complaints are consumer-reported and unverified. Updated July 5, 2026.

Compiled by Sharon Ben-Moshe, Founder.