2002 Ford Escape problems & reliability
1,027 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2002 Ford Escape, alongside 8 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
34 complaints report injuries (42 injured, 2 deaths reported).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2002 Ford Escape vehicles were involved in 45 fatal crashes with 33 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 294 | 29% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 149 | 15% |
| Electrical System | 123 | 12% |
| Power Train | 105 | 10% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 100 | 10% |
| Structure | 87 | 8% |
| Suspension | 80 | 8% |
| Air Bags | 79 | 8% |
| Steering | 70 | 7% |
| Service Brakes | 41 | 4% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 87,429 miles (middle 50% between 42,542 and 130,000 miles), based on 634 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“I bought a vehicle that has recalls on it. I contacted a dealer. Im told the car is to old to fix the recalled abs relay. Now I have a vehicle thats on the road a fire hazard. The ford dealership have left me my with and kids and grand kids in danger”
Unknown OR Other · filed Apr 18, 2026
“The contact owns a 2002 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while shifted in park(P), the key failed to release while the engine was running. The contact drove to a local O'Reilly's where one of the employees was able to remove the key from the ignition. The failure had gotten progressively worse. The vehicle was…”
Electrical System · filed Jul 28, 2025
“I have had to replace my engine/transmission several times and the problem keeps repeating itself. The engine will just die for no reason which is an extremely severe safety risk.”
Engine · filed Aug 12, 2024
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Stuck Throttle
Preliminary Evaluation PE12019 · opened Jul 17, 2012 · closed Feb 21, 2013 · led to recall 12V357000
- Cruise Control Cable
Defect Petition DP12005 · opened Jul 17, 2012 · closed Jul 17, 2012
- Fleet Vehicle Recall Completion Audit
Audit Query AQ10001 · opened Nov 18, 2010 · closed Dec 28, 2015
- Engine Compartment Fire
Engineering Analysis EA10002 · opened Jan 14, 2010 · closed Feb 29, 2012 · led to recall 12V016000
- ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE
Recall Query RQ09002 · opened Apr 15, 2009 · closed Jan 15, 2010
- ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE
Defect Petition DP09003 · opened Apr 14, 2009 · closed Apr 15, 2009
- ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE
Preliminary Evaluation PE06048 · opened Oct 30, 2006 · closed Apr 17, 2007 · led to recall 07V157000
- ENGINE STALLING
Investigation RP04002 · opened Jun 24, 2004 · closed Aug 31, 2004
Technical service bulletins
109 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2002 Ford Escape. The 10 most recent:
Safety recall 14S02 - Corrosion at forward attachment of lower control arm - requests for recall service action
TSB160071 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 21, 2016
2001-2004 Escape vehicles Safety Recall 14S02 has been issued for vehicles that are operated in high corrosion areas for an extended period, where a corrosion-related separation of the forward attachment of the lower…
16-0071 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 21, 2016
Ford: the lower control arm (lca) forward attachment will separate from subframe, causing diminishing directional control, due to operating in high corrosion areas for extended period of time. Model 2001-2004 escape. *pe
TSB-14-0143 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 11, 2014
Pcm failure - electrical accessories intermittent - inoperative. *tt
0693 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 1, 2006
Camshaft tick noise - 3.0l 4v engine only. *tt
04208 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 1, 2006
Replace timing belt idler pulley during 2.0l zetec engine cylinder head replacement - service tip. *tt
19016 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 1, 2006
Wds cop kit diagnostic tip - coil on plug (cop) ignition systems - engine misfire or rough running. *tt
041601 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 14, 2005
Restraint system - safety belt buckle and pretensioner diagnostic trouble code (dtc) b1877 and/or b1881. *tt
04244 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 7, 2005
Safety belt retraction speed. *tt
042421 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 7, 2005
Safety belt web stop button service. *eh
05310 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 21, 2005
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2002 Ford Escape has 8 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2002 Ford Escape?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 87,429 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.