2002 Ford Escape electrical system problems
123 owner complaints filed with NHTSA name the electrical system on the 2002 Ford Escape — 12% of all complaints for this model 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”
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…”
filed Jul 28, 2025
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Related service bulletins
Pcm failure - electrical accessories intermittent - inoperative. *tt
0693 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 1, 2006Restraint system - safety belt buckle and pretensioner diagnostic trouble code (dtc) b1877 and/or b1881. *tt
04244 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 7, 2005
Electrical System problems in other Escape years
| Year | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 Escape | 6 | 29% |
| 2024 Escape | 27 | 36% |
| 2023 Escape | 38 | 40% |
| 2022 Escape | 19 | 8% |
| 2021 Escape | 31 | 9% |
| 2020 Escape | 152 | 10% |
| 2019 Escape | 37 | 6% |
| 2018 Escape | 53 | 3% |
| 2017 Escape | 154 | 6% |
| 2016 Escape | 88 | 8% |
| 2015 Escape | 130 | 12% |
| 2014 Escape | 211 | 10% |
Other reported problem areas on the 2002 Ford Escape
Counts are unique NHTSA complaints naming this component group. Complaints are unverified owner reports; mileage is computed only from complaints that included a usable odometer reading.