YearToAvoid

2010 Ford Escape Reliability Data: Problems & Recalls

Avoid The 2010 Ford Escape has a complaint index of 80, ranked 5th worst out of 21 model years, earning an Avoid verdict. Owners most often reported engine problems (43% of complaints), followed by transmission and fuel system issues, plus 3 recalls including a fuel system and steering fix.

Based on NHTSA complaints per model-year, not a reliability rating. Methodology

YearToAvoid Scorecard

Complaint Index
80/100
#5 of 21 Escape years
Verdict
Avoid
vs. other years of this model
Complaints
2,069
unique NHTSA reports
Recalls
3
distinct NHTSA campaigns
Crashes
29
reported in complaints
Fires
3
Injuries
23
Top issue
Engine
Best nearby year
2024
rated Best
NHTSA overall rating
Not rated
EPA combined MPG
22
20 city / 26 hwy
Injuries / deaths
23 / 0

Top 2010 Ford Escape problems

Share of this year’s NHTSA complaints by component group. Groups with 15+ complaints have their own page.

  1. Engine891 (43%)
  2. Transmission & Powertrain508 (25%)
  3. Fuel System507 (25%)
  4. Steering422 (20%)
  5. Electrical System219 (11%)
  6. Other97 (5%)
  7. Structure & Body94 (5%)
  8. Visibility & Wipers87 (4%)
  9. Brakes78 (4%)
  10. Suspension, Wheels & Tires42 (2%)

A complaint can list more than one component, so shares add up to more than 100%. Shares are % of complaints.

What owners report

  • Engine stalls or hesitates unexpectedly, sometimes while at a complete stop or slowing down, then surges forward.
  • Sudden unintended acceleration or a jerking motion has caused low-speed crashes into parking meters, poles, and other vehicles.
  • Transmission fails to shift into second gear and produces a violent jerking sensation, sometimes recurring after dealer repair under the transmission recall.
  • Power steering assist has failed at very low speeds, causing loss of control and collision.
  • Fuel system surging occurs when starting off, requiring quick braking to compensate.
  • Seat backs have reclined unexpectedly during rear-end collisions, raising injury concerns unrelated to engine or transmission complaints.
2010 Ford Escape complaints: complaints filed per quarter4682009 Q42012 Q12014 Q22016 Q32018 Q42021 Q12023 Q22025 Q3
2,069 complaints filed with NHTSA from 2009 Q4 to 2026 Q3; peak 2013 Q3 (468).

2010 Ford Escape recalls

3 NHTSA recall campaigns list this model year.

  1. NHTSA 16V777000Oct 26, 2016Fuel System329,265 vehicles

    Fuel system, gasoline:delivery:fuel pump

    Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2010-2012 Ford Escape vehicles manufactured February 26, 2009, to April 29, 2012, and 2010-2011 Mercury Mariner vehicles manufactured February 25, 2009, to December 12, 2010. On vehicles with a 3.0L engine, the Fuel Delivery Module (FDM) may crack, causing a fuel leak.

    Risk: A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.

    Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the FDM flange with one that has a redesigned fuel supply port, free of charge. Remedy parts are currently unavailable. Interim notices were mailed to owners on December 13, 2016. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 16S41.

  2. NHTSA 14V284000May 29, 2014Steering740,878 vehicles

    Steering:electric power assist system

    Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2008-2011 Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner vehicles manufactured August 18, 2006, through September 11, 2010. The affected vehicles have a steering torque sensor that may not be able to properly detect driver steering input. As a result, the system could remove the Electric Power Steering (EPS) assist.

    Risk: If power steering assist is lost, greater driver effort would be required to steer the vehicle at low speeds, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will update the software for the power steering control module (PSCM) and the instrument cluster module, free of charge. If a vehicle shows a history of a loss of the torque sensor signal or fault codes relating to the PSCM when the vehicle is brought in for the recall remedy, the affected components will be replaced, free of charge. The recall began on July 18, 2014. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-800-392-3673. Ford's number for this recall is 14S05.

  3. NHTSA 10V222000May 24, 2010Transmission & Powertrain19 vehicles

    Power train:automatic transmission

    Ford is recalling certain model year 2010 fusion, milan, and escape vehicles manufactured from february 27, through march 26, 2010. The park rod guide retention pin may not have been properly installed which fails to conform to the requirement of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 114, "theft protection and rollaway prevention".

    Risk: A vehicle parked without an engaged park pawl and without an applied parking brake may have unintended movement which may cause a crash.

    Remedy: Ford will notify owners and dealers will repair the vehicles free of charge. The safety recall began on may 28, 2010. Owners may contact ford motor company customer relationship center at 1-866-436-7332 and for the hearing impaired call 1-800-232-5952 (tdd). Representatives are available monday through friday: 8:00am - 5:00pm.

2010 Ford Escape fuel economy and fuel cost

City
20 MPG
Highway
26 MPG
Combined
22 MPG
Annual fuel cost (EPA)
$2,950
15,000 mi/yr
Fuel
Regular
Current regular gas
$4.32/gal
national avg.

EPA figures; median across configurations of this model year. Estimate your own cost with the fuel cost calculator.

2010 compared with other Escape years

Complaint Index by model year (0 = fewest issues, 100 = most)0255075100’05’06’07’08’09’10’11’12’13’14’15’16’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
Complaint Index: 0 = fewest issues, 100 = most, relative to other years of this model. Avoid Caution Good Best
YearVerdictIndexComplaintsRecallsMPG
2008Caution651,974321
2009Avoid751,693121
2010Avoid802,069322
2011Caution601,316222
2012Good35599123

All Ford Escape years: best and worst →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2010 Ford Escape reliable?
Compared with other Escape model years, the 2010 ranks poorly. It has a complaint index of 80 and sits 5th worst out of 21 years with an Avoid verdict, driven mainly by engine complaints.
What is the biggest problem with the 2010 Ford Escape?
Engine problems are the top complaint area, making up 43% of all complaints, with a median mileage at failure of 52,000 miles. Transmission and fuel system issues each account for 25% of complaints.
Does the 2010 Ford Escape have any recalls?
NHTSA lists 3 recalls for the 2010 Escape covering the fuel system, steering, and transmission park rod guide pin, none of which are do-not-drive recalls.
How does the 2010 Escape compare to other years?
The 2010 model (complaint index 80) is worse than most earlier years like 2005-2007, which earned Good verdicts, but not as bad as 2013 or 2017, which scored higher complaint indexes of 90 and 100.
What is the fuel economy of the 2010 Ford Escape?
EPA rates the 2010 Escape at 22 mpg combined (20 city / 26 highway), with an estimated annual fuel cost of $2,950.

Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint and recall databases; U.S. EPA fuel economy data; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

Data updated Sep 24, 2026. Read the methodology and data sources. The Complaint Index is based on NHTSA owner complaints and recalls; it is not a reliability rating.