Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (doors, hood, frame, rust, paint and trim).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2014 Ford Escape owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that as her husband grabbed the front passenger's side assist grab handle to adjust himself in the front passenger's side seat, the grab handle fractured and separated from the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred while her husband was grabbing the rear passenger's side grab handle to exit the vehicle. The contact stated that her husband fell on the ground and sustained a sore right ankle and bruises on and above the knee of the left foot. Additionally, the contact's husband sustained back pain. The contact's husband had not sought medical assistance. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 162,000.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the rear driver's side and rear passenger's side doors were inoperable and could not be opened from inside or outside the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who stated that the door plastic panels had slid down and became stuck inside the door trim. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The contact stated that the vehicle was previously repaired for the same failure, but the failure reoccurred. The failure mileage was 30,000.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the transmission was previously replaced. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. Additionally, the driver's side rear door had fractured from daily use, and the contact had to continuously refill the coolant reservoir due to the loss of coolant in the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 82,024.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the front-end experienced shaking and vibrations. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the motor mount had fractured. The cause of the failure was not determined. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 90,000.
MY CAR HAS 15 RECALLS AND 3 different FORD dealerships REFUSES TO do recall work This has gone on for more than 2 years. They claim to have done recall work that has not been done. It has a defective transmission. It took off while in park and hit a tow truck.
see attached documents: Subject: Ongoing Unresolved Recall Issues and Safety Concerns with My Ford Vehicle I am writing to formally express my deep concern and frustration regarding my Ford vehicle, which currently has 15 open recalls that have gone unresolved for nearly two years. During this time, I have contacted every Ford dealership within a 50-mile radius of my home in repeated attempts to have these recalls addressed. Each dealership has provided a different excuse for not completing the necessary repairs. Some initially allowed me to schedule service appointments, only to cancel them once they realized the work involved recall issues. In several cases, I was never notified that my appointment had been canceled-I only discovered this when no one showed up. …
If the rear door (both passenger and driver side) is closed in an aggressive way (such as a child closing a door as hard as they can) the plastic paneling on the door can be "dislodged" sliding down and jamming with the metal door frame making the door unable to open from either the inside or outside. In the event of an emergency, the door would not be able to be opened leaving a child or passenger trapped in the vehicle. A jolt from a low speed crash (not directly on the door) could cause the door plastic to dislodge causing the door to jam leaving children or passengers in the back unable to exit the vehicle safety. The issues has been reproduced only by myself, that I am aware of; (first happened on drive side and then reproduced on passenger side) and could most likely be repeated on similar models preforming repeated aggressive door closes. …
The driver side rear door can not be opened. It appears the paneling of the door is caught on the frame, which prevents the operation of the door. This has been reported twice to the dealership, and so far they have ignored the request to inspect or fix it. In an emergency if needed passengers would not be able to exit through this door, which would put that at risk if the car were pinned on one side and the front too damaged to operate. Also the rear camera has failed and does not operate. This is the second camera to do so as the first was replaced under warranty a few years after purchasing the vehicle. If a child were behind the vehicle there would be no way to know looking over your shoulder, as you could only see them on camera. The only warning or indicator of the camera failure is a black screen with a message that you need to contact a service professional.
The rear door panel gets stuck in the door frame, preventing the door from opening. This happens with all of the screws and clips firmly in place but the problem does eventually loosen and dislodge clips. It seems to be that the panel is a little too big for the door frame. Looking for solutions, the problem is very common and many people have attempted to fix it with little success. We have two small children who sit in the back in car seats and we have to put them both in and out from the one door that doesn't get stuck. This has been an issue for about two years now and has damaged the panel so much that it nearly rips off when attempting to open the door. I have read that Ford has acknowledged the problem but has not issued a recall. Clearly a safety issue to not be able to open a door.
Our Ford Escape 2014 has two safety recalls. My complaint is that they didn't fix it timely. One of the door latches failed and the door was opened by itself on the road in August 2022. I have taken the car to a local FORD dealership and got it inspected. They said they would request the parts and fix it. However, nothing happened after weeks of waiting. I have checked back many times, and they kept saying that the parts were not available. Now, we have been driving a car that has one door unlocked for the past 1.5 years. How to solve this? FYI. Dealer name and address, Mission Valley Ford Truck Sls. 780 East Brokaw Rd, San Jose, CA 95112 [phone]. I also contacted the FORD customer service department in 2022; they asked me to check with the local dealership for parts availability.
Related recalls
Structure › Body › Door
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Escape vehicles manufactured October 5, 2011, through April 10, 2014. Due to an assembly misalignment between the exterior door handle and the door outer panel, the affected vehicles have doors that may be difficult to close or may possibly open while driving.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and correct the mounting of the door handles, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on May 30, 2014. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-800-392-3673.
Body complaints in other Escape years
Frequently asked questions
How common are body problems on the 2014 Ford Escape?
NHTSA has 84 complaints about the body & structure of the 2014 Ford Escape, 4% of the model year's 2,089 complaints. The component named most often is body (68 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2014 Ford Escape body problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 14V-239 (door, May 7, 2014). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2014 Ford Escape body problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 40,000 miles, and 25% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 5 crashes, 5 fires and 3 injuries and 2 deaths to body & structure problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.