Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (power windows, windshield, wipers, mirrors, sunroof).
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 the driver's side windshield cracked causing a visibility hazard to the driver. The contact indicated that the crack was present between the two layers of glass used in the windshield construction. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle in daylight the driver's vision was impaired by the internal cracks. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 38,500.
The wipers became slow and erratic, then stopped when headlights were turned on. The lights also were affected as they became dim or out depending on the selection of Hi, Low or Driving. The wipers could have failed during a storm, or the headlights could have become inoperative with no warning. The problem was reproduced at the dealer and inspected as well. There was no indication that there was a problem until the wipers and lights were operated. There could have been more systems that were failing we did not notice as the problem was all of the grounding wires were on painted surfaces. There are several Service Bulletins on this car and the Ford Focus in the same model year range. I have correspondence from the dealer that indicates the problem. …
While in Reverse, my Back-up Camera usually does not work. I either get a Blue screen, a message saying Back up camera unavailable, or if it does come on, it is upside down and doesn't stay on but for a few seconds. I have called the dealer, and they will not even look at it unless I pay for this. There are recalls for other years, and I counted over 100 complaints about this issue on the same year as my vehicle... I am wondering if people actually have to die for Ford to fix this and issue the dang recall.
For years the rear back up camera has failed to engage or turns on and off intermittently when the vehicle is put in reverse. This can lead to a potentially hazardous driving issue which could lead to property damage or potentially in the extreme loss of life. There are recalls for exactly this same issue on literally millions of similar Ford vehicles, but they refuse to acknowledge this issue and fix it for the 2014 Ford Escape Thank you
Rear-view camera is not working while in reverse. When backing up, it doesn't show anything but a blank screen. Says it is unavailable. I had a mechanic run a diagnostic on it and it showed the camera was faulty.
January 9, 2019 at 10:39 pm my 2014 Ford Escape caught on fire. Driving down interstate 81, going speed limit 70 MPH, vehicle shut off and said "service engine now". Steering and brakes did not lock up but the vehicle lost rpms and was not running as I pulled over to the right hand shoulder, I was in the left hand lane when my vehicle shut off. As I stopped, I put vehicle in park and turned key off, all while it said "service engine now". I turned my hazards on and got out my phone to call someone for help. As I looked up I seen flames coming from the windshield wiper area and smoke in front of my lights, I grabbed my work bag and jumped out of the vehicle, jumped across the guard rail, and immediately called 911 from a safe distance. In approximately 6-9 minutes the entire front end of my vehicle was engulfed in flames as I was on the phone with 911. …
The vehicle was being driven and had only been started and moving for less than 5 minutes. Noticed that windshield wipers would not shut off or change speeds, then noticed a slight odor in car that increasingly strengthened. Phoned my husband while at a stop light, odor of something burning became much stronger, then noticed smoke coming between the the drivers side hood seam and between the hood and the windshield, this was immediately followed by noticable flame. I put the vehicle in park, turned on hazard lights and exited the vehicle. Local police and fire department responded, began with small fire extinguishers, without success and fire department opened hood and applied water to extinguish. This was on a city street in o'fallon, mo. Uncertain of cause, but am now aware that Ford issued a recall on this model (recall 17s09) and believe this could be a possibility.
The fan blower motor works intermittently. That is, it doesn't always work when activated. Moreover, it has now completely stopped working. This causes extreme safety issue when windows are fogged up inside vehicle, preventing driver from seeing. Happens when vehicle is driven and when stationary.
My wife and I were driving on a 4 lane highway during the day. We were not operating the panoramic sunroof and the shade was completely open. Suddenly and all at once, the front pane of glass in the sunroof exploded into the cabin. Glass cut my face in two locations and caused bleeding. There was no nearby traffic in front of us or on the side. We were not traveling under an overpass. We were able to quickly regain control of the vehicle as the breakage caused us to slow down and swerve. There were no other collisions or damage after the sunroof broke. As no object or projectile caused the breakage and there was no prior damage to the sunroof, it is obvious that there was a fault with either the glass or sunroof assembly.
Front wipers go off when in off postition on the steering wheel. Once issue starts happening it degrades quickly. It starts with a random wipe and over a months period degrades into the wipers randomly turning on at different speeds and different time intervals ranging from a few wipes up to 15 minutes of uncontrollable wiping. Sometimes only a single wiper blade will turn on randomly the left or right front ( once restarting car both wipers will go off randomly again). This happens when driving on all driving types street/highway/turning/stationary everything. Again the wipers are in off postition and not engaged but will randomly turn on.
Related recalls
Visibility › Sun/moon roof assembly
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2014 Ford Escape vehicles manufactured October 15, 2013, through October 22, 2013. The panorama roof glass may not be properly bonded to the attaching bracket.
Remedy: Ford has notified owners. Dealers will inspect each vehicle and replace the front roof glass if its production date and sequence number falls within the affected range, free of charge.
Window & Wiper complaints in other Escape years
Frequently asked questions
How common are window & wiper problems on the 2014 Ford Escape?
NHTSA has 25 complaints about the windows, wipers & sunroof of the 2014 Ford Escape, 1% of the model year's 2,089 complaints. The component named most often is sun/moon roof assembly (2 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2014 Ford Escape window & wiper problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 14V-403 (sun/moon roof assembly, Jul 2, 2014). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2014 Ford Escape window & wiper problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 39,000 miles, and 40% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 2 fires and 2 injuries to windows, wipers & sunroof 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.