2003 Ford Escape Problems, Recalls & Reliability
736 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2003 Ford Escape, alongside 9 recall campaigns and 8 defect investigations. It scores 24/100 on the trouble index — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Body & structure leads the reports, typically around 109,000 miles.
Typical
Where 2003 sits among all Escape years
What owners report
“2003 ford escape leaks dirt into passenger compartment when driving down a gravel road, at times the dust inside the passenger cabin is so thick it is impossible to see road or instruments. Road dust is visible passing by door and seals. Dealer has serviced vehicle twice for this condition. Last…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2003 Escape
“Front sub frame rusted out and split half way across pulls vehicle when driving 14s02 complaint”— owner report to NHTSA, 2003 Escape
“While i was driving on hwy 45 my escape jumped out of gear and overdrive indicator showed it had turned off at the same time. Also it caused my vehicle to almost stoll while traffic was behind me and beside me. I had to shift gear shift until light showed again then shift it to drive. Also had to…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2003 Escape
“On many occasions, the engine has stalled while at a stop or going about 10 mph. Two times the engine has stalled on the freeway going over 60 mph, causing my car to be side swiped and stranded on the side of the freeway.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2003 Escape
“Sudden failure of abs system. Abs light not operating on dashboard indicator panel.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2003 Escape
“The air bag stay on and keeps blinking and won't turn off. I have done everything possible to check this issue out, having no luck so far.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2003 Escape
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 575 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 97,325 miles. Half of those reports fall between 53,625 and 135,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (9)
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2001-2008 Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner vehicles manufactured March 31, 2001, to September 1, 2009. The affected vehicles are equipped with either a 2.3L or 3.0L engine and have had their CD4E…
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the transmissions and either tighten the manual shift lever bolt or replace the manual shift lever assembly. These repairs will be performed free of…
The Timken Company (Timken) is recalling certain aftermarket front wheel bearings, part number 510072, sold from January 22, 2015, to May 21, 2015, to be used as service parts on 2001-2012 Ford Escape, 2001-2011 Mazda Tribute, and 2005-2011 Mercury Mariner…
Fix: Timken has begun notifying distributors who will offer purchasers replacement wheel bearings, free of charge. The recall began on May 21, 2015. Owners may contact Timken customer service at…
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2001-2004 Escape vehicles manufactured October 22, 1999, through January 23, 2004, originally sold, or currently registered in, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland,…
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will install a newly designed reinforcement cross-brace, free of charge. The recall began on May 30, 2014. Owners may contact Ford at 1-800-392-3673. Ford's…
Ford Motor Company is recalling certain model year 2001 through 2004 Escape vehicles equipped with 3.0L V6 engines and speed control manufactured from October 22, 1999, through January 23, 2004. Inadequate clearance between the engine cover and the speed…
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will repair the vehicles by increasing the engine cover clearance, free of charge. The safety recall began August 3, 2012. Remedy parts are expected to be…
ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH ANTILOCK BRAKES (ABS), THE ABS MODULE CONNECTOR MAY HAVE MISSING OR DISLODGED WIRE SEALS. THIS CONDITION COULD ALLOW CONTAMINATION TO ENTER THE MODULE CONNECTOR, CREATING A POTENTIAL FOR AN ELECTRICAL SHORT.
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE WIRE HARNESS CONNECTOR TO THE ABS MODULE FOR MISSING OR DISLODGED WIRE SEALS, AND REPAIR OR REPLACE THE HARNESS CONNECTOR AS APPROPRIATE. THE DEALER WILL ALSO INSPECT THE…
CERTAIN CARDONE MASTER CYLINDERS WITH PART NUMBERS 10-2925, 10-2987, 10-2987MZA, 10-3083, 11-3015, 11-3042, 11-3044, 11-3045, 11-3047, 11-3064, AND 11-3156, AND WITH DATE CODES LOWER THAN DCA7078 SOLD AS REPLACEMENT EQUIPMENT FOR USE ON THE VEHICLES LISTED…
Fix: CARDONE WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER TO REPURCHASE ANY DEFECTIVE MASTER CYLINDERS. THE RECALL BEGAN DURING APRIL 2007. OWNERS CAN CONTACT CARDONE AT 1-800-777-4780.
CERTAIN 2004-2005 SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES AND CERTAIN 2001-2003 SPORT UTIITY VEHICLE HAVING REAR LIFTGATE COMPONENTS SERVICED WITH 2004 EQUIVALENT COMPONENTS FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 206, 'DOOR LOCKS AND…
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE REAR LIFTGATE LATCH RELEASE ROD, THE RELEASE ROD ATTACHMENT CLIP AND THE DOOR HANDLE RETURN SPRING. THE RECALL BEGAN ON MARCH 31, 2005. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT FORD AT…
ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES BUILT WITH 3.0L V6 ENGINES, THE ACCELERATOR CABLE MAY PREVENT THE THROTTLE FROM RETURNING TO THE IDLE POSITION.
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE ACCELERATOR CABLE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JANUARY 10, 2005. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT FORD AT 1-866-436-7332.
ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 3.0L V6 ENGINES, DURING DECELERATION, THE ENGINE CAN STALL.
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPROGRAM THE POWER CONTROL MODULE (PCM) WITH THE APPROPRIATE CALIBRATION. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON APRIL 21, 2004. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN…
Federal defect investigations
Led to recall campaign 12V353000.
Led to recall campaign 12V005000.
Led to recall campaign 07V156000.
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2003 Ford Escape reliable?
The 2003 Ford Escape drew 736 complaints in federal safety records — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Its trouble index is 24/100, scored against the model's worst year (2013).
What are the most common 2003 Ford Escape problems?
The top reported problems for the 2003 Ford Escape are body & structure (123 complaints), suspension (92), and speed control (91).
At what mileage do 2003 Ford Escape problems show up?
Owners most often report 2003 Ford Escape problems around 97,325 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 53,625 and 135,000 miles.
Does the 2003 Ford Escape have recalls?
9 recall campaigns apply to the 2003 Ford Escape. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.