2004 Ford Escape Problems, Recalls & Reliability
715 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2004 Ford Escape, alongside 8 recall campaigns and 6 defect investigations. It scores 22/100 on the trouble index — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Suspension leads the reports, typically around 123,481 miles.
Typical
Where 2004 sits among all Escape years
What owners report
“Rear passenger wheel well rusted shock came off. Ford won't fix it. Driving with one rear shock.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2004 Escape
“Passenger side rear wheel well rusted. Shock mount is now completely disconnected.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2004 Escape
“Vehicle was u able to control,constant issues with transmission and idle kept getting stuck,speed up on its own and was unable stop without throwing car in park while driving”— owner report to NHTSA, 2004 Escape
“At intermittent times vehicle will stall and die. After driving at 45mph and stop car will die in the intersection. Driving at 70mph on the highway vehicle will stall woth cruise control on. When it stalls at highwau speed it jerks so violently that kids in the back seat get bounced around. It…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2004 Escape
“Airbag light blinks or continuously stays on...also rear passenger shock has broken away from wheel well causing unsafe driving conditions. I just had this vehicle financed back in february 2016.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2004 Escape
“I was driving down the road and the shock and wheel detached due to the corrosion of the back of the frame.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2004 Escape
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 601 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 111,364 miles. Half of those reports fall between 76,000 and 143,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (8)
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.
Federal defect investigations
Led to recall campaign 12V353000.
Led to recall campaign 12V005000.
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 2004 Ford Escape reliable?
The 2004 Ford Escape drew 715 complaints in federal safety records — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Its trouble index is 22/100, scored against the model's worst year (2013).
What are the most common 2004 Ford Escape problems?
The top reported problems for the 2004 Ford Escape are suspension (154 complaints), body & structure (139), and speed control (98).
At what mileage do 2004 Ford Escape problems show up?
Owners most often report 2004 Ford Escape problems around 111,364 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 76,000 and 143,000 miles.
Does the 2004 Ford Escape have recalls?
8 recall campaigns apply to the 2004 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.