Ford Escape Safety Rating by Year
NHTSA has published crash-test ratings for the Ford Escape in 14 model years from 2011 to 2024; the 2024 earned 5 out of 5 stars overall. Check a specific Escape’s crash and title history below.
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Ford Escape— By the Numbers
- Model years rated, 2011–2024
- 14
- 2024 overall rating
- 5★
- Highest overall on record
- 5★
- Lowest rollover risk shown (2020)
- 16.9%
- Recall campaigns, 2024 record
- 8
Model years rated, 2011–2024
2024 overall rating
Highest overall on record
Lowest rollover risk shown (2020)
Recall campaigns, 2024 record
Quick Answer
- What is the Ford Escape safety rating?
- NHTSA has published crash-test ratings for the Ford Escape in 14 model years from 2011 to 2024; the 2024 earned 5 out of 5 stars overall. A rating applies to one model year and one body style or drivetrain, so check the year you are actually buying.
- Which Ford Escape years have the highest safety rating?
- The 2017–2024 model years earned 5 stars overall, the highest score on record.
- Did NHTSA rate every Ford Escape model year?
- No. Every model year from 2011 to 2024 has a rating on record. NHTSA's crash-test database lists no Escape for 2025.
Ford Escape safety ratings, year by year
The Escape's overall score climbs and never slips back, up at 2013 and up again at 2017, while its rollover rating rises at 2013 and holds through 2024.
| Model year | Overall | Frontal | Side | Side pole | Rollover | Rollover risk | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 17.4% | |
| 2023 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 17.4% | |
| 2022 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 17.4% | |
| 2021 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 17.4% | |
| 2020 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 16.9% | Full 2020 ratings |
| 2019 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 18.5% | |
| 2018 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 18.5% | |
| 2017 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 19.1% | |
| 2016 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 18.5% | |
| 2015 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 19.1% | |
| 2014 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 19.1% | |
| 2013 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 18.5% | |
| 2012 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 20.4% | |
| 2011 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 20.4% |
Recalls and complaints by model year
NHTSA files these beside each year's crash-test results. They describe what owners and the agency reported afterwards, not how the vehicle was built to perform in a crash.
| Model year | Recall campaigns | Owner complaints | Investigations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 8 | 76 | 0 |
| 2023 | 11 | 95 | 0 |
| 2022 | 19 | 229 | 2 |
| 2021 | 19 | 339 | 2 |
| 2020 | 23 | 1522 | 2 |
| 2019 | 3 | 581 | 0 |
| 2018 | 4 | 1783 | 0 |
| 2017 | 4 | 2669 | 0 |
| 2016 | 4 | 1109 | 0 |
| 2015 | 9 | 1084 | 2 |
| 2014 | 16 | 2080 | 2 |
| 2013 | 18 | 2750 | 4 |
| 2012 | 2 | 598 | 2 |
| 2011 | 3 | 1316 | 4 |
Whether a recall was repaired on a particular car is in the manufacturer’s records for that VIN; a dealer or NHTSA’s VIN lookup can confirm it. The Ford recall check by VIN lists the campaigns filed for a model and year.
The ratings describe the EscapeNHTSA crashed. Check the one you’re buying.
Salvage and rebuilt brands, reported accidents and odometer records follow the VIN.
What changed across Ford Escape model years
The 2011 and 2012 rows trail every later year on the overall score, the frontal and side overall results and the rollover rating, and their frontal driver result is the lowest in the whole record. A 2019 and a 2020 share an overall score but not a frontal passenger result, which holds level through 2019 and rises at 2020.
The overall score reaches its highest, 5 stars, in 2017–2024.
Buying a used Escape: which year's rating applies
A rating belongs to one model year and one version. Before relying on any figure on this page, match it to the Escape in front of you.
The overall score changes between 2012 and 2013 and again between 2016 and 2017, so take the model year from the VIN, not the listing, before you read a row near either line.
NHTSA rated separate versions of the Escape in every year from 2011 to 2024; check NHTSA's listing for that year and pick the version that matches the drivetrain of the car you are looking at.
Recall counts describe the whole model year, not the individual car, so enter the VIN in NHTSA's recall lookup, or ask a Ford dealer, to see which campaigns are still open on the Escape in front of you.
How NHTSA's ratings work
NHTSA announced new NCAP crash tests and rating criteria in July 2008, including a new overall rating that combines the frontal, side and rollover results. It then postponed the change by a year: the new criteria apply to vehicles tested beginning with model year 2011, not 2010 as first announced.
In NHTSA's own words, its rollover resistance ratings “estimate the risk of rollover if a vehicle is involved in a single-vehicle crash.”
One limit applies to every vehicle here. NHTSA notes that the frontal crash rating “depends on vehicle mass, and cannot be compared across vehicle weight classes” — a full-size truck's frontal stars and a compact car's are not the same measure.
- Federal Register, 73 FR 79206 (Dec. 24, 2008) — new NCAP criteria begin with model year 2011
- Federal Register, 73 FR 40016 (July 11, 2008) — NCAP testing and rating changes, including the overall rating
- Federal Register, 68 FR 59250 (Oct. 14, 2003) — NCAP rollover resistance ratings
- NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings
Year pages and related models
Every version NHTSA rated in a given year, plus rating histories for other models.
Every rated version of the 2020, with inspection notes.
14 rated model years, 2012–2025.
14 rated model years, 2012–2025.
14 rated model years, 2011–2024.
12 rated model years, 2011–2022.
Siempre verifica el VIN antes de comprar
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Ford Escape Safety FAQ
What NHTSA’s record shows across model years, and what it cannot tell you about one car.
What is the Ford Escape safety rating?+
NHTSA has published crash-test ratings for the Ford Escape in 14 model years from 2011 to 2024; the 2024 earned 5 out of 5 stars overall. A rating applies to one model year and one body style or drivetrain, so check the year you are actually buying.
Which Ford Escape years have the highest safety rating?+
The 2017–2024 model years earned 5 stars overall, the highest score on record.
Did NHTSA rate every Ford Escape model year?+
No. Every model year from 2011 to 2024 has a rating on record. NHTSA's crash-test database lists no Escape for 2025.
Are Ford Escape ratings from before 2011 comparable?+
Not like for like. NHTSA changed its crash tests and rating criteria starting with model year 2011, so this page lists 2011 and later only. Earlier ratings came from different tests.
Does the rating apply to a used Escape?+
It applies to the Escape as built. A used one that has been in a serious crash, rebuilt from salvage or had airbags replaced is no longer the vehicle NHTSA tested. NHTSA's 2024 record lists 8 recall campaigns; a VIN check shows that car's title brands and reported accidents, plus the recall campaigns filed for its model and year.
Every year’s rating is for the model. The VIN is for the car.
A crash rating can’t see a salvage or rebuilt title, reported accidents or an odometer rollback. The VIN record can.
Or get the full VIN history reportVerificaciones VIN relacionadas
Más herramientas para verificar el historial de cualquier vehículo