2012 Ford Escape Problems Include Fuel Leak Recalls, Parts Shortages, and Rollaway With a few major issues and solid crash test scores from both the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the 2012 Ford Escape, the 2012 Ford Escape could be the most reliable used SUV you’ll ever buy. Just look for fuel leaks and sudden, unintended acceleration.
2012 Ford Escape Problems Include Fuel Leak Recalls, Parts Shortages, and Rollaway
- Equipped with 3.0L engines that can be covered in a major recall of fuel leaks.
- Several drivers have reported difficulty obtaining replacement fuel delivery units after recalling a fuel leak.
- Incorrectly sized wheel bearings resulted in a small but potentially disastrous recall.
- Transport issues such as the folding carriage and rough shifting were investigated, but did not lead to a recall.
- Your biggest concern when buying a 2012 Ford Escape will be the previous owner: Were the recalls taken care of, and did they do regular maintenance?
Recall that fuel leakage leads to a shortage of parts
The 2012 Escape was included in more than a quarter of a million Ford units that were experiencing fuel leaks due to a cracked fuel delivery unit, or FDM. This applies specifically to those equipped with 3.0 liter engines, so you can skip this engine if you are looking to buy a 2.5 liter.
Cracks in an FDM usually occur as a result of rapid expansion, so changes in driving conditions can cause sudden cracks when the previous driver had no problems. If you are moving the car to a cooler climate, you can see the unit shrink at night and expand and crack in the morning.
There are reports until 2022 that drivers do not get the necessary repairs and are made to wait for parts to be shipped to their local dealers. There is not much that can be done about this but sit back and wait for new FDMs. The sheer scale of this recall means that demand simply outstrips supply.
The smart thing to do for 2012 Escape buyers right now is to either look for a 2.5L model so you don’t have to worry about it in the first place, or run a VIN for any 3.0L model and make sure the recall has already been taken care of so you don’t have to wait for new parts to ship.
2012 Ford Escape Problems Include Fuel Leak Recalls, Parts Shortages, and Rollaway
Small but severe recall incorrectly sized wheel bearings
In 2015, Timken issued a recall of front wheel bearings used as service parts on nearly 600 Ford, Mazdas, and Mercurys. The bearings were supposed to be 45mm wide, but they were actually 39mm wide. The external dimensions were also off the millimeter.
It’s only a few millimeters difference, but when you’re dealing with a piece of steel that’s spinning hundreds of times a minute, a few millimeters is a pretty big difference. It can be very difficult to maintain control of your vehicle when things are not built to spec.
We’re still seeing as late as 2022, but these are rare, and generally relate to problems with the power steering. In other words, the initial recall of the front wheel bearings appears to have done its job.
Since this was a fairly minor recall, there doesn’t appear to be any issues with parts shortages, so affected drivers should have no trouble taking care of this. However, if the previous owner left this recall unaddressed, it likely caused some serious damage to the axle and suspension, so check your VIN before buying.
Transportation problems include difficult diversion, folding
Powertrain and cruise control complaints are among the primary concerns of 2012 Ford Escape drivers, with more than sixty reports in each category on the NHTSA website. Complaints here are ubiquitous, but most likely come down to a common cause in the electronic throttle body.
Some drivers report sudden, unintended acceleration, while others report the car rolling over hills when they are sure it is in a parking lot, and many drivers report a rough or difficult shift, particularly between second and third gear.
These problems occur at every mileage from less than 50,000 to over 100,000, which indicates that it is not just a matter of vehicle age. On the surface, these issues may seem unrelated until you consider a pair of NHTSA investigations of a malfunction in the throttle body electronic control.
In the end it was closed without recall, which, according to language used by the NHTSA, “does not constitute a consequence that the safety-related defect Not There is.” This effectively means that there is mayo It’s a manufacturing-level problem, but it may not be common enough to remember.
You can do much worse than a 2012 Ford Escape
Some of the issues described above seem pretty serious, but keep in mind that in the decade since the car debuted, it’s generated just over 500 complaints, two recalls, and two investigations. That’s not a bad record for a ten-year-old car that has sold about a quarter of a million units in the United States alone.
But while these issues may be uncommon, it won’t be much comfort if they happen to you. Therefore, due to the potential severity of these issues, as well as the age of the vehicle, inspection and test drives are more important than usual if you are buying a used Ford Escape.
First, you’ll want to check the VIN to make sure the driver isn’t leaving any recalls unaddressed. If they’ve been driving on wonky bearings for years, skip it. Next, you’ll need to get the car out on the highway to see how it changes and how it handles higher speeds.
There’s no reason why the 2012 Ford Escape can’t be the best SUV you’ve ever bought. If the car is well maintained, and if you can find one for less than 200,000 miles, you can easily put another five or six years on it without major repairs. Just be sure to kick the tires.
