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Reliability report · 2023 Ford Escape · Updated July 2026 · ~$2,100/yr fuel · what it costs to keep →

The quietest fourth-gen year — but the hybrid engine-fire recall means a free long-block, so verify it.

The 2023 Escape is the calmest year in our Escape dataset by a wide margin. No expensive out-of-warranty pattern like the gen-3 coolant intrusion, and the launch-year recall wave has mostly closed. The gas car with the 8-speed is a settled, ordinary compact SUV.

The one item with real teeth is on the 2.5L hybrid and plug-in: the engine-fire recall 23V-380 specifically calls for a free engine long-block replacement on 2023 cars, not just a software update — so confirming it was done is worth real money. A couple of newer 2023-specific recalls (a cylinder-head oil leak on the gas engine, an adaptive-cruise radar misalignment) round out the list. Verify the VIN and this is a strong used buy.

Evidence: 101 NHTSA complaints · 11 recall campaigns · 6 mechanic & forum sources

Canary status

Calm

What that means: 101 federal complaints — the lowest of any Escape year in our data. The redesign is settled and the coolant-intrusion era is long gone. What remains is recall verification: on the 2.5L hybrid and plug-in, the engine-fire recall (23V-380) actually specifies a free engine long-block replacement for 2023 cars, and a couple of newer campaigns (a cylinder-head oil leak, an adaptive-cruise radar) are still surfacing.

CalmChirpingSquawkingFainted

101

Federal complaints

11

Recalls

Federal crash tests

5-star scale
Overall
Frontal crash
Side crash
Rollover

Tested variant: 2023 Ford Escape SUV FWD (NHTSA VehicleId 17288)

Source: NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) →

Known issues

Ranked by the cost of ignoring them. Every claim carries its source.

Hybrid and plug-in engine-fire recall — a free long-block on 2023 cars

major
  • 2.5L hybrid I4
  • 2.5L PHEV I4

On 2.5L hybrid and plug-in 2023 Escapes, recall 23V-380 (Ford 23S27) addresses an engine failure that can release oil and fuel vapor into the engine bay and cause a fire. Crucially, the remedy for 2023 cars is different from earlier years: Ford's bulletin states dealers 'will replace the engine long-block in 2023 Escape and Corsair vehicles' — a full free engine, not just a reflash. That makes verifying this recall the single highest-value check on a 2023 hybrid or plug-in. A later re-remedy (25V-345) updated the software for cars fixed incorrectly, so confirm the current status.

This is a 2.5L hybrid I4 and 2.5L PHEV I4 problem. The 2.5L Duratec I4, 1.5L EcoBoost I4, 2.0L EcoBoost I4, and 1.5L EcoBoost I3 don’t share it.

Which engine is in the one you found? →

Recall 23V-380 (free engine long-block on 2023)

$0

Sources: NHTSA complaint database, 2023 Ford Escape and Escape PHEV · NHTSA recall + manufacturer-communications (23V-380, 25V-372, 24V-440, 23V-506; CSP 23B56)

Cylinder-head oil leak — recall 25V-372moderate

A 2023-specific engine recall, 25V-372 (Ford 25S61), covers 2023-2025 Escapes whose cylinder head may have been improperly manufactured, allowing the ball plugs to fail and cause an oil leak — which can mean a loss of drive power or, near hot components, a fire. The remedy is a free cylinder-head assembly replacement. This is a newer campaign, so on a 2023 confirm whether the VIN is affected and, if so, that it was completed.

Sources: NHTSA complaint database, 2023 Ford Escape and Escape PHEV · NHTSA recall + manufacturer-communications (23V-380, 25V-372, 24V-440, 23V-506; CSP 23B56)

$0

Recall 25V-372 cylinder-head replacement

Adaptive-cruise radar and instrument-cluster recallsmoderate

Two more free 2023 recalls. 24V-440 (Ford 24S39) covers 2WD cars with adaptive cruise control whose radar module was misaligned in production — it can misread an overhead object as being in your path and slow or stop the car unexpectedly, and can degrade automatic emergency braking; the fix re-aims the radar. 23V-506 (23C25) covers a digital instrument cluster that was improperly soldered and may fail to illuminate — a free module or panel replacement. Test the adaptive cruise on the drive and confirm the cluster lights fully at startup.

Sources: NHTSA complaint database, 2023 Ford Escape and Escape PHEV · NHTSA recall + manufacturer-communications (23V-380, 25V-372, 24V-440, 23V-506; CSP 23B56)

$0

Recalls 24V-440, 23V-506

Fuel-injector, battery, and block-heater recallsmoderate

The rest of the 2023 list is standard verification. 24V-634 (Ford 24S54) covers fuel injectors assembled without O-ring support discs that can leak fuel (free O-ring/disc install); 22V-859 is the broader 1.5L fuel-injector fire recall; 24V-954 is the high-voltage-battery cell-defect recall on hybrid/plug-in cars; and 25V-343 covers a 1.5L/2.0L engine block heater that can overheat and cause a fire. All free — confirm each by VIN.

Sources: NHTSA complaint database, 2023 Ford Escape and Escape PHEV · NHTSA recall + manufacturer-communications (23V-380, 25V-372, 24V-440, 23V-506; CSP 23B56)

$0

Recalls 24V-634, 22V-859, 24V-954, 25V-343

Dealers will replace the engine long-block in 2023 Escape and Corsair vehicles.
6 mechanic & owner sources

Open recalls

Free fixes at any Ford dealer. Run the VIN — “completed” isn’t always completed.

  1. 23V-3802020-2023 Escape 2.5L hybrid/PHEV: engine failure may release oil/fuel vapor → engine-compartment fire. For 2023 Escape, dealers REPLACE the engine long-block, free (re-remedied by 25V-345). Ford number 23S27.open
  2. 25V-3722023-2025 Escape: cylinder head may be improperly manufactured; ball plugs can fail → oil leak, loss of power / fire. Free cylinder-head replacement. Ford number 25S61.open
  3. 24V-4402023-2024 Escape 2WD with adaptive cruise: radar module misaligned → unexpected slow/stop and degraded AEB. Free radar re-aim. Ford number 24S39.open
  4. 23V-5062023 Escape (and Super Duty): digital instrument cluster improperly soldered may fail to illuminate. Free module/panel replacement. Ford number 23C25.open
  5. 24V-6342023-2024 Escape: fuel injectors assembled without O-ring support discs may leak fuel — fire risk. Free O-ring/support-disc install. Ford number 24S54.open
  6. 22V-8592020-2023 Escape 1.5L: fuel injector may crack and leak fuel — fire risk. Free engine-control software + drain tube. Ford number 22S73.open
  7. 24V-9542020-2024 Escape: high-voltage battery cell defect can short internally — loss of power / fire. BECM software + HV pack as needed. Ford number 24S79.open
  8. 25V-3432023-2025 Escape with 1.5L/2.0L engine and block heater: block heater may overheat while plugged in — fire risk. Free block-heater element replacement (or plug delete). Ford number 25S52.open

What it costs to keep

The purchase price is what you negotiate. These are the numbers you live with afterward — each one sourced, none of them blended into a fake total.

The ownership picture — 2023 Escape

Three sourced numbers. No fake total.

Fuel

30 MPG combined (27 city / 34 highway) for the FWD, 1.5L turbo on the EPA federal fuel-economy test.

Source: FuelEconomy.gov (EPA) — EPA’s federal fuel-economy test, recomputed with current gas prices. EPA record 46324 (Escape FWD).
Other builds EPA lists: AWD, 1.5L turbo 28 MPG · AWD, 2.0L turbo 26 MPG · Hybrid FWD, 2.5L 39 MPG · Hybrid 4WD, 2.5L 39 MPG.

$2,100/yr

at $4.15/gal · 15,000 mi/yr · 55/45 city/hwy · pulled Jul 12, 2026

Theft

Stolen about 79% less often than the average vehicle. One less thing to price into coverage.

Source: HLDI — the insurance industry’s loss-data institute — HLDI whole vehicle theft losses, 2022–24 models, published May 2025 (report WT-24). 100 = the all-vehicle average. Series read: Ford Escape 4dr 4WD.
Other series: Ford Escape 4dr 23, where 100 = average.

21 vs 100

79% below average

Repair risk

What this specific year is known to need. Pulled from the issues above — the repairs owners actually report, at the costs they report them. Averages from other sites blend every year together; these are this year’s own numbers.

Source: this report — 01 Known issues.

Recall 23V-380 (free engine long-block on 2023)$0
Recall 25V-372 cylinder-head replacement$0
Recalls 24V-440, 23V-506$0
Recalls 24V-634, 22V-859, 24V-954, 25V-343$0
Why there’s no single “cost to own” number: sites that promise one are guessing at your insurance quote, your annual miles, and your luck. These are the numbers we can actually source — and each one carries its receipt.

Shopping this year?

Get the printable pre-purchase checklist and an alert if this year’s recall sheet changes.

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Have a specific one in your sights?

The VIN is on the listing. We’ll check this exact car — build, open recalls, and whether the “completed” repairs stayed fixed.

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Before you buy

Print this
  1. 01On a hybrid or plug-in, verify the engine-fire recall 23V-380 — for 2023 cars it means a free engine long-block, so a completed one is real value.
  2. 02Confirm the cylinder-head oil-leak recall 25V-372 (if the VIN is affected) was addressed.
  3. 03Test the adaptive cruise control and confirm recall 24V-440 (radar re-aim) was done on a 2WD car.
  4. 04At startup, confirm the digital instrument cluster illuminates fully (recall 23V-506).
  5. 05Verify the fuel-injector recalls (24V-634, 22V-859), the HV-battery recall 24V-954, and the block-heater recall 25V-343 show completed.
  6. 06Ask about CSP 23B56 (front-door check-arm spot welds) — free through May 31, 2027, no mileage limit.

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