Owner complaints, recalls, fuel economy and safety ratings from public NHTSA and EPA data, updated Oct 17, 2026.
Fuel economy
20–32 mpgcombined; city 17–34, highway 24–31; every version of this model year
Five years of fuel
$10,150–$16,240U.S. average; Ohio $9,070–$14,510 at local prices; every version of this model year; fuel only, not other costs of owning it; 15,000 miles a year, at EIA fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026
NHTSA's VIN data lists these trims for the 2009 Escape. A trim's engine and numbers are shown as its own only where EPA names versions after the trim and no other version could be it; "seen with" means a source shows that engine on the trim, not that it was the only one. Recalls and complaints cover the whole model year: whether a recall applies to a car depends on its VIN, on NHTSA's recall lookup.
Owners have filed 1,846 complaints with NHTSA about the 2009 Escape. These are unverified owner reports, counted by the part of the car they name; one complaint can name several parts. Counts aren't adjusted for how many were sold, so they don't show how reliable a car is.
Complaints by part of the car
Part
Complaints
Crashes
Fires
Injuries
Steering
898
17
0
15
Power train
316
2
1
0
Vehicle speed control
296
9
0
0
Engine
278
3
1
0
Electrical system
154
2
3
8
Fuel/propulsion system
125
2
0
0
Service brakes
115
8
1
2
Fuel system, gasoline
88
2
0
0
Unknown or other
59
1
0
9
Engine and engine cooling
39
0
0
0
Structure
32
2
0
2
Electronic stability control (ESC)
23
0
0
0
17 more parts
Service brakes, hydraulic
21
2
0
0
Suspension
20
1
0
0
Air bags
15
6
0
5
Visibility
14
0
0
0
Wheels
11
2
0
0
Seat belts
7
1
0
1
Exterior lighting
6
1
0
0
Service brakes, electric
3
0
0
0
Traction control system
3
0
0
0
Equipment
2
0
0
0
Equipment adaptive/mobility
2
0
0
0
Forward collision avoidance
2
0
0
0
Seats
2
1
0
1
Tires
2
0
0
0
Visibility/wiper
2
0
0
0
Latches/locks/linkages
1
0
0
0
Service brakes, air
1
1
0
0
Complaints by model year
Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, and counts aren't adjusted for sales, so a shorter bar doesn't mean a more reliable year.
NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign for the 2009 Escape over its history. Campaigns are matched by model and year, so each one may apply to a given car, and its repair may already be done: check a VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup for the open recalls on that exact car.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2008-2011 Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner vehicles manufactured August 18, 2006, through September 11, 2010. The affected vehicles have a steering torque sensor that may not be able to properly detect driver steering input. As a result, the system could remove the Electric Power Steering (EPS) assist.
Risk: If power steering assist is lost, greater driver effort would be required to steer the vehicle at low speeds, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will update the software for the power steering control module (PSCM) and the instrument cluster module, free of charge. If a vehicle shows a history of a loss of the torque sensor signal or fault codes relating to the PSCM when the vehicle is brought in for the recall remedy, the affected components will be replaced, free of charge. The recall began on July 18, 2014. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-800-392-3673. Ford's number for this recall is 14S05.
Carmakers sent NHTSA 46 service bulletins and notices that cover the 2009 Escape, the latest on Feb 24, 2026. They tell dealers how to fix known issues.
The parts they mention most: power train (11), equipment (8), electrical system (7), engine and engine cooling (7), service brakes (6).
NHTSA defect investigations
Opening an investigation isn't a finding of a defect. Outcomes are as NHTSA's summary states them. A recall is shown as an investigation's outcome only where NHTSA's summary names it; other recalls NHTSA's file lists with it are marked as listed, not caused.
Investigation
Part
Opened
Status
Defect petition DP22005 Pedestrian alert sounds · covers 43 makes
The owner's manual gives the oil and how often to change it. We show oil facts only once we've checked them against the manual, and we haven't yet for the 2009 Escape.
These are searches on those sites; we don't copy or check their listings. Your ZIP is used for these links and never kept.
Specs
EPA class: sport utility vehicle. Each version EPA tested:
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Version
Engine
Transmission
Fuel
City / hwy / comb
Escape Front-Wheel Drive
2.5 L, 4 cyl
Manual 5-spd
Regular Gasoline
22 / 28 / 24
Escape Front-Wheel Drive
2.5 L, 4 cyl
Automatic 6-spd
Regular Gasoline
20 / 28 / 23
Escape Front-Wheel Drive
3.0 L, 6 cyl
Automatic 6-spd
Regular Gasoline
18 / 26 / 21
Escape 4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive
2.5 L, 4 cyl
Automatic 6-spd
Regular Gasoline
19 / 25 / 21
Escape 4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive
3.0 L, 6 cyl
Automatic 6-spd
Regular Gasoline
17 / 24 / 20
Escape Hybrid Front-Wheel Drive
2.5 L, 4 cyl
Automatic (variable gear ratios)
Regular Gasoline
34 / 31 / 32
Escape Hybrid 4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive
2.5 L, 4 cyl
Automatic (variable gear ratios)
Regular Gasoline
29 / 27 / 28
Sources and dates
U.S. EPA fuel economy data, file of Sep 29, 2026
NHTSA owner complaints, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA recalls, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA manufacturer communications, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA defect investigations, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings, file of Aug 7, 2026
U.S. Energy Information Administration, file of Oct 12, 2026
Fuel cost: EPA mpg with fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026 and electricity prices for Jul 2026. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (Oct 2026). Complaints are unverified reports owners filed with NHTSA. About the data