Used 2014 Ford Escape Consumer Reviews
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So sorry I bought this car
L. ENSOR, 05/11/2017
updated 11/30/2020
2014 Ford Escape SE 4dr SUV AWD (1.6L 4cyl Turbo 6A)
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
I loved this car when I bought it. We drove it on a 6,000 trip and it was very comfortable. Then it started having problems. The back wheel bearing, $500. The back up camera was suddenly upside down. No one knew what to do about it except replace it ($600 for camera + labor). The front wheel bearing, $500. Then at 128,000 miles, the transmission went and Ford wanted $7,000!!! Tried other local repair places; no one would touch it. Ford made a fun car with lots of nice features inside, but cheapened the mechanics. When I traded it in as is, I got $1,500 for it, after paying $14,000 2 years before. I lost my shirt. There was a recall 2 weeks later on the backup camera. There should be a recall on the tranny.
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Nine years in, the car is still a good one!
decadeinDC, 12/05/2022
2014 Ford Escape Titanium 4dr SUV AWD (1.6L 4cyl Turbo 6A)
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
My wife and I have owned a 2014 Escape Titanium AWD since new. After 9 years and 80k miles, we actually like to drive it better than our 2022 Lexus RX350. Seriously. There are flaws (I'll get to those), but the fundamental aspects of enjoyably driving this vehicle -- things like low end torque/acceleration, handling, major system durability, sight lines from the vehicle, and materials wear -- all surprisingly remain good to excellent. A couple of caveats that affect my point of view. One, we purchased a fully loaded Titanium. Nav, blind spot and cross traffic warning, panoramic roof, 19 inch wheels, 2.0L engine, etc. That actually helped "future proof" the vehicle in many ways and I'm glad we spent extra on those features that are now expected as standard on even some mid-level vehicles now. Two, my wife got into an accident a about 16 months after we purchased the Escape. Nearly totaled, front and rear end were heavily damaged. That means just about any squeak, rattle, miscalibration of a parking sensor, etc., I generally attribute to repairing a damaged vehicle rather than an inherent engineering flaw. With that out of the way, here are our plusses. The 2.0L turbo engine was the most powerful in its class at the time, and it remains a very torque-happy engine around town and holds its own well on the freeways. We've rarely wanted for more power. The engine has very little (if any) turbo lag and the engine is relatively smooth for a turbo 4. The transmission handles up and downshifts without any noticeable jerkiness. The handling is crisp bordering on terrific for a small SUV. Grip is plentiful with the passive, front-biased AWD system providing reassuring rear wheel engagement on both dry and wet pavement. The steering is well weighted with excellent feedback for a modern vehicle (most of which provide nearly zero road feel). Reminds me of Honda Accords of yore, so a little sporty but still reasonable for any driver. The suspension provides responsive handling without a sacrifice to comfort. Again, think Honda Accord. I'll get to one suspension issue in the negatives. Inside the car, things are pretty good. It's not a luxury SUV, so I never expected materials quality of that caliber. What does exist has worn very well for a family of four. There are no shiny spots on matte plastic buttons, nothing shows scratches, nothing has broken off or even looks worse for wear. The leather is in decent shape (regular cleaning makes a big difference). Our mechanical repairs have been relatively minor (more on that below). The infotainment, while now a little slow by comparison to 2023 MY vehicles, remains very functional using a reasonably sized touchscreen interface. Even the nav still does its job when called upon. The audio quality out of the optional Sony system is ... fine. I'm a tough critic in that department. Before getting to the general negatives, here are some pointed specific annoyances for us. The left side thigh bolster on the driver's seat seems to have either collapsed somewhat early in our ownership or it was bad to begin with. Feels fine on the passenger side. But driver's side is so bad, I feel like I'm tilted left a lot when seated. I contemplated going to an interior specialty shop to see if we could get it re-foamed, but that would necessitate reupholstering the seat (too much $). The leather on that side has cracked a very little bit as well, which might be contributing to the issue. We're not overly large people, so I'm not sure why our seat feels so terrible. Next, the suspension (particularly at the rear) can get boomy and loud over the harshest bumps. I feel like this was happening even before our accident. Several passengers have commented on it and it seems like the suspension just doesn't tolerate hitting deep potholes well. Lastly, the quality of the leather on the seats and steering wheel feels pretty cheap. I'm not sure if it's the grade of leather, or the coating on it, but it feels heavily and artificially textured and lacking any suppleness. It's worn well since we've had it (certainly better than a couple German cars I've owned), but I'd almost prefer the feel of some of the "synthetic leather" alternatives from German and Asian manufacturers over this grade of natural leather. Finally, our car has had a major A/C problem over the last three years that nobody can seem to permanently diagnose and fix. Specifically, when it's exceptionally hot and humid out, the A/C stops working when the vehicle comes to a stop and A/C doesn't start up again until the car accelerates significantly (this is the A/C itself, not the fan or HVAC controls - those continue to work fine). Apparently there is some sort of condenser sensor that is absolutely terrible on these cars, and we've had ours replaced three times. That said, the A/C was fine for the first 5-6 years, even after our accident. Tests routinely show no refrigerant leaks and the condenser, evaporator and compressor all test fine. Ultimately, this issue will probably be the reason we sell it sooner than later unless someone can both diagnose the problem and provide a long term fix ... stop-and-go traffic with kids is challenging in 95 degree heat and we strategically plan which car to use around the weather. Now on to some of the general negatives. Fuel economy is worse than EPA estimates, particularly around town. Read some other reviews on this site for nearly any gas-only vehicle and you'll find that's a nearly universal complaint. We continue to get about 18 MPG in normal-if-spirited urban driving, sometimes we've gotten down to a 15 MPG average. That's pretty bad for a small SUV. On the other hand, we've gotten 27-29 MPG in pure highway driving. Again, that's not necessarily the fault of the car itself, it's more on how the EPA tests for fuel economy. Next, there have been a TON of recalls on this model year vehicle. We just got yet another one two weeks ago. I think we're up to 9 or 10 now since new, very few required actual parts replacement. Last, the headlights could be better. We have the HID upgraded lamps, and they just don't provide enough low beam throw distance for my taste. After reading all of this, you may think why would we believe the car is still good. At the end of the day, everything except the A/C issue is relatively minor on a 9 year old car. I believe driving character can potentially outweigh some imperfections, and it goes a long way in this generation of Escape. Put regular maintenance into it, and the only fixes have been the A/C and a failed backup camera last year. It just doesn't spend much time in the shop outside of A/C. After having a 10 year old Audi that was costing us $2.5k in unexpected mechanical repairs on average every year, the Escape has been far more reliable and almost as enjoyable to drive. If you find a well-cared-for example, I recommend test driving one as a reliable used car.
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2014 Ford Escape for sale near you
3 of 121 listings
- Titanium 4dr SUVMSRP: $7,48837 mi away
- Titanium 4dr SUVMSRP: $8,99931 mi away
- SE 4dr SUVMSRP: $9,97537 mi away
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Great car
Danielle R, 03/29/2019
2014 Ford Escape Titanium 4dr SUV AWD (1.6L 4cyl Turbo 6A)
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
I as a little iffy about purchasing this vehicle because i didn't think i was going to use the technology it provides. The more i drive it the more i catch myself using the features it comes with. Quick on the acceleration so it took getting used to also.
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Ginger
Shaen, 05/16/2018
2014 Ford Escape Titanium 4dr SUV (1.6L 4cyl Turbo 6A)
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
Not a lot of storage in the front of car. Had a Fusion before, liked it a lot better.
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The little FORD that could
nels beckman, 08/27/2019
2014 Ford Escape Titanium 4dr SUV AWD (1.6L 4cyl Turbo 6A)
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
good reliable ford suv. great mileage
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