2002 Ford Escape Electrical System Problems
Owners have filed 123 complaints with NHTSA about electrical system problems on the 2002 Ford Escape, 12% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 60,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “caught fire” (11% of reports).
- 123electrical system complaints
- 60,000median miles at failure
- 0mention a crash
- 0mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- $1,050typical repair cost reported by owners
- 19%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Caught fire: mentioned in 13 of 123 complaints (11%)
- Parked driveway: mentioned in 8 of 123 complaints (7%)
- Engine compartment: mentioned in 7 of 123 complaints (6%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical electrical system repair on the 2002 Ford Escape at $1,050, and half of them between $640 and $2,150.
Based on 5 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2005–2007), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.
At what mileage do electrical system problems happen?
Based on 77 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 123 complaints, 32 a fire.
Ford Escape electrical system complaints by model year
| Model year | Electrical System complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Escape | 2 | 67% | — |
| 2025 Escape | 7 | 27% | 18,250 |
| 2024 Escape | 27 | 36% | 9,000 |
| 2023 Escape | 41 | 41% | 15,500 |
| 2022 Escape | 19 | 8% | 58,595 |
| 2021 Escape | 34 | 10% | 39,000 |
| 2020 Escape | 158 | 10% | 17,500 |
| 2019 Escape | 37 | 6% | 3,400 |
| 2018 Escape | 57 | 3% | 17,349 |
| 2017 Escape | 156 | 6% | 37,129 |
| 2016 Escape | 95 | 8% | 43,734 |
| 2015 Escape | 135 | 12% | 61,000 |
| 2014 Escape | 216 | 10% | 62,000 |
| 2013 Escape | 339 | 12% | 61,000 |
| 2012 Escape | 42 | 7% | 58,600 |
| 2011 Escape | 117 | 9% | 53,000 |
| 2010 Escape | 216 | 10% | 58,000 |
| 2009 Escape | 143 | 8% | 85,500 |
| 2008 Escape | 136 | 7% | 100,000 |
| 2007 Escape | 30 | 12% | 75,000 |
| 2006 Escape | 34 | 7% | 93,000 |
| 2005 Escape | 153 | 11% | 104,000 |
| 2004 Escape | 31 | 6% | 77,500 |
| 2003 Escape | 39 | 7% | 90,000 |
| 2002 Escape | 123 | 12% | 60,000 |
| 2001 Escape | 136 | 14% | 89,250 |
| 2000 Escape | 1 | 20% | 55,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists electrical system for the 2002 Ford Escape. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
I bought a vehicle that has recalls on it. I contacted a dealer. Im told the car is to old to fix the recalled abs relay. Now I have a vehicle thats on the road a fire hazard. The ford dealership have left me my with and kids and grand kids in danger
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while shifted in park(P), the key failed to release while the engine was running. The contact drove to a local O'Reilly's where one of the employees was able to remove the key from the ignition. The failure had gotten progressively worse…
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 FORD ESCAPE. THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START. THE BRAKE WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THERE WAS WATER IN THE FUSE BOX. THE CONTACT CALLED FRIENDLY FORD (2800 N TELEGRAPH RD, MONROE, MI 48162, [redacted]) HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE WAS…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2002 Ford Escapes have electrical system problems?
No. NHTSA has 123 owner complaints about electrical system for the 2002 Ford Escape (12% of the 1,027 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2002 Ford Escape electrical system?
No recall currently lists electrical system for this vehicle.
At what mileage do electrical system problems start?
The median reported mileage is 60,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix electrical system problems on the 2002 Ford Escape?
Owners report a typical cost of $1,050 (half paid between $640 and $2,150), from 5 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about electrical system problems on the 2002 Ford Escape?
The most frequent phrase is “caught fire”, in 13 of 123 complaints, followed by “parked driveway” (8).
Other 2002 Ford Escape problems
See all 2002 Ford Escape problems or electrical system problems across all Escape years.