2004 Ford Escape Suspension Problems
Owners have filed 154 complaints with NHTSA about suspension problems on the 2004 Ford Escape, 31% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 123,481 miles. The words owners use most often: “wheel well” (40% of reports).
- 154suspension complaints
- 123,481median miles at failure
- 1mention a crash
- 0mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- 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.
- Wheel well: mentioned in 61 of 154 complaints (40%)
- Rear passenger: mentioned in 36 of 154 complaints (23%)
- Shock mount: mentioned in 33 of 154 complaints (21%)
- Completely rusted: mentioned in 21 of 154 complaints (14%)
At what mileage do suspension problems happen?
Based on 139 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 154 complaints, 1 mention a crash.
Ford Escape suspension complaints by model year
| Model year | Suspension complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 Escape | 5 | 2% | 48,500 |
| 2021 Escape | 7 | 2% | 41,513 |
| 2020 Escape | 9 | 1% | 19,000 |
| 2019 Escape | 3 | 1% | 54,000 |
| 2018 Escape | 11 | 1% | 45,000 |
| 2017 Escape | 8 | 0% | 34,000 |
| 2016 Escape | 7 | 1% | 57,099 |
| 2015 Escape | 13 | 1% | 31,301 |
| 2014 Escape | 18 | 1% | 46,000 |
| 2013 Escape | 27 | 1% | 49,098 |
| 2012 Escape | 12 | 2% | 46,000 |
| 2011 Escape | 32 | 2% | 84,000 |
| 2010 Escape | 34 | 2% | 108,000 |
| 2009 Escape | 19 | 1% | 65,000 |
| 2008 Escape | 31 | 2% | 129,000 |
| 2007 Escape | 19 | 7% | 88,618 |
| 2006 Escape | 65 | 14% | 111,000 |
| 2005 Escape | 459 | 33% | 121,000 |
| 2004 Escape | 154 | 31% | 123,481 |
| 2003 Escape | 90 | 16% | 120,831 |
| 2002 Escape | 80 | 8% | 125,000 |
| 2001 Escape | 42 | 4% | 100,199 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists suspension for the 2004 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.
The body panel around the rear driver side shock mount has almost completely rusted away. Driving one day, I started to hear a loud clunking noise from the rear driver side. It started to get louder the more I drove it. Upon inspection, I found the body panel had completely rusted around the shock…
in an attempt t improve the safety and drivability of m 2004 ford escape I went to have my shocks, struts, control arms, sway bar end links and ball joints and steering arms replaced. upon the installation I was informed that the rust on the sub frame is at a critical level and in danger of…
The whole underbody is rusting away especially the frame, couldn't even get regular maintence done since the rust so bad. We always washed the underbody after it snowed and that didn't stop the rust from eating away the suv. I see there is a recall for my year but when i do a vin check it says no…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2004 Ford Escapes have suspension problems?
No. NHTSA has 154 owner complaints about suspension for the 2004 Ford Escape (31% of the 499 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 2004 Ford Escape suspension?
No recall currently lists suspension for this vehicle.
At what mileage do suspension problems start?
The median reported mileage is 123,481 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about suspension problems on the 2004 Ford Escape?
The most frequent phrase is “wheel well”, in 61 of 154 complaints, followed by “rear passenger” (36).
Other 2004 Ford Escape problems
See all 2004 Ford Escape problems or suspension problems across all Escape years.