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Ford Escape tire blowout problems

87 of the 27,615 owner complaints about the Ford Escape describe tire blowout or tread separation, most of them for the 2003 model year.

owner complaints
87
worst model year
2003
typical repair cost reported
$900
typical mileage
30,000
Is there a fix? There is 1 recall for this area of the car. See below

By model year

What owners say

Filed Oct 18, 2026 · Airbags · AL · crash · 2 injuries

My husband was in a 3 vehicle accident on 10/13/26 at 6:48am. Someone hit him from behind and pushed him into the truck in front of him. The car behind him hit him again, but harder than the first time, and made him hit the truck in front of him again. The second hit caused major damage to the front end of the vehicle and minor damage to the back. It did blow out both back tires and crack the back rims. The driver side door was really hard to open and he had trouble getting out. No airbags deployed upon impact. With how hard he hit the truck in front of him, the airbags not deploying could be why he’s still having severe pain, 5 days after the accident. He’s still having chest pain that goes into his shoulder and down his arm, he’s still short of breath when he lies down and tries to stand up, and his neck and back are also still hurting him. The vehicle has not been inspected yet. We are waiting on the crash report to be done. There were no other symptoms of the problem before the accident.

Filed Sep 6, 2026 · NE

My sunroof spontaneously exploded while driving. It made a very loud noise, at first I thought a tire blew, but the tire light didn't come on. I could hear like a whistling coming from the top of the car and thought it must be the sunroof. It only cracked at that point, but lots of cracks. We were able to finish driving to our destination, but then when going to drive back home, it began to break and pieces fell onto the cover and some blew away also. There were no signs of issues before this happened.

Filed Jun 18, 2026 · Tires · OH

Tire size 235/45R-19 95H Vehicle began shaking and vibrating at highway speed. Upon inspection both front tires had the outer and inner edge tread separating from the tire. Ford dealership advised all tires be replaced.

Filed Aug 23, 2025 · Tires · AL

Pelc Tire of Fairhope Alabama identified a crack that has formed between the tread and the sidewall that traverses the circumference of the entire tire on all four tires. They said this is a safety hazard to me and that these tires are very new to have formed this crack. They recommended replacement. The tire dealer I purchased the tire at is in San Diego CA. There has not been an accident or a tire failure yet.

Filed Jul 7, 2025 · Wheels · WI

While driving approximately 70 MPH on the highway, the rear passenger-side wheel rim suddenly failed and blew out, causing the tire to also blow out. The incident caused a sudden jolt and I nearly lost control of the vehicle. Thankfully, I was able to steer safely to the shoulder without crashing, but it was an extremely dangerous situation. The failure of the rim caused significant damage to the rear suspension. The vehicle required the following repairs: New rim Two new tires Right Rear Control Arm – Forward Right Rear Control Arm – Adjustable Right Rear Trailing Arm Lower Rear Lateral Link Rear Suspension Shock Absorber All of this stemmed from the catastrophic failure of the rim at highway speed, which I believe should never occur on a properly maintained vehicle with no prior wheel damage. The failure occurred without hitting debris or a known pothole and was not due to a slow leak or flat—it was a sudden rim failure. This presents a major safety hazard not only to drivers of Ford Escapes but to others on the road. I urge the federal safety agency to investigate whether other similar failures have occurred in 2018 Ford Escape models. A recall or formal review may be warranted.

Filed Jul 2, 2025 · Wheels · IN

Ford Motor Company should issue a recall and replace the known faulty manufacturing defective lug nuts since 2019. The lug nuts swell and can not be removed by standard lug nut wrench. This is a safety issue because recommend tire rotation is impossible with standard tools. Dealerships are requiring owners to replace faulty lug nuts at an exorbitant cost. Vehicle owners are not performing the routine tire rotation thus creating a safety hazard resulting from tire failure, roadside safety issues and crashes due to excessive tire wear. This has been a known manufacturer fault since 2019. It is immoral and unprofessional to allow this practice to continue.

Filed Mar 30, 2025 · Lights · WI

Simply put, the headlights repeatedly blow out with no apparent reason found. Bulbs have been changed multiple times personally and by professionals -- both headlights went out nearly simultaneously in September of 2024 and I replaced the bulbs myself, assuming it was a fluke or the bulbs had simply aged out. At the beginning of March, 2025, the passenger-side bulb went out again and I brought it to my dealership to get checked out. They couldn't find anything wrong, and I had them replace the bulb again. Now, for the third time since I bought the vehicle in April or May of 2024, I have to replace the passenger-side bulb again. I'm returning to the dealership to see if there's anything else to look for, but a quick internet search shows that there are lots of others experiencing this same problem without any kind of solution in sight. This is obviously not normal.

Filed Nov 4, 2024 · Tires · VT

- The tire side walls blew out. There are several tears approximately 2-3 inches long. - It happened going about 55 and maintaining control of the car was difficult. My wife was broke down alone in an isolated area. - I took the tire to Twin State Ford in St Johnsbury VT where it was looked at by the service department. He commented that the sidewalls of the other tires were cracking. He confirmed there was a safety recall on the tires for the year make and model that matched my car but he said my VIN number was not included. Ford number 21S10 recall date 2021-03-09 - A few seconds before the tire blew out the low tire light came on. I called the Ford Manufacture Customer service they said my vin number was not included in the recall and gave me a case number [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Oct 8, 2024 · Tires · 125,000 miles · GA

The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape equipped with Kumho Tires, Tire Line Crugen HP71, Tire Size: P235/45/R19, DOT Number: 1H2TEYA8E. The contact stated that the TPMS warning light was illuminated. The contact attempted to inflate the tires; however, the tires were not able to hold air. The contact stated there was tread separating on all four tires. The contact stated that all four tires installed had been installed in August 2023. The vehicle was taken to a tire dealer who informed the contact that the tires were in good condition and recommended a wheel alignment. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate vehicle failure mileage was 125,000. The tire failure mileage was 9,000.

Filed Aug 11, 2024 · Tires · GA

Tire 235/55 R-17 99 T. the steering wheel started to shimmy while driving. I took the vehicle into the service shop found that the a section of the tire was indented and the inside of the tire had a bubble. The repair shop stated this was caused by the tread separating. The tire had to be replaced. The tire is 2.5 years old and the tread on the inside was heavily worn while the outside tread was in good shape. The replace tire indicator was still intact. I purchased this tire at the same time i purchased the driver side tire.

Related recalls

TiresReported March 10, 2021 · 15,769 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018 F-150, 2018-2020 F-250, F-350, and 2019 Escape vehicles equipped with Continental tires. On the affected vehicles, it is possible that one or more tires were cured for too long during tire production.
Risk
Over cured tires may develop a break in the sidewall, resulting in sudden air loss or belt edge separation which could lead to tread/belt loss. Either condition can cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the tires, and replace them as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on March 27, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S10.

Recall number 21V155000 · Recall details

Questions about the Ford Escape tire blowout

Which Ford Escape years have tire blowout or tread separation problems?

The model years with the most reports are 2003 (16 complaints), 2005 (10 complaints) and 2014 (9 complaints).

How much does it cost to fix tire blowout or tread separation on the Ford Escape?

Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $900 (median of 8 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.

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