Windshield glass on lift gate shattered spontaneously. Car was not on, windshield had no previous notable cracks or damage. Weather was fair, not extremely hot or cold when incident occurred.
Ford Escape windshield crack problems
24 of the 27,615 owner complaints about the Ford Escape describe windshield cracks, most of them for the 2014 model year.
- owner complaints
- 24
- worst model year
- 2014
- typical mileage
- 36,100
Is there a fix? There are 5 recalls for this area of the car. See below
By model year
- 20241
- 20212
- 20202
- 20182
- 20171
- 20161
- 20144
- 20131
- 20122
- 20103
- 20081
- 20031
- 20022
- 20011
Often reported together
Wipers 3Engine failure 2Transmission failure 1Sunroof shattered 1Premature wear 1Oil consumption 1Jerking 1Fire or smoke 1
What owners say
Purchased a 2018 Ford escape in Oct 2024. By January 2025 the white paint around the windshield is chipping and cracking and peeling. The Ford dealership said that this was happening to all WHITE escapes and other Ford models in the white color. I was told that they are aware of the problem with the white paint but refuse to do anything about it. I was told the the surface was not cleaned properly causing the white paint not to be applied properly. The 2018 Ford escapes has engine problems too ( 2 engine replacement in 7 years also due to another known Ford problem and again they will not do anything about it.
Two weeks ago I noticed a crack on my windshield that had creeped up from the inside. This is a brand new Ford Escape purchased 8 months ago that I barely use because I work from home. I took the car to Mossy Ford in San Diego where several workers took an object to the bottom portion of the windshield. I was then instructed to file a report with Ford's customer service, who did nothing for a week. I was then instructed to return to Mossy Ford for a 'pen test' which I did yesterday, April 9. You can rub your fingers along the crack on the outside pane and feel nothing. They allege that a dot at the bottom of the windshield created the crack. There are a number of reports on the Internet pertaining to cracks in the windshield - suggesting installation problems and/or quality of glass. Not only will Ford not replace at their cost, I am fearful for my life with this car.
Front windshield is prone to crack. I have had to replace 5 windshields since I first purchased the vehicle. It is a known documented issue. Assuming aerodynamics is the issue and can cause more than the reasonable amount of cracked windshields. Valve body and transmission went out at 100,243 miles. All requested/required regular maintenance was completed.
Started the vehicle and turned the defroster on high setting one morning to defrost the windshield with heavy frost. Car had been running about 3-4 minutes and I heard a cracking sound. I noticed a 12" crack in the middle of the windshield when the frost was melted off. The car was still parked when the windshield cracked and was not being driven due to visibility being limited by frost.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the driver’s side windshield cracked causing a visibility hazard to the driver. The contact indicated that the crack was present between the two layers of glass used in the windshield construction. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle in daylight the driver’s vision was impaired by the internal cracks. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 38,500.
I have owned this Ford for 3 years now. It uses coolent excessively and I have replaced many parts. The Catalyic Converter went out, all motor mounts, font and rear suspension, engine burp valve, faulty throttle body, fried drivers side bulb socket, wiper arms stripped, weather stipping corroding on windshield near hood, front window cracked and damaged, coolent temperature control sensor and firmwware update not automated and dealer charges $250 to update car software for engine improved performance. Sluggish, bogging and unresponsive car until software update and throttle body repair. All around a lemon for as many parts I've put on in a short amount of time. I've spent over $3300 on parts alone. The dealer in Upland services the cars oil but fails to fill the fluids, spills oil on my spark plugs and ruins the fasteners to the skid plate by over torqueing them. It has been the worst car experience of my life and I've never had to replace so many parts in so short of time. I drove a 1974 Nova around for 20 years and still haven't replaced as many parts. This is ridiculous and predatary of Ford to put out cars with these many short term problems on them. Literally evering is going bad after 100k miles. I read post after post of people needing new engines and transmissions because of Fords incompetience. I just got a recall for the Transmission which means the car is unsafe to drive and Ford does not have the ability to fix it until the end of the year. Without a rental or replacement car I am risking my life driving this vehicle and the integety of the tranmissions. So if the tranmissison breaks before the recall is able to fixed then what happens then. Is it now a complicated legal matter where attorny's mitigate the age of the vehicle vs their incompetience. Ordering parts with Ford is a nightmare. They sometimes send the wrong parts and leave it up to the dealers to do the return or not. So it takes weeks between calling back and forth with Ford.com parts.
Front windshield failed sporadically under mild thermal shock. Outside temperature was in the range of 10°F and inside cabin had been warming up for about 30 minutes. Heat was not set to defroster. While stopped at an intersection, the windshield suddenly cracked across about 70% bottom edge emanating from a wiper contact point. Vehicle is available for inspection upon request. Has not been reproduced. I’ve received anecdotes that this exact same break type and location has occurred under very similar circumstances in other Ford Escapes.
Something is wrong with the design of the windshield. I just replaced the windshield on july 19, 2019, and have a cracked windshield again today, august 12, 2019. In my 30 years of driving, I've never had to replace a windshield for cracking and now I've done it twice in less than a month.
Windshield (ford #2215 carlex acoustic) cracked under normal driving conditions on highway. 2 windshields replaced/repaired in 2 weeks.
Related recalls
Visibility: power window devices and controls
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2017 Escape vehicles previously repaired incorrectly under recall number 16V617. The power-operated windows may exert excessive force when encountering an object, before they automatically reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 118, "Power-Operated Window Systems."
- Risk
- A closing window that does not reverse direction as expected can pinch a driver or passenger before retracting, increasing the risk of injury.
- Remedy
- Dealers will update the power window operating system software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 22, 2026. Owners may contact customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26C29. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will become searchable on on July 6, 2026.
Recall number 26V374000 · Recall details
Visibility: windshield wiper/washer: motor
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Explorer, Escape, Lincoln Aviator, and Lincoln Corsair vehicles. The windshield wiper motor may fail and prevent the windshield wipers from operating properly.
- Risk
- Windshield wipers that fail to operate properly can reduce visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and replace the front wiper motors as necessary, free of charge. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed April 2, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available, anticipated in November 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S14. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on on March 4, 2026.
Recall number 26V117000 · Recall details
Visibility: sun/moon roof assembly
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2014 Ford Escape vehicles manufactured October 15, 2013, through October 22, 2013. The panorama roof glass may not be properly bonded to the attaching bracket.
- Risk
- If the glass panel is improperly bonded, the glass may separate from the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.
- Remedy
- Ford has notified owners. Dealers will inspect each vehicle and replace the front roof glass if its production date and sequence number falls within the affected range, free of charge. The recall is began on July 14, 2014. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑800‑392‑3673. Ford's number for this recall is 14S13.
Recall number 14V403000 · Recall details
Visibility: windshield wiper/washer: motor
- What is wrong
- On certain trucks, passenger cars and sport utility vehicles, the windshield wiper motor may have been produced without grease being applied to the output shaft gear.
- Risk
- After a period of continuous use on the high speed setting, lack of grease on the output shaft gear may cause the gear to distort or fracture during operation resulting in a loss of wiper function. Inoperative wipers under inclement weather conditions could cause a crash due to impaired visibility.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the wiper motor for the presence of grease and grease the wiper motor gears if necessary. The recall began on november 22, 2005. Owners may contact ford at 1‑800‑392‑3673 or lincoln/mercury at 1‑800‑521‑4140.
Recall number 05V520000 · Recall details
Visibility: windshield wiper/washer: linkages
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: sport utility vehicles. The windshield wiper linkage can disengage due to a broken ball socket.
- Risk
- This condition will likely result in sudden and complete loss of the windshield wiper function, or of the wiper function on the driver side only, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the wiper module.
Recall number 00V387002 · Recall details
Questions about the Ford Escape windshield crack
Which Ford Escape years have windshield cracks problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2014 (4 complaints), 2010 (3 complaints) and 2002 (2 complaints).
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