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The Ford Escape is a compact crossover SUV manufactured and marketed by the Ford Motor Company from the 2001 to the 2026 model years across four generations, as Ford's first SUV derived from a car platform. Introduced for model year 2005, the Escape's hybrid electric variant was both Ford's first hybrid-electric vehicle and the first hybrid SUV in the U.S. market by any manufacturer. The Escape was sized between the Ford EcoSport and Ford Edge. The first two generations used the Ford CD2 platform, jointly developed with Mazda, and was co-developed with two rebadged variants, the Mazda Tribute and Mercury Mariner. All three were marketed in North America, although the Mariner was not marketed in Canada. The Escape was marketed in Europe as the Ford Maverick for model years 2001- 2008. Under the mid-2000s "One Ford" globalization strategy, the third and fourth-generation designs of the Escape were co-developed with the Ford Kuga, designed by Ford of Europe. Sharing a common body and chassis underpinnings (and several engines), the Escape and Kuga are manufactured in their respective home markets. As with previous generations, the fourth-generation Escape was offered with gasoline, hybrid, and plug-in hybrid options. Outside of North America, the Ford Escape is marketed in Australia, China, and Taiwan. In August 2025, it was announced that Ford would discontinue the Escape after model year 2026.
Source: Wikipedia intro extract · as of Jun 19, 2026
~2.8k average monthly buyer searches in the US (google ads data · as of Jun 19, 2026). Run a MotoMetrics scan for your VIN to see live repair exposure.
Complaint volume unavailable for this model-year (NHTSA query miss). Do not interpret missing data as a clean reliability record.
NHTSA enrichment missing — model token did not resolve or API query failed. Do not treat as zero complaints.
Search demand cross-check: ~2,787 avg monthly intent searches (source: google ads data · as of Jun 19, 2026)
Adjacent model years for this nameplate and equivalent footprints shoppers compare across brands.
Vehicle health varies wildly by individual history. Aggregate recall and complaint data cannot tell you whether the specific car on the lot had its monitors cleared or its odometer rolled back. Verify the physical or digital scan before you sign a bill of sale.
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