The earlier version Escapes with the hybrid were stellar in NYC taxi service, 400,000 miles no problem, just like a Crown Vic. Not sure about the later versions.
Each of our three kids has had a Ford Escape.
#1 (2012) wouldn’t shift into gear. The dealer said my daughter spilled coke in the console shifter. She doesn’t drink the stuff. The transmission went wonky. The dealer said the hydraulic valve body was varnished because she towed a trailer in the Rocky Mountains. She has never towed a trailer. They tried to cheat her out of $1,500 to fix it. I quickly got them down to $700.
#2 (2013) was erratic and would stall as you pulled out after the red light turned green. They had all sorts of trouble figuring out what was causing the stalling; I think it was a faulty throttle body. Then the fan motor on the electric fan failed and that was about $1,500 to replace.
#3 (2017) was fine until one day the transmission went “kablooey” on the freeway. The car was in the shop for over six weeks while they got a warranty replacement engine. They stopped paying for the rental car at two weeks, so I think we were on the hook for the rental for a full month.
Ford Escapes are terrible.