Most of the newer year models seem to be the most reliable Escapes on the market. If you are considering a Ford Escape, you should try to get a 2015 or newer model. Model years 2015 and newer are considered to have far fewer problems than older models. You should likely avoid the 2014 model as well as the 2006, 2007, and 2008 models. The highest number of problems have been reported with those year models, and some of the problems are major.