Factory build sheet
2003 Ford Escape XLS
Build 1FMCU021-3 · 3L 6cyl · Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV)
VIN positions 1 through 8 read 1FMCU021 and position 10 reads 3. Those nine characters define this build. Position 9 and positions 11 through 17 differ on every car.
Every Escape whose VIN starts 1FMCU021 and carries 3 in position 10 left the plant with the same engine, transmission, drivetrain and equipment listed below. We know of 44 of them.
- Decoded Jul 7, 2026
- 44 known VINs
- 1 listed for sale now
This configuration is identical to 2003 Ford Escape XLS 3L 6cyl Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) (877 vehicles). That page carries the full record.
Factory specification
As filed by Ford with NHTSA for this build. Fields the filing does not record are left out entirely — a missing row means no recorded value, not a missing feature.
Engine
- Displacement
- 3 L
- Cylinders
- 6
- Configuration
- V-Shaped
- Engine manufacturer
- Ford
- Valve train
- Dual Overhead Cam (DOHC)
- Horsepower
- 201 hp
- Fuel type
- Gasoline
Drivetrain
- Drive type
- 4x2
- Brake system
- Hydraulic
Body & chassis
- Body class
- Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV)/Multi-Purpose Vehicle (MPV)
- NHTSA body type
- MULTIPURPOSE PASSENGER VEHICLE (MPV)
- Doors
- 4
- Manufacturer
- FORD MOTOR COMPANY
Weight rating
- GVWR class
- Class 1C
- GVWR
- 4,001–5,000 lb
Gross vehicle weight rating is the loaded ceiling set by the manufacturer, not the car's own weight.
The same build, other model years
Ford used the VIN pattern 1FMCU021 for 4 model years. Nothing but the year changes between these pages, so the price gap between them is depreciation on an identical car.
How this VIN pattern is read
A 17-character VIN carries two kinds of information: what was built, and which one it is. This page is the first kind — the nine highlighted positions.
| Positions | Characters | What they encode |
|---|---|---|
| 1–3 | 1FM | FORD MOTOR COMPANY · World manufacturer identifier |
| 4–8 | CU021 | Model, body style, engine and restraint system |
| 9 | × | Check digit — computed per vehicle, not part of the build |
| 10 | 3 | Model year — 2003 |
| 11 | × | Assembly plant |
| 12–17 | ×××××× | Production sequence number, unique to each vehicle |
NHTSA safety ratings
Crash-test results are published per model year and body style, so they cover the 2003 Ford Escape as a whole rather than this build alone.
Rollover
★★★ ★★ 3 / 5
9 recall campaigns are recorded for the 2003 Escape. Recalls are issued per VIN range — check the VIN of the car you are looking at, not the model.
44 vehicles carry this build
Every VIN we have decoded to 1FMCU021-3 shares the specification above.
- 44 Known VINs
- 1 Listed for sale now
- 1FMCU021 53KA33264
- 1FMCU021 03KA13147
- 1FMCU021 93KE06953
- 1FMCU021 73KB33818
- 1FMCU021 13KB14259
- 1FMCU021 83KB12816
- 1FMCU021 23KA13151
- 1FMCU021 03KA33673
- 1FMCU021 43KA90457
- 1FMCU021 03KC68591
- 1FMCU021 43KC52975
- 1FMCU021 93KB02568
- 1FMCU021 83KC43132
- 1FMCU021 63KA70386
- 1FMCU021 83KD18122
- 1FMCU021 03KD89587
- 1FMCU021 73KB12015
- 1FMCU021 13KC05452
- 1FMCU021 03KC65612
- 1FMCU021 93KB03946
- 1FMCU021 X3KB85699
- 1FMCU021 63KB75185
- 1FMCU021 83KA61270
- 1FMCU021 X3KD18803
- 1FMCU021 93KA12319
- 1FMCU021 03KA79505
- 1FMCU021 13KB00586
- 1FMCU021 83KA33419
- 1FMCU021 73KD18130
- 1FMCU021 83KB85698
- 1FMCU021 63KC35191
- 1FMCU021 83KB14260
- 1FMCU021 23KD00862
- 1FMCU021 63KA25108
- 1FMCU021 23KE01156
- 1FMCU021 23KA92370
- 1FMCU021 63KA62529
- 1FMCU021 33KE19892
- 1FMCU021 23KB88466
- 1FMCU021 13KD38213
- 1FMCU021 33KA03356
- 1FMCU021 53KC43749
- 1FMCU021 53KD48436
- 1FMCU021 23KD98761
Neighboring configurations
Other factory configurations of the Escape, each with its own build sheet. The set is fixed by the VIN patterns themselves, so it does not shuffle as prices or inventory move.
- 2003 XLT 3L 6-cyl · Sport utility vehicle suv mult 220 vehicles
- 2003 Limited 3L 6-cyl · Sport utility vehicle suv mult 239 vehicles
- 2003 XLS 3L 6-cyl · Sport utility vehicle suv mult · 4WD 59 vehicles
- 2003 XLS 3L 6-cyl · Sport utility vehicle suv mult 877 vehicles
- 2003 XLT 3L 6-cyl · Sport utility vehicle suv mult · 4WD 2,342 vehicles · $3,999 median
Keep going
Where this data comes from
Specification fields are decoded from the manufacturer's filings in the NHTSA vPIC database, keyed on VIN positions 1–8 and 10. We publish the filed values as they stand and leave out anything the filing does not record.
Vehicle counts come from the 44 VINs of this build we have seen in dealer inventory. They are a sample of the road population, not a production figure.