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The short version
- An Escape wheel bearing order from 2001 to 2021 has a trap most people never see coming: active park assist.
- Front wheel drive Escapes split the rear hub by whether park assist is fitted. Missing that split is the most common ordering mistake on this page.
- The front position on the 2013 and newer Escape has no listing in the rows available here, even though the rear does.
- Both ends bolt on with no press required, which is unusual and worth knowing before a quote arrives.
An Escape wheel bearing order from 2001 to 2021 runs into a trap that has nothing to do with drivetrain or ABS. It is whether the car has active park assist.
That single option is invisible on a spec sheet. Checking for it changes which rear hub fits a front wheel drive Escape.
The front position tells a separate story. It is worth reading before assuming it mirrors the rear.
The parking assist split
On front wheel drive Escapes, the rear hub splits by whether active park assist is fitted. One catalog lists 512496 with the feature and 512499 without it, for 2013 to 2017.
Another catalog carries the same split under different numbers for 2013 to 2019. Its own footnote calls the feature an Automated Parking System, same idea, different name.
All wheel drive Escapes skip this split entirely. One rear number covers the same years, since the split is a front wheel drive question only.
Checking the car’s actual equipment settles it, not the trim level on paper. That is the only reliable way to know which hub an Escape wheel bearing job needs.
Cross referencing the old part against a current listing is on the cross reference page. Pricing the job before a shop opens the car up is on the quote page.
A part counter working from the year alone can hand over either number. Only the option list on the actual car breaks the tie.
Looking up the build sheet by VIN is one way to settle it without crawling under the car. A visual check of the existing hub works just as well.
Two Escapes built the same week can leave the factory with different rear hubs. Park assist was an option, not a running change tied to a build date.
That is why a year range alone cannot settle an Escape wheel bearing order at the rear of a front wheel drive car. The car itself has to answer the question.
A second owner without the original window sticker faces the same problem a shop does. The equipment list, not the paperwork, is what the part actually follows.
A dealer parts department can pull the build sheet from the VIN in most cases. That single call resolves what a brochure or a badge cannot.
Ask for the option specifically by name rather than by trim package. A trim name alone is not a reliable stand in for what a build sheet actually lists.
That extra step at the counter takes a minute. Getting the wrong hub back to a shop takes considerably longer.
None of this makes an Escape wheel bearing job difficult. It simply rewards a little care before any money changes hands.
A five minute check at the counter beats a week waiting on a returned part. That trade is worth making every time.
None of this changes what the job pays a shop, or what it saves in a driveway. It only changes whether the first attempt is also the last one.
Why a sensor changes an Escape wheel bearing
Wheel speed data feeds more than the ABS. Stability control, traction control and parking systems all read the same signal.
When one system needs a different resolution, or a different pulse pattern, the encoder inside the bearing changes with it. The bearing follows the sensor, not the other way around.
That is the mechanical reason a parking feature can change an Escape wheel bearing at all. It is not a labeling quirk.
A car with the feature and one without it looks identical from underneath. The difference sits inside a sealed part neither owner will ever see.
How that encoder signal actually gets used further up the chain is on the orientation page, since direction matters just as much on a bolt on hub as on a press fit one.
A bad connection at the hub can mimic a dying sensor elsewhere in the car. Ruling out the bearing first saves a shop from chasing the wrong module.
Wiggling the harness at the hub during a scan can reveal an intermittent fault before any part gets replaced. That five minute check saves a needless swap.
Stability control warning lights and a noisy hub sometimes arrive together for exactly this reason. The two complaints share one root cause more often than owners expect.
A code reader alone will not always point at the hub directly. A noise complaint paired with the right code usually does.
Treat the two symptoms as one lead rather than two separate problems. That habit shortens a lot of otherwise slow diagnoses.
Escape wheel bearing arrangements, front and rear
Every position on this car is a bolt on hub, not a press fit. That keeps the labor modest even when the part number itself takes work to pin down.
The design does not change by year within the spans covered here. Only the part number does.
| End | Design | Press needed |
|---|---|---|
| Front | Bolt on hub unit | No |
| Rear, front wheel drive | Bolt on hub unit, splits by park assist | No |
| Rear, all wheel drive | Bolt on hub unit | No |
Bolt on at both ends is one of the friendlier arrangements on this site. That holds only if the correct part actually arrives the first time.
Ordering the wrong hub twice is what makes an Escape wheel bearing job expensive. The part itself rarely is.
A shop already knows this and prices the labor accordingly. A driveway job depends entirely on getting the number right on the first try.
Buy once by confirming the option list before the part ships. A restocking fee on a returned hub adds up fast on a job this simple.
No knuckle comes off, no press gets scheduled, and no half shaft has to move out of the way. That is a shorter list of steps than most bearing jobs on this site.
A rear job here compares well against almost anything else covered on this site. The front loses none of that ease, only the certainty of the part number.
A driveway mechanic comfortable with hand tools can handle either end. The only real prerequisite is confirming the correct part before starting.
The 2013 Escape front is a real gap
For 2013 through 2021, the rear position has real catalog numbers, split by drivetrain and by park assist. The front position does not.
None of the catalogs checked for this page list a front hub for the 2013 or newer Escape. That gap runs the entire span, not just part of it.
A reader who sees a rear number and assumes the front carries a similar listing makes the single most common mistake on this page. Match the front by the old part or the VIN instead.
This is not a thin listing that a future catalog update might quietly fill in. It is a full absence, front only, across nine model years.
Warranty coverage on a bearing that fails early is worth reading regardless of which end failed, and that is on the warranty page.
A shop asked to source the front will typically fall back to the same VIN lookup a parts counter uses. That is not a failure on their part. It reflects what the catalogs actually contain.
Expect a longer wait or a dealer only source for the front on these years. Planning for that ahead of a breakdown beats discovering it after one.
Keep the old hub until the replacement is confirmed to fit. Sending it back is far easier than sourcing a second one on short notice.
A dealer counter is the fallback of last resort for the front on these years. It is worth a call even for an owner who otherwise avoids one.
The gap here reflects the trade catalogs checked for this page specifically. A dealer parts desk remains the more reliable first stop for the front on these years.
Doing the job
- Confirm the options first, particularly park assist on a front wheel drive car.
- Soak the mounting bolts ahead of time, since corrosion is the usual obstacle to a clean removal.
- Pull the hub rather than hammering on the flange.
- Clean the mounting face to bare metal so the new hub sits flush and square.
- Torque to the published figure rather than by feel.
The checking procedure is on the checking page. Separating tire noise from a bearing complaint is on the tire noise page.
Escape wheel bearing part numbers
The chart below covers every Escape wheel bearing position the catalogs document for 2001 through 2021. Gaps in that span get an honest match old part or VIN row rather than a silent absence.
| Years | Detail | Number |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 to 2021 | Rear, past the catalogs | match old part or VIN |
| 2013 to 2021 | Front, not in the catalogs checked | match old part or VIN |
| 2013 to 2019 | Rear, all wheel drive, parallel listing | WE60592 check price |
| 2013 to 2019 | Rear, front wheel drive, with Automated Parking System, parallel listing | WE60593 check price |
| 2013 to 2019 | Rear, front wheel drive, without Automated Parking System, parallel listing | WE61442 check price |
| 2013 to 2017 | Rear, all wheel drive | 512500 check price |
| 2013 to 2017 | Rear, front wheel drive, active park assist | 512496 check price |
| 2013 to 2017 | Rear, front wheel drive, except active park assist | 512499 check price |
| 2010 to 2012 | Front and rear, between catalog rows | match old part or VIN |
| 2001 to 2009 | Front, press-in, both drivetrains | 510072 check price |
| 2001 to 2009 | Front hub repair kit | 518515 check price |
| 2001 to 2009 | Rear, press-in, both drivetrains | 510029 check price |
Every model year this chart resolves: 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021.
This is the trap the whole 2013 and newer generation sets. The rear splits cleanly by drivetrain and park assist, with real numbers on both sides of that split.
The front has none of that. There is no number for it in what was checked here.
Match the old part or the VIN for the front instead. Do not guess from the rear row above it.
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Common questions
Which Escape wheel bearing do I need at the rear?
On front wheel drive cars it splits by active park assist. For 2013 to 2017 that is commonly 512496 with the feature and 512499 without it, so confirm the option on the car itself.
Why does parking assist change the part?
The wheel speed encoder lives inside the hub, and different systems can call for a different signal. Park assist is simply one more system reading that signal.
Does the front have a number for the newer Escape?
Not in the catalogs checked here, for 2013 through 2021. Match the old part or the VIN for that position.
Do I need a press?
No. Front and rear are both bolt on hub units across every year covered here.
How do I tell if my car has park assist?
Check the equipment on the car itself rather than the model year brochure. It was an option, not a standard fitment.