I could not say for sure on the Escape but a quick look at the Edmunds site shows that you may not have a choice. A cut and paste below:
I work for a Ford dealer…and yes for the keypad security code, you will have to take your vehicle to the service dept and pay the diagnostic fee for the technician to retrieve it, there is no other way to get it. In fact, I would highly recommend that after you get the code you refer to your manual and change it to something else so that no one has the new code. Good Luck
Maybe there’s no sticker on this model and it’s coded in the ECM?
The codes on my Lincolns are located on the trunk hinges. Of course if the trunk is closed and you’re locked out then you’re up the creek anyway. 
I used number stamps to stamp mine into a small piece of a 1/8" aluminum tab and attached it to the frame rail on the left rear of the car.