2020 Ford Escape HEV

These are unverified consumer reports filed with NHTSA, shown as submitted.

• 12/31/2024· ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

  The hybrid battery coolant line has a leak and is available for inspection. Driving the vehicle with this leak can compromise the battery resulting in overheating which could cause the vehicle to break down, fire, or burn. The dealer confirmed the leak. The dealer was a manufacturer dealer and they inspected the vehicle. There were no indications of a leak.

• 12/29/2023· ENGINE

  The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V380000 (Engine) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

• 12/29/2023· VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER

  While driving the car on a busy fast-flowing road the message "Stop Safely Now" appeared on the dashboard. The car lost power and could only be driven at 20 mph and would not speed up. I pulled over and when I stopped but did not power off, the car would not start moving again. After turning the car off for five minutes it drove again properly with no issue. This is the second time this has happened in two months.

• 12/27/2023· STRUCTURE

  There is a spot weld failure inside my driver side door resulting in the door hinge being broken inside the door. The door does not open all the way and it makes loud popping and screeching noises. I can only roll my window down about 3 inches. I am concerned for my safety as I have seen other complaints regarding this issue where the door stopped latching completely. Also, windows are an emergency exit. In the case of an accident, I need to be able to open the window to exit if it is the only viable option. I took my vehicle to the local dealer on 10/27/23 and was told that this issue is not covered by my manufacturer warranty or the Ford Premium extended warranty that I purchased through Ford. I have been told that I will need a new door at my expense. The dealer did offer to reach out to Ford on my behalf but still no response after 2 months of waiting. This is my 4th Ford Escape and I have never had so many issues with a vehicle in the past. Ford is very aware of the hundreds of complaints about this very issue, but still will do nothing to help. It is extremely frustrating.

• 12/27/2023· SERVICE BRAKES, AIR

  The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at 15 MPH, the ABS warning light was illuminated. The All-Wheel Drive, cruise control, collision control, and hill assist were all turned off. The contact stated that while the ABS warning light was illuminated the power steering seized. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and was diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the speed sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was contacted a case was opened. The failure mileage was 29,859.

• 12/26/2023· EXTERIOR LIGHTING,LANE DEPARTURE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE

  The edges of the tail light covers are sharp and when I accidentally brush my arms on them while the tailgate is up exposing the edges, I cut my arms badly. I could not upload pictures of the tailgate cover edges or the cuts on my arm which I have.

• 12/24/2023· ENGINE

  Recall 23S27 has no remedy available since May 2023, and Ford has not made any reasonable attempt to repair the engine that they say may catch on fire due to failure. Originally promised a fix announcement by October 2023, that has since come and went, then they said November and it's now December 24, 2023 and there's no fix for this issue. The previous related recall to increase ventilation did not work, nor does it address the defective engine block or other lubricated components that caused block breaches and subsequent fires. Why is Ford allowed to not fix this issue in a timely manner? I rely on this vehicle for family transportation and knowing that they have yet to come out with a repair means they are willfully risking the lives of their customers over the cost of repairing or replacing the engines with components that aren't defective.

• 12/21/2023· STRUCTURE

  The problem appears to be related to defective spot welds at the check arm attachment points on the doors, which can cause the door to fail to secure upon closing or unexpectedly unlatch after being secured.

• 12/20/2023· ENGINE

  The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V380000 (Engine) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

• 12/20/2022· STRUCTURE

  Driver door brake bracket spot welds failed preventing driver door from closing. Fortunately for me the event happened when I arrived home buy renders the vehicle unusable because the driver door is hanging nearly wide-open. I see via the internet thay others with this same vehicle are having the same issue and the repair requires the door to be replaced but there are no doors available. There are only 3 tiny spot welds securing this bracket to the door. The car has 49 thousand miles on the odometer and to my knowledge has never been wrecked. I purchased it in 2020 with 4 thousand miles on the odometer from Greene Ford in Gainesville Georgia.

• 12/19/2023· STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER

  Drivers side door spot welds for the door check bracket broke off the door having me to unable to close the door as I was out Christmas shopping at the Mall. I had to drive back home where I could park the car in a safe location and figure out what happened. Upon inspecting the drivers side door and watching videos of the same issue that other Ford Escape drivers have experienced I used a 6" wheel grinder to cut of the door check bracket in order to be able to close the door. It was dark at this time other wise I would have taken the door panel out and removed the complete bracket and door check. Ford is aware of this situation and has no recall on this. Not buying anymore Ford Products!

• 12/19/2023· ENGINE

  The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V380000 (Engine) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

• 12/14/2024· UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY/WIPER

  The car has a panoramic roof with automatic open/close sunshade that cover the interior of the glass. I was opening the sunshade to open the moon roof and the shade all of the suden came down and did not roll as intended and my visibility while I was driving was gone for a second until my wife helped out quickly so we do not crash. The problem is common for this car in the ford forums online and the dealerships are not concerend or applying any responsbility of the problem and the safety of it. there was no message or warning but it put myself and my family in danger. I went and got it inspected by the dealership but they did not take responsibilty.

• 12/12/2023· STRUCTURE

  Door made popping sound and door is no longer latching. Hinge broke. Dealership states faulty spot weld.

• 12/11/2023· STRUCTURE

  Spot welds holding the door check arm in place have failed causing loud crunching noises when door is opened or closed

• 12/11/2023· AIR BAGS

  The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape Hybrid. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V380000 (Engine) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

• 12/09/2023· STRUCTURE

  The front left driver door, welds, malfunctioned, and door will not close.

• 12/09/2023· STRUCTURE

  Driver side door, popping, clank, clunk sound when opening and closing. Visually, there are new signs of metal damage in proximity with the door brake that were not previously there. Three roundish spots on metal have the appearance of tearing off.

• 12/05/2023· STRUCTURE

  The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the front driver's side door made an abnormal cracking sound while opening. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the front driver's side door and driver's side fender needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 14,000.

• 12/04/2023· STRUCTURE

  The driver door is making popping noises when opening and closing. I read this could be the door weld issue.

• 12/02/2024· UNKNOWN OR OTHER

  Gear selector knob silver plating is flaking off and leaving sharp edges.the edges are sharp enough to cut your fingers

• 12/01/2023· POWER TRAIN

  The Recall (Under Hood engine fire) is causing crankshaft wear due to containments being present destroying the engine, my engine has been deemed unsafe and can currently no longer use my vehicle until ford fixes the problem

• 12/01/2023· STRUCTURE

  My driver side door's arm weld has broken causing my window to no longer function, the driver side door does not unlock electronically, my heads up display no longer works, and the door no longer has any resistance when opening. I understand there is a current investigation going on for these arm welds breaking and am reporting another instance of that. With my vehicle being at 70k miles the door is no longer covered under warranty.

• 11/29/2020· POWER TRAIN

  AFTER PULLING OUT OF A PARKING LOT AND ONTO THE STREET, THE FORD ESCAPE LOST DRIVE POWER AND COULD NOT REACH LEGAL SPEED. STOPPED AND PUT ON FLASHERS. THE INSTRUMENT PANEL SHOWED A "STOP SLOWLY NOW" MESSAGE PLUS SEVERAL MALFUNCTION LIGHTS WERE ON. COULD NOT PUT THE CAR IN PARK OR NEUTRAL AND COULD NOT RESTART THE DRIVETRAIN. LATER EVEN THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WENT BLANK. ABOUT 1 HR LATER, WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE CAR AND PULL OFF THE STREET AND WAITED FOR A TOW TRUCK TO TAKE THE CAR TO THE DEALER. DEALER HAS NOT LOOKED AT THE CAR YET, BUT THIS IS APPARENTLY RELATED TO FORD'S CUSTOMER SATISFACTION PROGRAM 20B14.

• 11/26/2022· POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE

  This has happened a few times sporadically since I have owned the vehicle in 2020. As I am driving it will alert me to stop safely now. The car will loose power and not allow me to go past 15 mph. The screen will go blank and the ac will not throw cool air. This is concerning because since the car looses power, it is dangerous if I am at a fast speed. Once I pull over, sometimes I cannot turn off the car. And if I do turn it off, I cannot turn it back on for a few minutes.

• 11/22/2024· FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

  While filling the gas tank with fuel the fuel spits back causing an unsafe condition. There is a technical service bulletin for this by Ford (number 22-2433), but no recall. Many people have complained about this condition.

• 11/17/2023· ENGINE

  The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V380000 (Engine) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

• 11/16/2023· ENGINE

  The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V380000 (Engine) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, there was an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was driven to a dealer to be diagnosed; however, the contact was not provided a cause for the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 80,400. VIN tool confirms parts not yet available.

• 11/15/2023· ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

  There is an issue with the instrument gauge cluster upon ignition start-up. The digital gauge cluster screen suddenly turns off and restarts after a full minute of turning on the car's ignition. After an automatic software restart of the gauge cluster and driving on the highway through Northbound Mopac Loop 1 in Austin, the cluster shows a frozen black background with the blue normal drive mode. The gauge cluster works fine but intermittently goes blank after starting the car.

• 11/14/2021· STRUCTURE

  The weld inside the driver door broke.

• 11/13/2023· ENGINE

  The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V380000 (Engine) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was making an abnormal thumping noise. The contact jumpstarted the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 9,999. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

• 11/12/2021· AIR BAGS

  One week after I bought this vehicle brand new, the curtain airbag cover on the driver's side and the passenger side started coming separated from the headliner creating a gap where my airbag can be seen. I took it to the dealership and was told there was going to be a recall but I never got one in the mail. Now I am told by the dealership there is not a recall and I have passed my warranty of 36000 miles and would have to pay to have it repaired. My concern is in case of an accident the airbag won't deploy as it's supposed to. This seems to be a safety issue and shouldn't be limited by a warranty.

• 11/11/2023· ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE

  2020 Ford Escape hybrid titanium: Complete electrical shut down of every electrical component, all interior/exterior systems inoperable, including inability to start engine. Manual key required to open door. Initial attempts to jump start do not work - takes numerous attempts to jump start until car by chance ‘wakes up’. Battery charging will not help and low charge on starter batter is not the issue. Parking brake release not possible for towing since no electrical to release parking brake. Car is not equipped to manually disengage parking brake - contrary to what is written in manual. Therefore is a problem for towing company if they do not have dolly's to place on flat bed. Software update is required at dealership to solve issue. In the meantime, you can get seriously stranded with a dead car. Also far too many recalls placing ever going time consuming burden on owners to deals with problems after shipping from the manufacturer.

• 11/10/2023· STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER

  2020 Ford escape with 37k miles The drivers door started making horrible noises. And became difficult to close properly. All of the spot welds that hold the limiting arm bracket in place have broken and now the arm hangs loose. Window will only roll down part way. This all started 4 weeks ago! I know there is already an NTHSA investigation into this issue. I want to help push it forward to force ford to issue a recall and develop a solution to this defect that is clearly caused by poor manufacturing processes.

• 11/09/2023· STRUCTURE

  The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that after entering the vehicle, the front driver's side door made an abnormal popping sound while closing. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the front driver's side door check arm and welds had fractured while the contact was closing the door. The dealer towed the vehicle to the collision center, where it was determined that the front driver's side fender and the front driver's side door needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 56,000.

• 11/08/2023· ENGINE

  The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V380000 (Engine) however the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

• 11/05/2024· ENGINE

  The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH on the highway, the vehicle decelerated unintendedly. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that after driving a short distance and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle responded as needed. The vehicle was driven to the intended destination. The contact stated that the incident was significantly frightening. An unknown dealer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact referenced recall NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V380000(Engine); however, the VIN was not associated with the recall. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 37,400.

• 11/04/2023· ENGINE

  Manufacturer has not made a remedy available for recall NHTSA 23V380 (objectively dangerous potential engine fire associated) within a reasonable timeframe nor by the promised October 2023 deadline. Recall has been open since May 2023.

• 11/03/2020· UNKNOWN OR OTHER

  WAS DRIVING ON STRRET WHEN CAR STARTED DECELERATING FOR NO REASON. I PUSHED ON GAS PEDAL BUT CAR SLOWED TO A STOP IN MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC. EVERYTHING RUNNING BUT GAS PEDAL NOT RESPONDING. HAD TO TURN CAR ON/OFF FOR SEVERAL MINUTES BEFORE CAR WOULD ACCELERATE AGAIN.

• 11/02/2023· UNKNOWN OR OTHER,STRUCTURE

  My vehicle is exhibiting the issues described in SSM 50150. The driver's side door spot welds have failed on my 2020 Ford Escape hybrid. The issue began as a creaking sound as I opened and closed my driver's side front door. The door was also stiff and difficult to operate. 2 days later the door became even more difficult to open and close. A day after that the door welds failed. After the weld failure the door moved freely except the door catch would jam due to it floating. To allow proper door operation of the door the catch had to be unbolted at the body. After the failure I noticed the door panel around the area of the welds is pushed outward and no longer flush with the door along the edges. Also, since the issue began, the window strains whenever I try to raise and lower it and the window cannot be lowered all the way. My assumption is that the catch is tied to the window track. The window track and door catch appear to be associated with the broken welds. I brought the matter to the Ford dealership's attention, citing SSM 50150. They advised me that the vehicle was out of warranty, that the repair was not part of any mandatory recall and that the estimated repair cost was $2,083.14. They noted the possibility of Ford contributing a couple hundred dollars to defray the repair costs.

• 10/31/2023· UNKNOWN OR OTHER

  My door sounds like it is going to fall off. It is making a very loud popping noise when I open it the whole way.

• 10/29/2024· VISIBILITY/WIPER

  The shade retraction on the moonroof is malfunctioning, causing the fabric to not retract completely, the sagging fabric is causing visibility obstruction. My Ford dealership have inspected the issue and have quoted me an approximate price of $1700 to fix the issue, which is currently cost prohibitive for me ($400 for the replacement part + approx 6 hours of labor), unfortunately this will not be covered by my warranty. There were no warning messages prior to failure, I pressed the button to open my moonroof one day and this happened, if I was driving this would have caused an accident because my visibility of rear view is blocked, luckily I was parked when I discovered this issue. This issue first appeared in June 2024. I went to the dealership in July 2024, because it was cost prohibitive to fix I have not used the moonroof since then because it affects visibility.

• 10/26/2023· ENGINE

  The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V380000 (Engine) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the wrench symbol was also illuminated. The contact stated that the warning light illuminated intermittently, and the contact drove the vehicle to the dealer. The dealer was not able to determine the cause of the failure. The contact was informed that the failure might be engine or hybrid battery related. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 49,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

• 10/26/2022· ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE

  I get the message to Stop Safely Now and then car turns off in the road. Will not turn back on. Also get messages for Deep Sleep Mode and Low Voltage. I do not feel that it is safe for the car to stop in the road and not be able to move. It has been to a dealership now this is the 3rd time for the issue. The light first appeared in November 2021. It was taken in for service then, again on Oct 18 2022 and now on Oct 26 2022.

• 10/26/2020· STRUCTURE

  I WAS DRIVING FOR LYFT IN FLAGSTAFF ARIZONA A PASSENGER OPEN UP THE RIGHT REAR DOOR A GUST OF WIND PUSHING THE DOOR FURTHER OPEN THEN IT SHOULD HAVE CAUSING THE DOOR TO BEND

• 10/25/2023· STRUCTURE

  1.) Faulty welding of front left door hinge causes loud popping noise when door is in motion. Door would not close. Forced the door to close, which caused the door bracket to break off inside the door. Now the window will not roll down. 2.) Faulty welding of front right door hinge causes loud popping noise when door in motion. Hinge hasn't broken yet.

• 10/24/2023· STRUCTURE

  2020 Ford Escape Hybrid drivers door retainer support spot welds broken out. Ford will not support repairs. Unable to close door until retainer arm is disconnected. Unable to use window.

• 10/24/2020· POWER TRAIN

  CAR SHOWED ERROR OF 'STOP SAFELY NOW' AND THE GAS ENGINE TURNED OFF AND WOULD NOT TURN BACK ON. THIS IS A AWD HYBRID ESCAPE, WAS STRANDED ON SIDE OF ROAD FOR 15+ MINUTES. AFTER TURNING OFF AND ON MULTIPLE TIMES THE CAR FINALLY WAS ABLE TO SHIFT INTO DRIVE FROM PARK, GAS ENGINE DID THEN TURN ON. DEALER HAS NO CLUE WHAT HAPPEN, DID A 'MASTER RESET' AND SAID IT'S FIXED. THIS IS AN UNSAFE VEHICLE.

• 10/23/2023· ENGINE

  We are having difficulty getting our Vehicule repaired in a reasonable time and without charge from Ford. We are trying to fix these recalls - Campaign/NHTSA# 22S47/22V484, Campaign/NHTSA#23S27/23V380 and Campaign#23E09. We went to dealership and they will take 2-3 days. They want to charge us for car rental during that time. We only have one car and 2 small children. We can't be without a car and we shouldn't pay for a rental car.

• 10/23/2021· UNKNOWN OR OTHER

  Began driving from a parked position slowly down a one way residential street, Stop Safely Now alert came on and the vehicle stopped in the middle of the street and would not restart. Was unable to shift to neutral to move from the blocked roadway, and had to have another motorist jump the 12v battery to get the ignition button to operate. Took the vehicle to auto zone to have battery tested and it showed starter and battery were fine. This is a significant safety issue as I have to drive the vehicle 240 miles home tomorrow via interstate highways and I'm terrified the problem will persist before I can get it home and to my local dealership.