What 563 owners told NHTSA about the 2019 Ford Escape Gas

Rear drivers side door latch suddenly will not latch. No damage noted. Simply closed the door after leaving the house, then tried to close it 8 minutes later and it wont latch.

NHTSA ODI 11748803

The accident occurred while I was driving south on Highway 38 at approximately 45 mph. Another driver pulled forward into my path and did not appear to see my vehicle. I attempted to swerve to avoid a more serious collision and protect both drivers, but the front driver-side area of my vehicle struck the rear driver-side area of the other vehicle. The impact caused significant front-end damage to my vehicle, particularly on the driver-side/front corner. Despite the severity of the collision and damage, my airbags did not deploy. The other vehicle’s airbags did deploy during the crash. I am concerned that the airbag system, crash sensors, or related safety components may have failed to activate properly during the collision. Due to the speed of travel and force of impact, I believe the lack of airbag deployment placed my safety at risk and could have resulted in serious injury. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. At this time, I am requesting an investigation into why the airbags did not deploy during the crash.

NHTSA ODI 11736443

My truck burst into flames in the middle of the night while we were sleeping. Started under the hood. We have cameras and luckily it woke me up bc it almost caught my house on fire.

NHTSA ODI 11644372

The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated that over time the roof rack sealant failed causing water to enter the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was determined there was a leak due to the sealant failing to function caused by a manufacturer defect. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to reach out to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

NHTSA ODI 11588527

The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, he observed that the rear door latch was separating from the door panel. The contact stated that the door was able to open, close, and lock as needed. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was determined that the door assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and opened a case. The failure mileage was 57,598.

NHTSA ODI 11566046

Car was parked in residential parking lot overnight. This morning I noticed my vehicle had rolled forward and hit a pole and the curb, cause front left damage to the fender, wheel and wheel hub assembly, and the brakes. Call is currently under recall due to a problem with the transmission slipping out of gear

NHTSA ODI 11549404

The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the rear driver’s side interior door panel separated from the door frame, making it very difficult to open and close the door. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the clamps used to secure the interior panel had failed and the door panel needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 50,000.

NHTSA ODI 11498367

The driver's side rear door panel gets caught on the door frame and will only open a couple of inches unless force is used. The car has never been in an accident, and nothing has ever been shoved or forced against the door to cause this. There are MANY reports online of similar issues with the Escape (https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/Discussion-t66217_ds936400, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaP7DcfkJ9g, https://community.cartalk.com/t/ford-escape-door-trim-clips/179063, among others). This is a safety issue because if someone needs to enter or exit the back seat quickly, it is difficult or would be impossible if the person was physically injured or had a physical disability that limited their upper-body strength. The problem has been confirmed by a Ford dealer. I am not sure to what extent they "inspected" it. There was no warning or any other symptoms prior to the failure.

NHTSA ODI 11497554

THE REAR HATCH DOES NOT FULLY LATCH WHEN USING THE REMOTE OR THE BUTTON ON THE HATCH

NHTSA ODI 11374600

WHEN YOU HIT THE BUTTON TO CLOSE THE LIFTGATE IT DOESN'T USUALLY LATCH. MANY TIMES I HAVE TO MANUALLY CLOSE IT BECAUSE WHEN I PUSH THE BUTTON THE LIFTGATE WILL CLOSE DOWN BUT IT WON'T LATCH. I HAVE TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO A FORD DEALER 2X. THE FIRST TIME THEY CONFIRMED THE ISSUE AND REPLACED A MECHANISM THAT CONTROLS THE LIFTGATE. THE PROBLEM CAME BACK LESS THAN 1 WEEK LATER. WHEN I TOOK IT BACK THEY CLAIMED IT ALWAYS LATCHED WHEN THEY TESTED, AND DIDN'T DO ANYTHING TO IT. MEANWHILE, I TOOK IT HOME AND IT STILL WON'T LATCH WHEN I TRY TO CLOSE IT WITH THE BUTTON. VEHICLE IS ALWAYS OFF, PARKED, WHEN I TRY TO CLOSE THE LIFTGATE. THE ONLY ODD THING I NOTICED IS IF I KEEP THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR OPEN WHEN I PUT THE BUTTON TO CLOSE THE LIFTGATE THEN FOR SOME REASON THE LIFTGATE LATCHES, PROBABLY 8/10 TIMES.

NHTSA ODI 11325884

WE WERE REAR ENDED FROM A STOPPED POSITION ON THE HIGHWAY. . MY FIANC WAS DRIVING AND SUFFERED WHIPLASH. I WAS IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT AND BROKE MY BACK AND SEPARATED MY PELVIS, REQUIRING SURGERY TO STABILIZE. THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT IS NOW VERY SQUEAKY. CONCERNED THERE WAS AN ISSUE WITH THE PASSENGER SEAT OR SEATBELT NOT FUNCTIONING PROPERLY, LEADING TO MY INJURIES.

NHTSA ODI 11308450