What 1,479 owners told NHTSA about the 2020 Ford Escape Gas

On Sunday May the 31st, I was driving home from the store, when I smell gas, but was unaware that it was coming from my vehicle, since I was driving behind another vehicle and passed a gas station. I heard a noise and then saw smoke and fire coming from my vehicle in the engine area. I pulled over and exit the vehicle and called 911. The fire destroyed the whole front of the vehicle, including the engine, wheels, windshield, etc. The emergency officials came. After the incident, I contacted my insurance company. Someone then notified me of a recall on my vehicle, that can cause fire (25V467000). I called the Ford Motor company. They told me initially to go through my insurance provider, and the insurance provider will deal with them directly. After speaking with my insurance provider again, they told me that, since I only have liability insurance, my vehicle is not covered, and they will not contact Ford. So, I called Ford again, they told me that someone will contact me within 14 days. No one contacted me, so I contacted them today. They told me today that someone will contact me within 15 working days of my reporting the incident. This will be three weeks since the incident and I am greatly inconvenienced (lack of transportation) by this. Now I am forced to wait another week, not knowing if anyone will call, and if I call again, if I would have to wait again. Any assistance would be appreciated. What steps should I take? Thank you.

NHTSA ODI 11744261

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact’s husband stated that while driving 25 MPH, another vehicle unexpectedly cut in front of the vehicle, resulting in a collision. No warning lights were illuminated prior to the crash. The contact stated that upon impact, the driver-side air bags failed to deploy; however, the air bag warning light illuminated after the collision occurred. A police report was filed, but the report number was unavailable. The contact’s husband did not receive immediate medical attention at the scene. The contact’s husband later sought treatment at an emergency room. The contact's husband suffered an chest and knee injuries. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 39,000.

NHTSA ODI 11739062

Thumb was deeply cut using gear shift selector knob due to peeling chrome on the knob.

NHTSA ODI 11724275

Chrome around shifter knob is peeling up causing gashes in drivers fingers. A key function to adjust gears that is causing bodily harm. Chrome tips were addressed on Window nobs due to Sharp Chrome peeling up. Vehicle was inspected by Ford dealership and I was informed it was not included in the recall.

NHTSA ODI 11702918

The contact owned a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that, while driving at an undisclosed speed, the driver's seat air bags inadvertently deployed. As a result, the contact's attention was briefly diverted away from the roadway, causing her to collide with the rear of another vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a storage facility, but had yet to be deemed a total loss by the contact's insurance provider. A police report was filed, and injuries were reported. The contact was transported to an area hospital by and friend and treated for chest pain. Emergency room doctors performed various tests, including a X-ray and an EKG. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 100,000.

NHTSA ODI 11699040

Purchased certified vehicle from Wray Ford on 2/23/24. Car was previously leased by FMCC and still listed as a Ford Fleet Vehicle in Michigan as of 9/12/25. VIN confirms it falls under Ford safety recall 24S79, which was never performed. Vehicle experienced unintended acceleration and non-responsive braking, behaving autonomously. FordPass Connect, FMCC, and Wray Ford all confirmed it was unsafe to drive based on 38 diagnostic codes from July/August 2025. June 2025 data and other dates were blacked out. No warning lights or alerts appeared in the FordPass app prior to the crash on 8/25/25.Allstate Insurance removed the vehicle from Wray Ford without authorization, falsely claimed a $10,000 salvage offer, and altered the accident date in the online portal. Damage estimates were manipulated: initial $4,500 based on five photos, later inflated to $13,195 using the same photos. Shreve Collision’s manager confirmed no estimate was performed, contradicting Allstate’s claims. Allstate appears to be shielding Ford from liability. The vehicle is no longer in my possession, but documentation and diagnostic records are preserved. I believe Ford concealed a critical defect and suppressed diagnostic data, putting my safety and others at serious risk.I have contacted FORD and they are stalling and have misrepresented to me many things. They admitted that they can access FORDPASS CONNECT DATA remotely and their agent stated driving this vehicle is not an option. I have almost been involved in prior accidents because of hidden defect in my car. My son has audio recordings, transcripts, Ford Pass Connect Data. We believe Allstate changed the date of the accident to throw off a forensic examinator. I have proof of Allstate changing the accident date and removing documents. This is really a serious breach by Allstate and Ford. I am 80 years old, and if it was not for my son I would have never known this and my son is half owner of the car and is very concerned for my safety.

NHTSA ODI 11687233

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while shifting into reverse, the vehicle drove forward instead of reversing. During the most recent failure, after starting the vehicle, the contact shifted the vehicle into park, and the vehicle collided with the contact's home. No warning lights illuminated. No air bags deployed. No injuries were sustained, and no medical attention was provided. A Police report was not filed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the valve body was binding internally, and sticking shift valves assembly had failed. The vehicle was repaired under warranty. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for further assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 33,704.

NHTSA ODI 11665890

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his wife pulling into a parking spot, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle unintendedly accelerated and crashed into the wall of a Dollar General Store. The contact stated that his wife sustained injuries and bruises to both legs from the deployment of the air bags underneath the steering wheel. Medical attention was not sought. A Police report was filed; however, the Police report number was not available. The vehicle was towed to a dealer but was not diagnosed. The contact retrieved the vehicle, and the vehicle was taken to an Auto Body Shop to be diagnosed and an estimate for the repair was provided. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was 45,000.

NHTSA ODI 11635923

The sunroof headliner came separated from a component and the entire headliner fell.. hitting my child and not allowing me to visibly see while on the interstate. My entire vision behind me was impacted. I had to pull over and eventually just let the whole shade get stuck on the roller in the back section of the sunroof.

NHTSA ODI 11634826

The car door on the drivers side opened and then refused to shut. It is a safety risk because it is unable to be operated and caused bruises when it swung shut. The dealer confirmed this is an ongoing issue but refused to cover costs to fix it because I am 473 miles out of the 36,000 mileage. No warnings were issued on the car or the ford app. No prior information was provided to me about this issue before it occurred.

NHTSA ODI 11581062

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his wife was utilizing the shifter knob, she cut her hand on the chrome shifting knob. The chrome edge was very sharp. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact's spouse did not seek medical attention. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the chrome knob needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred to the NHTSA hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 19,000.

NHTSA ODI 11580928

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that she had parked the vehicle in the driveway and went to manually open the garage door to reverse inside the garage. The contact stated that while opening the garage door, the vehicle started rolling back. The contact stated that the front driver's side door knocked her down, and the front driver's side tire rolled up her right foot. The vehicle crashed into the contacts residential garage. The contact stated that she sustained a crushing wound on the heel of her right foot that was 7 inches long and 1 inch wide. The contact stated that her right heel blew wide open and the tendons and muscles were detached from the bone. The contact stated that she underwent surgery and 3 months of basic bed rest. The vehicle was taken to an autobody repair shop, where it was repaired. The vehicle was also taken to the dealer, where the cause of the failure could not be determined, and the dealer informed the contact that she might have failed to park the vehicle before the incident. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 10,000.

NHTSA ODI 11577163

My entire passenger side airbags deployed with no passenger present in car. The car has a sensor stating when someone is not there they should be off.

NHTSA ODI 11560812

I just pulled in my driveway of my home open car door saw smoke and I looked under engine I saw flames that's when I close garage door and call 911 by the time they get there my car engine was burned out.

NHTSA ODI 11557973

Driver's door hinges failed causing the door to swing open unexpectedly while I was trying to exit. Pulled both shoulders while trying to control it. Orthopedic surgeon says I need rotator cuff surgery - he suspects the injury was due to the door failure.

NHTSA ODI 11555561

My drivers door arm receptor has broken free of its spot weld inside the door, causing severe safety issues. [see Car and Driver article BY ALESSANDRA KAESTNER PUBLISHED: JUL 14, 2023] Same issue. This happened to me today 09/20/2023. * I cannot fully open drivers window because of this defect. Major safety issue if my vehicle goes into water. * I cannot open the door from outside, if locked. Major issue to persons with disabilities who can't climb across the console or back seats. I pulled a leg muscle today doing so. My back hurts also. Ford spot-welded the door arm receptor on a piece of metal that is too thin to provide support. <I PICTURES IF NEEDED> This is enough for a recall. When will you do this? What is taking so long? Already tired of not being able to use drive thru because my window will not lower. A major inconvenience.

NHTSA ODI 11545741

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the front driver's side window would not roll down and while exiting the front driver's side door the door would immediately close back. The contact indicated that the door had erroneously sprung back causing a contusion to the left leg upon contact. The same failure had occurred causing a contusion to the left arm of the son. No medical treatment was required. The cause of the failures were not determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 45,000.

NHTSA ODI 11542159

I lost my ability to steer my vehicle. I attempted to step on the brakes and nothing happened. I hit a box truck in front of me going at least 30mph and only my shin airbag deployed.

NHTSA ODI 11539046

Recall 22n17 needs to include the gear knob for the chrome peeling. It cut my finger and thumb.

NHTSA ODI 11535023

I was in an accident on March 18 around 10 pm eastern time. I was t-boned and the side air bag never deployed. I have also since had issues with my powertrain light coming on and the vehicle loosing power.

NHTSA ODI 11521111

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed and making a right turn, another vehicle crashed into the front driver's side of the vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. The contact sustained whiplash and neck pain. The contact had not sought medical attention. The contact stated that upon attempting to open the front driver's door, the door failed to open immediately. The contact then pushed the door with excessive force and it opened. The contact related the failure to Ford Technical Service Bulletin Number: 22-2246. The contact was able to exit the vehicle. A police report was filed. The contact's grand-son met her at the scene and assisted her with driving the vehicle to a nearby autobody center. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired for air bags and door failure. The failure mileage was approximately 12,700.

NHTSA ODI 11506390

The contact owned a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 15-20 MPH and coming to a stop with his wife in the front passenger seat and daughter in the rear seat, the coolant temperature warning light illuminated; however, the temperature gauge indicated that the vehicle temperature was normal. The contact then saw smoke coming out of underneath the hood of the vehicle. The contact parked and turned off the vehicle. The contact and his family immediately exited the vehicle. The contact stated that the front end of the vehicle burned significantly. The contact was able to extinguish the fire with the assistance of the fire department. A fire department report was filed. A police report was filed. There were no injuries sustained. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard, where it was totaled. The Chevrolet dealer, where the vehicle was purchased was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist as the vehicle was not under recall. The contact later received a recall notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V859000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) that he related to the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI 11502499

pscm loss of power steering pulling into drive way minor damage to right fronty fender and bumper if this happened at highway speed on a curve it could been fatal took to dealer they replaced the steering column so far denied repair to bumper and fender there was no warring light came on after it happened

NHTSA ODI 11488458

I was stopped at a red light with my foot on the brake. The vehicle unexpectedly accelerated and crashed into the vehicle in front of me. Collision assistance did not activate, and there was no audible warning. The vehicle accelerated with such force that both cars were damaged. A police report was obtained. no one was injured. Damage to the vehicle includes a broken grill, broken head lamp, bent hood and broken brackets under the hood. The car is currently at Serra Bodyshop Center in Rochester, Michigan. The vehicle was serviced on 6/15/22 at Elder Ford in Romeo. oil change, rotate tires, check alignment and multipoint inspection.

NHTSA ODI 11473689

On July 3, 2022 I drove my wife's 2020 Ford Escape 4 DR SEL AWD from Ann Arbor, MI to Jackson, MI. I parked the car, with all for windows down, under a tree in the shade close to 726 N East Ave in Jackson, MI. After approximately 45 minutes after my arrival, I was alerted by a neighbor screaming "Is this your car? There is smoke coming from the windows." I ran to the street to see huge orange flames coming from all four windows. Our car apparently had caught on fire after I had shut the car off. Based on a policeman's opinion the components that had malfunctioned were located behind the dash, primarily the electrica wiring/components. The safety of my wife, myself, and any other individual riding in the car were potentially jeopardized due to the random onset of the fire; should I have been driving I potentially could've suffered burns; should I've parked the car next to a house or another car fire damage to those objects would have resulted. There has been no confirmation by the dealer of this type of fire in similar models. Ford Motor Company is conducting an investigation presently. There was no indication of malfunction at the time I exited the vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11473105