Home · 2020 Ford Escape Gas · Complaints

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

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (1,479)Crash / fire / injury (36)Body & structure (603)Transmission & drivetrain (226)Fuel system (182)Electrical system (149)Engine (107)Driver assistance (60)Visibility & wipers (59)Latches & locks (39)Brakes (37)Backup camera & sensors (26)

8 of 1,479 complaints match · Body & structure · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Apr 3, 2024Transmission & drivetrainBody & structure1 injury

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

Nov 16, 2023Body & structure1 injury

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

Sep 20, 2023Body & structure1 injury

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

Sep 1, 2023Visibility & wipersBody & structure2 injuries

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

Sep 27, 2021Body & structure1 injury

The liftgate has a mind of its own. It closes without warning and crashes on my head! I can't load anything without holding one hand over my head to catch the door as it closes unexpectedly on my head. Even a shadow causes the liftgate to close - if a child or an animal walks by. If you turn off the automatic liftgate feature you manually have to lift the gate and close it. It is very heavy to lift and close and not practical. It is way too sensitive and needs to be addressed before someone is seriously hurt.

NHTSA ODI 11434552

Jul 7, 2021Body & structure1 injury

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the hands-free rear tailgate had on several occasions erroneously opened and closed without the close button being pressed or the open sensors being activated. The contact indicated that while retrieving groceries from the vehicle with the tailgate door raised the door suddenly began to close and hit the contact in the head causing a minor laceration. No medical treatment was required. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who was unable to duplicate the failure and no service was performed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failures but no assistance was offered and referred the contact to NHTSA. The failure mileage was 1,000.

NHTSA ODI 11423760

Jun 3, 2021Body & structure1 injury

The rear liftgate, while open (and while I was loading/unloading items), will randomly close on its own. It does signal it is about to through very low volume beeps but it has done this some 20 times randomly in the last week. Several days ago it closed on my head, taking off a slice of skin on my scalp, knocking me down face forward onto/into the rear bumper, injuring my face/upper lip as well. This is a known/documented issue on many vehicles via many Ford Escape forms, which suggest having the key fob in your pocket or on your person is the culprit and sends the car into a frenzy.

NHTSA ODI 11419448

Jan 7, 2021AirbagsBody & structureWheelsCrash4 injuries

12/26/2020 HEAD-ON COLLISION, MOST IMPACT TO PASSENGER FRONT SIDE - PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY, DRIVERS SIDE AIRBAGS DID DEPLOYED - INJURIES SUSTAINED BY PASSENGER AND DRIVER. ACCIDENT OCCURRED ON CITY STREET (50 MPH ZONE).*DT*DT*DT*DT*DT

NHTSA ODI 11386920

Working with the data? Download all 1,479 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 18, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2020 Ford Escape Gas verdict →