What 281 owners told NHTSA about the 2020 Ford Escape Hev

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to a local dealer for NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V123000 (Back Over Prevention). The dealer performed the software reprogramming; however, a week after the recall repair, the display screen and rearview camera shut off again. Additionally, a piece of interior ceiling trim fell and struck the contact's arm, resulting in a minor injury. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not repaired due to the dealer's request for a diagnostic fee for the recall remedy inadequacy. The contact mentioned that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the same dealer, where it was informed that the vehicle needed an unknown oil. The vehicle was repaired, but the check engine light continued to be illuminated. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 82,000.

NHTSA ODI 11748752

Changed 12V battery because liftgate was inconsistently opening. Would click but not release. I have tried the resetting the system with accessory mode, pressing brake and flashing highbeams, have disabled liftgate and reenabled liftgate, have even tried the emergency release under access panel and it still will not open but clicks.

NHTSA ODI 11748234

Our 2020 Ford Escape Titanium began making a flutter noise at lower speeds. An independent mechanic checked for codes and none were present. He advised to drive until the check engine light comes on. Two days later the car had a knocking noise in the engine compartment. Driving home, accelerating onto a hiway the engine made a loud metallic noise as the engine started to overspeed. The car shut itself off and we pulled over to the shoulder. We were stuck on a 65 mph 4 lane hiway for 3 hours trying to work with roadside assistance for a tow. We towed it to McGraw Ford in Aransas Pass, TX and it sat in their back lot for 8 weeks with no diagnosis. We then had it towed to a Ford certified mechanic near our home and he wanted many hours of labor as the transmission needed to be removed to provide an estimate. He was throwing numbers approaching $10k as a guess. We elected to sell the car to a private party for far less than its value.

NHTSA ODI 11747622

The panoramic sunroof cover, it is available for inspection upon request my safety was jeopardized while driving my car at the time, the problem has not been reproduced, but it has been confirmed by dealer the Ford dealer told me that it would cost me $2000 plus a $200 labor fee to get it repaired and I did tell him that I had looked on a site and saw that this happened happened to a lot of Ford escape buyers. There weren’t any warnings as I was driving, and I pushed the button to open up the sunroof. The cover just flapped and went all the way back as I was driving and came off of the track and the black plastic part that’s in the middle fell down and I could never get that to stick back up again. I first noticed when I would have my sunroof slanted. I never would open it all the way, but just slanted. I would hear a rattling noise so I would close it and I opened my sunroof all the way up twice and the third time when I decided to open it all the way up while I was driving that’s when the whole thing just fell, fell the middle black part and the cover while I was driving and it scared the daylights out of me while I was driving on the road.

NHTSA ODI 11747278

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V123000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted but the vehicle was not repaired. 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 that the sync screen intermittently displayed an inverted image. The contact added that the inability to properly use the display posed a safety risk, as it may increase the likelihood of a crash. The approximate failure mileage was 79,000.

NHTSA ODI 11734867

Sluggish acceleration, car would not go faster than 37 MPH at full throttle, appeared to be running on hybrid motor only, not on engine power. 2020 Ford Escape Hybrid. 2.5 L engine. Only got 1 mile, returned home. No smoke, no fire, just not accelerating. Car was completely fine the day before. Got towed to Ford dealer next morning.

NHTSA ODI 11682471

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, an abnormal coolant consumption was noticed. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer to be diagnosed; however, the cause of the failure was not determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 38,000.

NHTSA ODI 11649296

I recently found out through a Ford dealer that there was a recall on the door on my Ford escape. I never received anything in the mail. I had the issue fixed by my local mechanic and he used Ford parts. I would like A reimbursement.

NHTSA ODI 11648987

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape Hybrid. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, there was an abnormally strong odor of mold and mildew was inside the cabin of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who discovered that rainwater had leaked into the trunk and spare tire well, causing mold and mildew to develop inside the vehicle. The contact was informed that the carpet needed to be replaced. The exact cause of the water intrusion was unknown. The vehicle was not yet repaired. There was no illness or sickness reported. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 60,000. The VIN was not available.

NHTSA ODI 11645477

The vehicle is just under 37K miles. I was operating the vehicle normally, and the wrench icon came on, indicating a powertrain issue. There are recalls for this for some vehicles but not all, and it seems to occur just after warranties expiring. I am concerned my vehicle falls under this service bulletin but has not been properly added: SSM 49157 - 2020 Escape - Illuminated MIL With DTCs U0100, U0401, P166B, P1753, P0929, And/Or P0919 Some 2020 Escape vehicles may exhibit an illuminated malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) and diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) U0100, U0401, P166B, P1753, P0929, and/or P0919. The vehicle may also exhibit an illuminated powertrain malfunction (wrench) indicator lamp. This may be due to the software in the gear shift module (GSM). To correct the condition, reprogram the GSM using the latest software level of the appropriate Ford diagnostic scan tool. For claiming, use causal part number 7P155 and applicable labor operations in Section 10 of the Service Labor Time Standards (SLTS) Manual. APPLICABLE VEHICLES 2020 CAR: TC CX482N ESCAPE 2020 CAR: TC CX482N ESCAPE 2020 CAR: TC CX482N ESCAPE

NHTSA ODI 11644872

The sunroof cover came down and blocked my rear visibility. It took a few attempts to get the cover back up because I need to see what is behind me for safety purposes. Then, when I was sesrching online for the solution, I realized a lot of people with 2020 - 2022 Ford Escapes were also having issues with the sunroof cover. It is quite dangerous for it to fall.

NHTSA ODI 11639520

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.

NHTSA ODI 11633447

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.

NHTSA ODI 11630667

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

NHTSA ODI 11628274

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.

NHTSA ODI 11626906

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.

NHTSA ODI 11623623

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.

NHTSA ODI 11622531

Whenever I shut off my 2020 Ford Escape Hybrid or when I am about to turn it on, a message appears on the touchscreen that says: "System off to save battery, please turn ignition off or start engine." I have replaced the battery but I get the same error message. When I took the car to Firestone, they performed a Diagnostic which did not indicate that there was anything wrong with the battery. When I spoke to a Hybrid Battery Specialist, he told me that the error message was for my "12 volt battery. It is a fairly common problem with your Escape. The Ford dealership may have a fix for it. It is possible that you just need to replace the 12 volt battery." My local Ford Dealership did not have a fix for it. Since this is a fairly common problem with the Ford Escape, I think a recall should be issued to have Ford rectify the issue.

NHTSA ODI 11617837

Sunroof internal protective part lost its adhesion and fell while driving. Sunroof fabric came loose causing the sunroof to malfunction potentially causing more damage if you try to use it.

NHTSA ODI 11617450

The lift gate fills with water when it rains and I worry that it can interfere with the backup camera.

NHTSA ODI 11616410

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated while exiting the vehicle, there was an abnormal crackling sound coming from the driver's side door. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Action Number: PE23013 (Structure). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 78,000.

NHTSA ODI 11616214

I have received 2 letters from manufacturer, than I had appointment dealer service, I went there and worker sad to me we don't have it, than I tried another services , they same answer, than I contacted ford, ford told to me car is good condition don't need replacement

NHTSA ODI 11615422

Upon purchasing and receiving the car from a dealership, I attempted to drive it around my neighborhood and after about 1 minute received a warning saying "safely stop now!" and the steering wheel locked and the power shut off in the middle of the street. The car would not turn back on and had to be towed to the dealership. The dealership (not Ford) already replaced the battery and that did not fix the issue. They are having to take it to Ford service to get it looked at. This poses a very significant safety risk because it could have happened on the highway, as some Ford Escape users have reported on forums. Before purchasing the car, all available recalls were addressed and "resolved", but clearly not all issues have been fixed.

NHTSA ODI 11615260

Liftgate latch does not work and trunk no longer opens after 55,000 miles. This is one fewer choice to exit the car in an emergency.

NHTSA ODI 11612501

We were traveling to Springfield MO and just before Strafford our 2020 Ford Escape Hybrid SE flashed a wrench warning on our screen and immediately went into limp mode in rush hour traffic on I-44. We were in the passing lane going up a hill at the time passing a commercial truck and our speed dropped significantly. Luckily the vehicles behind us to were able slow down in time.

NHTSA ODI 11611195