What 325 owners told NHTSA about the 2021 Ford Escape Gas

The sunroof cover has come off its tracks and has lost tension. It requires a full sunroof cover replacement. Upon searching this issue online, I found it was a common issue in Escapes around 2020-2022.

NHTSA ODI 11745094

On XXX I was driving my 2021 Ford Escape for 10 minutes before I stopped at Sheetz gas station on [XXX]. I ran into the building to withdraw cash from the ATM leaving my fiance and dog in the car while it sat idle. Upon exiting the building about 30 seconds to a minute later, I witnessed smoke coming up from the hood of my car. My fiance and Dog quickly evacuated the car as we saw flames emerging. I ran inside to get assistance from the workers and they brought out fire extinguishers. The attempt to extinguish the flames was unsuccessful and the front of the car quickly went up. Police and fire department were called and they showed up about 10 minutes later to handle the situation. Reports from the officer, fire department and the Sheetz assistant were taken. I do not have access to those. My car insurance is covering the cost of the vehicle and a 7 day car rental. They are not covering the loss of both mine and my fiance's cell phones. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11743124

Nothing malfunctioned. All I was asking for was a fender to hood adjustment and the dealership kept telling me they don't do that and that I would need to go to a bodyshop. The fender to hood alignment issue didn't put others at risk. What the problem is is the door is not aligned based on OEM requirements and the recall repair was completed but not done correctly. The problem has been identified by the dealer. The vehicle has been inspected by the manufacturer. No warning lights or anything. Simply dealership refusing to get my door realigned. After taking it to body shop 3 times and still this problem has not been fixed. This is unacceptable especially since it was a recall through the manufacturer. Also when I asked dealership for proof in writing that they don't do their own bodywork the service advisor told me no. That is also unacceptable. I should be given my proper recall documentation whenever I ask for it.

NHTSA ODI 11738241

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while reversing out of the driveway, the vehicle suddenly shut off and failed to start. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed that the fuel injector had failed. The vehicle was repaired. After having the vehicle repaired, the contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 25V467000 (Fuel System, Gasoline), 25V829000 (Structure), 26V123000 (Back Over Prevention), and 26V117000 (Visibility); however, the parts for the repairs were unavailable. The contact stated that when idle and attempting to acclerate the vehicle would jerk forward. The vehicle would jolt forward and shake when transitioning from 2nd to 3rd gear at various speeds. Whistle noises were coming from near the liftgate. The contact was experiencing hard shifting. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the remedy to be available. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to change the transmission fluid, but they were told that the transmission was damaged and needed to be rebuilt. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 79,845.

NHTSA ODI 11736055

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 25V789000 (Electrical System), 25V829000 (Structure), 26V123000 (Back Over Prevention) and 26V117000 (Visibility); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were unavailable. The dealer was contacted, and the contact was informed that the parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was contacted and confirmed that the parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure.

NHTSA ODI 11733357

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 26V123000 (Back Over Prevention), 26V117000 (Visibility), and 25V829000 (Structure); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer confirmed that parts were not yet available for the recall repairs. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The contact had not experienced a failure.

NHTSA ODI 11729646

The front driver door check arm attachment point is compromised. My service representative has over a dozen of these problems. This means there are many more of these issues than you indicate in your NHSTA action number PE23013, July 7, 2023-January 24, 2024 report. My window might or might not go down or up. This is a problem with my allergies and my daughter's asthma when triggers are present outside. My door might or might not shut. Also a problem. I might get stranded someplace. I travel frequently. My car door issue was identified August 2025. I am still waiting for a new door. The contractors recently delivered passenger doors which do not fix the problem. Please investigate this issue further.

NHTSA ODI 11729688

the sunshade panotramic panel cover that sperates the two roofs seems to be falling off due to cheap two side tape which caused the whole sunshade assembly and motor to break. I took my car to the dealer yeasterday Anderson Ford based in Lincoln NE, and they cahrged $119 to diagnis and qouted me over $2000 to fix it. This is manufacturere fault that caused this to happed by using cheap, unreliable two side tape to attach panel cover!. Please address this as alot of Ford Escape owners suffer from this issue

NHTSA ODI 11721677

Sunroof cover has detached. When uncovering sunroof, panel droops and blocks rear window. This happened while driving and can pose a serious safety hazard. Component has been inspected by dealership and diagnostics include taking entire top panel apart which is quoted at 2.5k. This is a recurring problem with Ford Escape vehicles. There was no warning that this was broken, I realized while driving that it had become detached when I tried to open the sunroof and it blocked my rear window and fell on my kids sitting in the back seat.

NHTSA ODI 11715274

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 25V467000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) and 25V829000 (Structure); however, the parts for the recall repairs were not yet available. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

NHTSA ODI 11713409

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 25V467000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) and 25V829000 (Structure). The contact called several dealers and the manufacturer several times and was informed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The contact had not experienced a failure.

NHTSA ODI 11712688

My car was inspected two times at the dealership for the door welds possibly cracking. The second time (a year ago) they said that I would need the entire door replaced. When I’m entering and exiting the vehicle the door shuts on me. I also live in a high wind area. The window will not go up or down without the door being open. Every time I call the dealership they forward me to their service manager ‘Jonathan’ and he never answers not returns my calls. I had been dealing with this issue for nearly three years or longer. I’m scared my door is going to fall off while I’m driving.

NHTSA ODI 11711557

Driver door, door check arm popping and hardly opens and closes won’t allow driver window to roll down all the way

NHTSA ODI 11688012

Driver door check bracket is making loud crunching sound and making door difficult to open and close. This is cause for concern about integrity of door and ability to use vehicle. Not been inspected yet.

NHTSA ODI 11675451

Drivers door popping noise when opening and closing the door, not closing properly, window not being able to roll up and down. Vehicle was brought to dealership for inspection and the problem was confirmed that there is arm bracket failure in the front door. No warning lights come on and no injury has occurred but car is not being driven for safety reasons at this time. We never received a letter about the one time repair and until the problem happened had no idea about this. We are on a list with local dealership and have been waiting for Ford to get parts and approve repair. We have no idea how many people are in front of us on this list.

NHTSA ODI 11672736

The door check bracket is broken

NHTSA ODI 11666929

The contact called for a customer who owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while opening and closing the front driver’s side door, there was a loud banging and clucking sound coming from the door. The vehicle was taken to a certified mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the bolts on the door arm mounted onto the door assembly had fractured and detached. The contact was informed that the door assembly might need to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 22,000.

NHTSA ODI 11661786

My back passenger door will not lock. If I lock it from my ford app or key fob that back door stays unlocked. This puts my safety at risk because I’m a young female living in a big city known for sex trafficking. I could be followed to my car and I could lock the door but that door stays unlocked someone could kidnap me. Or what if I’m driving the car and the door flies open, that can cause a deadly accident. There was no warning signs or messages just a mere coincidence that I noticed it wasn’t locking. We took it into ford and they have found the issue but don’t want to cover it even though we pay for the primary care. I noticed that past models have been recalled for this issue and should be recalled again that this is something that should not be taken lightly. A lock on a door is not wear and tear when it doesn’t get used.

NHTSA ODI 11657518

Problem Description Component/System Failed: The driver-side front door has been inoperable since April 2024, unable to open or close, linked to Ford’s Customer Satisfaction Program 23B56 (faulty door welds/hinges). Vehicle is available for inspection. Safety Risk: I must climb over the passenger seat to enter/exit, risking injury, especially in emergencies. My disabled veteran father, who shares the car, cannot drive it due to inaccessibility, severely limiting his mobility. An inoperable door could delay evacuation, endangering us both. Confirmed by Dealer: Empire Ford, New Bedford, MA, confirmed the issue in October 2024, tying it to 23B56. They quoted 2-3 weeks for parts but haven’t repaired it as of April 10, 2025. Inspections: Only Empire Ford inspected it in October 2024. They admitted to marking the work order as done without repairs, restarting the process. No other inspections by Ford, police, or insurers occurred. Symptoms/Warnings: No warning lights or messages. Around April 2024, the door became hard to open/close, then failed completely, remaining stuck closed. No prior noises or partial issues noted. Details: In October 2024, I took my Escape to Empire Ford for the 23B56 repair. They said parts would take 2-3 weeks. After months without updates, I learned they falsely marked the job complete, forcing a restart. Six months later, the door is still broken, and they only say parts are “ordered,” offering no timeline. This aligns with NHTSA’s PE23013 investigation into Escape door welds. The delay makes the car unsafe and unusable for my father. I request NHTSA’s help to push Ford for a prompt fix or loaner vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11653968

See attached document for complaint.

NHTSA ODI 11651237

Schedule repair maintenance with Spirit Ford Dundee MI on my 2021 Ford Escape on 1/16/2024 for water leaking in the spare tire compartment which created moisture to collect on interior windows and smell like mold. Spirit Ford said that it was leaking from the rear light and that was replaced. We drove the car as it was fixed and never had a reason to look back in the spare tire compartment as we thought it was fix. Last week [XXX] when the weather was started warming for a day after having snow/rainy days we noticed the car smelling again and looked in spare tire compartment to find that was full of water all the way to the top. So apparently the issue was never fixed correctly. Schedule an appointment for repair maintenance on the vehicle 03/10/2025 for issue again. As of 4pm on 3/10/25 the car had not been looked at. I received a call around 5pm and was told that they ran it through the water testing and did not see anything leaking. On 03/11/2025 around 1:30pm my husband informed that the vehicle repair is now out of warranty and will not be covered and would cost $729 to replace the lift gate seal. I asked why the repair was not covered as it was never repaired correctly the first time when vehicle repair was under warranty and was told well, they replaced the light. But that 1st repair did not fix the water issue now we as the consumer is responsible for the repair when it should have been fixed correctly the first time. If the issue was never fixed the 1st time, how am I to trust them again to fix it for the $729 that I shouldn't have to pay as I stated before should have been fixed. But let's not forget Ron basically blamed us for driving it since last repair and implying that is why the water was leaking in the same place. We had to pay for a diagnostic fee of $165 to tell us that it could be the seal. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11647794

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated that there was an abnormal sound coming from the front driver's side door. The door failed to stay ajar when needed. Additionally, the contact stated that the door swung open unexpectedly while parked on an angle. There was no warning light illuminated. The dealer was contacted, and the vehicle was diagnosed, and it was determined that the door needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI 11642758

The left front door stopper makes an abnormal sound, a popping noise when the door comes open.

NHTSA ODI 11640023

My driver side door began making popping noise and it has been discovered the weld has broken.

NHTSA ODI 11633664

The check arm on my ford escape broke off at the welding attachment point which lead to me having to drive down the road for 10 miles with my door ajar in order to get home It started making a popping noise a few days ago then I opened my door tonight and it completely broke off

NHTSA ODI 11632914