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2020 Ford Escape Hybrid complaints

Owner reports filed with NHTSA about this vehicle, newest first and reproduced as filed. They are unverified accounts: one proves nothing, and a pattern across many is the thing worth reading. Back to the full 2020 record →

Engine
Filed May 24, 2024TX

The car battery keeps being drained by modules staying active, this has affected my car so far twice in a year. This poses a safety issue as the car can get stuck and is inoperative. Ford has 2 service bulletins to repair the issue to reprogram the ABS module and PCM, they are SSM 49574 and SSM 49990. However Ford will not cover these repairs under extended warranty and although the issue initially occurred while under the 3yr/30k warranty but they didn’t have the service bulletins out at that time. This needs to be listed as recall issue as many people on Ford forum have complained about this issue for 2020 Ford Escape hybrids

Electrical System
Filed May 24, 2024MO

Was driving the car when it suddenly went dead with the following message on the screen: “Vehicle network communication error”. By chance I happened to be able to coast off the road otherwise i would have been stranded on a very busy road. The vehicle was towed to a Ford dealer where the problem was reproduced, the car has been at the dealer for 1 week now with no idea what the problem is. There was no warning prior to the error appearing and the vehicle completely stopping. Reviewing Ford forums there are at least two other instances of this happening. Do not have any repair information yet as it is not fixed and the solution is unknown at this time.

Structure › Body
Filed May 21, 2024MS

Hear a popping sound when opening the driver side door on my 2020 Escape Titanium Hybrid. Tack welds all broke free on the driver's side door hinge mechanism. Ford dealership informed me it was not under regular or extended warranty

Structure › Body
Filed May 19, 2024CT

Driver side door made a loud popping sound when opening or closing. Sound came from door hinge area. After only 7 opens, the popping sound turned into a crunching sound and the check arm spot welds broke free from the panel of the door.

Unknown or Other
Filed May 18, 2024MI

Bracket for right check arm, defective weld spots

Structure
Filed May 17, 202425,000 milesCT

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the driver's door failed to open all the way, and the contact observed a popping sound coming from the door hinges. Additionally, the contact stated that the driver's side window failed to roll down more than an inch. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the door needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 25,000.

Electrical System
Filed May 14, 202434,500 milesCA

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while trying to turn the inside vehicle lights, she accidently pushed the sunroof button. The sunroof cover broke. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with the entire sunroof needing replacement. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact states that is a safety hazard because the vehicle gets extremely hot without the sunroof cover. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to call the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 34,500.

Structure › Body
Filed May 13, 2024FL

A popping noise has been happening on opening the front doors. Yesterday the passenger door became difficult to close.

Structure › Body
Filed May 1, 2024WI

Front driver door spot welds failed. Ability to open drivers door and window affected. Took to repair shop that told me the welds opening and closing the door all failed. No message or warning, or symptoms prior to failure.

Structure › Body
Filed Apr 25, 2024OK

Driver side door has loud popping noise and am unable to close door. Door popped open when driving

Structure › Body › Door
Filed Apr 19, 202435,000 milesOK

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while opening and closing the front driver’s side door, there was a popping and cracking sound coming from the door panel. Additionally, sometimes the front driver's side door was difficult to open and close. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 35,000.

Engine
Filed Apr 19, 2024VA

Recall was issues 5/2023 for Engine Stall/Fire risk. There has been no remedy done and it's coming up on one year since this has been issued. This was expanded upon the July 2022 recall that drilled holes and removed grill shutters , but it was shown to not have alleviated this issue. The issue is a rod bearing breaching the engine block causing the potential for devastating and potential personal injury along with property damage. In reaching out to the dealer , no remedy has been issued yet....it's almost 1 year !!!

Electrical System
Filed Apr 18, 2024CA

A software update to the SYNC 3 system was sent out to my vehicle after the update took place the radio system as well as navigation, backup camera, and self parking all failed to work. And the system never turned back on again. After diagnosis from Ford dealership it was declared that the APIM needs to be replaced. I tried to voice my problem to ford corporate via phone calls, emails, and letter and they did not acknowledge that the problem was from the update.

Unknown or Other
Filed Apr 16, 2024CA

Unresolved under hood fire recall

Structure › Body
Filed Apr 15, 2024OK

Door started making horrible sound and not opening/closing very good out of no where.

Engine
Filed Apr 11, 2024IL

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V380000 (Engine) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Engine
Filed Apr 11, 2024IN

UNKNOWN. I have received recall notice 23V380 in February 2024 after buying the car from a certified Ford dealer on October 24, 2023. The defect has not been remedied, and I need to sell the car now due to a job change outside of the country. This unaddressed recall and threat that the "engine could fail prematurely" has made it nearly impossible to sell the car at anywhere near the price paid. I am therefore demanding that Ford repurchase the vehicle from me and issue a full refund for all costs of purchasing the vehicle (including taxes and fees).

Engine
Filed Apr 4, 2024FL

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V380000 (Engine) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Structure › Body
Filed Mar 28, 2024TX

This safety incident occurred with both the driver and passenger front doors. There are two hinges matching the body paint, which are fine. A third black hinge spot welded to the door that holds the door open in partial-open positions had the issue. The spot welding has completely come undone on the driver door and is showing stress on the passenger door. A loud, cracking noise and difficulty opening the door indicated this issue. I had to disconnect this item from the body and shove it into the driver door in order to open and shut the door. While this prevents further damage, it severely hampers opening and shutting the door safely. Without the stop action in place, we have a risk of the door flying open and damaging the body of the car or anything else in the door's path.

Electrical System
Filed Mar 25, 2024CA

Entertainment system needs to be reset multiple times a day. bluetooth does not connect to the same cell phone i have been using and needs to be re-connected manually every time I start the car. stereo and gps are non-responsive and require restart to properly operate. Bluetooth needs to connect automatically to my phone.

Engine
Filed Mar 24, 2024NY

It has been nearly 10 months since Ford issued this recall (23S27) for the 2020 Ford Escape. There is a risk of fire if this engine fault is not resolved. Ten months is an unacceptably LONG time for the company not to have issued a satisfactory resolution to this dangerous situation.

Structure › Body
Filed Mar 20, 2024MI

Spot weld on driver side door failed, Hinge is now broken.

Structure › Body
Filed Mar 16, 2024MI

My 2020 Ford Escape Hybrid SE driver's side door has failed (ripped) spot welds at the door's arm. I simply opened my car door one day, and heard a loud pop. Ever since I simply opened my car door, my door now has constant cracking/popping sounds when I open or close my driver's side door. Due to issues with my door, my driver's side window now does not move up or down. This issue did not have any warning or symptoms prior to the ripped weld spots, it was a random instance which now permanently has affected my car. I have done some investigating on my own regarding this matter with other Ford Escape owners, and this is a very common issue with this make and model. Some owners that had similar issues with their vehicle stated that their driver's side door flew off when traveling at highway speeds. Due to the previously stated sentence, this is a huge safety concern as a door flying off my vehicle could affect other drivers and put them at risk of injury. I took my vehicle into an auto shop to be diagnosed, who recommended that I take my vehicle into a Ford dealership to deal with this problem directly. The Ford dealership had me call Ford's Customer Service line to discuss my options. Ford's customer service informed me that their is nothing that FMC can do to assist with this matter and that I do not qualify for any financial assistance to cover the cost of this repair. I have been in contact with my Ford dealership who told me that the whole door will need to be replaced, an

Structure › Body
Filed Mar 9, 2024OH

Door would not properly close window would not roll down. On investigation weld's on door hinge were broken

Engine
Filed Mar 5, 2024KY

My vehicle is continuously triggers a check engine light, which goes on and off. It states on the FORD APP that the engine is detecting that the exhaust gas recirculation system flow is higher than expected for the operating conditions. I have repeatedly requested that this be evaluated but every time I go in for service they tell me that they will not look at it unless the check engine light is on (Which it goes on and off all the time with the same record) and they refuse to go off the check engine history on my APP. There is also a sound coming from my driver side tailpipe that is low sound at idle but increasing whines/chirps during acceleration. I can't say for sure, but I believe these are tied together and the dealership tells me that i have to leave my car with them for at least 4 weeks for them to even take a look. I supposedly got an OTA update to resolve this issue, but it hasn't worked. Check engine light is still on and off.

Electrical System
Filed Mar 3, 2024FL

Driving the 2020 Ford Escape it completely shut down during a rain storm requiring us to pull off the main road coasting to a stop. Very concerned with the fact that The emergency flashers did not function and the rest of the dash and LCD panel went black. After 20 minutes I was able to get the vehicle started but the check engine light was illuminated and I was able to drive the 1/2 mile home. The car is in our driveway and I have a service appointment on 3/6. With this potential problem in place I do not want to drive it if it will shut down in the middle of the interstate highway.

Unknown or Other
Filed Mar 1, 2024AZ

Passenger side window has come loose and closes poorly with a loud klunking sound.

Unknown or Other
Filed Mar 1, 2024IL

The door check arm welds on my passenger door have failed and my drivers side door is starting to fail. This is rendering my vehicle front doors unusable. In the event of an accident, being able to open the doors properly seems like it is a HUGE safety issue.

Structure › Body
Filed Feb 28, 2024IN

My car had been having no issues and working as expected. I left to depart for my destination and my driver's door made a terrible grinding noise and didn't open smoothly. There was resistance. I am able to drive the vehicle without issue, but I cannot open the driver's door all the way. My local Ford Dealership won't repair the door, citing that I need to wait for the recall from Ford. I'd like to have a fully functional door on the vehicle I purchased.

Structure › Body › Door › Hinge and Attachments
Filed Feb 26, 202474,000 milesAZ

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape Hybrid. The contact stated that while opening the front driver's side door, the door made an abnormal metallic sound. Additionally, the contact stated that the door failed to close as needed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was determined that the door check arm spot welds were fractured. The contact was provided an estimate for the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 74,000.

Structure › Body
Filed Feb 26, 2024OR

The driver side front door welds have broken on the door closer. The window now operates sporadacially and the door does not always properly latch. The door has opened to the first catch at times. The dealer tells me that the cost will be $4200 to fix. The whole door needs to be replaced.

Engine
Filed Feb 23, 2024CA

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V380000 (Engine) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. 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 had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Unknown or Other
Filed Feb 22, 2024FL

Hi, I don't feel secure anymore driving this car with this fire recall, what can I do? Nobody want to buy that car with this failure. Best Regards [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Unknown or Other
Filed Feb 22, 2024MD

On 2/19/2024 i exited my vehicle and heard a popping noise. At that time I couldn't figure out where the noise came from. After existing the vehicle I attempted to close the door, unfortunately the door would not close property. It was clicking and the entire door wouldn't align properly without closing. when opening the door it also opens and hangs. Also the window does not roll more that 25% down and stops. Do if impact on either side, or a fire in the vehicle would prevent someone to escape I went to the internet and started researching the issue. I found many same model and year vehicles have the same issue. The issue is the 3 spot welds that hold the door fail and at the time of failure break the control arm that connects the door.

Structure › Body
Filed Feb 19, 2024PA

On the driver door, the door check welds have failed. Heard a grinding clunking sound and had my mechanic look at the car; he identified what had occurred. I have researched online and found instances where once this is broken the door might open without warning. Because of this I am very gentle in using the door, opening it just enough to get inside. I do not use the window. I had my dealer body shop look at the door and they advised this is a problem they have been seeing. Their repair estimate is about $750. That’s just to rivet the part in place. They advised that to replace the part is approximately $2500. The odd sound the door was making started gradually and became worse. I first noticed a couple of months ago. There were no warning lights or messages prior to failure.

Engine
Filed Feb 15, 2024OH

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V380000 (Engine) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. 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 had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Unknown or Other
Filed Feb 14, 2024AR

Ford Escape 2020 Hybrid 51,000 miles. Left front door pops and makes crunching noise when opened. The window does not go down now. just saw that repairs will be handled under customer satisfaction program. Door 'hinge' just started making noises. If FORD doesn't follow thru I will send another complaint.

Structure
Filed Feb 12, 202421,500 milesFL

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. That contact stated that upon entering the vehicle, the driver's side door opened abnormally wide, after which the driver's side door became jammed. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed failures with the high-low voltage converter and the door check arm attachment point. The voltage converter was repaired, but the door check arm attachment point was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Action Number: PE23013 (Structure). The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was 21,500.

Engine
Filed Feb 9, 2024NY

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V380000 (Engine) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. 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 had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Structure › Body
Filed Feb 4, 2024MA

Driver door welds snapped and window controls no longer functions normally. Door does not open or close properly. Inspection available. safety is at risk because door does not close properly and could fly open when driving causing collision and injury to myself or others. Problem confirmed by dealer as a known problem with 2020 Escapes. Vehicle inspected by dealer. Told not repairable- new door needed. Failure occurred without warning in early January 2024.

Unknown or Other
Filed Feb 2, 2024GA

The spot welds in the left front door at the check arm attachment points in the door assembly broke. It is available for inspection upon request. My safety is put at risk because the door check arm is broken and the window won’t roll down as a result. The door has nothing to stop it from closing or opening, and if I were to require my window to roll down in the event of an accident my safety is jeopardized. This issue was confirmed at my dealership and they even provided me with a Ford memo SSM 51553 that acknowledges this problem. No one besides the dealership has inspected it yet. There were no warning lamps or messages. The issue started when the door suddenly made a loud popping noise when opened or closed, along with some resistance doing so. Then without warning the noise stopped, but now the door flings open and closed without any catching and my window will only roll down about 3 inches before stalling out. The first popping noise started three days ago, then it stopped and the door became non functioning yesterday. Dealership acknowledged this is a known issue, but Ford refuses to cover it.

Unknown or Other
Filed Jan 30, 2024KS

Door stop check broke in cold weather. No wide swinging of door and no weight on door has occurred. Dealership is stating entire door needs to be replaced and paint matched. Charges are estimated between $2500-$3100.

Structure › Body
Filed Jan 29, 2024VA

Initially driver side door began sluggishly opening proceeding to a grinding open which and finally incomplete opening. Power window has also become inoperable. Dealer charged $400 to look at what is obviously a known problem and said needed a brand new door and quoted $3,000+ (10% of a new car!) Refused service and a mechanic explained the situation regarding the welding failure and said he "opted" to not attempt to re-install the door check, meaning the door now will fly wide open if not perfectly controlled (which will obviously result in damage to hinge system. We found our car with several hilarious flyers printed (attached below) showing the full awareness of the issue.Our escape is a fully loaded Titanium model and issue began developing at about 49,000 miles. Car has never been in a crash of any kind and has 50,000 miles the VAST majority being 300 mile round trips on the highway for work.

Engine
Filed Jan 29, 2024AZ

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V380000 (Engine) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Structure › Body › Door
Filed Jan 26, 202428,000 milesFL

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the passenger’s side door check spot welds had failed, and the door would not properly open or close. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who determined that the door needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 28,000.

Unknown or Other
Filed Jan 26, 2024CA

The driver's side door has been making creaking and popping sounds for over a year and most recently the driver's side door window only goes down half way. Took the vehicle to the Ford dealership where the car was purchased and informed them of the problem and the SSM 50150 for 2020-2021 Escapes. After inspecting the interior of the door, they found that the check arm had detached and that what was causing the noise and the window to not be able to lower. The vehicle has 29,347 and was purchased in May 2020. They said the vehicle is out of warranty on the date (not mileage) and would not be covered although it's apparent the failure was occurring over several months.

Structure › Body
Filed Jan 25, 2024GA

Ford Escape’s Door Hinges are Defective: Our 2020 Ford Escape driver door hinges had to be repaired by a non-Ford dealer body shop as the car was out of warranty. The Columbus, Georgia Ford dealer diagnosed the problem as being defective door hinges but they do not do body work. The door's rivets popped out and the hinges made grinding and popping sounds when opened or closed. There were no warning lamps or messages about the failure before it occurred. We would appreciate it if the NHTSA would issue a formal recall for this defect so we could be reimbursed for what we paid. Thank you very much.

Structure › Body › Door
Filed Jan 24, 2024100,000 milesKY

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the front driver’s side door failed to open or close as needed. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was discovered that the spot weld inside the door was defective, and the contact was provided an estimate for the repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

Power Train › Manual Transmission › Column Shift Assembly1 injured
Filed Jan 24, 202436,000 milesNY

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the shifter selector assembly had sharp edges. There were sharp edges on the side of the dial. The contact sustained injuries to her fingers, but medical attention was not provided. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the shifter selector assembly knob needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 36,000.

Structure › Body
Filed Jan 23, 2024AL

The driver side door began making loud creaking sounds and would not close properly. The power window would not go down all the way. I was terrified that the door would come open when I was driving and it did once! The Ford dealer said it is a known issue with faulty welding, but there is no recall. I had to pay $1,250 for the repair and I was without my vehicle for a week!

Reading these

NHTSA publishes every complaint as the owner wrote it and investigates only a fraction. Spelling, capitalisation and judgement are the filer’s own. What carries weight is repetition: the same component failing the same way across many filings, and whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.

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