There are 15 owner-reported air bags & restraints complaints for the 2020 Ford Escapein NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
The drivers seat belt buckle lactch has broke. The part of the buckle that latched the seatbelt has broken and fallen down into the buckle therefore the drivers seat belt can not be worn. This is a huge safety issue and is also illegal. The seat beat and buckle should be something in a vehicle that doesn’t just break like this. Makes me very concerned that they will not hold up in an accident.
So I bought this 2020 ford escape at 1100 miles. It was used as a dealership loaner vehicle until I bought it which put its 5 year at 11/19/2025, although I purchased it 12/2+/2020. Which h doesn't make sense. I'm slightly over the 60k/5 yr safety warranty because of it being a loaner vehicle first. I'm over the 60k by 19k, but under my 5 yr warranty. My driver seat belt is malfunctioning, so all my air bags are inactive. I find this very unfair and unsafe as I have 3 children ages [XXX] to [XXX] old. Please tell me there is something we can do thats not going to cost a lot of money. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
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.
.After activating the cruise control on the freeway for a few minutes, the cruise control deactivated and displayed the "Adaptive Cruise Not Available" message on the dashboard, immediately lowering the speed. Additionally, the sunroof interior stopped working after opening it. The bar that helps retract the sunroof interior came loose, and Ford says the repair is not covered under the extended warranty. There was also a problem with the rear seat belts, which displayed a warning: "REAR BELT MONITOR FAULT. SERVICE REQUIRED."
Rear seatbelt monitoring system came up on dash , which is the drivers seatbelt, then the seatbelt light stays on , had to have the item replaced costing 600 dollars , knowing it’s a safety thing I would like it covers under ford ! And get reimbursed for it ! Safety!!!
Seat belt fault
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated while parked when he buckled the seat belt, the seat belt warning light remained illuminated. The failure occurred on the front driver's side seat belt. The vehicle was driven to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the seat belt buckle needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate mileage was 70,000.
A message appears that reads" Falla en system. de control de cinturones de sguridad traseros. Require servicio"
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.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 50 MPH, the "Rear Belt Monitor Fault Service" message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was unknown.
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.
I was involved in a collision with a pick-up truck in Gallup, NM on 12/3/21. We hit the truck mid-section. Front of my Escape was pretty much destroyed. Our airbags did NOT deploy. Mine and my husbands safety was at risk due to the failure of the airbags to deploy in the crash. Vehicle is at the Ford Dealer in Gallup, NM waiting for State Farm to determine the next steps. I had no prior warnings or indications that the airbags were not functional.
I was at a red light behind 4 cars, when as I look into the rearview mirror when I saw a white van coming at me at cruising speed. As I turned the steering wheel to the left, purposely trying to avoid the vehicle in front of me, the white van slammed into me and caused me to hit my head on the steering wheel and the window. I had my seat belt on, but I was hit so hard that the car frame was bent and I was hurt. I was informed that the reason not one of my airbags went off in the front of my car was, I was hit in the rear. If I would have let my car hit the car in front of me, I would have been protected by the airbags in the front. This is a serious issue and this complaint is to request the NTSB look into requiring all vehicles to have sensors throught out the car to keep drivers and passangers should remain as steady
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
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2020 FORD ESCAPE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE STOPPED AND PRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY EXPERIENCED UNINTENDED ACCELERATION AND CRASHED INTO A CONCRETE PILLAR. DURING THE CRASH FRONT END WAS SEVERELY DAMAGED BUT THE AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY. ALSO THE COLLISION ASSISTANCE SAFETY FEATURE DID NOT ACTIVATE TO AVOID THE CRASH. DURING THE INCIDENT THE DRIVER SUSTAINED AN INJURED CHEST WHICH DID NOT REQUIRE MEDICAL TREATMENT. NO POLICE REPORT WAS TAKEN. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TOWED. THE LOCAL DEALER ROYAL OAK FORD LOCATED AT 27550 WOODWARD AVE, ROYAL OAK, MI 48067. AND THE MANUFACTURER WERE NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DETERMINED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 2,000.
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026