NHTSA Owner Complaint Log
This page lists owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2020 Ford Escape. Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA and do not by themselves prove a defect or defect rate.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that after refueling, the contact stated that the fuel economy was abnormal. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the fuel injectors needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer related the failure to manufacturer Customer Satisfaction Program Number: 22N18 - High pressure Fuel Injectors (Fuel System, Gasoline). The contact was advised by the dealer that the vehicle was not covered under the Manufacturer Satisfaction Program. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 21,000.
There is a spot weld failure inside my driver side door resulting in the doors hinge being broken inside the door. The door does not open all the way and it makes loud cracking noises. Also, the door will not always latch close properly and can open suddenly without touching it. I cannot roll down my window all the way. I need to crawl through the passenger side door and up over the console to get in my vehicle each time I use it. I am concerned for myself and my family that if heaven fobid we were in a car crash, that this unhinged door would not provide us with the means to keep us safe. The car is unsafe and unusable as the door could fly open at any time. The only fix that I have been offered from Ford Motor Company is to replace the entire door, since the broken hinge is inside the door and cannot be fixed. This will cost my famiy roughly $4000. Paying for a problem that Ford is very aware of, and that was by no means a fault of our daily usage or accident of any sort is infuriatling!
Unable to get an E-Check, emissions test. Getting Gateway error. Found on [XXX] that others are also unable to get their SUV's E-checked to get a registration sticker. Ford is possibly aware of this. Found SSM [XXX] and SSM [XXX] , "Some 2020-2021 Escape/Corsair and 2021 Bronco Sport vehicles may exhibit a communication fault with emissions inspection equipment. This may be due to the software in the gateway module. To correct this condition, reprogram the gateway module to latest software level using the appropriate Ford diagnostic scan tool. Use causal part 14F642 and applicable labor times from Section 10 of the Service Labor Time Standards (SLTS) Manual." Yet they are not doing anything about it. I called my local ford dealer and they weren't aware of any of these and want me to pay for the reprogramming. If this fault is inherent in the product line, it should be a recall. I wanted you to know about this. No warning lamps, I went to 2 different county E-Check inspection places and tried several different connections and even tried the self serve kiosk. I could not get the e check completed as their equipment would not communicate with the Ford OBD-II Port. This affects all owners of the product years 2020-2021 for Ford Escape and Broncos. My dealer is not at fault and offered to reprogram my vehicle at no charge, so i commend them. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Front left drivers door hinge check arm attachment welds have broken causing a terrible noise and making it hard to close the door. It hasn't been reproduced or confirmed yet by a dealer or independent service center as I just now figured out what the noise was and it's getting worse every time the door is used. Hasn't been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others, I came here first just now. No warnings or messages, just a terrible sound that was hard to pinpoint what was causing it until I saw the spot welds move away from the door when it opened. But now it is hard to close the door.
Left front driver side door, making loud popping noise when opening and closing. Almost could not close with most recent use. Afraid to open again in fear that I will not be able to drive my car or lock it shut.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that a popping noise was present when opening and closing the front driver's door, and the door was difficult to close securely. In addition, the front driver's window failed to roll down completely. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the door check arm bracket welding was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 59,200.
Left driver's side door is popping and gets stuck open sometimes. Vehicle mileage is only 33,505.
It’s a welding issue with the door arm and that’s a widespread issue but not a recall yet. It happened on my previous Ford Escape as well.
The driver door hinge broke at the 3 weld spots and now the door sometimes closes and other times hard to close. It has also popped open while driving.
Drivers door Check Arm has broken from door because of faulty spot welds from factory. You no longer have control of door when opening and door can swing open to full opening and out of control. This problem was confirmed by Fred Beans Ford in Boyertown PA. Apparently according to dealership this is an ongoing issue and Ford Refuses to recall or fix if out of warranty. I was quoted $2800 for the repair. My car has 31500 miles on it.
Every time the driver side opens, I hear a popping sound. I took it to my local Ford dealership and apparently it was passed warranty just two days prior so no work has been done. They advised me that the welds failed on the door and now the car needs a new door and latch that will take at least a week to complete repairs. My car has only 32,000 miles so it's fairly new. I fear that the door will eventually give out on me and not close properly.
Driver door (left front to be clear, yes, I know it should be obvious) started making strange sound. Popping/dragging noises when opened and shut. Window sometimes gets stuck going down past about 1/4 of the way down. Now door will not fully open - goes abut 40% open and stops.
hello the driver door makes a loud clicking sound when opening all the way
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the front driver's side door was making an abnormal popping sound while opening and the door was misaligned. Additionally, the contact stated that the driver's side window failed to roll down. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the spot welds in the driver's side door check arm brackets were fractured. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to the NHTSA Action Number: PE23013 (Structure). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 35,000.
Out of nowhere my front driver side door started making this awful, loud clanking sound whenever I would open or close it. Took it to the mechanic I usually go to and they said that the "door check broke off the door because the spot weld failed" and that I would have to call a Body Shop. Called the dealership and they said that it is a well known and well documented issue with the year, make and model of my vehicle (2020 Ford Escape), but so sorry I would have to pay appr. $2600 to replace the door.
Driver door check broke. Ford is fixing my car right now, however not without $1000s of dollars. My safety was put at risk because I could have severely injured someone with the door flinging open and I could have had even more damage. I have read online that Ford is investigating this issue, however no recall was made. No warning lights appeared.
The AWD module malfunctioned and had faults. Issue was confirmed by dealer with no explanation and had no cause for failure. AWD fault and Service AdvanceTrac warnings appeared and reappeared each time the vehicle was turned on. Vehicle could only use front wheel drive and cruise control was also affected. The dealer kept the malfunctioning module so unknown if it will be inspected.
The door hold back has detached from its spot welds
FIRST THE CAR START SHOWING : AWD,FAULT. LATER HILL START NOT AVAILABLE. COLLISION ASSIST NOT AVAILABLE. AWD, OFF AND MANY OTHER AREAS IN THE SCREEN. FEW TIMES IN DANGER OF AN ACCIDENT FOR NOT HAVING THE COLLISION ASSIST OPERATIONAL. THE PROBLEM WAS VERIFIED BY THE CAGUAS FORD DEALER, HAS NOT BEEN INSPECTED BY ANY OTHER PERSON. ONLY THE LITTLE SLIDING CAR SHOWED UP PRIOR TO ALL LTHER LIGHTS, ,
DRIVERS SIDE FRONT DOOR CHECK ARM ATTACHMENT POINTS ARE BROKEN AT SPOT WELDS - The door dose not close properly. - Authorized Ford Dealer Charles Gabus Ford in DesMoines, Iowa confirmed the problem
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while opening the front driver's side door, the door made an abnormal loud popping sound. The contact also stated that the door failed to close completely. The contact stated that the door had to be slammed for the door to securely close. Additionally, the contact stated that the front driver's side window failed to roll down as needed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was determined that the door check arm welds were fractured due to improper welding. The dealer referred the contact to an auto body repair shop. The vehicle was taken to two auto body repair shops, where it was determined that the door needed to be welded or an unknown part needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 39,000.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, various unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the driveline control module and the battery needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 48,000.
For at least a year or better, I noticed a creaking noise in the driver side door. Then on November 14th while doing my first time doing meals on wheels delivery, the door sounded as if it was going to fall off. We drove to Horn Ford Dealership in Brillion where the car was purchased and had them look at it. There was mention that they had repaired a couple of other Ford Escapes with the same issue. We scheduled an appt. for repair. We used the SUV very limited after that visit and only opened the door far enough to enter inside. The loud creak stopped before the appt. on 12/4, but the power window also would not fully open. During this time, I also contacted Ford Motor Company to file a claim, since the SUV was just out of warranty. They worked with our dealership Horn Ford and agreed to pay 40% of the cost. Today, 12/5/2023 we received our vehicle back and all is working well including the window. I also discovered that a resident in our village had the same problem. I felt this was worth reporting. I have owned many Fords and it would appear this was a defect from the Factory due to a bad weld on the door. Unfortunately, the vehicle was just out of warranty and I regret not saying something sooner, although, I don't think the dealership would have done anything about a creak in the door, especially since it was occurring when the door was fully open, until the day of November 14th.
I stopped to refuel. I turned off the engine. After filling the tank the car would not start. I contacted the service department of my dealer and they knew immediately what the problem was, a faulty purge valve. They said it is a common problem with Escapes. The service department entered my mileage as 53, 308 which was an error as the actual mileage was 33335. The dealer refused to correct this error. The repair cost me $494.00
The Check Arm Attachment on the driver side door for my 2020 broke off because of poor welding, I have read it is a common issue with the 2020 ford escape
The drivers front door began making a popping sound as the door opened and closed. By the next day the door began to have trouble closing fully. I noticed the weld points had broken where the door check/limiter attached to the door. It sounds like the same issue as the NHTSA investigation PE23013. In order to fully close the door the door had to be disabled and the broken part removed.
Driver side door weld broke allowing door to possibly open while driving
The left driver's door was making a popping noise. On closer inspection found that the door support bracket was broken. I took it to my local Ford dealer, and they confirmed the bracket was broken. When they replaced the part, the noise was still there. An inspection by the dealer's collision center showed a defect in the door and they stated the entire door had to be replaced. When asked if this was a known issue they replied it was an issue with the 2020 Ford Escape. I asked if my door would fall of their reply was "MAYBE". I was instructed not to push the door to hard when opening and closing the door. I phoned Ford and asked about this issue and the told me that they do not issue safety recalls on their vehicles and suggested I contact your agency. If there is a possibility that the vehicle door may fall off and it is a known issue I believe some safety recall should be issued.
The car stops while I’m driving isn’t the first time almost got hit couldn’t turn the wheel or press breaks engine light kept coming on and so does the battery
When opened front driver’s side door, heard creaking, rattling, and pop. Now door will not close as well as problems with the window not working in that door! The frame on car is also loose due to bad door pulling on the frame. I’m concerned door may open when driving. Ford dealership will not pay due to the fact warranty expired April 2023 with only 33,000 miles on vehicle. An inspection by an independent service center confirms the issue and estimates a $2,400.00 cost of repairs. Inspector indicates poor spot welding and rivets in check arm defective. Insurance will not cover any expenses since it is not a result of a collision!! There was no warning messages indicating any issue. Door noises were heard on a Saturday (11/11/2023) and on Sunday (11/12/2023) door popped and couldn’t be closed’
Door stop on both the driver side as well as the passenger side have broke off making it hard to actually open and close the door. As of 11/16/2023 the window is also stuck due to the door stop damaging the motor. After searching the Internet this is a very widespread issue when I took it to the dealership they said since it was out of warranty it wouldn't be covered. I don't believe this is anything but bad workmanship because the weld apparently breaks as low as 8000 miles. Well within the warranty period.
Investigation: PE 23-013
Driver side door suddenly began creaking and popping when opening and closing. Not sure if it’s safe to open or close the door, not sure what happened to it or what’s wrong.
Front side driver’s door starting making popping noises on Saturday. By Sunday of the same week only a day later the door made a crunching and breaking noise when opening, now the door has to be forced closed and the window will only go down about 4 inches.
Factory Spot welds in driver side door have failed. The swing arm is not attached properly. Door will not open or close properly and it also affecting the window.
Driver door made a popping noise and a weld broke inside of it
Left front door has popping noise when opening and closing the door. I took it to our dealership and was given an estimate to replace the door because the spot welds were broken and not repairable. They stated that the mileage was 45,300 and not under warranty. They couldn’t confirm that it was safe to drive or if they had seen this problem before. The estimate is $1357.98.
I just pulled in my driveway of my home open car door saw smoke and I looked under engine I saw flames that's when I close garage door and call 911 by the time they get there my car engine was burned out.
Driver side door began making a popping sound when opening and closing. Eventually window would not go all the way down. Took to dealer and they said there is a known problem with some spot welds associated with the door bracket and that Ford recommends replacement of the entire door. They also said this is not a recall and would cost around $1,800.00 since its out of warranty.
Driver side door suddenly began making loud creaking and popping noise when opening and closing. The driver side window also will not let all the way down since the noises started. Took it to the Ford dealership advised it was the door check assembly that was broke and they order the part. Took it to a 3rd party to have it put on and they advised that there was a failure with the spot welds in the check arm bracket on the the front door. Bracket has pulled out of the front driver's side door. Also advised this is why the window will only let down a little bit. Call the dealership and they advised that the door panel was not taken off so they would of not been able to see the spot welds provided Ford Company# called and stated that they was not a warranty on the vehicle and that there was nothing they could do at this time and provided case# CXH01214372. The cheapest estimate I have received so far to fix this issue is approximately 2,200.00 which I do not have please issue a recall on this issue
I have only had my car for three years and it is well taken care of, but the door suddenly started popping. The same day, my door became difficult to open and extremely hard to close once I got it open. I contacted Ford Corporate the next day. I was told my car was out of warranty because I have 38981 miles. The only thing that was covered under the 5 year warranty in regards to safety would be the seat belts and the airbags. I said, "Ford doesn't think that the car door being able to open or close in the case of an emergency is a safety issue?!?" The chat operator said she could open a case for Ford to review the issue. I asked her if that meant Ford would help with my door and she said no. They gave me case number CAS-46112899-L1F3M7 for my records. I asked how to track that case number to see Ford's response - but of course there is no way to track or check the status - making that case number useless for me. I took my car to Thoroughbred Ford to see if it could be covered under warranty and if they could also fix my radio which is now magically malfunctioning after the 3 year warranty lapsed, they told me I had to pay $155 EACH to have them to diagnose the door and radio problem before they could even give me a cost. Then I was told Ford had a TSB regarding the issue - so correction - it would be covered by Ford and the door has be replaced. I was happy - but not for long. They came back and apologize and said, no that TSB was just for rust and corrosion - they will cover that but not the popping door even though they admittedly were aware that this was a known issue. Then I was told no doors are available, so they can't quote me until it comes in so they will call me. So I look stupid in my car when I get in or out because I open just barely, turn to the side, slide in and then pray I can get it closed. Found out the window now doesn't want to come down because that door is messed up - so I could not even crawl out the window in an emergency.
The spot welds on the interior door assembly for the check arm broke off. Causing damage to my power window motor. And many other components. Car is at 50,000 miles. Not high wear. The welds are poorly done and ford is making me buy a new door as a result of their error.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the front driver's side door made abnormal grinding and cracking sounds while opening. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the front driver's side door hinges were corroded and that the door needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 23,000.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the driver's side door failed to remain closed. The contact inspected the door and noticed three holes in the door hinge with missing screws which prevented the door from securely closing. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 104,000.
The driver’s side front door made a creaking/popping sound when opened due to an issue with the welding. This same issue also prevents the window from being rolled down.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while opening the front driver's side door a popping type noise was present and the door would swing open. Also the contact indicated that the front driver's side window would not roll completely down. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the front driver's side door spot welding was faulty and needed to be repaired. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 48,000.
A weld in the driver's side door assembly has failed. I am concerned that the door may inadvertently open while driving. The problem has been confirmed by a dealer. I had no warning of the problem until the door mechanism failed and continues to fail with each opening/closing. I do not have the funds to repair/replace the door of the vehicle.
The front driver's side door is making a loud popping noise when opening and closing the door. We have not yet taken the car to our local dealership yet, but have spoken with them over the phone and their body shop has confirmed that this sounds like an issue we've identified in online forums, which poses a significant safety risk, as the door may open while the car is moving. We will be taking the car in for a formal diagnostic next week. There are no warning indicators of the issue, just the noise, which has started suddenly over the past week.
I opened door and it made a loud pop and I took it to a dealership and was told it was a Ford issue and the door needed to be replaced but that their wasn’t a recall so I’m just stuck with a door that is very hard and loud to open.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated while opening the front driver's door, she heard an abnormally loud popping sound. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a fractured front driver's door weld. The contact was informed that the front driver's door needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.