2020 Ford Escape Complaint Log

Upon starting our vehicle, we received several warning lights relating to collision control and that the AWD system had failed. This happened on a Saturday so we had to wait until Monday to bring the car in to the dealer for service. The service department told us that the diagnostic testing indicated that the AWD module and the PTU actuator motor needed to be replaced. Our vehicle is under six years and under 29,000 miles, along with being garage kept and having regular maintenance.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the local dealer for an unstated recall repair. Upon retrieval of the vehicle, the pre-collision, driver assist, and cross traffic systems were inoperable. The vehicle was taken back to the local dealer, where the modules were updated, but the failure persisted. The tire pressure fault message was displayed, and the rear bumper sensors were inside the vehicle. The manufacturer was contacted and informed the contact about diagnostic testing, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 65,188.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the sunroof shade was loose, bouncing, and sagging while opening the sunroof. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was determined that the part needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 62,000.

UnknownOn my dash my AWD fault warning has showed up followed by hill assist not available and traction control not available. I have looked for in formation online about it and it seems that it’s a recurring issue with 2020 Ford Escape and many others. I’ve seen that there was a customer satisfaction effective on April 9,2021 through April 30, 2022 but I have just gotten this car last year and dealer states that I am responsible for fixing a manufacturing issue. I’m not sure where my car was manufactured but my car is affected. I have about 83,600 miles and don’t seem to understand why I have to pay since in the customer satisfaction program it states that the module needs to be replaced before sale and customers that have already purchased the vehicle should have it replaced no charge to them. I’ve only just gotten this car last year February 2024 and not sure if the owner before got the notice or not but I have not received a notice stating anything about the AWD system malfunctioning. It is definitely a safety risk if I was to be driving in a snow or ice storm and my traction control stopped working; without the AWD the car is harder to accelerate and control sometimes. I haven't gotten if fixed since they want me to pay for something that they failed to make sure was working correctly. I can't afford to fix it since money is already tight but it is my only way of transportation. I have some photos of the lights/warnings and I have a document of the customer satisfaction Program from 2021.

Head gasket got damaged and there was coolant leakage to the engine. There was white smoke coming out of the exhaust pipes and we did not want to drive the car. So we towed the car to the Ford dealership and they confirmed the issue. Currently they are repairing the car.

When the interior of the car gets hot, the gear select dial will not rotate out of park. This has occurred on 5 separate occasions. Eventually the interior of the car cools down enough to shift, but that can take anywhere from minutes to hours, leaving the vehicle and its passengers stranded until the selector shifts. This same problem has been reported by several others on the Ford Escape forum.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V467000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was subsequently inspected by an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a fuel injector failure, 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 vehicle was idling roughly while refueling. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was not available

On my dash my AWD fault warning has showed up followed by hill assist not available and traction control not available. I have looked for in formation online about it and it seems that it’s a recurring issue with 2020 Ford Escape and many others. I’ve seen that there was a customer satisfaction effective on April 9,2021 through April 30, 2022 but I have just gotten this car last year and dealer states that I am responsible for fixing a manufacturing issue. I’m not sure where my car was manufactured but my car is affected. I have about 83,600 miles and don’t seem to understand why I have to pay since in the customer satisfaction program it states that the module needs to be replaced before sale and customers that have already purchased the vehicle should have it replaced no charge to them. I’ve only just gotten this car last year February 2024 and not sure if the owner before got the notice or not. Since winter is starting soon I really need to get this fixed it’s a safety hazard and I’m not understanding why it is not a recall since it showed up suddenly and stopped my drive modes from working and traction that’s very important in the winter.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V467000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available for the recall repair. 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.

A recall on rear camera was listed. My vehicle has distorted image when damp and rainy weather. Can make out is behind you. When contact dealer,she just said,my Vin # didn't match problem . It states that my vehicle doesn't meet Federal Safty standards for rear visibility.which could cause a accident.

The sunshade fell of the tracks due to a malfunction with the slide being hit by the guard piece that is attached by adhesive pads and is sagging. The sunshade fell on our head while trying to retract it when it broke. I did take the vehicle to the dealership and it is not covered by the dealership’s extended warranty. I was quoted for the repair. I have contacted Ford about this issue but have not been contacted back. The vehicle is only 5 years old and has 30k miles on it. No warning of this breaking, I just hit the button to open the shade and it broke.

"engine stalls on the road after refueling the vehicle", some sort of evap issue, the purge valve leaks and pours so much vapor to cylinder with overwhelming fuel vapors, system can't handle too much fuel at once and shuts down. this happens every time when I refuel, so I started to park the car and leave it to idle every time after refueling, and even so it's rough idle. If I notice this pattern, this issue with the car for a while! I can't think of a scenario where someone on a highway middle of the night, hits the road after refueling, and if it stalls! rough idling is okay, but stalling on the road is a safety issue! please note, there is no CEL so far!

Warning lamps messages says so many things not available dash board crazy with at least 10 messages not working

I turned in a safety problem on my 2020 Ford Escape yesterday (tracking number 11688297), and now, with the same door (driver door), the electrical window is not working. I received a letter on 9/11 stating that this issue was known. Is there a recall to fix the door and repair, if any, electrical issues within the door?

Car has self started in my garage 3 times in the last two weeks, just now it did it again. This is very dangerous, could hurd someone or burn my house down. This needs to be looked into.

Moonroof shade trim failure causing moonroof shade to derail. Requires extensive disassembly to repair.

On 9/15/2025, my 2020 Ford Escape SE began experiencing serious electrical and shift system issues: hard downshifting, “Shift System Fault” warning, inability to go into park, and failure to shut off without disconnecting the battery. I confirmed a related PCM recall was active and had the vehicle towed to Art Hill Ford for diagnostic and recall service. The dealership refused to perform the PCM recall, claiming my issue “didn’t match” the symptoms — despite clear electrical failure. Instead, they diagnosed a park pawl solenoid issue without scanning or physically inspecting the vehicle. I was told the issue was resolved, paid ~$1,400, and picked up the vehicle. Within 24 hours, new and dangerous transmission issues arose: harsh downshifting, loss of power, sudden high RPMs, and dashboard warnings. I became stranded in the middle of the road and had to have the car towed again. After this second visit, the dealer claimed there were metal shavings in the transmission and now says I need a full transmission replacement (~$10,000). These shavings were not reported during their first transmission disassembly — which is highly suspicious and may indicate the damage was caused during or after their service. Replacing transmission fluid on high-mileage vehicles (mine has ~132,000 miles) is known to be risky and can cause internal failure if not done carefully. My transmission had no mechanical problems prior to this visit. I now believe the dealership’s misdiagnosis, failure to perform the PCM safety recall 1st, and service caused a safety-critical failure that they are refusing to take responsibility for. I am a veteran with a pregnant wife — we depend on this vehicle. Ford corporate has not provided assistance. This situation has left me without transportation and potentially with catastrophic repair costs due to service-related damage.

Powertrain control module failure causing vehicle to lose power and engine to run at 5 to 6 RPMs. and transmission not shifting properly. Vehicle is going into limp mode and will also shut down while driving but the engine stays running and the cruise does not shut off. There is not remedy for the recall that I believe is causing these issues. This has been going on for 6 month. This vehicle has been nothing but a problem.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V467000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The contact stated on several occasions, while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment, which grew louder while accelerating. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. 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 failure mileage was unknown.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V467000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer was contacted; however, the contact was informed that parts were not yet available. The contact was informed that the repair would not be performed unless there was a fuel odor present. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

I have a moon roof with a canopy covering it, when you open the moon roof the canopy retracts also, my canopy retracts but came apart from the tracks on each side which causes the canopy to drop down and block the rear view mirror, which is definitely a safety hazard. I contacted Ford and no recall or TSB is available . I'm not the only one with this problem, this could cause a serious accident not being able to see behind you blocking your view.Ford has a case # that I reported to them the problem # [XXX] REFERENCE THIS PROBLEM INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The driver's side door started making loud cracking noises when opening and closing

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact's wife stated that while starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V467000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with fuel injector failure. The contact was informed that the fuel injector needed to be replaced. The dealer confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not diagnosed or 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 failure. The failure mileage was approximately 48,000.

Summary: Failure of AWD/transfer case control module causing loss of multiple safety and driveline functions. Vehicle is currently being repaired at Ford dealership so will have already been corrected. While driving, multiple dash warnings appeared: “Service AdvanceTrac,” “AWD Not Available,” “Hill Start Assist Not Available,” and “Drive Mode Not Available.” The vehicle lost all all-wheel-drive functionality as well as traction/stability features. Dealer diagnosed an internal failure of the AWD/transfer case control module. Safety Impact: This failure disables critical safety systems (AdvanceTrac stability control, Hill Start Assist, AWD traction). In poor weather or emergency maneuvers, loss of these systems could increase the risk of crash. Repair Estimate: Dealer quoted ~$1,070 for replacement of AWD control module (parts, labor, and programming). Concern: This is a major driveline and safety system failure at only 40,000 miles. Ford previously acknowledged AWD module defects in 2020 Escapes under Customer Satisfaction Program 21B19, which suggests this may be a broader issue that warrants investigation or recall.

My tire sensors keep going out. I've replace them twice already. It's a concern for my especially traveling at highway speed

The door locking mechanism on the front driver and passenger side door fails to operate. When attempting to lock vehicle the front doors will make a sound attempting to lock but does successfully lock the doors. Safety is put at risk because anyone can enter the vehicle without a key at any time. Problem has not been inspected by manufacturer or independent service advisor. Has not been inspected by manufacturer, police, insurance representative, or others. No warning of problem prior to failure. Problem first appeared after Ford dealer performed customer satisfaction program 23B56 for the front door check-arm reinforcement welds that can crack and pull away from door structure.

My Ford currently has 80K miles on it with no accidents and all recalls fixed by the dealer. This morning when I was driving my kids to school, a light I've never seen appeared on the bottom right hand side of the drivers screen. The light was a red triangle with an exclamation point inside of it. Not long after I noticed the light, we started to smell something burning and our car began loosing power. I pulled over immediately and turned the car off. I googled the meaning of the light. Apparently, it was a "Stop Safely Now" light. The various reasons online could not pinpoint any reason I could come up with. I popped the hood, checked the oil, coolant, and I checked that the hybrid battery located in the trunk had a good connection. Everything was fine, as far as I could tell. When I restarted the car, after about 15 mins of investigations and online research, the light was gone and so was the smell. However, now I am super nervous to drive this car on the highway. What if that light comes on again and I loose power when all the cars around me are driving 70 mph? The chances of getting rear ended and seriously hurt are a very real possibility. What if my kids are in the car? I'm scared.

My car togs a lot. My tire sensors keep going out. I've smelt gas before while driving. It's very slow going up hill. I hear grinding sounds intermittently

Out of nowhere, my vehicle had an AWD module failure. This has led to several other subsystems being triggered and warning lights going off. It also disables AWD. After consulting with a vendor, it appears that this is a problem that happens regularly with this vehicle around 55,000 miles. It is not a cheap fix, and results in a vehicle not being able to drive in AWD. This is a safety concern in inclement weather, as the vehicle clearly has a shoddy component that is designed to fail early in a vehicle‘s life. It is also my understanding that Ford has now discontinued this vehicle, and I bet that this is one of the reasons for it. Please issue a recall immediately so that Ford has to pay for its own mistakes and not the customer.

My car hesitates when driving forward from a stop and the rpm's jump up and down. It almost stalls when going up a steep hill. I have to leave it running when filling it up or it is very hard to start and sometimes will stall after starting. Check engine light is on and tire sensor light is on. The sound system doesn't work. Have read online about a lot of people having the same problems with their car.

the transmission experienced total failure. Ford repair claimed that the failure was due to the torque converter caused the failure. the car experience issues with not shifting into a higher gear at highway speeds and failure to go into neutral when going from forward to reverse.

Orange wrench light came on. Hooked it to a computer and it stated p093a:00 . I know some escapes had recalls in regards to this but the built date ended 7.2020. According my my car it was built 09/20. I think the recall should be extended to more than just built date they listed.

Molding between 2 parts of sunroof came off knocking the sunroof cover off its track. This is caused it to fall on driver's head.

Sunshade on sun roof is sagging and now blocking visibility through rear window. This is a safety hazard and concerning.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V467000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable timeframe for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

My vehicle was subject to Ford Campaign 23B56 (front door check-arm reinforcement spot weld inspection). The dealership marked the campaign as completed and claimed the left front door failed inspection and was replaced. However, the door still does not close properly, and the check-arm area appears unchanged or improperly repaired. I believe the recall repair was not performed correctly or was misrepresented as completed. This is a safety concern because the door does not operate properly. I am requesting investigation of improper recall completion.

Tire pressure default sensor keeps going on and them off after a while. Tires are not low.

Vehicle has active alerts for powertrain control module, and low boost pressure with the turbocharge along with emissions codes P0299, P0496 and P0456. The vehicle is constantly going into deep sleep mode. While driving the vehicle started to enter safe mode. And displayed an alert that said please turn ignition on. The dash and screen went black like vehicle was off but it was still running. This happened multiple times. My vehicle also will not start after pumping gas so I have to leave vehicle running every time I pump gas. My vehicle will not pass NY state inspection because of the recalls.

Sunshade sagging, will not retract. This is a safety risk, because with the shade sagging blocks view of the rear.

Purchased certified vehicle from Wray Ford on 2/23/24. Car was previously leased by FMCC and still listed as a Ford Fleet Vehicle in Michigan as of 9/12/25. VIN confirms it falls under Ford safety recall 24S79, which was never performed. Vehicle experienced unintended acceleration and non-responsive braking, behaving autonomously. FordPass Connect, FMCC, and Wray Ford all confirmed it was unsafe to drive based on 38 diagnostic codes from July/August 2025. June 2025 data and other dates were blacked out. No warning lights or alerts appeared in the FordPass app prior to the crash on 8/25/25.Allstate Insurance removed the vehicle from Wray Ford without authorization, falsely claimed a $10,000 salvage offer, and altered the accident date in the online portal. Damage estimates were manipulated: initial $4,500 based on five photos, later inflated to $13,195 using the same photos. Shreve Collision’s manager confirmed no estimate was performed, contradicting Allstate’s claims. Allstate appears to be shielding Ford from liability. The vehicle is no longer in my possession, but documentation and diagnostic records are preserved. I believe Ford concealed a critical defect and suppressed diagnostic data, putting my safety and others at serious risk.I have contacted FORD and they are stalling and have misrepresented to me many things. They admitted that they can access FORDPASS CONNECT DATA remotely and their agent stated driving this vehicle is not an option. I have almost been involved in prior accidents because of hidden defect in my car. My son has audio recordings, transcripts, Ford Pass Connect Data. We believe Allstate changed the date of the accident to throw off a forensic examinator. I have proof of Allstate changing the accident date and removing documents. This is really a serious breach by Allstate and Ford. I am 80 years old, and if it was not for my son I would have never known this and my son is half owner of the car and is very concerned for my safety.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while opening the driver's side door, there was an abnormal popping sound coming from the door. The contact became aware that the top spot weld had fractured, and the middle and lower spot welds were loose. The contact stated that the driver’s door window was only able to roll down 1/3 of the way. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed, and determined that the driver’s side door hinges needed to be replaced. The passenger’s side door was also inspected, and it was determined that the hinges had started to loosen and needed to be reinforced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 73,000.

My Adaptive Cruise Control, Blind Spot Warning, Rear Cross Traffic Warning, Pre Collision warning all quit working and just flash across the screen, my light indicators for blind spot on my side mirrors quit working, my back up camera just has a bluescreen, there is no audio so no alerts can be heard and my sync doesnt work it has the screen but wont let you hear anything so yes I drive a bit away to work not having these features has been a major safety concern I have almost backed into someone because they were in my blind spot and no warning lights or warning sounds I have perviously went to a dealership for four active recalls they only look at the powertrain one there was one about spot welds nothing was done about either they broke like within the first few months of me having the car I have never received anything on extending my warrenty partly because I moved I guess but they basically told me when I was there for the recalls I would have to come back and pay for them to look at the rest which I said I wasn't aware that I had to pay for something that was a safety concern so then I contacted the place where I purchased the car that was 2 weeks ago they still have not contacted me back after several attempt and no response I then got on chat with Ford gave them a list of what was going on and they have yet to respond either but it was read just being ignored at this point and I'm at the end of my patience these are major safety issues I haven't even had this car a maybe a year if that and no one care to help I was told there was nothing wrong with anything basically I would have to wait for something to happen when I went for the recalls

I’m hearing a popping or snapping noise when I open and close my drivers side door. I also noticed a leak on the right upper side of the engine.

2020 ford escape titanium with 28111 miles on it throwing A VERY COMMOM error “AWD fault” the amount of these at this point should be recalled.

One day just had a ton of issues. Sometimes when vehicles is started it will not go into drive or reverse. Rpm’s respond to gas pedal like the vehicle is in park or neutral with little resistance. CEL 4WD hill start and maybe another light alert come on when the vehicle starts. When this first began to happen there was a rev condition between 1st and 2nd gear, car hesitated to shift. When auto start stop would engage it would not move forward. Eventually the car may catch gear and begin to move under its own power again. Brought it into a car repair shop and was told I needed a whole new transmission. Said it could have been from the transmission fluid leaking in the car from a previous recall on my car. Car is only at 66,000 miles.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V467000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE); 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.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V467000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE) However, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. 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.

Around the 38,000 mile mark on our 2020 Ford Escape we received many different errors (AWD Fault, ABS, AdvanceTrac Service, Hill assist, etc). I found out via NHTSA and other forums that this is a common issue in the vehicle from the AWD module, and although it is AWD related, it is not eligible for the Powertrain warranty per Ford because it is an electrical component. I declined the $1200 repair at the dealership so I could first call Ford Customer Service, at the recommendation of the dealership, though the Service Tech did mention it is a safety concern because the ABS is apparently also controlled by the AWD. After a couple different calls to Ford, they have refused to acknowledge that it is a manufacturer defect, or pay for the repair. With no help from Ford, I have no other option than to file a complaint here. Based on other resources online, the issue seems to stem from improper grounding of the wiring on the AWD module.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving 15 MPH, the vehicle experienced a complete loss of automotive power with the “Service Vehicle Soon” light illuminated. The vehicle came to a complete stop in the middle of the roadway. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the powertrain was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 62,000.

All the TPMS sensors have had to be replaced on the Escape with under 51K miles on them. The Ford Dealer admitted this is a serious Safety issue and have had numerous complaints.