2020 Ford Escape Complaint Log

Ford has CSP 22N15 that provides a one-time repair to reprogram the Gateway Module (GWM) for unlimited years of service and unlimited miles from the warranty start date of the vehicle. My vehicle was manufactured in Louisville in 9/2020, which appears to fall in the range of vehicles covered by this CSP, yet Ford keeps telling me that it is not covered and I was required to pay for the fix.

Dashboard light with wrench icon and message AWD Fault Service Required appeared, along with multiple other alerts including Service AdvanceTrac, Pre-Collision Assist Disabled, Hill Start Assist Not Available. Could feel handling of vehicle had changed, no other indications of issue. Upon inspection at dealership, it was determined AWD Control Module needed to be replaced. Dealership noted this had been an issue with multiple other 2020 Ford Escapes. Repair not covered under Powertrain Warranty, despite the fact that malfunction of this module can cause loss of power distribution to the wheels. While there had been a Customer Satisfaction Program notice issued for select 2020 Ford Escapes (21B19, issued April 9, 2021 and expiring April 2022), my VIN was not included.

The driver's side door is broken. Makes an awful creaking noise when opened or closed. Cannot not roll down the window. Took it to a dealership and they confirmed there is an issue with the doors on this model. They have ordered the part (3 months ago) but it has been on back order so obviously there is an issue.

AWD module failed at 20000 miles

I have a vista panoramic sun roof. There is a plastic decorative piece that covers the area between the normal sunroof and the expanded sunroof... That is only held in place with dbl sided tape. that piece came undone and I tried to open the shade and it apparently got caught on this decorative piece. and broke the hade mechanism. This is a completely stupid way of attching the decorative piece and when it loosens can cause major problems with the shade....and ford wants over 2000 dollars to fix it..... I have researched this and notice it happens to alot of these models with this roof shade design....ford needs to recall this design and be willing to fix these problems free of charge.... This is not a owner malfunction but a design flaw. customers should not have to pay to fix it.

AWD Module failure

The headliner has come loose and is drooping. So when I open it my back window is covered completely and I can’t see behind me in my windshield mirror. I think this is a big safety hazard.

I'm getting warnings all of a sudden that the Pre Collision Assist, Advance Trac and AWD are either not available or have a fault and need service. There were some other warnings which I don't recall as when driving I wanted to keep my eyes on the road as much as possible. Right now, it is not showing those. I have lost all safety features like backup sensors, forward sensors, lane wandering and blind spot warning. I have lost convenience features such as cruise control and parking assist. Mileage is 29,726.

The primary component that failed is the turbocharger system, which has malfunctioned five times since October 2024. Additional failures include the catalytic converter, and there is now suspected motor damage. These components are currently in possession of the dealership and are available for inspection upon request. The safety of myself and my children was repeatedly put at risk. The first turbocharger failure left us stranded in early morning traffic, with no engine power and limited ability to exit the roadway safely. Subsequent failures occurred within 24 hours of service completion. These breakdowns created dangerous roadside conditions, especially during high-traffic hours and in areas without safe pull-off zones. The problem has been reproduced and confirmed multiple times by the dealership’s service department. Each turbocharger replacement has failed within days, and the vehicle is currently awaiting its fifth turbocharger in two months. The dealership has also confirmed damage to the catalytic converter and now suspects motor damage. The vehicle has been inspected repeatedly by the dealership, which is in contact with Ford Motor Company. However, Ford has not provided a permanent solution or acknowledged the root cause. No inspections have been conducted by police or insurance representatives at this time. Prior to second breakdown; the FordPass app displayed an oil life warning at 0%, which was reportedly reset by the service department, raising concerns about system accuracy. The vehicle has also triggered diagnostic codes P0420 (Catalyst System Efficiency Below Threshold) and P0234 (Turbocharger Overboost Condition), both of which are consistent with the mechanical failures observed. Additionally, Manufacturer Recall 25S76 was acknowledged, but when asked whether the fuel injectors had been inspected, the technician stated they would only be replaced if a fuel leak or smell was present. This reactive approach contradicts the intent of the recall.

I was trying to crack my panoramic sunroof to move some air and the sunroof shade jumped its track and sagged down into my back window view while driving. It blocked my field of view and would not retract. Once I was safely able to pull to the side of the road and after several attempts I was able to somewhat close the cover and lift it out of my field of view. Now it’s just flapping in the wind. I looked up this issue and it seems that the many others are having this problem as well. For a car that is 4 years old with a sunroof that I have maybe used 5 times this seems like there might be a problem with the integrity of the clips that hold the shade in place. Apparently, ford is making a killing off of the repair ($2k-4k) which is highway robbery for a car that many of us already paid an arm and a leg for and are still in the early stages of paying on. This was not a wear and tear issue….this was a failure of a part with weak integrity.

We have a 2020 Ford Escape that has less than 90,000 miles and while driving we began having some jarring and spuddering when trying to accelerate. The car seems to have issues gearing up. We have identified the issue by a mechanic as transmission and through research have found this is a known issue by Ford and they are under lawsuits. We are now looking at a 6-$10,000 repair on a car 4 years old. According to Ford no intentions to correct the issue.

While driving on the highway, the engine started to sputter when gas pedal was depressed, turned around and drove it straight to a mechanic. At the mechanic, they were unable to shift the car out of park, and noted the transmission had "catastrophic failure, irrepairable" We called Ford, and they said while there is a recall for 2020 Ford Escapes, this one was built in a different factor and was not covered.

Wrench light came on car lost power running high RPMs and hard shifting

I brought my vehicle into its manufacturer service center after noticing several issues. The vehicle was not maneuvering as smoothly as it used to and when it hit bumps I would feel a slight loss of control. This is extremely dangerous, especially in the coming winter months where it snows heavily where I live in the midwest. I also hear like a cracking sound underneath the vehicle. I saw several service light illuminate to include: AWD Fault Service Required, Hill Start Not Available, and Pre Collision Assist Not Available. I brought in my vehicle into the Ford Service Center and they advised me that I needed to replace the AWD module and that this has been a common trend among the Ford Escape vehicles. I conducted research online and observed that several people have also had complaints about the same if not similar issues with the same year, make, and model of my vehicle. I strongly believe that this issue should be addressed in recall, especially given the numerous amounts of complaints and known issues.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the AWD (All Wheel Drive) fault warning light and several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed AWD module. The contact was informed that the AWD module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was currently being repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 57,000.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the contact pulled into a parking lot and the vehicle stalled. The check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who determined that the transmission fluid was black, and the transmission was replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The contact stated that after shifting to reverse the vehicle failed to respond. Additionally, while driving 35 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the catalytic converter valves were rusted. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, who opened a case, but no additional assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 118,000.

While driving my 2020 Ford Escape, the internal guard plate located between the panoramic sunroof and the moonroof suddenly detached. It fell onto the retractable sunroof shade, jamming it and making it completely inoperable. As a result, the sunroof shade can no longer open or close, and the roof does not fully seal shut. This creates a serious safety concern — the falling piece could have injured a passenger if seated underneath, and the inability to close the roof allows in weather, debris, and noise, which can impair driver concentration and visibility. We took the car to a Ford dealership, and they quoted us over $2,000 to fix and replace the affected parts. This is outrageous, especially considering the failure appears to be a design or manufacturing defect — not the result of any misuse. Additionally, there are countless online forums full of Ford Escape owners reporting the exact same issue, especially with 2020 and newer models. This suggests a widespread problem that is affecting many of us, not an isolated case. Ford should be held accountable, and this issue deserves immediate investigation for a possible safety recall.

4WD module was failing. It affected hill braking, AWD and collision alert and other components. These messages popped up on my driver screen repeatedly. Safety was compromised in winter driving in snow with no AWD. Also, safety impaired with no collision assist available and all the other safety features related to the module . I took it in for repair eventually and dealer confirmed error(s) and replaced the AWD module. I got error messages for at least 2 months before I took it in. The car had less than 30000 miles and was only 4 years old when this started. It was repaired in December 2024.

Got an Advanced Trac warning on my dashboard. Lost my AWD traction control forward collision assist. Took it to my service station. They did a diagnostic testing and told me it could be a power train problem and may be covered under warranty and recommended that I take it to the Ford dealership because this appears to be a common problem with Ford Escapes. They also told me that my shocks are starting to leak which is also a common problem with Ford Escapes. Took my car to the Ford dealership along with the receipt from my service station and they also did a diagnostic there. Told me the problem was my AWD module and that it wasn’t under warranty and would cost $800.00 plus to repair. I sent them multiple complaints from the NHTSA with the same problem . Told them to do the repair because I felt unsafe driving my car. Asked who I could complain to because this is a recurring problem and they directed me to Ford customer service . They were no help at all and were unable to direct me to anyone else for help. Told me to file a complaint with the NHTSA. I am filing this complaint because I am wondering how many people have to pay out of pocket for problems that appear to be a Ford product problem before they either voluntarily acknowledge the problem or are forced to do a recall. I have not had the shocks replaced yet because that will be another $600.00 plus bill. I have lost all confidence in my car and Ford. I am retiring soon and this car would be paid off by then but now I may have to get rid of this car and buy another one and have a car payment in retirement. Extremely unhappy with Ford and will never buy another Ford. This is unfair to anyone who buys a product and experiences common problems that the manufacturer chooses to not recognize and fix! Ford needs to step up and acknowledge the problems and pay for the repair!

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the back-over prevention camera screen was blue and there was a beeping sound coming from the camera. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V575000 (Visibility, Back Over Prevention). There was a DTC trouble code sent to the manufacturer regarding the backover prevention camera. The contact called the local dealer and was informed to schedule an appointment. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, opened a case, and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 26,000.

The engine failed and the symptoms were all the coolant was gone, hot indicator, large amounts amounts of smoke coming out of exhaust and a burning smell. Once coolant added, ck engine light came on with codes P300 and P301 (I think). The vehicle was under warranty and has been fixed with a new engine by dealer. The warranty company did inspect car before being fixed. Initially the only problem that was noticed was hesitation when increasing speed. Once on the highway the overheating light came on and was able to exit off highway before it stalled out. Was able to restart car and drive to gas station where I added 2 gal of coolant and slowly drove a short way to home. The dealership would not tell me the exact problem but just said all the fluids went into the engine and the engine needed to be replaced. Other mechanic friends said it was a cracked head gasket.

AWD module not working was on screen after starting vehicle plus other codes about adaptive cruise control

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel seized. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle became difficult to control. The vehicle was towed to the dealer to be diagnosed and it was determined that the electronic power steering control module had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

One day my all wheel drive, pre-collision emergency braking, lane departure warnings, cruise control, lane assist, and hill start assist stopped working. I could no longer use any of these functions. There was no accident, fire, or any other damage that occurred to my vehicle to cause this malfunction. It just stopped working. I was alerted by error messages on my dash that all wheel drive and pre collision assist were not functional. I scheduled an appointment with the dealership. When I took my car in for inspection at the dealership, they found that the all wheel drive module was defective, directly impacting the functionality of the powertrain, and needed replaced immediately. They confirmed that this module was not working. Without this function, I could not use all wheel drive in icy, snowy, or rainy weather, thus impacting the safety of the vehicle for myself and my 8month old daughter who I drive daily. This also prevented collision emergency braking and lane departure warning features from functioning, which are important for preventing dangerous accidents. Even though my car is still covered under the powertrain warranty, and this defect affects the function of the powertrain, they do not consider it covered under warranty.

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. 

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact was informed that the VIN was included in Ford Customer Service Program Number: 23B56 (Warranty - Front Door check arm weld). There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that there was no prior failure experienced with any of the doors. The vehicle was taken to a dealer to be diagnosed. The dealer stated that the front driver’s side door needed to be replaced; however, the door was not available due to the programming part being limited and not available. The dealer informed the contact that the vehicle needed to remain with the dealer until the part was available because the vehicle could present a risk to the driver. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer denied the contact a loaner vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 29,131.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH, the " Power train malfunction and reduced power" and the "4-WD Power Train Fault" messages were displayed on the instrument panel; the power train fault warning light was illuminated. The contact researched and was made aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V330000 (Power Train); however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the contact was informed that the Hybrid Powertrain Control Module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 54,000.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle was idling rough, accelerated rough, and started rough. The check engine warning light was occasionally illuminated. The vehicle was taken to two different local independent mechanics where the vehicle was scanned for an emission valve failure. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact had spoken with the Manufacturer recall service representative where it was diagnosed with a fuel injection failure, that would be repaired by the manufacturer; however, the vehicle would not be repaired for an emissions valve failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.

The front driver door was making loud popping sounds and the hinge fell off the door!!

Door making a hoping noise window won't go down. Unwelded part of the door

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that after a severe rainstorm, the contact noticed that there was a strong odor inside the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the car wash, and upon removing the floor mats, the contact became aware that the floor mats were significantly wet, and there was mold and mildew on the floor mats and on the carpet. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the vehicle was dried out and the seats were taken out. The dealer then performed a water entry test and determined that water was entering through the seam in the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.

The vehicle is a 2020 Ford Escape SE with 53,000 miles. Recently, The message screen began flashing messages AMD OFF, Hill Start OFF, Collision Warning OFF. Based on social media, this appears to be a common problem with the 2020 Escapes. According the Escape owners, dealers first check software and if not the issue a electronic module is replaced at a cost of up to $1100. Some of the failures reported were on vehicles with 20,000 miles or less. Aside from cost , there is a safety concern that module overheating may cause engine fires. The vehicles should be recalled for this concern.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the front driver’s side window failed to roll down while depressing the window switch. The contact stated that the failure was a recurring failure and was previously repaired at the dealer. The contact stated that a while afterward, the rear passenger’s side window failed to roll down while depressing the window switch. The vehicle was taken back to the local dealer and remained for the repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 18,600.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from underneath the rear of the vehicle. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local Pep Boys; however, the cause of the failure was not identified. The contact stated that after the attempted diagnostic test, while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle independently swerved in various directions and hesitated while accelerating with the accelerator pedal depressed. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 78,000.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the contact became aware that the driver’s side front door had detached, and the hinge on the door was inoperable. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the door had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 92,000.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with AWD module failure. The contact was informed that the AWD module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact researched and discovered the Customer Satisfaction Program: 21B19; however, the contact was informed that the VIN was not associated with the program. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 51,000.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated while operating the vehicle, the messages "Hill Start Assist Not Available", "Pre-Collision Assist Not Available", "Service Advance-trac" and "Service All Wheel Drive" remained displayed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the All-Wheel Drive module was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 12,000.

I have a door bracket that has broke. I contacted my Ford Dealer in early September roughly. A door was supposedly ordered. I still have not received a replacement door. I've been in contact with other Ford Escape owners in the same situation. Many go back to August and further back. Ford has not issued any ETA on when our door replacements will be delivered. All contact with my Ford dealer has resulted in "your door is on order, we don't know when it'll arrive". I addition to having a hard to open/close door, I also cannot fully open my drivers window. If I lower the window, it will hit the unsecured bracket that is flopping around inside the door. I'm concerned if I should lower the window, it'll break it. This is a part of this issue. [XXX] Ford has been dragging their feet on issue doors to customers in a timely manner. And yet Ford is continuing to manufacture new Ford Escapes with updated doors. Obviously not allocating any of the doors to repair the broken customer doors. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

I have had 22 recalls to date on this vehicle and received 1 recall notice. Engine light comes on alot, makes noises and then goes away after a couple days. Windshield washer stopped working on front windshield, now back stopped working. Tire pressure monitor & sensor default stays on (previous recall) Window on driver side stopped working, back passenger door on drivers side don't shut correctly like the weld come loose. Back brakes make a crazy noise when backing up. Back up camera warning comes up. I've only had this vehicle since 09-2023 and purchased from Ford as a Ford Blue Certified and have nothing but issues. Most of these recalls risk is a fire. If I'm involved and live through a fire I will make sure FORD is held accountable. The open recall with risk of fire currently has been open since July 2025 and no repair yet. This is totally unacceptable if they want me to keep paying for it. Thank you

There is a Powetrain Malfunction, loss of Hill Start Assist , AWD failure, Loss of Precollision Assist, loss of traction control, causing notifications to "Service Immediately" This has been confirmed by Ford to be an AWD module failure and requires costly replacement. Multiple Ford dealers have been unable to accommodate timely appointments to correct this issue. This issue affects the ability to drive the vehicle safely. The vehicle had no known issues prior to the dash lights and system messages appearing. The problem and notifications appeared suddenly while driving down the highway, noticeably jolting while the vehicle was in movement. This issue makes the vehicle unable to navigate up inclined roadways. The loss of traction control affects the steering control of the vehicle, especially in roadways experiencing non ideal weather conditions. After these things occurred, the engine started to experience a misfire, most likely due from having to work harder to navigate up Inclined roadways. This vehicle is actively at the dealer for these repairs, pending invoice.

-Front drivers side door started making a noise when opening and closing and within a week of using it as normal it would not close. -Structural integrity of the door is compromised -Yes - reproduced and confirmed by a Ford dealer that the door needs to be replaced and that the cracks are "excessive" -No - vehicle or component has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representative or others -No - there were no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure. Started [XXX] - door was not used for 8 days as car was out of the country. Once the car back in the U.S. started using the door on 9.8.24 and failed to close on [XXX]. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Internal malfunction in all wheel drive module AWD Fault Service Maintenance required

Received customer satisfaction bulletin 23B56. Door reinforcement can crack and door pulls away from car Salinas Valley Ford had my car for 6 weeks. Claims they have no ETA on door arrival Won’t pay for rental car any longer. Wants me to drive unsafe car until they get new door whenever that may be This is a safety issue. I can hardly get in or out of car. They know it’s a bad door otherwise they would not have ordered a new door and would have just replaced the welds Can this agency help

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon visual inspection of the engine compartment, he observed that the coolant reservoir was abnormally low, though it had recently been serviced. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to diagnose a failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 59,000.

The car has AWD FAULT along with multiple safety fault pre collision assist ,power steering stops working. Going down the road. Ford has been zero help taken car in multiple times charged 100’s off dollars only for issues to return

Heard load popping sound opening door. Driver side door stop spot welds broke. Door stop broken and door swings freely out; window can't roll down.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle unexpectedly downshifted with the transmission warning light illuminated. The vehicle was restarted; however, the failure recurred. 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 approximately 34,000. The VIN was not available.

The front door check-arm spot welds failed on the driver's side.

My AWD module stopped working for no reason WHILE DRIVING! My car’s dashboard lit up like a Christmas tree stating for me to pull over safely, AWD fault service required, Hill start failure, pre-collision failure, and the stability and traction control failure light was on as well. My car was towed to my local Ford dealership. I researched what in the world could be going on with my car. I typed in the exact warnings displayed by my car and MULTIPLE articles about the AWD module failing for countless other 2020 Ford Escape cars! I also saw there was a RECALL on this module back in 12/2021-04/2022. They are saying my car is not apart of that recall though??? How when my car’s AWD module FAILED JUST LIKE THE RECALL STATED! This is happening/happened to hundreds of other 2020 Escape owners! This recall should be EXTENDED to every owner of the 2020 Escape experiencing AWD failure! This is a HUGE SAFETY RISK! Your car literally just stops working while driving. I got extremely lucky that I was already pulling into a gas station when this happened to me. I can’t imagine what could’ve happened if I were driving on the interstate when this occurred, which is EXACTLY what I was going to be doing after fueling up!

My car is making a severely loud noise when I start it up, and sometimes when I’m driving or stop driving. When I try to accelerate sometimes, it feels like nothing is happening and then all of a sudden my car will pickup fast and jump RPMs. When going slowly through parking lots it will kind of putter through and jerk. I took it to does to get diagnosed and they said that it’s the flapper in the exhaust that prevents all cylinders from running at the same time. I was going research before they told me what it was and I saw other people have had this problem as well. The car is only 4 years old with 34,000 miles on it. My bumper to bumper warranty ended at 3 years or 36,000 miles and they’re saying it’s not covered under warranty and the whole muffler/exhaust system needs to be replaced for $1200. I believe this is a safety issue with the way the car drives on the expressway and not being able to accelerate and merge properly along with the fact that the exhaust effects the performance of the engine which feels like it’s going to give out at any moment.