NHTSA Owner Complaint Log
This page lists owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2021 Ford Escape. Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA and do not by themselves prove a defect or defect rate.
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 25V789000 (Electrical System), 25V829000 (Structure), 26V123000 (Back Over Prevention) and 26V117000 (Visibility); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were unavailable. The dealer was contacted, and the contact was informed that the parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was contacted and confirmed that the parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure.
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine coolant overheated warning light illuminated. The vehicle stalled after the warning light illuminated and became inoperable. The dealer was notified of the failure; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 39,700.
MY VEHICLE HAS HAD A FUEL INJECTOR RECALL SINCE 07/2025. MY CAR HAS GRADUALLY STARTED TO IDLE AND DROP RPMS. IT STARTS WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS ONLY IN PARK AND NOW IT IS HAPPENING WHEN I AM IN DRIVE AND FOOT IS ON THE BRAKE. I AM NOT SURE WHAT TO DO BECAUSE OF THE OPEN RECALL WITH NO REPAIR OPTIONS IN SIGHT ALMOST A YEAR LATER.
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 25V467000 (Fuel System, Gasoline), 26V123000 (Back Over Prevention), and 26V117000 (Visibility); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure.
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 26V123000 (Back Over Prevention), 26V117000 (Visibility), and 25V829000 (Structure); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer confirmed that parts were not yet available for the recall repairs. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The contact had not experienced a failure.
The contact owns a 2021 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 manufacturer was contacted; however, the contact was informed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure.
Ford manufacturer and local Gurley Leep Ford Dealership failed to provide a remedy to safety recall : Manufacturer Recall Number25S76 NHTSA Recall Number25V467 in a reasonable timeframe. The local Ford dealership refused to provide a remedy, free of charge, in accordance with the NHTSA guidelines .
Everytime I drive the car and I don’t get no warming and I bring the car to the dealer and tell them what going on and dealer do and don’t tell me what going on.. i should be able to get another car free because they want me to keep pay thing out my pocket which I don’t have Also want to let you know that [XXX] and I will like to explain more on phone [XXX] Also the ford dealership want me to trade in my car for 2,000 which my car is value7,000 because what three thing broken and they want 5600 it not right because I just have Tht car right after my mother pass away and it only 2 years now INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
This has been an ongoing recall for three years. They fixed my car the first time according to them and now it’s still an issue they are saying they can’t fix. I’ve went through two evap solenoids and my car still is having issues with the fuel vapor intake. I’m to the point I don’t ride in it or drive it with my children bc I’m scared it’s going to catch fire especially being in south florida. I’m very upset with ford!
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 26V123000 (Back Over Prevention) and 26V117000 (Visibility); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The contact stated that the rearview camera image was blurry while in reverse(R). Additionally, the contact stated that the windshield wipers failed to operate while driving 35 MPH in the rain. The driver’s view was obstructed due to the failure, which almost caused a crash with another vehicle during the failure. The vehicle was taken to an unknown dealer, and the contact was informed that a diagnostic test was needed to determine the cause of the failure. The contact paid for a diagnostic test and the repair of the windshield wipers. The vehicle was repaired; however, the windshield wipers operated at a slower speed while on the highest setting. 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 vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 121,000.
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal fuel odor inside the vehicle. The contact stated that the engine seized. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was restarted. The vehicle was driven to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The dealer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V467000 (Fuel System, Gasoline), 26V123000 (Back Over Prevention), and 26V117000 (Visibility); however, parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.
The recall on the fuel issue was released in July 2025. This is now March 2026. Eight months should be enough time to get the parts needed for this repair. What can you do to see about getting this process accelerated? Thank you.
The rear speed sensor on my 2021 Ford Escape Hybrid is fused to the differential due to corrosion. The failure disables safety systems (ABS/Traction Control), and the design requires a 800 partial teardown of the drivetrain to fix a basic sensor. This is a design defect that prevents safety-critical repairs.
Safety recall does not have a remedy for over 8 months.
the sunshade panotramic panel cover that sperates the two roofs seems to be falling off due to cheap two side tape which caused the whole sunshade assembly and motor to break. I took my car to the dealer yeasterday Anderson Ford based in Lincoln NE, and they cahrged $119 to diagnis and qouted me over $2000 to fix it. This is manufacturere fault that caused this to happed by using cheap, unreliable two side tape to attach panel cover!. Please address this as alot of Ford Escape owners suffer from this issue
Vehicle is shuddering at low speeds, ford already has a tsb out for this transmission 8F35, needs to be escalated to a recall, myself and others are being quoted more money to repair than what the vehicle is worth, thus making a problem they are aware of causing cars to total themselves. needs to be on all models with this transmission.
Car stalled soon after start up showing many faults in the system. Initially thinking it was the battery with cold weather I took it to the dealership and had them look at it/replace the battery. The next day it stalled again the exact same way. I read the codes that it was showing and it came back with P061a U1011 and U1028. Was able to get it to another dealership to look at it and they performed computer updates and resets. I picked it up from the dealership and it died again a mile down the road with the same issue. They were able to get it back to the dealership where it died on them again. They have not been able to identify the issue but are wanting me to come pick up the car. The car is unsafe to drive as it can randomly shut off in the middle of the road with no warning and not even the dealership can identify the issue after multiple attempts. This is very concerning as it is a relatively new car and still under warranty. Even though it is under warranty, they claim they can not fix the issue under warranty until they prove a failing part.
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle shut off and lost electrical power. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the high voltage battery had failed and needed to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact that the recall repair for NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V789000 (Electrical System); was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 59,000.
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 25V467000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) and 25V829000 (Structure); however, the parts for the recall repairs were not yet available. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormal gasoline odor inside the vehicle. The gasoline odor was stronger while stopped in traffic. The windows were opened to lessen the odor inside the cabin of the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to a local dealer or independent mechanic, and the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V467000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); and related the failure to the recall. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 39,000.
The entire dashboard/infotainment interface will lose power suddenly. The car will struggle to start, and have an emissions or evap code, and there's a smell from the engine sometimes, that leaks into the cabin, which the cabin has bad thermoregulation, and cold air seeps in QUICK. Also I've driven on the highway and have had all the steering and power stop all at once! The headlights also keep getting popped or burnt out.
Sunroof cover has detached. When uncovering sunroof, panel droops and blocks rear window. This happened while driving and can pose a serious safety hazard. Component has been inspected by dealership and diagnostics include taking entire top panel apart which is quoted at 2.5k. This is a recurring problem with Ford Escape vehicles. There was no warning that this was broken, I realized while driving that it had become detached when I tried to open the sunroof and it blocked my rear window and fell on my kids sitting in the back seat.
I believe my car to be unsafe to drive because of the possibility that it could overheat, crack and release fluids on top of the engine causing a fire. They have yet to have a remedy for this and that is deeply concerning. I fear they often have recalls because FORD is not the best car to own. There’s so many problems all the time. It’s concerning and I feel like my car is unsafe to drive often.
The retractable panoramic sunroof cover snapped out of it's clips while I was driving and the shade fell over my head. After reading about this online, numerous consumers have had this exact problem.
See attached document for complaint.
IT HAS A RECALL 25S76 THAT FORD SAYS HAS NO SOLUTION. I CALLED FORD, AND THEY SAID IT DID HAVE ONE, AND THAT I SHOULD TAKE IT IN. SUPPOSEDLY, WHAT THEY DID WAS A SOFTWARE UPDATE ON 05/01/2025, BUT NOTHING WORKED. The gasoline smell inside the car persists, with a risk of fire.
The car has indicated that it was getting hot, vehicle had tossed out some smoke, which raised our concerns due to the recall and there being no remedy.
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to respond while in reverse(R). In addition, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. In addition, the contact received recall notification NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V467000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however ,the parts to do the recall repair were not available. The contact stated that the recall fire risk was significantly scary and made the vehicle unsafe to drive. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 81,881.
There’s an open recall for the fuel injectors for my vehicle. I am currently unable to drive my vehicle because I can not fuel my vehicle. Each time it is fuel the engine light comes on and the vehicle either doesn’t drive or shakes violently and refuses to go. The vehicle isn’t able to pass state inspection as well. My safety is impacted by the vehicle randomly not going/stalling and not able to keep fueled.
My vehicle only has 36,000 miles on it and I just had to spend $789 to have the rear shocks replaced!! I also purchased the extended warranty plan and this repair wasn't covered. Very disappointing especially with such low mileage.
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 to 70 MPH, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. The check engine warning light and the charging system service light were illuminated. The message "Vehicle Turning Off to Save Power” was displayed. In addition, there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine while the vehicle was slowing down. The contact stated that the parking brake push button failed to function as intended. The contact was unable to coast to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to Auto Zone, where the battery was checked, and the battery passed the test. The tow truck driver had difficulty attempting to tow the vehicle. The vehicle failed to restart, and the auto brake turned on independently. After a while, the vehicle was towed to the contact's mother's residence. The vehicle was later towed to the dealer. The vehicle remained at the dealer pending the results of the diagnostic test. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue; however, no assistance was offered. The vehicle was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V467000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE). The contact was the second owner of the vehicle and had not received the recall notification. The failure mileage was approximately 79,000.
The Sunroof Shade curtain will not roll away when I try to open the roof shade. It crumbles up at the back or just doesn't roll up with the track. I have read several online Ford forums and a lot of people have been complaining about this issue. Could someone please look into this and see if this is a manufacturing problem, thank you.
NHTSA Recall 25V467 was issued in July 2025. It has been over 3 months of constant fear for under-hood fire from possible fuel injector crack. My family's safety has been at risk long enough, this needs a permanent fix please!
When putting the car in reverse the brakes make an awful Screaming noise. It sounds like they are not releasing. Then when you go in drive and want to stop it doesn't want to. It is not all the time but more so then not.
2021 Ford Escape. In January 2025 the turbo system failed and was replaced by a Ford dealer for about $5,903.85. Around five months later the transmission required repairs for a valve body issue, totaling roughly $3,000 in August. Two months after that repair, Firestone advised that the entire transmission now needs replacement. Each time the problem appeared, the vehicle showed violent slippage while upshifting and downshifting. When coming to a stop, the car would shake violently, slip forward several inches while my foot was still on the brake, and sometimes hesitate or lose power. Recently the vehicle will stop responding to acceleration, then suddenly surge forward without warning. These repeated transmission failures have created serious safety risks and appear consistent with ongoing problems involving the Ford 8F35 transmission used in the 2021 Escape.
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V467000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the part for the recall repair was not available. The contact had received the recall notification in August; however, parts were still not available. In addition, the contact stated that a friend had the same model vehicle, and the vehicle was already repaired under the recall. The dealer was not contacted about the unrepaired recall. The manufacturer was not contacted. The contact had not experienced a failure.
This vehicle! It eats so much gas. Something is wrong. It makes a weird noise and puts itself into modes of sports, ice/snow, eco, slippery all by itself while I am driving. My RPMs will change and car makes a different sound and it is in a different driving mode without being put in it by me. It puts itself in auto mode and shuts off at red lights and starts back up when I put on the gas and this is not a hybrid.
My fuel lid will not close causing a check engine light. My vehicle has less than 25k miles but outside of the 3 year limit for the warranty.
THERE ARE SWVERAL ISSUES WITH THIS MODEL, THE WORST BEING THE CONSTANT JERKING/ BUCKING WHILE DRIVING. THE SECOND BEING THE FORWARD COLLISION WARNING ALERTING WHEN NO VEHICLES ARE NEAR YOU, IT JUST RANDOMLY ALERTS.THE THIRD MOST ANNOYING ISSUE IS THE DASHBOARD FROM TIME TO TIME GOES OUT AS IF NO ELECTRICTY IS FLOWING THROUGHT IT, IVE ALSO EXPERINCED THE VOLUME NOT ADJUSTING PROPERLY AT TIMES.
My 2021 ford escape was declared to have total Transmission Failure at 69k miles and 4 years old. This is a major safety risk as I was suddenly unable to move my car in in anyway while existing the freeway in the middle of the night with my kids in the car. Cars had to swerve and drive on the shoulder to get around my car. I then had to be pushed by a police officer through construction to a not so nearby parking lot. The car did not move at all after that, an auto shop did confirm and diagnose the issue then replace the transmission completely. All the shops I called were shocked such a new car would have transmission issues, it wasn’t even due for transmission servicing. There were NO lights or warnings on my car. The repairs cost over $6,000 on a relatively new car that was barely past warranty. Ford customer service and ford dealer did not help with getting these costs paid for or repaired.
The contact owns a 2021 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. 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.
Driver door, door check arm popping and hardly opens and closes won’t allow driver window to roll down all the way
The contact owns a 2021 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 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.
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V467000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the parts were unavailable. The contact stated that because of the previous failure with the vehicle, the contact was concerned about the unrepaired recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue but provided no assistance. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the concern. The contact had not experienced a failure.
My Ford Escape has an open recall on the fuel injectors. I took my car in once because there was a smell of fumes when using my a/c. When I mentioned the fuel injectors to the dealership, they said they would look at it. The dealership said they couldn't get the smell, but once they popped the hood, they could smell the gas. They fixed them then. Now there is a recall on the recall on the fuel injectors. My car has the smell of fumes again. I think the fumes are making me sick, I can't even use my a/c or heater some days. I can't be driving around with the fumes for my sake or my 2-year old daughter. It can't be safe for her to be in my car.
The shade on the moonroof came off track and would hang down obscuring rear view from mirror. Vehicle taken to Ford dealer for repair. After $1600 repair, three days later the shade would not close completely and returned to Ford dealer. Still waiting on repair.
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 25V165000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) and 25V467000 (Fuel System, Gasoline), and requested to be removed from the recall distribution list. The local dealer and manufacturer were contacted.
On 8/18/2025, the transmission on my vehicle failed. I was only going about 35 mph when the entire vehicle went into chaos. Prior to this, no lights were on that indicated that I had a major problem. My car shut down in the middle of a busy road and I was able to get it to roll to a nearby parking lot. I have seen hundreds of people complain online and on forums about 2020-2021 Ford Eacapes having transmission issues. I had my vehicle towed to the dealership and they were able to confirm that it was the transmission. The powertrain warranty is covering the repair, but I have to pay about $1000 out of pocket. Ford needs to be made aware of their faulty transmissions. I have never, in my life, purchased a vehicle brand new (0 miles) and had to make such a repair before my vehicle even has 100K miles on it. I am highly disappointed and I regret buying it. Luckily, I was the only one in the car when it shut down because it could have been really bad. Cars were swerving around me and I was extremely afraid.
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of an undisclosed recall. The contact stated that while driving on several occasions at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated and jerked while depressing the accelerator pedal, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed that there was an active recall and the powertrain control module needed a software update. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred approximately 5 months later. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 98,000.
1 Brakes are making noise all times when in slow motion the brake paddle depressed ether is moving forward or reversing the repairs did not fix the problem. 1. Left Taillight show the when the vehicle is expose to water from rain or washed, evaporation and condensation will occur creating a film of running down inside of the assembled taillight and will last for days sometimes. That also cause the dimming of the light from the brakes and from turning light. As driver I am concerned that the dimming of the light can become a safety issue when in transit for diminishing of visibility for other drivers behind of this vehicle.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026