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.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026
Passenger door hitch weld came off. I can’t open the door all the way and the window can’t be open..
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the front driver's and passenger's side doors failed to close properly. The contact had to forcefully close the doors. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the front driver's and passenger's door welds had fractured. The independent mechanic replaced the front driver's and passenger's side door check arms. The contact stated that the front driver's side door check arm was previously replaced; however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The manufacturer advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 97,700.
The contact's brother owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the front driver's side door made an abnormally loud sound while opening. Additionally, the contact stated that the spot welds on the check arm bracket were fractured. The contact stated that the front driver's side door could only be closed from the inside while raising the check arm. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Action Number: PE23013 (Structure). The dealer was notified of the failure and charged and diagnostic fee. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 42,000.
Went to get in my 2021 Ford Escape opened the door a heard a metal sound clunking noise. Happened all of a sudden. Thought maybe someone hit my door but no sign of it being hit. Then Googled Ford Escape and that noise and found this has been a problem. Why has there not been a recall for this problem.
driver side door check bracket, makes cracking , crunching noise feels /sounds like it is ready to fall off.
Driver door hinge is not welded properly and when driving door opens
This is 1 of 3 2020 - 2021 Ford Escapes that my company owns and is affected by this known issue with NHTSA and Ford Motor Company as it relates to Ford Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) SSM 50150. The spot welds at the check arm attachment points on the driver door have failed. This has lead to a horrible noise and feeling when opening and closing our door. Sometimes the door does not shut all the way making this a safety issue. The door is now hard to open and close. The window is also inoperable as it either won't roll down at all or, if it does roll down, it will now roll back up. This issue has been inspected by 2 dealerships and they are not allowing our PremiumCARE extended Warranty to cover this. We have had 10's of Escapes with 100,000+ miles and this has never been an issue. This has occurred in this 2021 Escape and 2 of our other 2020 Ford Escapes (I will file complaints separately for them so NHTSA understands this is a massive issue Ford needs to fix ASAP and reimburse any customers who have paid out of pocket to get this fixed). NHTSA needs to issue a recall immediately.
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the front driver's side door made an abnormally loud popping sound while opening and closing. The dealer was made aware of the failure; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 22,000.
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the contact became aware that the front driver’s side door weld had fractured. The contact stated that the door sounded like metal grinding each time the door was opened or closed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was 16,949.
Drivers door is making a creaking/popping sound and sometimes won’t close. The window will not always go up.
The front door hinge spot weld and rivets have broekn loose. I called Stivers Ford in Montgomery Alabama and the Service Representative told me that my Escape was out of warranty and it was my problem to repair. I do not think this is fair as this is a structural problem in the door.
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while closing the door, the door made an abnormal sound and failed to close as intended. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and diagnosed with a fractured door weld. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to report the failure to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 41,000.
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving from a complete stop, the vehicle started shuddering. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure occurred while driving at various speeds. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that there was an internal transmission failure caused by the torque converter shudder. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.
Driver front and passenger front door hinge making noise when opening. Dealer said a lot of people are having same issue but ford is only fixing ones when door falls off when weld completely breaks. Reported this to dealer on11/11/23 and was finally notified to bring in last week. Was called yesterday and was told not fixing at this time as was not safety issue yet! They said if door falls off it would warrant repair. This vehicle is under new vehicle warranty still and should be fixed without question. Dealer agrees it needs fixed but says they cant do anything now. I consider a possible door falling off a safety issue! Hopefully my wife does not fall out of vehicle when door falls off and maybe she can put it in back and drive to dealer with no door. Way to go ford!
The spot welds on the front drivers door of my 2021 Ford Escape SEL gave way. The internal three welds holding the drivers door check arm failed. The door is now making a creaking and grinding noise when the door is opened and closed. The drivers door check arm is rapidly nearing total failure. Two Ford dealerships have verified the above. Repair cost to replace the entire drivers door is approximately $2,300.
My 2021 ford escape door started to make popping sounds and my window wouldn’t roll down had it a dealer and they said the welds on my door broke off !
My door all of a sudden started making loud cracking sounds when I tried to open it. This progressively got worse and now the door will only partially open and the window will not go down. I believe I have a broken spot weld in the left front door at the check arm attachment.
*corporate vehicle The check arm for our driver's side door appears to have separated from the frame. Our door feels like it may fall off. If our door falls off, we feel there are safety concerns (can list later if needed). Our story seems to corroborate many other complaints on this website.
My drivers door hinge weld has broke. FORD IS TELLING ME I HAVE TO FIX IT BUT THERE HAS BEEN MANY REPORTS OF THIS. I believe it should be fixed by ford.
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated while opening the front driver's side door of the vehicle, the door made an abnormal popping sound. The contact stated while opening the door for a second time, the door made an abnormal grinding sound. The contact stated that the front driver's side door check arm weld had fractured internally, which prevented the window from rolling up and down as needed. Additionally, the door failed to close as intended and made an abnormal clicking sound while opening. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that the front driver's side door check arm weld had fractured internally. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Action Number: PE23013 (Structure). The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 43,200.
Drivers door limiter broke away from the door creating an issue opening and closing the door. Also unable to roll the drivers window down very far.
Door started cracking. Next day door made a loud crack and my door would not shut. I had to take it to my garage because Ford Manderbach Ford in Hamburg PA would not cover it due to no recall. My garage put door back together and spot welded everything back together. My bill was $95.
Drivers side front door making creaking noise upon opening and closing. Does not properly close after 3 days since initial noise was noticed. Window does not go down. Believed to be faulty spot weld due to Fords negligence
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated that when he was exiting the vehicle and opened the front driver's side door, he heard a popping sound. The contact stated that the front driver's side window was inoperable, the window would not go up or down. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The vehicle was diagnosed with a fractured check arm. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and they provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 43,294.
My check engine light has come on four (4) seperate times, after being serviced three (3) times. All of which have been by a ford certified dealership. My rear brakes were making noise the week the new car was purchased. I notified to associate who sold me the car from a ford certified dealer and he made up an invalid excuse. I’ve had my car serviced 3 times for the service alert and within 2 weeks of it being serviced and the issues being fixed, it starts again resulting in my service light coming on. I’ve notified ford via mail and email and haven’t heard back. The issue is showing as a power train issue and says “AWD Fault”
The door check in the drivers door snapped after two years. Ford is not willing to take care of the situation but this is a known issue. Since this item has to do with the door and door latching, I do not feel comfortable driving my vehicle
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle started shuddering and jerking abnormally. The contact also stated that the engine had overheated, and the vehicle could not be driven for more than an hour. The check engine and oil pressure warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or local dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 35,000.
The door weld seems to have come off and causes the door to not latch properly and I cannot roll my window down this is a problem on both driver and passenger side. It appears there is a loose weld in the doors.
Upon opening the driver side door there was a pop. Every time the door has been opened to appx 50% full width the same popping noise occurs. The weld is popped in the hinge but this is not visible without taking the door apart. The door will close properly and the window works at this time.
Driver door popping do to spot welds broke on door check/limiter
Spot welds failed in the check arm bracket for the driver door.
I was in the middle of driving and going around a curve and all of a sudden advance Trac warning light is on hill assist warning comes on and pre collision assist comes on and none of the stability sensors are working in my car and I noticed my steering is very off sometimes it’s stiffer than usual and sometimes it’s not as stiff and that is dangerous I think it definitely needs to be recalled that’s very serious can cause loss of control of the vehicle
Driver side door creaks and sticks. Door does not open completely. Incident where front driver window would not open at ATM.
Drivers door bracket broken and makes ratcheting noise. Currie Ford in Frankfort Ill contacted and I was advised it will need a new door. Issue raised up to cover claim. Vehicle only has 40000 miles on it. See SSM 50150
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated that condensation from the air conditioner unit had leaked into the vehicle causing the carpet to become wet, developing mold and mildew inside the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who determined that the failure was due to a clogged air conditioning drainage hole. The air conditioner drainage hole was unclogged, and the vehicle was repaired; however, the failure had recently reoccurred. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 30,000.
Left door weld broke. Making a popping noise. The window will not go up or down.
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated the driver-side window failed to operate properly (open or close). The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Driver side Door Check assembly weld broken.
When opened the driver side door on July 29, 2023 my door made a horrible popping noise that is continuing every time I open or close the driver side door.
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while parked, the driver's side door hinge had fractured which caused the contact to not be able to open the door or roll the window open. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a Ford dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the door needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and determined that the VIN was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH, there was smoke coming from the vehicle, with the check engine and power train warning lights illuminated. The vehicle lost motive power however, the contact was able to pull over on the side of the road and had the vehicle towed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 55,137. The VIN was not available.
Ford is not recalling their ford escape and broncos. I tired to get my state inspection done at two places for my 2021 ford escape and was told that they can not connect to the system due to faulty programs from ford. I was told to go to ford and they wanted ti charge me $199.99 to update the faulty software. They said it is a known problem and ford isn’t/hasn’t recalled it.
The driver side door started popping when opening and closing door. After a couple days it got stuck and wouldn’t fully close. When I did fully close the door the check arm disconnected. The window will not move much since check arm broke. I have not had this inspected at a dealership but plan to. The only light that comes on is a door ajar light comes on occasionally and I have to shut door again.
Left Driver door making popping sound when opening or closing due to spot welds failing. Left Driver door has no catch when opening until door is completely open. Left Driver door electronics affected due to spot welds failing this includes window up/down function and locking/unlocking. Claim filed with Ford customer concern and spoke to dealer. Ford wants $2600.00 to repair and will contribute $900.00 because vehicle is out of warranty.
Vehicle caught on fire while we were driving.
At 38,000 miles I got into my car and it started making a popping noise on my drivers side door when opening it and closing it. After further inspection, I cannot put my window down and I am met with resistance whenever trying to open or close it. This poses safety concerns in the event of a car crash. Apparently this is not a recall item at this time and I am awaiting my dealership to even see if it’s covered as it is past 36,000 miles.
I was driving and turned right and the issue started. Pulled over to a safe place and notice d rear wheel bracket was broken. Towed to dealer. The dealer insisted I hit something I did not. The car has less than 8600 miles. I could not believe this was not covered under warranty. In addition, the fuel injection recall there are no parts available and waiting list. I am trading the car in as this is the second time the car has broken down on the roadside. I no longer feel safe in the vehicle.
The door weld on the door is causing it to pop when you open and close the door.
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the front driver’s side door was very difficult to open and close. Additionally, the window would not properly roll up or down. The contact stated that the failure progressed, and the door could not be opened from inside the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer and the contact was informed that the door needed to be replaced. The door was replaced; however, the failure reoccurred a year after the repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 30,000.
since I have owned this SUV the break has been bad I have taken it in with no help from ford now the weld on my drive side door has broken away from the frame. ford has told me that there nothing they can do about it, and I have to pay for the repairs. i have had the car for 2 1/2 years and i have read on line that this has happen to a lot of people