2021 Ford Escape Complaint Log

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated while reversing out of a parking garage and depressing the brake pedal, the brakes made an abnormal grinding sound. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact later received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V922000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic), and the vehicle was taken to the dealer for the recall repair. However, the failure reoccurred 3 months later. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where unknown repairs were completed; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the brake pads needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 18,000.

I was coming to a stop at a red light when my brakes began to get hard to the point to where I couldn’t press them down. I then rear ended another vehicle. It seems to me that the power brakes might have failed. After crashing my brakes seem to go back to normal but still felt abnormally stiff. There was no injuries in the accident. The car is under an open recall stating this exact problem. I contacted our local dealer the day I found out about the recall and they told me that the car was to drive and parts would not be available until the 2nd Quarter of 2022. The recall also states that it only happened under certain circumstances. I will not be driving the vehicle until after recall is fixed because it is an unsafe vehicle to drive due to not knowing when the brakes might fail again.

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact received a recall notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V922000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) 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 notified of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

We bought a new 2021 Ford Escape and within 2 weeks I noticed the steering would occasionally lock up for a few seconds when making a turn. It got worse over the week and at one turn I had to force the wheel back by using both hands on one side of the wheel causing a grinding sound. I would have driven up onto the sidewalk if I couldn't get it to come back. Brought it to the dealer's service center and was told by the service manager "this is a known issue (something in the steering column disintegrating) and they had fixed this same issue plenty of times before. The have changed the design of the steering column, but did not know if this car had one of the old steering columns or the new ones." There was no warning what-so-ever. I question if this was a known issue, why was there no recall and why wasn't this checked before the car was sold. Someone could have been seriously injured or killed.

While driving on the interstate a fire started under the hood and shortly after smoke entered the driver cabin. Luckily I was able to pull over and get out of the vehicle before the fire reached the driver cabin. It is going to be investigated by a company hired by AAA, the appraiser from the insurance company was not able to find a cause due to the fire damage being too bad. The first warning message was engine coolant overtemperature and a couple of others followed.

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact received a recall notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V922000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) 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 notified of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

I rented this Ford Escape from Avis this month and ran into what could have been an incredibly dangerous safety issue due to a massive oversight in the car's design. I installed a small booster seat in the passenger side back seat for my 10 year-old son. He got in the seat and attached his seat belt, which he has done hundreds of times before in our own car. About 1 hour into a 2-hour freeway trip, a notification went off on the dashboard, telling me that a seat belt in the back had come undone. My son tried frantically to reattach the buckle but was unable. I had to exit the freeway and park on the side of the road. When I tried to reattach the buckle, I saw why there was a problem: He had inserted the buckle into the CENTER receptacle, not the passenger-side one. The receptacle didn't click, as it was probably designed not to do, but because the metal of the buckle has a slight angle to it, there was enough tension for it to temporarily hold. However even a minor accident could have been fatal because my son wasn't property strapped in. There are several issues here. First, the dash indicator should have been designed to tell me that there was weight on the right rear seat but no buckle was attached to that receptacle. Second, the center receptacle did not immediately reject the right-most buckle; instead, the bent angle of the buckle's metal temporarily held it in place and made my 10 year-old believe he was strapped in. Finally, the receptacles themselves have no play from side-to-side. This, plus the angle of the buckle's metal, means that when a booster seat is installed, there is not enough room to fully attach the buckle into the receptacle without exerting a LOT of force to push the receptacle to the left. I can't imagine the buckle can be attached at all with a larger child seat. The image I attached shows why this is; attaching a car seat requires exerting enough force to bend the metal holding the receptacle in order to attach the buckle.

Bought my 2021 Ford Escape a year ago, since a month after purchase, grinding noises Only when backing up, rain or shine or cold or hot. Getting worse within this year. Brought in 3-4 times, every time mechanic said nothing was wrong it was normal for this type of vehicle. Brought a few months ago to a different (not dealership) mechanic something Not right and needs fixing asap. Also noted crack and leaking from suspension! Dealership not willing to help, if my kids and I get into an accident because of this and a death or major injury shall occur , this will never be the end.! This has to stop! Treat cars like family please, because mine are in it.

My daughter was coasting and the person in front of her slammed on their brakes causing her to slam on hers. Her collision warning did not go off until after she hit the car in front of her so she had didn't have enough time to stop. We pulled off into a parking lot and called the police to inspect the cars. Two weeks later there was a recall on the back brake pads. She ended up getting a ticket for impeding traffic which ended up costing $150.00 plus $5.50 for fees. I also have damage to the grille and bumper on my car that needs to get fixed.

1) Flapping noise from left front brake. New car with less than 3,300 miles on it. Taken to dealer. Found to have BOTH front brake rotors warped. 2) Dealer STILL has not contacted us about parts availability for recall on brakes (Nov 2021) Please note that this is the 3rd complaint filed on the same vehicle. Other complaint numbers are 11452046 and 11452039.

I have had multiple issues with the powertrain warning light illuminating. The first time it was decided to be low/dirty oil. This occurred about a month after purchasing the vehicle in 2021 with about 4000 miles. The second time it occurred about 6 months later. The dealer could not find a code nor replicate the issue. We thought I had bought bad gas. A year later it came on again, Ford dealership again couldn’t replicate the issue. Finally it came on and stayed on and throttle position sensor was replaced in July 2022. Light came on again in November 2024. Auto parts store and dealership could not find a code. This time I had no coolant. Added coolant and it has not come back on again.

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while shifted into reverse and depressing the brake pedal and attempting to slow down, there was an abnormal sound coming from the rear wheels. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed with asbestos in the brake fuse. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure progressed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unavailable.

Wife was driving vehicle. Came to intersection at end of our street. Applied brakes. Brakes did not work. Went through intersection crashed into tree. Injured, taken to hospital, vehicle towed, police report made. Vehicle is available for inspection. Would like to have vehicle inspected! Not yet inspected by anyone. No warning of problem. Vehicle has about 250 miles on it. Just leased on Dec 2, 2021.

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle was vibrating and the brakes were getting extremely hot. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but no failure was found. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 30,000.

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V922000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) and 22V859000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The manufacturer was made aware of the issues. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

2 current recall problems with vehicle. Brake recall has been an issue since November 2021. The brakes were supposedly fixed. Then there came a horrific squealing noise when vehicle in reverse. And driving. Also when braking when vehicle in motion. Horrible grinding sound. Contacted dealer. Said back order on parts to fix squealing. Apparent issues with bushing. Per the dealership. Has been going on for months. Still have no been contacted for repair. There is no solution regarding the November 2022 recall about the fuel injector. There is currently 7 very serious recalls involving this vehicle. I’m afraid to drive my vehicle. But continue to pay for a death trap.

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated while reversing down her driveway, that as soon as she had placed the vehicle in reverse, it independently accelerated to approximately 20 MPH. The contact attempted to depress the brake pedal and did not have any brake function. The contact stated she did not notice any warning light being illuminated. The contact stated she began to drive backward with the vehicle turning in circles, and crashed into a fire hydrant. The vehicle crashed into the hydrant on the passenger rear bumper side which was crushed. The contact stated that the engine was still running but that the vehicle had been stopped by the hydrant. The police arrived on the scene and filed a report. The contact had injured her back on impact with the hydrant, however, she did not seek medical attention until later. She went to a chiropractor and not a doctor. The vehicle was taken to a body repair shop and the damage was repaired, however the vehicle had not been taken to a dealer to be diagnosed. The reverse and brake failure had not been diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 250.

2021 escape purchased on 10/12/21. By the end of October my vehicle began stalling while driving. The transmission was unable to change gears when the vehicle was accelerating or decelerating. While making a right turn my vehicle almost stalled out in front of the oncoming traffic but at the last minute the car accelerated. Next the vehicle started jerking when placed in reverse. When put in reverse a loud grinding sound and jolting / jumping would occur. The jolt and noise sounded and felt like someone had rear ended the vehicle the moment it was placed in reverse. On 11/6/21 while sitting in traffic I smelled something burning and it seemed to be coming from under my hood. Once I arrived to my destination I opened my hood and looked for any signs of a fire /burning but didn’t notice anything unusual. No warnings were displayed on my vehicle so I brushed it off. Finally on 11/18/21 at 2,965 miles my vehicles powertrain failed. After starting my vehicle and putting it in reverse a loud grinding sound and jump occurred. Once in drive the vehicle began to jerk and had difficulty accelerating. By the time I exited the parking lot a power train failure notice was displayed. Ford replaced the transmission and everything was obviously under warranty. The Ford Pass service record stated the following services were performed: transmission, clutch, axel, other. It is my understanding the entire transmission was replaced. These issues were and still are very concerning given the fact a brand new car experienced power train failure after 2,965 miles. 6/15/23: brakes are ridiculously loud when braking in reverse, brakes make grinding/ scrubbing sound, black break dust on back rims, oh and a new recall for possible fuel injector crack. Rather than addressing the actual fuel injector problem Ford will install a drainage tube to divert fuel away from the engine (*if/ when the fuel injector cracks) and add engenie software to alert drivers when fuel rail pressure has dropped.

Right headlight was not attached to car properly the clips are bend that hold it on the vehicle. Has been like this since I drove it off the lot. It makes it hard to see at night since the headlight does not sit properly. It points downward. I have reported this to the dealership where I bought it and to Ford itself. They say I didn't report it soon enough but I had just had eye surgery when I bought the car and thought I was having issues because of my eyes. Car is still under bumper to bumper warranty and they refuse to fix the issue. The service manager at the ford dealership did take pictures pf the vehicle and said there was no way this car had ever been wreaked cause there's not a scratch on it and it had to come off the assembly line that way. The service manager got in trouble from the dealership for telling me this. The want to charge me 1,500.00 to fix this and it's only two brackets. This is a huge safety concern because I can not see well at night.

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated while reserving, there was an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle after depressing the brake pedal. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the brake pads to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but continued to experience the failure. The contact took the vehicle back to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the brake pads to be replaced a second time. The vehicle was repaired but continued to experience the failure. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100.

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated while reversing, the vehicle vibrated and made an abnormal sound. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where an updated brake kit was installed on the vehicle. Additionally, the dealer scuffed up the brake pads; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 8,000.

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while in the reverse(R) position, the vehicle independently increased in speed without warning. The contact made multiple attempts to stop the vehicle by depressing the brake pedal; however, the brakes failed to operate as needed. The contact crashed into a fire hydrant but the air bags did not deploy upon impact. The contact suffered pain in her stomach and neck but did not seek immediate medical attention. The fire hydrant was damaged as a result of the failure. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was repaired. Since the repair, the contact stated that the vehicle would shake when driving over 30 MPH without warning. She also mentioned that a loud, squeaking noise would emit from the vehicle while in reverse. The contact took the vehicle to a dealer where they were unable to diagnose the failure. The manufacturer had been notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 3,000.

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, her foot would repeatedly slip off the accelerator pedal and go underneath the brake pedal. The contact stated that this could lead to a potential failure while driving at high speeds. The contact also noted that the accelerator pedal was too small for normal operation. The contact had taken the vehicle to the dealer where they acknowledged a potential failure with the small accelerator pedal and the contact was referred to the manufacturer for assistance. The manufacturer was notified, and the contact was given a claim number. She was then referred to NHTSA for further assistance. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was 0.

In September 2021 the car had 2 incidents of not being able to stop with the brakes while backing down my drive. The auto stop shut down was on. In the first instant I almost hit a senior with a walker. He fell but only scraped his hand and was not hit by the car. The second time, May 2022, the car crashed into the neighbor's front porch and took down a fence, I got out of the car and then fell in the street and broke my pelvis. The third time I was going down the steep drive and was able to steer the car until it stopped. The 4th time< May 6, 2022, I was backing out of a parking space, May and did not turn off the engine stop button and the car went into reverse don the lot. I managed to avoid hitting a row of cars and 1 man before I got the car to stop.

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 15 MPH to enter the freeway, the Auto Start/Stop feature inadvertently stopped the vehicle. There were no warning lights on the instrument panel. The vehicle had to be manually disabled. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 7,000.

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the vehicle began vibrating and the contact heard an abnormal noise. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to drive to his destination. The contact took the vehicle to local dealer and was informed that there was no remedy for the failure. The vehicle was not repaired but was pending repairs. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 700.

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, there was an abnormally loud sound coming from underneath the hood. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the shutter deflectors to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but continued to experience the failure. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 300.

Brake recall still not resolved. Going on 3 years since caliper issues with brake lining and ford refuses to fix the issue. I have been to the dealership twice. The recall is “repaired” but no changes. Horrible screeching sound when reversing and it is affecting my rotors.

The transmission automatically went into park in the middle of an intersection and was inoperable from that time and had to be towed from the intersection.

Vehicle was being driven down the road. Vehicle stalled. Check engine light came on. Attempted to restart vehicle but vehicle stalled again. Smelled fuel. Heard a boom then fire ignited. Fire came from the underside of vehicle and flames were rising on driver side of vehicle with black smoke. Attempted to exit vehicle from driver side door but was unable to do so due to flames. Crawled over to passenger side of vehicle and exited the vehicle. Fire department extinguished the fire with water. Fire reignited and fire department extinguished fire again. Insurance company inspected the vehicle but was unable to determine root cause of fire.

The contact’s daughter owned a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at an unknown speed, the coolant warning light illuminated. As the contact's daughter began to pull over, she began to lose control of the vehicle as a black smoke started coming from the engine. The vehicle caught on fire once the contact's daughter had exited the vehicle. The fire department arrived at the scene and was able to extinguish the fire. A fire report was filed. There was no injury reported. Due to the failure, the vehicle was initially towed to a tow yard however, the current location of the vehicle was unknown. The contact's daughter notified the dealer of the failure and a week later and she was informed that an investigation would be started. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was destroyed. The failure mileage was unknown.

Felt sudden, hard bang under left foot while driving approx. 40 MPH. Car then lost control. Driver steered to right to get off road, hitting a curb in the process. Found broken left front axle when finally able to stop the car. There were NO obstacles or potholes to cause this accident (photos).

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while reversing and pressing the brake pedal, there was a loud screeching sound coming from the rear brakes. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who serviced the rear brake calipers and rotors but the failure continued to occur. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 1,500.

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving in reverse, a loud grinding sound was present while depressing the brake pedal. The contact indicated that the failure mainly occurred after the vehicle was not used for an overnight period. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who replaced the brake rotors, but the sound continued to occur. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 1,000.

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while reversing and depressing the brake pedal, an abnormally loud rattling was coming from underneath the vehicle. The contact indicated that the failure was intermittent but mainly occurred in the mornings after the vehicle had been parked overnight. The local dealer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed they were aware of the failure; however, the cause of the failure was unknown. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 7.

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while the vehicle was in reverse, an abnormally loud humming noise would emit from the vehicle upon depression of the brake pedal without warning. The contact had taken the vehicle to the dealer on numerous occasions and on the latest visit, she had the brake pads replaced; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer had been notified of the failure and a case was filed. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 2,000.

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated while reversing, there was an abnormal screeching sound coming from the brakes. The contact stated that whenever it rained, there was water accumulating in the taillights. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the calipers and pads needed to be replaced. Additionally, the contact was informed that the lights needed to be replaced. The brake pads were replaced, but the failure recurred. The dealer informed the contact that the failure persisted. The manufacturer was contacted and opened a case and extended the warranty. The failure mileage was approximately 5,000.