43 of the 367 complaints about the 2020 Ford Escape Hybrid are about the electrical system — 12% of everything reported for this model year. Half of the failures with a mileage on record happened before 25,149 miles.
43
Complaints
0
Crashes
1
Fires
0
Injuries
Filed with NHTSA, in their own words.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Changed 12V battery because liftgate was inconsistently opening. Would click but not release. I have tried the resetting the system with accessory mode, pressing brake and flashing highbeams, have disabled liftgate and reenabled liftgate, have even tried the emergency release under access panel and it still will not open but clicks.
NHTSA complaint #11748234 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The vehicle is just under 37K miles. I was operating the vehicle normally, and the wrench icon came on, indicating a powertrain issue. There are recalls for this for some vehicles but not all, and it seems to occur just after warranties expiring. I am concerned my vehicle falls under this service bulletin but has not been properly added: SSM 49157 - 2020 Escape - Illuminated MIL With DTCs U0100, U0401, P166B, P1753, P0929, And/Or P0919 Some 2020 Escape vehicles may exhibit an illuminated malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) and diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) U0100, U0401, P166B, P1753, P0929, and/or P0919. The vehicle may also exhibit an illuminated powertrain malfunction (wrench) indicator lamp. This may be due to the software in the gear shift module (GSM). To correct the condition, reprogram the GSM using the latest software level of the appropriate Ford diagnostic scan tool. For claiming, use causal part number 7P155 and applicable labor operations in Section 10 of the Service Labor Time Standards (SLTS) Manual. APPLICABLE VEHICLES 2020 CAR: TC CX482N ESCAPE 2020 CAR: TC CX482N ESCAPE 2020 CAR: TC CX482N ESCAPE
NHTSA complaint #11644872 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The hybrid battery coolant line has a leak and is available for inspection. Driving the vehicle with this leak can compromise the battery resulting in overheating which could cause the vehicle to break down, fire, or burn. The dealer confirmed the leak. The dealer was a manufacturer dealer and they inspected the vehicle. There were no indications of a leak.
NHTSA complaint #11633447 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Whenever I shut off my 2020 Ford Escape Hybrid or when I am about to turn it on, a message appears on the touchscreen that says: "System off to save battery, please turn ignition off or start engine." I have replaced the battery but I get the same error message. When I took the car to Firestone, they performed a Diagnostic which did not indicate that there was anything wrong with the battery. When I spoke to a Hybrid Battery Specialist, he told me that the error message was for my "12 volt battery. It is a fairly common problem with your Escape. The Ford dealership may have a fix for it. It is possible that you just need to replace the 12 volt battery." My local Ford Dealership did not have a fix for it. Since this is a fairly common problem with the Ford Escape, I think a recall should be issued to have Ford rectify the issue.
NHTSA complaint #11617837 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
I have received 2 letters from manufacturer, than I had appointment dealer service, I went there and worker sad to me we don't have it, than I tried another services , they same answer, than I contacted ford, ford told to me car is good condition don't need replacement
NHTSA complaint #11615422 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Upon purchasing and receiving the car from a dealership, I attempted to drive it around my neighborhood and after about 1 minute received a warning saying "safely stop now!" and the steering wheel locked and the power shut off in the middle of the street. The car would not turn back on and had to be towed to the dealership. The dealership (not Ford) already replaced the battery and that did not fix the issue. They are having to take it to Ford service to get it looked at. This poses a very significant safety risk because it could have happened on the highway, as some Ford Escape users have reported on forums. Before purchasing the car, all available recalls were addressed and "resolved", but clearly not all issues have been fixed.
NHTSA complaint #11615260 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
We were traveling to Springfield MO and just before Strafford our 2020 Ford Escape Hybrid SE flashed a wrench warning on our screen and immediately went into limp mode in rush hour traffic on I-44. We were in the passing lane going up a hill at the time passing a commercial truck and our speed dropped significantly. Luckily the vehicles behind us to were able slow down in time.
NHTSA complaint #11611195 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the display screen on the instrument panel intermittently went black. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was driven to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the sync system needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact researched online and became aware of Customer Satisfaction Program Number: 24B47; however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.
NHTSA complaint #11610012 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
My escape continues to shut down after parking and will not restart. Push button light will sometimes turn green but will not come on , dial to P flashes but will not move . Sometime I can quickly jump it off and it restarts but most recently and to get someone to disconnect both batteries and reconnect and it will start … it acts like it has to restart the electrical system . I have seen many examples of others having the same issues
NHTSA complaint #11595981 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Was driving the car when it suddenly went dead with the following message on the screen: “Vehicle network communication error”. By chance I happened to be able to coast off the road otherwise i would have been stranded on a very busy road. The vehicle was towed to a Ford dealer where the problem was reproduced, the car has been at the dealer for 1 week now with no idea what the problem is. There was no warning prior to the error appearing and the vehicle completely stopping. Reviewing Ford forums there are at least two other instances of this happening. Do not have any repair information yet as it is not fixed and the solution is unknown at this time.
NHTSA complaint #11590669 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while trying to turn the inside vehicle lights, she accidently pushed the sunroof button. The sunroof cover broke. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with the entire sunroof needing replacement. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact states that is a safety hazard because the vehicle gets extremely hot without the sunroof cover. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to call the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 34,500.
NHTSA complaint #11588769 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
A software update to the SYNC 3 system was sent out to my vehicle after the update took place the radio system as well as navigation, backup camera, and self parking all failed to work. And the system never turned back on again. After diagnosis from Ford dealership it was declared that the APIM needs to be replaced. I tried to voice my problem to ford corporate via phone calls, emails, and letter and they did not acknowledge that the problem was from the update.
NHTSA complaint #11583904 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
entertainment system needs to be reset multiple times a day. bluetooth does not connect to the same cell phone i have been using and needs to be re-connected manually every time I start the car. stereo and gps are non-responsive and require restart to properly operate. Bluetooth needs to connect automatically to my phone.
NHTSA complaint #11579272 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Driving the 2020 Ford Escape it completely shut down during a rain storm requiring us to pull off the main road coasting to a stop. Very concerned with the fact that The emergency flashers did not function and the rest of the dash and LCD panel went black. After 20 minutes I was able to get the vehicle started but the check engine light was illuminated and I was able to drive the 1/2 mile home. The car is in our driveway and I have a service appointment on 3/6. With this potential problem in place I do not want to drive it if it will shut down in the middle of the interstate highway.
NHTSA complaint #11575191 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. That contact stated that upon entering the vehicle, the driver's side door opened abnormally wide, after which the driver's side door became jammed. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed failures with the high-low voltage converter and the door check arm attachment point. The voltage converter was repaired, but the door check arm attachment point was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Action Number: PE23013 (Structure). The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was 21,500.
NHTSA complaint #11571462 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
I was driving home in my 2020 Escape Hybrid, a 2 1/2 hour trip. All of a sudden, 40 miles from home and as I was driving on a busy expressway just before nightfall, my info screen and the main screen went black. The info screen said there was a connectivity error. I had no idea what was going on, but I was terrified that my headlights would go out. Luckily, there was an exit coming up, and I took it and parked at the gas station right off the exit. I called AAA for a tow. They had to put the car on a flatbed truck, as once I had turned the car off it wouldn’t start again, so I couldn’t put it into neutral. I got towed home, as the dealership was closed; and the next morning I got towed to the dealership. I was told by the service advisor that the battery had a bad cell. Since this was the second battery that died within a year, the dealership replaced it for free. I’m on a Ford Escape Hybrid forum, and there are many people who have had the same problem with the 12 volt battery. It was suggested to replace the battery with a larger AGM battery. I was lucky there was an exit right there. If I had driven the car any longer, I probably would have lost my headlights and the whole car would have died. And I could have been killed. This is a life-threatening issue that Ford should fix by replacing the battery with a larger one that has enough power to run the car and thus won’t fail prematurely. I’m scared to drive my car now.
NHTSA complaint #11566606 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
This recall is very serious, I do not feel safe driving my car as it could explode and kill me, and or others. No eta on a serious recall, even though I am being forced to pay for repairs, and possibly cause more damage to my engine for this serious recall.
NHTSA complaint #11565127 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
I purchased the vehicle brand new in February 2020 and it has had persistent battery/electrical issues. In May 2022 the battery was malfunctioning and I was driving it to the dealership to be examined and it completely died while I was driving. The electrical system failed while I was driving. I have had the battery replaced at least 3 times in less than 4 years and, despite the battery being replaced less than a year ago, it needs to be replaced again. Ford is not willing to cover the replacement battery despite it being less than 1 year ago. Ford is not standing by their vehicle and refusing to accommodate the repeated battery issues, including catastrophic failure while driving.
NHTSA complaint #11564186 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
There is an issue with the instrument gauge cluster upon ignition start-up. The digital gauge cluster screen suddenly turns off and restarts after a full minute of turning on the car's ignition. After an automatic software restart of the gauge cluster and driving on the highway through Northbound Mopac Loop 1 in Austin, the cluster shows a frozen black background with the blue normal drive mode. The gauge cluster works fine but intermittently goes blank after starting the car.
NHTSA complaint #11555283 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL
There is an issue with the instrument gauge cluster upon ignition start-up. The digital gauge cluster screen suddenly turns off and restarts after a full minute of turning on the car's ignition. After an automatic software restart of the gauge cluster and driving on the highway through Northbound Mopac Loop 1 in Austin, the cluster shows a frozen black background with the blue normal drive mode. The gauge cluster works fine but intermittently goes blank after starting the car.
NHTSA complaint #11555283 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
2020 Ford Escape hybrid titanium: Complete electrical shut down of every electrical component, all interior/exterior systems inoperable, including inability to start engine. Manual key required to open door. Initial attempts to jump start do not work - takes numerous attempts to jump start until car by chance ‘wakes up’. Battery charging will not help and low charge on starter batter is not the issue. Parking brake release not possible for towing since no electrical to release parking brake. Car is not equipped to manually disengage parking brake - contrary to what is written in manual. Therefore is a problem for towing company if they do not have dolly's to place on flat bed. Software update is required at dealership to solve issue. In the meantime, you can get seriously stranded with a dead car. Also far too many recalls placing ever going time consuming burden on owners to deals with problems after shipping from the manufacturer.
NHTSA complaint #11554635 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
1) Head unit not powering up. No backup camera no cross traffic alert. 2) Power train light has come on three times. Dealership is unable to find any issues 3) Starting battery keeps failing. Fourth battery in three years getting installed today.
NHTSA complaint #11549501 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Vehicle lost power steering and acceleration in the middle of a busy intersection
NHTSA complaint #11544964 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Vehicle has gone stone dead on two occasions with no electrical response of any kind. Physical key was required to unlock. First was 11/21/22 at 9,733 miles. Vehicle spent 10 or so days in the shop while problem was traced and some warranty work was done. Second was 3/11/23 with same symptoms. Dead first thing in the morning. Mileage was 12,470. Based on first experience, purchased a robust charger and brought the car to 100 charge and problem solved for the short term. Online forums mention this as a common problem for this and the 2021 Escape hybrids. Fix seems to be getting a larger AGM battery which, with its greater capacity and faster charging capacity can better handle the parasites in the electrical system. In the runup to both 'deaths' the vehicle's computers began shutting down accessories such as remote start, handle touch unlocking, etc. All I ask is a replacement of the 12 volt battery with the larger 70aH AGM battery (Ford part BAGM48H6760). My wife and I have one car. She has a disability. I purchased this car to give her easier entrance and exit. It never occurred to me that it would not start reliably.
NHTSA complaint #11511986 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Vehicle enters deep sleep mode within minutes of parking and won’t start again until it is jump started. This software problem has left me stranded three times.
NHTSA complaint #11511893 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:BODY CONTROL MODULE:SOFTWARE
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated while having an annual inspection on the vehicle, the inspector informed her that the computer was not reading the vehicle and advised her to contact the dealer. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the dealer stated that an unknown module needed to be updated. The contact was unsure of what module needed to be updated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and the manufacturer advised her to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was 140,800.
NHTSA complaint #11508798 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Reoccurring simultaneous failures of safety systems "Cross Traffic System Fault ", "Blind Spot System Fault", complete climate panel failure (defroster, heater, ventilation, ...), accompanying failures of power windows, power seats and most recently the ability to open the rear hatch of the SUV. Warnings about intermitent "Drive Mode Not Available". All of the above can occur suddenly when driving or at starting. Windows fog suddenly.
NHTSA complaint #11505412 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
This has happened a few times sporadically since I have owned the vehicle in 2020. As I am driving it will alert me to stop safely now. The car will loose power and not allow me to go past 15 mph. The screen will go blank and the ac will not throw cool air. This is concerning because since the car looses power, it is dangerous if I am at a fast speed. Once I pull over, sometimes I cannot turn off the car. And if I do turn it off, I cannot turn it back on for a few minutes.
NHTSA complaint #11494994 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
I get the message to Stop Safely Now and then car turns off in the road. Will not turn back on. Also get messages for Deep Sleep Mode and Low Voltage. I do not feel that it is safe for the car to stop in the road and not be able to move. It has been to a dealership now this is the 3rd time for the issue. The light first appeared in November 2021. It was taken in for service then, again on Oct 18 2022 and now on Oct 26 2022.
NHTSA complaint #11490955 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
On June7th I was driving home in my 2020 hybrid escape when the motor quit and the car came to a stop, then smoke started coming out from under the hood, I opened the hood and flames shot out at the back side of the motor on the passenger side, oil was leaking on to the road and on fire, I called the fire department, when they got there all the fire finally went out as the oil burned up. I had the car towed that day to Purchase ford in Mayfield KY. where it is still at. At first I was told this would be a warranty covered job, the car had 37500 miles, the power train and motor are good for 60,000 miles. It was apparent this would take a long time to fix, and I told Ford I did not want the car back as it would be depleted in value with a history of a fire, In July I got a recall 22V484 for the very reason my car caught on fire. Come to find out the motor failed and thru a rod and a hole in the block let the oil leak out and catch on fire. I asked for a loaner but they did not have one, I rented a car and Ford finally paid for most of it but I'm still out $500.00, I have returned the rental car. I have made five months of payment on this car without having it. At first Ford said they would do a buy back, then they emailed me saying this was denied due to KY. guidelines? I also asked for another car of equal value and that will not happen. Finally Ford told me to accept the repairs on my car and take it back or they were closing my case. My case # is [XXX], my contact was customer service rep . [XXX]. The car has a value of about $25000.00 if it had not caught on fire. I feel Ford should reimburse me for my payments or give me another car of equal value or make up the difference I will lose if I take the car back. I also think they should provide me a loaner while my car is being fixed. Thank You [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
NHTSA complaint #11488988 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.