10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 2 / 0
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 1 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 15,161 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.
AWD fault, pre-collision assist and hill start assist warnings displaying in cluster.
- Ann Arbor, MI, USA
Car was jerking during acceleration. RPM needle was bouncing while accelerating. It felt like there was a loss of power. Brought it to a Ford Dealership and they were unable to find a problem directly related to this issue. They took care of other problems such as the fuel sensor. Brought it to a transmission specialist and they said the torque converter was bad and need to be replaced. Car has 89k miles on it.
- Danielson, CT, USA
Shortly after having new tires installed at the dealership the following warnings displayed: AWD Fault Service Required, Hill Start Assist, Pre-Collision and Traccontrol. Mileage was around 10,700, June 2025. Dealer unable to look at until July 2025. Advised that the RDU motor needed replacement. Replacement was completed 7/23/25. The vehicle was 5 months past the Powertrain warranty. So out of pocket was over $1,900. Given the low mileage on the vehicle it seems that this should not have happened. Research here and other websites indicate this is a known issue. The dealer indicated the same.
- Port Angeles, WA, USA
Power Train Fault Indicator came on indicating that the Turbo Charger was in an underboost condition. This caused the vehicle to lose power on the highway which could have placed my family in a unsafe condition.
- Big Spring, TX, USA
Component: Powertrain / Transmission Vehicle: 2020 Ford Escape Mileage at failure: 53,500 Transmission began violently jerking, hesitating, and mis-shifting around 53,000 miles. Brought to Ford of Sunnyvale on May 2, 2025 where the dealership diagnosed complete transmission failure. Instead of replacing, they installed a software update that masked the problem for a few weeks before it returned worse. Vehicle is now unsafe to drive -?" surging, delayed shifting, unpredictable acceleration -?" especially dangerous for highway merging or family use. This is a known issue with Ford-??s 8F35 transmission. Ford TSB 22-2281 documents widespread failures and need for planetary gear replacement. What-??s more concerning is that this failure occurred within what should have been the 5-year/60k powertrain warranty. Ford denied full coverage based on a hidden warranty start date from demo use. I was never informed at lease that the warranty had started 6 months earlier. My wife drives our two small children in this car, and it is now unsafe and undrivable. Ford should be held accountable not only for the mechanical failure, but for masking the problem and compromising customer safety.
- Palo Alto, CA, USA
I started experiencing transmission issues with my vehicle around 80,000 miles. When I initially brought it to a Ford dealership for inspection, I was told there was nothing wrong-?"despite also reporting other concerns with the vehicle. The jerking and shifting issues continued over the following months and became more frequent. Once the vehicle reached just over 100,000 miles, I returned to the dealership and was then informed that the transmission had failed. This was frustrating, as I had been reporting symptoms for a long time with no resolution. To this day, no warning lights or dashboard messages have appeared to indicate any transmission issues.No warning lights, messages, or diagnostic codes appeared before or during the progression of this issue. The only symptom has been the physical jerking and irregular shifting, which first appeared around 80,000 miles. I have a case number with Ford.
- Chicago, IL, USA
When it's hot outside, the car will not shift out of park.
- North Berwick, ME, USA
Transmission shredded internally after piston blew.
- Pine City, MN, USA
turn on vehicle dashboard lights up where my AWD not working, my collision assist not working, Trac not working, drive mode not working. This started about a week ago from end of June. I did find a recall for 2020 Escape EcoBoost but my vin is not on there. I cannot access my drive mode my collision light does not work and I am driving in front wheel.
- Highlands Ranch , CO, USA
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the DPFE sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic to be repaired. The vehicle was repaired but the failure reoccurred approximately five months later when the check engine warning light illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that when the vehicle was started, the check engine warning light illuminated, and several minutes later, the power train warning light illuminated and a message to "Refer to the Owner-??s Manual-?? was displayed and the vehicle failed to accelerate above 40 MPH. The contact stated that the vehicle went into "LIMP Mode". The vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road and turned off. The vehicle was then towed to an independent mechanic where DTC: P0402 and P1061 were retrieved, and the vehicle was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 56,819.
- Virginia Beach, VA, USA
For 6 months, after a routine visit and safety recall preformed by ford, I have had an issue with the park brake engaging on its own. When pressing the button to disengage it, the car would not disengage and would remain locked. The only way to disengage it would be to throw the car into reverse, press the button to disengage the park brake and step on the gas pedal as fast as you could. After 6 months of trying to diagnose the issue, ford pittsville came up inconclusive, replacing multiple parts of the e-brake such as the buttons themselves, the wires connecting the brakes, and checking over the brakes. The issue itself was unrecreatable but the only common denominator was remote starting the car via the app. The most recent investigation this past month conducted by ford revealed that the pin for my brake and e brake was loose after they (ford) had replaced it. They fixed the connection and delivered my car to me. I hadnt even driven the car yet, only remote started it due to the heat. When the car was started, it immediately popped up with a new issue. The powertrain had failed, with codes popping up via fords system indicating the: park brake, brake system, gear shift, and 5 other codes that i cannot recall at the moment showing on their system. Ford diagnosed the problem, finding the gear shift itself was not engaging due to a loose pin (code: P0929:77). I was told that the car was safe to drive but there has been zero communication on when the part would be ordered or taken care of. I have tried to follow up multiple times with the dealership in the past two weeks and update them about the cars current state, including now with the error still showing, my steering feels loose and my car feels as if it is drifting while i drive.
- Berlin, MD, USA
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the power train warning light illuminated, and the "AWD Fault" message was displayed. The vehicle taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that an unknown module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure reoccurred approximately a year later. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 21,804.
- Middle River, MD, USA
AWD Fault
- Richfield , MN, USA
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed on two occasions, the powertrain warning light illuminated, and the vehicle lost motive power. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle on one of the occasions, the message "No Hill Assist" and another unknown message were displayed. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed that an active shutter switch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of failure. The failure mileage was approximately 47,000.
- Dayton, OH, USA
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the chrome on the gear shifter had started to peel, creating sharp edges on the shifter knob. The contact stated that while attempting to move the gear shifter, the contact sustained minor cuts to the fingers from the peeling gear shifter. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact was informed that the VIN was not under recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000.
- Springfield, MO, USA
Two issues. 1: transmission shakes, shudders, and loses power intermittently at shift points. 2: check arm spot welds broke loose at the door. Safety issue. Ford has a service bulletin for this SM 51553 And SM 50150
- Finksburg, MD, USA
Rotary style gear shift does not go into gear on hot days. Gear shift is stuck in park and will not rotate to drive or another gear, leaving motorist stranded.
- Lincoln Park, MI, USA
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact attempted to shift gear, and the vehicle jerked abnormally. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was opened. The contact was also referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 131,000.
- Bellevue, OH, USA
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact became aware of an abnormal odor on the interior of the vehicle. The contact stated that the odor was entering the interior of the vehicle through the vents. The contact stated the abnormal odor had a sweet smell. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the failure was not duplicated. In addition, the contact stated the transmission was slipping. The contact was informed that a software update needed to be performed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 43,000.
- Jacksonville, AL, USA
- Topeka, KS, USA