10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
5 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
3,330 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.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2021 Ford Escape:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

Get free help with your lemon!
close ad
problem #35

May 052024

Escape

  • miles
Almost every single time I back up my brakes make an awful noise. I've had the brakes looked at and nothing is wrong with them, I have read numerous articles about other people having this same issue with their 2021 Ford Escapes. Others have brought this to Ford's attention, and they always get told "that's normal". I should not have to hear my brakes screaming for no reason at 7am when leaving work, it is embarrassing and honestly irritating speaking that I would expect my vehicle to have no issues when ford talks to highly about the "quality" of their vehicles.

- Warsaw, IN, USA

problem #34

Oct 112023

Escape

  • miles
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-??

- Detroit, MI, USA

problem #33

Nov 012021

Escape

  • 8,000 miles
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.

- Tigerville, SC, USA

problem #32

Nov 012021

Escape

  • 100 miles
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.

- Phenix City, AL, USA

problem #31

Nov 182021

Escape

  • 2,965 miles
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 (/ when the fuel injector cracks) and add engenie software to alert drivers when fuel rail pressure has dropped.

- Sandy Springs , GA, USA

problem #30

Mar 172022

Escape 3-cyl

  • miles
I bought my 2021 Ford Escape in June 2021 new. Shortly after I bought it, I started to hear a really loud screeching sound, very similar to a train coming to a screeching halt, whenever I reversed my car. I brought it into an Illinois ford dealership and they said nothing was wrong with it. Shortly thereafter, I received a notice in the mail about a warranty for the back brakes. Thinking that I solved my issue, I brought my car into a different dealership in Michigan and had them fix the brake pads. To my dismay and frustration, the brakes still made the terrible sound. I asked the folks why it was still making that sound and they said it was normal. A car backing up should never make that sound. Not only is it terrible sounding but it seems like a major safety concern. The Michigan dealership said that the brakes can make a squealing noise anytime their is condensation on the brake pads, mainly due to the fact that the brakes/brake pads have some sort of metal material in them. I decided to move up the food chain and call the corporate ford office but they couldn-??t help me either. Which brought me to filing a formal complaint and seeing what you all can do to help me out. There are several folks out their on the internet that are having the same loud squealing noise as me and are being told it is -??nothing wrong.-?? But a normal car SHOULD NOT BE making those sounds. Please let me know if you can assist.

- Naperville, IL, USA

problem #29

May 132023

Escape 3-cyl

  • miles
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

- Waldorf, MD, USA

problem #28

Jan 032022

Escape

  • miles
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.

- Marine , MN, USA

problem #27

Mar 242023

Escape

  • miles
The braking system is extremely choppy and sensitive and even after having the car almost a year I have been unable to master it. I have a plug in feature for my insurance purposes and it goes off 7-10 times that I break because of the sensitivity of the brakes. I-??ve owned many vehicles and I-??ve never had issues such as these to the extent I-??ve told others I would NOT recommend this car to anyone! The steering is also very sensitive so much so that I fear one emergency shift would easily send the car out of control of rolling.

- N Charleston , SC, USA

problem #26

Feb 092023

Escape

  • miles
There was a brake recall on my vehicle last year. Which was supposedly repaired. I was still having issues with the brakes so I took it to the dealership for a secondary repair. They flat out told me it would not fix the problem and goes is working on it. But according to their records. The recall has been fixed. And it has not been. I have attempted repairs through the dealership twice. And my brakes are still not working properly.

- Milton, DE, USA

problem #25

Dec 272022

Escape

  • 16,000 miles
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated while reversing and depressing the brake pedal, the brakes made an abnormally loud sound. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer three times. The dealer replaced the rear and front brake caliper bushings; however, the failure persisted. The contact stated that the failure mostly occurred while reversing the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist. The failure mileage was approximately 16,000.

- Cairo, GA, USA

problem #24

Nov 102022

Escape

  • miles
When braking in reverse, especially in the mornings, there's a horrible grinding noise. It acts as if it doesn't want to stop. Have contacted the dealership multiple times and they claim they've addressed the recall issue but it just continues. They've gotten to the point that they won't return my calls to address the issue.

- Berkeley Springs, WV, USA

problem #23

Nov 222021

Escape

  • miles
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.

- Milton, DE, USA

problem #22

Dec 262022

Escape

  • 48,971 miles
The contact leased a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated while reversing and depressing the brake pedal, the brakes emitted an abnormal squealing sound. The contact stated that the failure mainly occurred while reversing. Additionally, a message indicating that the Forward Collision Avoidance camera had failed and needed to be repaired was displayed. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was 48,971.

- Royse City, TX, USA

problem #21

Dec 192022

Escape

  • miles
Received a notice that a recall was necessary to correct fuel vapor issues which might result in a fire. Simultaneously notified the dealer that the brake booster was defective. They agreed and both assured me the part had been delivered and subsequently informed me that the part for the brakes was defective. I was told that the fuel vapor issue had been addressed and resolved however according to your records it has not. I have been waiting for a call that the parts were available for the warranty repairs since December 19.

- Sun City West, AZ, USA

problem #20

May 012021

Escape

  • 7 miles
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.

- Wooton, KY, USA

problem #19

Sep 302022

Escape

  • miles
Brakes are squealing very badly when in reverse, (going down a hill or when have not been used in a few days or after a rain storm). Windshield sub-stained a splintered crack after only 2 months, quality of windshield seems weak.

- Centreville, VA, USA

problem #18

Aug 292022

Escape

  • 6,000 miles
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while reversing, the brake pedal was depressed and there was an abnormal screeching noise detected. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who informed him the failure was due to the weather. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 6,000.

- Brighton, MI, USA

problem #17

Aug 012022

Escape

  • miles
Breaks make a grinding sound when backing out

- Pengilly, MN, USA

problem #16

Mar 172022

Escape

  • miles
My time time has almost caused me to pass various stop signs and red lights as well as rear end vehicles in front of me who stop abruptly due to increase traffic in my area for summer. The brakes also squeak terribly. I need this repaired ASAP before I cause an accident and Ford still has yet to provide the parts to complete the repairs and this is my only vehicle. I have had the vehicle less then a year

- Milton, DE, USA

Read the next 15 complaints »