2020 Ford Escape Hybrid

On July 7, 2023, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE23-013 to investigate instances of check arm bracket failure in the front doors in model year (MY) 2020-2021 Ford Escape vehicles. At the time of opening, ODI received 118 Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQs) alleging this failure. To date, ODI has received 593 VOQs alleging this failure, with a variety of reported failure conditions. The most common reported failure condition was reduced door functionality (e.g. door was more difficult to open or close) and the least common was inadvertent door opening. Other reported failure conditions include inability to latch and inability to open. Three VOQs reported injuries, one of which requiring medical attention. ODI conducted a consumer survey which yielded an additional 44 injuries (although the VOQs did not indicate any injury), none of which requiring medical attention. All these injuries were bumps/bruises from the door closing on occupants’ arms and legs while entering and exiting the vehicle. The function of the check arm system is to provide hold-open assist at specific angles and to assist with door closing energy. It does not provide vertical support of the door and is independent of the latching mechanism. This failure is progressive and detectable by vehicle occupants. Consumers commonly report hearing a popping or snapping noise when opening and closing the door. This noise is caused by some of the welds between the bracket and door structure failing and detaching. There may also be visible damage present to the welds in the door structure. Continued use of the door may result in all welds separating and the bracket fully detaching from the door structure, which could lead to increased resistance in closing and opening the door, restrained window operation, and the door freely rotating when open. ODI inspected 3 consumer vehicles in the field, and 2 test vehicles at Ford’s testing facility. The test vehicles were retrofitted with the failed component. ODI observed an increased door closing resistance, however, was unable to reproduce an inadvertent open while parked or driving, or a failure to latch or open condition. Testing also verified this failure did not affect the door ajar warning system. This system provides an audible and visual warning in the event a door did not achieve primary latch position. Ford has provided details on a one-time-repair customer satisfaction program (23B56), stating that they will provide customers with a letter, currently targeted for March 2024, to bring their vehicle to a Ford dealership for a proactive repair. Dealers will inspect the door check arm welds for damage and will either provide a rivet plate to reinforce the existing door check arm or will provide a replacement door, depending on the level of damage present.  Customers will be eligible for reimbursement if they previously paid to repair this issue. In view of the high detectability of failure, low potential hazard to drivers, and Ford’s customer satisfaction program to provide a proactive repair, this Preliminary Evaluation (PE) is closed. The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist. The Agency reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by future circumstances. To review the ODI reports cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.

NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, NHTSA opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matter described in the petition. On June 24, 2023 and as supplemented on June 25, 2023, the petitioner notified NHTSA he was withdrawing his petition. The petitioner indicated that, based on his review of data, there is no justification for asserting potential benefits that could be derived from actions sought by my petition. Based on the petitioner's withdrawal, DP22-005 is closed. Closure of this DP does not represent a determination by NHTSA regarding the subject matter of the petition.

When the outside temperature gets over 95F, the rotary gear shifter locks up in Park and will not let you shift into Drive. Multiple restarts over 30 minutes with the A/C center console pointed down to cool off the rotary shifter dial. This really is annoying. Twice I was late for appointments. I am handicapped disabled veteran and need this car to work, 100 percent of the time. The ford escape online forums, nor Ford have a fix. It's a KNOWN problem on the forums. Ford said they fixed it when I sent it in for an unrelated maintenance stop. DID NOT FIX IT.

NHTSA ID

11755477

Incident

Jul 27, 2026

​VEHICLE INFORMATION ​Year/Make/Model: 2020 Ford Escape Hybrid Titanium ​Component: Electrical / Instrument Cluster / Digital Display Unit (IPC) ​Hazard: Critical Visual Hazard & Operational Safety Defect ​STATEMENT OF SAFETY CONCERN The 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster in the 2020 Ford Escape Titanium is experiencing severe pixelation and flickering, indicating imminent screen failure. Because this trim lacks mechanical gauges, screen failure blinds the driver to vital real-time operating metrics: ​Speedometer: Prevents real-time speed monitoring, increasing collision risk. ​Engine Temperature: Hides thermal warnings, risking sudden engine breakdown or overheating. ​Fuel Gauge: Obscures fuel levels, risking sudden loss of propulsion in active traffic. ​Warning Lights: Hides critical alerts for Brake System, Airbags, Tire Pressure, and High-Voltage Hybrid System faults. ​OPERATIONAL HAZARD ANALYSIS Driving with a malfunctioning instrument panel creates immediate hazards: ​Driver Distraction: Constant screen flickering directly in the driver's line of sight creates a dangerous visual distraction, especially at night. ​Power Loss Risk: Lack of fuel/hybrid monitoring increases the likelihood of stalling on highways or busy intersections. ​Loss of Safety Warnings: The vehicle cannot communicate critical restraint or braking system failures to the driver. ​REQUESTED ACTION / RESOLUTION This condition represents an active safety defect. I request: ​Immediate diagnostic and replacement of the digital instrument cluster unit (IPC) or control module under applicable technical/safety service guidelines. ​Formal documentation of this defect with Ford Motor Company and reporting to federal regulators (NHTSA).

NHTSA ID

11751650

Incident

May 12, 2026

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to a local dealer for NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V123000 (Back Over Prevention). The dealer performed the software reprogramming; however, a week after the recall repair, the display screen and rearview camera shut off again. Additionally, a piece of interior ceiling trim fell and struck the contact's arm, resulting in a minor injury. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not repaired due to the dealer's request for a diagnostic fee for the recall remedy inadequacy. The contact mentioned that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the same dealer, where it was informed that the vehicle needed an unknown oil. The vehicle was repaired, but the check engine light continued to be illuminated. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 82,000.

NHTSA ID

11748752

Incident

Jun 23, 2026

Mileage

82,000 mi

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 ID

11748234

Incident

Jul 3, 2026

Our 2020 Ford Escape Titanium began making a flutter noise at lower speeds. An independent mechanic checked for codes and none were present. He advised to drive until the check engine light comes on. Two days later the car had a knocking noise in the engine compartment. Driving home, accelerating onto a hiway the engine made a loud metallic noise as the engine started to overspeed. The car shut itself off and we pulled over to the shoulder. We were stuck on a 65 mph 4 lane hiway for 3 hours trying to work with roadside assistance for a tow. We towed it to McGraw Ford in Aransas Pass, TX and it sat in their back lot for 8 weeks with no diagnosis. We then had it towed to a Ford certified mechanic near our home and he wanted many hours of labor as the transmission needed to be removed to provide an estimate. He was throwing numbers approaching $10k as a guess. We elected to sell the car to a private party for far less than its value.

NHTSA ID

11747622

Incident

Apr 19, 2026

The panoramic sunroof cover, it is available for inspection upon request my safety was jeopardized while driving my car at the time, the problem has not been reproduced, but it has been confirmed by dealer the Ford dealer told me that it would cost me $2000 plus a $200 labor fee to get it repaired and I did tell him that I had looked on a site and saw that this happened happened to a lot of Ford escape buyers. There weren’t any warnings as I was driving, and I pushed the button to open up the sunroof. The cover just flapped and went all the way back as I was driving and came off of the track and the black plastic part that’s in the middle fell down and I could never get that to stick back up again. I first noticed when I would have my sunroof slanted. I never would open it all the way, but just slanted. I would hear a rattling noise so I would close it and I opened my sunroof all the way up twice and the third time when I decided to open it all the way up while I was driving that’s when the whole thing just fell, fell the middle black part and the cover while I was driving and it scared the daylights out of me while I was driving on the road.

NHTSA ID

11747278

Incident

Jun 19, 2024

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V123000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted but the vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the sync screen intermittently displayed an inverted image. The contact added that the inability to properly use the display posed a safety risk, as it may increase the likelihood of a crash. The approximate failure mileage was 79,000.

NHTSA ID

11734867

Incident

Mar 25, 2026

Mileage

79,000 mi

Sluggish acceleration, car would not go faster than 37 MPH at full throttle, appeared to be running on hybrid motor only, not on engine power. 2020 Ford Escape Hybrid. 2.5 L engine. Only got 1 mile, returned home. No smoke, no fire, just not accelerating. Car was completely fine the day before. Got towed to Ford dealer next morning.

NHTSA ID

11682471

Incident

Aug 14, 2025

Some 2020-2026 Escape and 2022-2026 Maverick 2.5L Duratec hybrid vehicles may require various repairs on the exhaust system. This may require removal of the exhaust heat exchanger. WSM, Section 309-00 Exhaust System > 2.5L Duratec hybrid > Removal and Installation > Exhaust Heat Exchanger has been revised to eliminate the need to remove the muffler assembly. The procedure steps and labor times have been updated to reflect this adjustment.

This article supersedes TSB 23-2244 to add 2024 model year. Some 2020-2024 Escape hybrid vehicles equipped with a 2.5L (FHEV) full hybrid electric vehicle powertrain and 4-wheel drive (4WD) may exhibit a grinding or rubbing noise while braking at or below 10 mph (16 km/h) from the front of the vehicle. This may be due to an inadequate gap between the driveshaft and the heat shield. To correct this condition, follow the Service Procedure to diagnose and position the heat shield away from the driveshaft.

2020-2023 Escape/Explorer, 2021-2023 F-150 and 2022-2023 Maverick vehicles equipped with a full hybrid electric vehicle (FHEV) powertrain may exhibit a cable connection error screen from the Midtronics xRC-3363 High Voltage Battery Rescue Charger. The xRC-3363 will prompt the technician to verify the low voltage connections, when no actual fault is present. This may be due to the software level of the Midtronics xRC-3363 High Voltage Battery Rescue Charger. To correct this condition, update the Midtronics xRC-3363 High Voltage Battery Rescue Charger to the latest software level by navigating to the Main Menu > Settings > About (i) then selecting the download button in the bottom right corner of the tool's screen.

Some 2020-2023 Escape, 2021-2023 Corsair vehicles equipped with 2.5L engine full hybrid electric vehicle (FHEV) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) powertrain and 2022-2023 Maverick vehicles equipped with 2.5L engine FHEV powertrain may exhibit a condition where the 12V battery voltage is low or discharged with diagnostic trouble code (DTC) U3003:62 stored in the direct current/direct current (DC/DC) converter control module. The vehicle may also exhibit DTC U3003:16 and/or U3000:04 stored in the DC/DC converter control module. This may be due to an open in the 300 amp high-current fuse F4 located in the high-current battery junction box (BJB). To correct this condition, refer to Workshop Manual (WSM), Section 414-05 > Pinpoint Test H to verify the 300 amp high-current fuse condition. If the high-current fuse is found to be open, replace the high-current fuse per the application listing in the parts catalog. Recharge and test the 12v battery. For repairs under warranty, use the base part number of the component that caused the damage to the fuse.

Some 2021-2023 Bronco Sport vehicles equipped with a 1.5L engine built on or before 30-Nov-2022, 2021-2023 Bronco Sport vehicles equipped with a 2.0L engine built on or before 28-Feb-2022 or 2020-2022 Escape/Corsair non-plug in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) vehicles built on or before 30-Apr-2022 may exhibit a chatter/shudder during low speed turning events. This may be due to contamination of the rear drive unit (RDU) fluid through the RDU vent hose. To correct the condition, follow the Service Procedure to replace the RDU vent hose.

Some 2020-2023 Escape/2021-2023 Corsair equipped with 2.5L engine full hybrid electric vehicle (FHEV) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) powertrain and 2022-2023 Maverick vehicles equipped with 2.5L engine FHEV powertrain may exhibit a condition where the 12V battery voltage is low or discharged with diagnostic trouble code (DTC) U3003:62 stored in the direct current/direct current converter control module (DC/DC). The vehicle may also exhibit DTC U3003:16 and/or U3000:04 stored in the DC/DC module. This may be due to an open in the 300 amp high-current fuse F4 located in the high-current battery junction box (BJB).