2021 Ford Escape Hybrid Body & structure Problems

Subject: Formal Complaint – Recall 23B56 & 23S27 + Rental Car Reimbursement Demand – McCombs Ford (7111 NW Loop 410) To Whom It May Concern, I am writing to file a formal complaint regarding the unacceptable service I experienced at McCombs Ford West, located at 7111 NW Loop 410, San Antonio, TX, concerning two open safety recalls on my 2021 Ford Escape, VIN: [XXX] and to formally request reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses caused directly by the dealership's failure to prepare for my scheduled appointment. I scheduled a service appointment in February 2026 to address two outstanding safety recalls: •Recall 23B56 – Inspect front door check-arm reinforcement spot welds •Recall 23S27 – Underhood fire risk After waiting nearly five months, I was given an appointment on July 7, 2026. I dropped off my 2021 Ford Escape on July 7, 2026 as scheduled. At drop-off, I was informed the repairs would take multiple days, and I was told no loaner vehicle would be provided. Based on that, I rented a vehicle at my own expense to cover my transportation needs. The following day, I received a call from the service department informing me: 1.Recall 23B56 (Door Reinforcement): The dealership was unable to perform the repair because they had never ordered the required replacement door — despite having five months' notice from my original February 2026 booking. They stated they would "order it now." This is entirely unacceptable and reflects a clear failure of basic service planning. 2.Recall 23S27 (Underhood Fire): The dealership refused to perform Supporting documents attached : McCombs Ford service reference document & rental car invoice ($43.92) Reference details /dealership : MCCOMBS. 7111 N.W. LOOP 410 SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS 78238 (210) 509-1000 VIN: [XXX] 23S27 UNDER HOOD FIRE 26S14 FRONT WIPER MOTOR REPAIR 23E09 REPROGRAM POWERTRAIN CONTROL MODULE 23B56 INSPECT FRONT DOOR CHECK-ARM REINFORCEMENT SPOT WELDS 23N06 LONG BLOCK REPLACEMENT INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C.

NHTSA ID

11750554

Incident

Jul 7, 2026

My driver front door latch assembly failed at 42,153 miles. I had it inspected and repaired at the dealership. I had to pay out of pockets due to no longer being covered by the 3/36 warranty. The symptoms were that the driver front door would not lock at all. It took a while to figure this out as I just thought maybe we left it unlocked. Also this vehicle has the perimeter key fob so it automatically unlocks when you have the fob with you and attempting to open. This had been going in fine moths u til we figured out the problem and took it to the dealership. They did offer a discount since I purchased it there but they said due to the design it messed an entire assembly and was over $1k before the discount. They also had parts in stock and I did confirm they had seen this failure before. While we did not have an actual incident happen with us, our vehicle was vulnerable and we had no idea, because the lock appeared to work and it still moved visually, it just wasn’t actually doing anything inside the door. This is my wife’s vehicle so my fear was either someone breaking into the vehicle or even worse, attempting to enter the vehicle while she was inside but she would be unable to lock the doors. As mentioned, the dealer did repair the vehicle and it is worked properly for now. Thought we did have to pay out of pocket.

NHTSA ID

11685429

Incident

Sep 4, 2025

Door fails to stay open. Closed on my leg and caused bruising. Window will not close once open. Dealer has known of problem for two months but says there is no one locally to fix it.

NHTSA ID

11638126

Incident

Jan 15, 2025

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while the vehicle was inspected, it failed the emissions inspection. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed that the communication module was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact became aware of customer satisfaction 22n15 as a probable cause for the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 46,000.

NHTSA ID

11625566

Incident

Nov 5, 2024

Mileage

46,000 mi

Left front door check arm welds broken away (same as SMS 50150). Popping sound when door is used. Driver door difficult to open posing a danger.

NHTSA ID

11622112

Incident

Oct 25, 2024

Drivers door Arm assembly that limits door opening. First it started to have a small 'click' when closing. Then it had a loud clicking and snapping noise. Tried to lubricate assy. Didnt help. The next day, the door wouldn't close. Inspected the arm and found it detached from the door at the welds. In order to drive vehicle i unbolted the arm at the door jam and removed the two nuts from the arm assy. Then pushed the assembly into the door. Made sure it Fell to the bottom of the door . Window works and door now closes and opens normally . But the door opens too far and doesnt stay open on its own.

NHTSA ID

11610649

Incident

Aug 10, 2024

Driver side door hinge pops when opening and closing. Spoke to a Ford dealer and since we are now just over 36,000 miles, our warranty is out. Concerned the door will not close/open or open while in motion. Need to drive this vehicle to work everyday.

NHTSA ID

11579589

Incident

Mar 11, 2024

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the front driver’s side door failed to open wide as designed. Additionally, the front driver’s side window failed to roll down as needed. The contact stated that upon conducting a visual inspection of the vehicle, her husband noticed that the door welds between the door check arm bracket and the door frame had fractured and detached. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 71,000.

NHTSA ID

11579302

Incident

Feb 25, 2024

Mileage

71,000 mi

Driver door spot welds broken. Lot of noise opening door. Sounds like ready to fall off. Understand it has been reported by numerous others.

NHTSA ID

11575129

Incident

Feb 15, 2024

I reported a known critical safety issue regarding my 2021 Ford Escape Hybrid to Ford Motor Company and the dealer on 2/21/2024. I requested they repair this widespread issue to them requesting a free repair but they refused. This defect is also documented in Ford Service Bulletin SSM-50150. The issue is that there is a potential defect in the front door weld, which may cause the door to unexpectedly open while the vehicle is in motion, posing a significant safety risk to the driver, passengers, and other road users. My door pops and creaks and squeals every time the door is opened and the hinge seizes up. This is an operational as well as a safety issue, and the door has been reported in other cases to come open unexpectedly as there is a defect in the weld on the hinge of the driver door.

NHTSA ID

11573174

Incident

Feb 21, 2024

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. That contact stated that while attempting to enter the vehicle, the driver's side door failed to open as intended. After a visual inspection, the contact observed that the door hinge attachment point had detached. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle 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 42,000.

NHTSA ID

11571537

Incident

Jan 20, 2024

Mileage

42,000 mi

On the drivers side door, all of the rivets / welding have broken off creating a cracking / breaking sound every time the door opens. The door also will not stay open on its own, and often times will not open completely.

NHTSA ID

11566934

Incident

Dec 11, 2023

drivers side door hinge broke, making it difficult to enter/exit the vehicle. Note: was NOT due to any high wind or carelessness on my part. Took to dealer this morning and they need to have BODY SHOP make repair!

NHTSA ID

11564217

Incident

Jan 9, 2023

Day after purchase of car, door was making noise. Took it to location ford dealer only to be told it's the door check welds and it's $3k+ to replace the entire door. It's gotten so bad, I have to force door to shut.

NHTSA ID

11562284

Incident

Dec 18, 2023

The driver's side door suddenly made a large popping noise when I opened it one day. Since then, it continues to make this noise and sometimes won't close all the way. The driver's side window has also stopped working properly. It will go down just a couple of inches and stop - fortunately, it's been able to go back up but it seems to struggle so much to close that I just don't use it anymore on the chance that it won't go up at all. I looked online for suggestions and discovered that I am not the only one with this problem. I cannot afford to repair it, so I am just living with it and hope that it will close every time I use it. I am careful to make sure the door seems to be connected on the times it struggles to close properly so that it won't open while I'm driving. I can't use drive thrus anymore as the window doesn't work and the door is risky to close right. I see that an investigation has been opened and I would like to make you aware that I'm having the very same issue.

NHTSA ID

11561887

Incident

Sep 1, 2023

2021 Escape with 61,000 miles and normal use (commuting for work). The Driver door check arm welds have failed causing a crunching noise when opening and closing. Ford dealership says it's not a warranty repair and refuses to fix the problem. There are two SSM/TSBs regarding this problem SSM 51553 and SSM 50150. Problem is causing the driver window to not operate.

NHTSA ID

11558344

Incident

Nov 20, 2023

Drivers side front door check arm attachment points separated. Door malfunctioning which renders window inoperable. Ford service indicated only recourse is a replacement of the full door assembly. There was no incident of over opening the door!

NHTSA ID

11556798

Incident

Nov 22, 2023

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, there was an abnormal sound while opening the driver’s side front door. The vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to call the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 44,000.

NHTSA ID

11555643

Incident

Nov 15, 2023

Mileage

44,000 mi

Drivers side door is making a popping sound and piece on the inside part(plate?) of the door is moving when the door closes. Passenger side has the same part but it does not move or make noise.

NHTSA ID

11550338

Incident

Oct 15, 2023

Door Weld is broken in drivers door. Extended warranty with EasyCare will not cover it. It is a known issue with this vehicle. How do we get it fixed, without spending out of pocket to fix Ford's issue

NHTSA ID

11546584

Incident

Sep 1, 2023

Front drivers side door suddenly started making crunching sound when opening. There was no damage, accident, warning or any other incident that proceeded it. It was working normally and then it wasn’t. It is a safety issue because the door doesn’t open fully and the window and door locks do also not work properly. Window will roll down but not up which makes it impossible to secure vehicle. Cannot open locked door with remote, must manually unlock from passenger side. Could be dangerous if needing to get in vehicle quickly. Was taken to Ford dealer who said door needed to be replaced but didn’t have a body shop and left it to us to figure out.

NHTSA ID

11545302

Incident

Aug 13, 2023

The door check arm on the driver's side door weld broke. Before it happened, it would make a noise when closing before it broke. The dealer has confirmed it and wants to replace the whole door. I would be required to pay for it plus the painting of the door. I have found that this problem has happened before. This issue is a safety problem and should be a recall. There was no accident. This part was failing for 3 to 4 weeks. I had no clue the part was failing. The car is currently at the dealer.

NHTSA ID

11544663

Incident

Sep 14, 2023

Driver door hinge weld broke. The door makes loud popping sound and the window will not go down.

NHTSA ID

11543758

Incident

Sep 11, 2023

Most of the welds on the driver door bracket that holds the door latch mechanism have failed.

NHTSA ID

11541851

Incident

Aug 31, 2023

Driver side door hinge welds have gave way as making popping sounds and the window does not roll down all the way.

NHTSA ID

11541349

Incident

Aug 24, 2023