2022 Ford Escape Hybrid Owner Complaints

On 20 July 2026, my 2022 Ford Escape HEV caught fire in the engine compartment while parked. The vehicle is likely a total loss (insurance pending). On-site emergency personnel responded within minutes of the fire and the local fire department was on scene within 5 minutes of the 911 call. They cleared the incident (and d/c the 12V) within 32 minutes of arrival. Detroit Fire Department Incident: 202620101471. This vehicle was subject to Ford Safety Recall 23S27 and Customer Satisfaction Program 23N06, which address a manufacturing defect in the 2.5L HEV/PHEV engine. Under that recall, connecting rod bearing journals were not properly finished, causing premature bearing and engine failure that can release engine oil and fuel vapor into the under-hood area resulting in a fire. The recall remedy was completed on my vehicle, as were all customer satisfaction program campaigns. The dealer performed the PCM software update, which is intended to detect early signs of bearing failure through diagnostic trouble codes (P1061 and P032F) so the failure can be caught before an engine breach occurs. The engine long block was NOT replaced. Under Ford's own criteria, long block replacement was only authorized if the vehicle exhibited loud metal-to-metal clanking noises, a loss of torque, or the associated diagnostic codes. Dealership personnel assured me an engine light would illuminate and I would have time to safely move the vehicle to the side of the road. My vehicle did not have any warnings: no clanking, loss of torque, or leaks-no diagnostic warnings of any kind before the fire. The recall remedy did not prevent the exact failure it was designed to prevent--Ford's response was inadequate to protect owners. My NHTSA VIN lookup shows no open recalls. I completed every recall and CSP Ford issued. I have complete dealer service records for this vehicle, photos of the damage, hi-res surveillance video is saved at work, as well. The vehicle is intact and has not been salvaged.

NHTSA ID

11752612

Incident

Jul 20, 2026

The contact owns a 2022 Ford F-150. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V104000 (Electrical System, Exterior Lighting); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated upon starting the vehicle, the message " Trailer Brake Module Failure" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the integrated trailer module (ITRM) had failed and needed to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact that the manufacturer had failed to make the part available for the repair. 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 not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 72,000.

NHTSA ID

11752318

Incident

Dec 22, 2025

Mileage

72,000 mi

The contact owned 2022 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while her husband was driving 65 MPH uphill, another vehicle attempting to make a left turn in front of the vehicle crashed into the vehicle. The contact stated that several air bags deployed inside the vehicle; however, the steering wheel and the front passenger’s side air bags failed to deploy. The contact stated that the Forward Collision Avoidance feature failed to operate during the failure. The contact sustained injuries to the head, left hand, and the back. Medical attention was sought. The contact stated that a Police report was not filed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 180,000.

NHTSA ID

11744452

Incident

Jun 11, 2026

Mileage

180,000 mi

The cloth that covers the sun roof sags into the car. One side of mine still holds the cloth mostly into place, but if that side breaks, the cloth will drop into the car which will make it impossible to see anything behind me. After receiving an estimate for repair, I was told by the repair tech that this was a common problem with these sun shade assemblies.

NHTSA ID

11741903

Incident

Nov 26, 2025

The contact owns a 2022 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the instrument panel intermittently displayed a blank screen. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and test driven, and the failure was duplicated. The vehicle was diagnosed with a defective instrument cluster, and the contact was provided an estimate for the repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and agreed to cover a partial amount of the cost of repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 38,000.

NHTSA ID

11686082

Incident

Jul 1, 2025

Mileage

38,000 mi

The contact owns a 2022 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon visual inspection, there was excessive corrosion on the driver's side door panel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that there was water entering through the front body hinge pillar and down to the rocker panel. The contact was informed that the water should drain out, but instead was causing the excessive corrosion to all four doors. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 21,000.

NHTSA ID

11682236

Incident

Dec 24, 2022

Mileage

21,000 mi

Rear brakes squeak every time I back up in the cold weather, they have attempted to fix them, still not fixed. Then when driving about 10 MPH and coming to a stop, brakes will all the sudden grip and about throw you through the dash

NHTSA ID

11680553

Incident

Jul 16, 2025

The Panoramic Sunroof Drip Molding will not stay attached. When it falls, it can rip the sunshade causing it to hang down from the roof and block the drivers rear vision. The glue pads that are provided with the molding does not last long and it causes the molding to rattle with every bump as it starts failing. THE RIPPED SUNSCREEN HAS NOT HAPPENED TO MY CAR, BUT THE MOLDING PIECE DOES KEEP FALLING OFF...NO MATTER WHAT TYPE OF ADHESIVE I USE!

NHTSA ID

11680033

Incident

Jul 26, 2025

Water in the cab. Found online a few others have posted about clogged ac drip line. By the time you find it, your carpet is ruined. Have not Been able to locate the drip line.

NHTSA ID

11677005

Incident

Jul 29, 2025

Defective door check arm, took to ford in April of 2024 and they have made no attempt to repair it.

NHTSA ID

11661562

Incident

Apr 21, 2024

The contact owns a 2022 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V954000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. 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 had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ID

11656038

Incident

Apr 22, 2025

The contact owns a 2022 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power with the high voltage warning light illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V954000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact was informed by the dealer that the part to repair the vehicle was not available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 45,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ID

11649034

Incident

Mar 18, 2025

Mileage

45,000 mi

This defect has resulted in multiple vehicle shutdowns while in operation, significantly increasing the risk of a crash. Additionally, Ford has identified a potential risk of battery thermal venting, which could lead to a vehicle fire, further endangering my safety and that of others on the road. Ford has advised not to charge the vehicle, further limiting its functionality and reliability. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes, Stevens 112 Ford has confirmed that the vehicle is experiencing high-voltage battery failure, consistent with the recall. However, they have also stated that Ford has not developed a solution to repair this issue. Ford’s hotline has advised against any further repairs at this time. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives, or others? The vehicle has been inspected and diagnosed by Stevens 112 Ford, who confirmed the issue. Ford’s technical hotline has been contacted, and they acknowledged the defect but advised against further repairs. No inspections by police or insurance representatives have taken place.

NHTSA ID

11648228

Incident

Dec 16, 2024

1. Brakes been going on since we bought it new had in shop number of times still no fix but when we try to stop there is a surge at the end and makes us go still for a bit different length each time ... 2. The blind spots will go on when nothing there

NHTSA ID

11647562

Incident

Jul 6, 2022

The contact owns a 2022 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V954000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. 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 had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ID

11644065

Incident

Feb 21, 2025

Egr coolant leak in the first 70k miles of driving the car this has been causing my check engine light to turn on and the problem is 'discovered' when the part is no longer covered by warranty.

NHTSA ID

11639693

Incident

Sep 19, 2024

See attached document for complaint.

NHTSA ID

11621293

Incident

Sep 18, 2024

The contact owns a 2022 Ford Escape. The contact stated while approaching a stop light at approximately 35 MPH with another vehicle ahead approximately five to six car lengths away, the pre collision warning system illuminated. The contact’s foot was hovering over the brake pedal; however, after placing a foot on the brake pedal, the vehicle abruptly stopped. The contact was able to continue driving the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that no fault codes were retrieved from a diagnostic test. The dealer reset the automatic braking system to the "LOW" setting from the previous "NORMAL" setting. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 36,898.

NHTSA ID

11620690

Incident

Oct 3, 2024

Mileage

36,898 mi

The vehicle was being flat towed which had been set to Neutral tow position, per Ford’s published procedure. After driving 5-7 miles from Old Orchard Beach, ME to Foxboro, MA we stopped at a stoplight. We turned right after coming to a complete stop. The front wheels locked up. We traveled about 20 yards to safely avoid any traffic issues. The vehicle had reset the transmission to Park. A set of tires on the front axle were flat spotted. The car was not running. The vehicle was dropped at a Ford dealer and the service technician informed me that there were several software updates that needed done including one to the Gateway System that could have caused my problem

NHTSA ID

11615094

Incident

Aug 10, 2024

The driver seat pokes at my tailbone and nobody can seem to find the fix for this. There is a whole forum with so many complaints about the same issue. I have had it looked at several times and put a block of wood on my seat trying to avoid the excruciating pain this seat causes me after driving for an extended period of time. I have spent a lot of money and gone to incredible lengths trying to resolve this issue and nothing works. I bought a new seat base, and a new replacement cushion as well as an additional gel cushion which I fold in half so it is double the thickness. Nothing works and I see so many in the same desperate situation. It is one particular seat base (escape 2020 - 2022) where all of the complaints for this are.

NHTSA ID

11597011

Incident

Aug 15, 2023

In March 7: Received vehicle alert from Ford PASS , "WARNING MESSAGE: SERVICE ENGINE SOON WARNING THE POWER TRAIN CONTROL MODULE HAS DETECTED THE ENGINE TIMING CHAINS EXCEEDED 95% OF THEIR USEFUL LIFE AND REQUIRES SERVICE NOW. THE CONTROL SYSTEM INVOKES A SYMPTOM OF LIMITED POWER" while I was driving in highway I5 at WA. The vehicle suddenly slow down itself and lost of acceleration. Took to the dealership ans they could not identified issue. Reset the code and returned the car back to me. In May 12: Same symptom happened again. Took to the dealership next day and the technician did see the issue since the Service Ranch icon was shown on the screen. The service advisor said they contacted Ford Engineering to see how to fix but no result. They reset the code and I brought the car back while they are still waiting form Ford engineering.

NHTSA ID

11590082

Incident

May 12, 2024

The door stop arm detatched from the door body.

NHTSA ID

11589548

Incident

Mar 5, 2024

My vehicle has a broken spot weld visible on the driver's door near the hinge. This is becoming a more common problem with Escapes according to posts I'm reading on various forums.

NHTSA ID

11589330

Incident

May 17, 2024

TPMS Sensors of Back Right and Left will not show readings and TPMS fault code will show in BCM

NHTSA ID

11585539

Incident

Apr 25, 2024

The contact owns a 2022 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V380000 (Engine) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ID

11585427

Incident

Feb 15, 2024