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2021 Ford Escape PHEV Problems

Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
20
Latest May 28, 2025
Components namedHow many of our component categories appear on at least one report for this model year. One report can name several.
11
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
1

What this page shows

Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2021 Ford Escape PHEV, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Reports by component

Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category

  • Engine830.8%
  • Body & structure27.7%
  • Fuel system13.8%
  • Other / unspecified13.8%
  • Powertrain (other)13.8%
  • Seat belts13.8%
  • Airbags13.8%
  • Visibility13.8%
  • Brakes13.8%
  • Driver assistance13.8%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Each component in detail

What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words

Engine

Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.

8
reports

From owner reports, verbatim

The contact owned a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at 35 MPH and attempting to slow the vehicle, he became dizzy then suddenly fainted, and as a result, he briefly lost control of the vehicle and came to a complete stop after colliding with the curb. Just prior to fainting, the contact had smelled burning fumes in the interior of the vehicle, to which he attributed his feeling of dizziness. The air bags did deploy. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard and deemed a total loss by the contact's insurance provider. A police report was filed, and injuries were reported. The contact was transported to an area hospital by EMT, where they performed various tests, including 2 CAT scans, a heart ultrasound, a pacemaker test, and blood work. Furthermore, the contact was treated for intestinal inflammation due to the seatbelt. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V380000 (Engine), and the VIN was included, but he was made aware that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 29,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ID 11586824 · filed May 3, 2024

My family was driving on the highway to a sports event when the engine started making a high revving sound. We were driving up a hill at around 70mph and in response to the engine noise, slowed the vehicle to a stop and turned off the engine. The vehicle was towed to a Ford service center where we were told that the engine was completely out of oil and had been destroyed. We did not get any alerts or warnings from the vehicle prior to the high revving sound. According to Ford recall 23S27 and NHTSA recall 23V380, this is a known issue and could have put our family at significant risk. We spoke to many people at Ford but they denied warranty coverage due to "improper oil filter installation". We were without our vehicle for 2 months before we decided to have another mechanic give an estimate and complete the repairs. The repair was a full engine replacement costing $7,000+. Ford has since refused to reimburse us for the repair costs. The incident occurred on 10/6/23 with around 52,000 miles. The vehicle was purchased new on 10/24/21.

NHTSA ID 11572182 · filed Feb 15, 2024
All 8 reports naming engine

Electrical

Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.

8
reports

From owner reports, verbatim

The contact owns a 2021 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 not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ID 11663389 · filed May 28, 2025

The contact owns a 2021 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 exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The manufacturer stated the remedy was expected to be available second quarter of 2025; however, it could not give an exact date. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ID 11654133 · filed Apr 11, 2025
All 8 reports naming electrical

Body & structure

Reports naming the vehicle structure, frame, body panels, doors, hood and trim.

2
reports

From owner reports, verbatim

I was issued a letter back in June 2023 on this recall. Parts were supposed to be available by October 2023. It is now almost March of 2024 with no remedy

NHTSA ID 11572280 · filed Feb 16, 2024

2021 Ford Escape PHEV Power Liftgate. First three weeks (320 miles) of ownership the power liftgate opened or closed spontaneously 5-6. On each occasion the engine/electric was off, the car was in park and the parking brake on. While still in the cabin the liftgate opened spontaneously opened. On three occasions the liftgate closed spontaneously. My foot was not near the foot-activated mechanism. On the last occasion, I was unloading 50# bags from the cargo area and the gate came down, no injury. On one occasion the liftgate opened and hit the control arm of my garage door creasing the sheet metal and causing $900.00 of damage. The car has been examined by the dealer, the problem did not duplicate due to its random nature. No repair and no advice. Ford notified and case number started.

NHTSA ID 11422033 · filed Jun 23, 2021

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Fuel system

Reports naming fuel storage or delivery — tanks, pumps, lines, injectors and fuel leaks.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

I was issued a letter back in June 2023 on this recall. Parts were supposed to be available by October 2023. It is now almost March of 2024 with no remedy

NHTSA ID 11572280 · filed Feb 16, 2024

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Other / unspecified

Reports whose component NHTSA recorded as unknown, or that do not map to one of the categories above.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 5 MPH and coming to a complete stop, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The failure recurred several times. The battery warning light was illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed or repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V149000 (Electrical System, Hybrid Propulsion System) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 4,600.

NHTSA ID 11459025 · filed Mar 30, 2022

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Powertrain (other)

Powertrain reports that are not specifically the engine or transmission — driveshafts, axles, transfer cases and differentials.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V954000 (Electrical System). The contact stated that while pulling out of the driveway, the message "Stop Safely Now" was displayed, and the vehicle inadvertently shifted into park(P) and failed to shift into the intended gear. The power train warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to two dealers where the failure was unable to be duplicated. The vehicle was towed to another dealer, but the failure was not duplicated. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 51,988.

NHTSA ID 11645045 · filed Feb 26, 2025

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Seat belts

Reports naming seat belts, buckles, retractors and pretensioners.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

The car shakes while the car is in idle. The car displays an illuminated crossed out child car seat and the word “on”. These two alerts do not turn off. Even though there is no one seated in a back and two adults are seated in the front seats. It also leaks fluid. I have an appointment with a ford dealer this Tuesday and I already contacted the ford corporate office. #CA********

NHTSA ID 11525162 · filed Jun 3, 2023

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Airbags

Reports naming the air-bag system — deployment behaviour, inflators, sensors and warning lights.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

The car shakes while the car is in idle. The car displays an illuminated crossed out child car seat and the word “on”. These two alerts do not turn off. Even though there is no one seated in a back and two adults are seated in the front seats. It also leaks fluid. I have an appointment with a ford dealer this Tuesday and I already contacted the ford corporate office. #CA********

NHTSA ID 11525162 · filed Jun 3, 2023

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Visibility

Reports naming windshields, glass, wipers, defrosters and mirrors.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

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.

NHTSA ID 11487308 · filed Sep 30, 2022

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Brakes

Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

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.

NHTSA ID 11487308 · filed Sep 30, 2022

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Driver assistance

Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

Our 2021 Ford Escape has "Intelligent" adaptive cruise control. It has the capacity to adjust our car speed based on the highway speed limit signs it encounters. It reads all speed correctly but it also reads "black and white, square, numeric, County Road signs as Speed Signs. This is dangerous as many County Road signs have numerics that drastically exceed the posted speed limit and cause the car to rapidly excellerate around a curve or in neighborhood settings. So for example, in a 35 mph speed zone, the car sees the County Road 85 sign and rapidly attempts to excelerate by 50 mph to 85 mph. This surprises you and forces you to seek the brake pedal in an attempt to avoid a casualty. We have reported this to Ford and brought our vehicle in twice now regarding the issue. On 10/5/22 Ford replaced the car's image module to help clarify highway signs for adaptive cruise. This did not remedy the problem. After nearly running over an animal because of this issue, we brought the car back to Ford on 5/8/24 to correct this issue under our nearly expired warranty. They had our vehicle for 3 weeks. We furnished them with photos of the County Road signs the car's speed was erroneously triggered by, such as Co Rd 85 or 106! After much research with Ford International, the dealer determined that this is a software bug. On a recent "on-line" Ford document, on page 289, it states "Note: The system may not detect all speed signs and may incorrectly read signs." This can occur when the county road signs are similar in shape and color to a speed limit sign. This is a limitation of the system and currently cannot be avoided or corrected." Please understand this information is not listed in our 2021 Escape Owners Manual. Furthermore, on the 2024 Escape loaner vehicle we had for 3 weeks while ours was in the shop, Ford changed out their adaptive cruise control system from "Intelligent to Predictive" which now uses GPS to compensate. Meanwhile our car remains a hazard to drive. Help!

NHTSA ID 11592683 · filed Jun 5, 2024

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.

Elsewhere on this vehicle

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .