2021 Ford Escape PHEV Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
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%
- Electrical830.8%
- 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.
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.
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.
Electrical
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.
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.
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.
Body & structure
Reports naming the vehicle structure, frame, body panels, doors, hood and trim.
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
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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********
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.
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********
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .