2022 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 2022 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
- Engine3637.9%
- Electrical2324.2%
- Powertrain (other)1111.6%
- Fuel system77.4%
- Body & structure55.3%
- Driver assistance33.2%
- Steering33.2%
- Brakes22.1%
- Visibility11.1%
- Interior & seats11.1%
- Other / unspecified11.1%
- Suspension11.1%
- Airbags11.1%
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
this recall has been in effect for nearly 1 year & puts my car @ risk but also doesn't allow me to charge beyond 80%, greatly effecting fuel efficiency. Ford has failed to address the issue in a timely manner or offered any compensation for my additional fuel consumption or offered a realistic deadline for repair
I am writing to formally express my concern regarding the safety of my 2022 Ford Escape Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV), which I believe may have been rushed to market without sufficient development or reliability testing. As Ford’s first iteration of the Escape PHEV, it appears to suffer from multiple critical defects that suggest the technology was not fully ready for consumers. In less than 2.5 years of ownership, I have experienced the following serious safety-related issues: The vehicle is currently under recall for a defective high-voltage battery, and there have been multiple other recalls related to the PHEV technology, raising serious concerns about the reliability and safety of the overall hybrid system. NHTSA Recall Number 24V954. I experienced brake issues within the first 18 months of which have not been fixed and still making odd noises Most alarmingly, the engine failed while I was driving on the highway with under 32,000 miles on the vehicle, causing a sudden and dangerous loss of power. This incident placed me and others at serious risk of harm. While the dealership did repair the engine under warranty, Ford has not offered any meaningful assistance beyond that, nor have they provided alternative transportation or a solution that addresses my ongoing safety concerns. Ford corporate has refused to communicate with me in writing and will only speak by phone, making it extremely difficult to document discussions, obtain clear answers, or hold them accountable for their responses. Due to a lack of support from Ford, I was forced to borrow my mother’s vehicle for two weeks while mine was being serviced, as there were 17 other customers on a waitlist for a loaner vehicle at the dealership. Despite these serious problems, I still don't have a vehicle and I no longer feel safe driving the car, and a financial burden, as I now owe more on the car than it is worth on trade-in. I have not picked up the car due to safety concerns. I believe these issues
Electrical
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.
From owner reports, verbatim
The contact owns a 2022 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V789000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was contacted via an online chat. The contact had not experienced a failure.
this recall has been in effect for nearly 1 year & puts my car @ risk but also doesn't allow me to charge beyond 80%, greatly effecting fuel efficiency. Ford has failed to address the issue in a timely manner or offered any compensation for my additional fuel consumption or offered a realistic deadline for repair
Powertrain (other)
Powertrain reports that are not specifically the engine or transmission — driveshafts, axles, transfer cases and differentials.
From owner reports, verbatim
this recall has been in effect for nearly 1 year & puts my car @ risk but also doesn't allow me to charge beyond 80%, greatly effecting fuel efficiency. Ford has failed to address the issue in a timely manner or offered any compensation for my additional fuel consumption or offered a realistic deadline for repair
When Accelerating from approximately 25mph - 40mph and accelerating hard, the vehicle is shifting to Neutral (HARD). It feels like you hit a wall. Does not occur from stop. Letting off throttle and the transmission will reengage and allow full acceleration as if nothing happened. No warning indicators on dash. Is duplicatable. Vehicle had Telematics control module update in December already. Vehicle had transmission replacement 25-JUNE-2024 according to History. Tried reporting on GCR but would not permit. Sounds identical to 24S33 but this vehicle is unaffected. Will report to dealer when recall for 24S79 is available, avoiding hard acceleration if possible. May have dash camera footage if requested.
Fuel system
Reports naming fuel storage or delivery — tanks, pumps, lines, injectors and fuel leaks.
From owner reports, verbatim
My PHEV car randomly and suddenly has loss of propulsion creating a safety hazard in traffic. It seems to occur at low speeds, sometimes from waiting in line at an intersection. This fault produces a solid red battery warning light, but no additional safety warnings, nor an error code for diagnostics. I have experienced this fault randomly in April, May, and June. The worst experience was within intersection traffic when I was unable to accelerate; just coasted with cars whizzing past. My usual dealership servicing staff were unable to reproduce the error. I was told they would/could not assess this fault without an error code. I had my car towed to a different service company. They advised that the 12-V battery showed 66% power; I asked them to replace that battery. I understand that this MAY NOT solve the problem. Although I used a rental car for a week while this problem was being attended, I am now driving my car with the new 12-V battery. Yes, I think my car is unsafe--at least, no one can assure me it has been fixed. I do not know how to assess whether it is fixed, short of being its test driver. My car has an open recall on the HV battery for which a fix is not yet available (not for months so far, anyway), so I drive my car as a hybrid, without charging the HV battery.
Ford issued a recall on my vehicle in January 2025. They state that I cannot charge my car until they fix it, or it could catch on fire. I paid $8,000 extra for a car I can charge, and almost never use my gas engine. I have now not been able to charge my car for 5 months and there is no fix available and Ford has moved the expected fix date from Q2 2025 to Aug/Sep 2025. I also have to pay additional taxes in the state of Vermont for my plug-in, which I can't actually plug-in, and paid $2k for a home charger which is now useless. I have contacted Ford at least 4 times, because I'm concerned with the safety of my vehicle and they refuse to do anything. I have to drive my son to daycare each morning, and I'm concerned the vehicle will catch on fire with us inside of it. The vehicle charges when driving downhill and there are a lot of hills in Vermont, so I'm constantly worried that the battery may charge too much and catch fire. I have spoken with my local dealership and they can't do anything and again, after contacting Ford numerous times, their message is "wait". This vehicle is completely unusable to me, since almost all of my daily driving used the battery and I've had to pay for gas for the last 5 months. Ford doesn't seem to be concerned with my safety, despite admitting that they sold me a vehicle that may catch on fire. I also attempted to trade the car back into the dealership, but they won't take it due to the recall which has no firm date for being addressed. I've going around and around in circles with all levels of Ford but they refuse to do anything. I just want to feel safe with myself and my family in my vehicle, but I do not feel safe and Ford doesn't appear to care.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Body & structure
Reports naming the vehicle structure, frame, body panels, doors, hood and trim.
From owner reports, verbatim
Panoramic sun shade detached from rails and recoiled into the assembly while driving on the highway. The shade was in a static position when it happened- it was not being retracted at the time. Available for inspection, but has already been repaired by dealer. A very loud cracking noise was heard when it happened, which startled me and could have caused an accident. It is a relatively new car and had been retracted probably a total of 20 times. There was no warning, and the entire headliner, pillars, and glass had to be removed to repair. It is apparently a common occurrence due to cheap plastic clips that are used.
The power window switches have a chrome trim piece that has cracked causing a severe cut hazard. This was an issue in 2020 models that was addressed but is still present in my 2022 model.
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
When pressing the cruise control button, then pressing down on the toggle switch, the car accelerates to 80 MPH. I was doing this because that is how my old Honda worked. The Ford dealership claimed that one sets the speed by pressing up (+) on the toggle switch. This works as it should, however, I fear that someone else is going to use the wrong combination of buttons and crash at 80 MPH. Pressing down on the toggle switch should either do nothing, or at least set the speed to the one that was set previously. There is no warning in the user manual, nor is there any warning information in the car. The dealership claims that there weren't any error codes and a test drive revealed no problems. Obviously, they didn't use the button combination that I told them to use. It is 100% reproducible. It has happened since I bought the car in Sept. 2022.
While driving on a divided highway in the right-most lane with adaptative cruise control and lane-centering turned on, the steering wheel jerked to the right harder and faster than the driver could react, causing the wheels to collide with a concrete curb that led up to a pedestrian walk way next to the highway. We have not had issues otherwise with the lane-centering. And on a 12-mile diagnostic drive, the dealership did not observe the behavior.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Steering
Reports naming the steering system — racks, columns, power-steering assist and steering linkage.
From owner reports, verbatim
The incident occurred while my 2008 Allegro Bus was towing my 2022 Ford Escape PHEV. Incident occurred on Sunday, 21 Jun 2026 about a mile from my home. I had just started a left hand turn and was in the intersection when I felt a thump-thump at the back of the coach. I did a quick inspection and saw no apparent damage and all tow connections were secure, so I continued to my home. While uncoupling the Escape from my motorhome, I saw the dash display warning of a steering issue. The steering felt heavy immediately; this wasn't a steering problem that developed over time. This happened during a single, towing maneuver, where the towed vehicle suddenly oscillated left and right twice while negotiating a gentle, off-camber turn. The Escape was in Ford's Neutral Tow Mode and was being flat towed per the Ford's owner's manual. Diagnostic data recorded the first steering control module failure at essentially the same time as the towing incident. There was no collision with another vehicle or object. The damage resulted from forces experienced during the towing maneuver. Ford diagnostics and FORScan both identified internal failures within the Electric Power Assisted Steering system, and the dealer has diagnosed the EPAS assembly (LX6Z-3C529-CH) as requiring replacement. Prior to this event, the steering system operated normally. After the incident, steering was heavy and deteriorated over approximately 15 miles of use until assist was completely lost and the force required to turn the steering made the car unsafe to drive. The Ford Escape had approximately 15,000 miles on it at the time of the incident. I did not see the movement of the car in mirrors or cameras. Map showing car path is my best assessment of the incident.
I own a 2022 Ford Escape Plug-in Hybrid, which is affected by Recall 24S79 (NHTSA Recall 24V954). This recall involves a high-voltage battery defect that could result in a fire or sudden loss of vehicle control while driving. Ford has confirmed that there is no fix available until at least the second quarter of 2025, leaving affected owners without a solution for well over a year. However, Ford refuses to provide loaner vehicles, rental reimbursement, or any safe alternative for customers forced to continue driving these potentially dangerous vehicles. I have contacted multiple dealerships (Fort Collins Ford and Loveland Ford), and both confirmed that no loaner vehicles are available. Ford’s customer service continues to redirect me back to the dealership without resolution, despite the fact that my dealership has no assistance to offer. While I have not yet experienced a battery fire or loss of vehicle control, the recall documentation explicitly states that these are potential risks. It is only a matter of time before a fire or serious accident occurs due to Ford’s inaction. Ford is placing thousands of affected drivers at risk by failing to provide a fix, alternative transportation, or any safety plan for affected customers. I urge NHTSA to investigate Ford’s lack of action and failure to protect affected vehicle owners. Ford should be required to provide loaner vehicles or rental reimbursement until a remedy is available.
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
I am writing to formally express my concern regarding the safety of my 2022 Ford Escape Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV), which I believe may have been rushed to market without sufficient development or reliability testing. As Ford’s first iteration of the Escape PHEV, it appears to suffer from multiple critical defects that suggest the technology was not fully ready for consumers. In less than 2.5 years of ownership, I have experienced the following serious safety-related issues: The vehicle is currently under recall for a defective high-voltage battery, and there have been multiple other recalls related to the PHEV technology, raising serious concerns about the reliability and safety of the overall hybrid system. NHTSA Recall Number 24V954. I experienced brake issues within the first 18 months of which have not been fixed and still making odd noises Most alarmingly, the engine failed while I was driving on the highway with under 32,000 miles on the vehicle, causing a sudden and dangerous loss of power. This incident placed me and others at serious risk of harm. While the dealership did repair the engine under warranty, Ford has not offered any meaningful assistance beyond that, nor have they provided alternative transportation or a solution that addresses my ongoing safety concerns. Ford corporate has refused to communicate with me in writing and will only speak by phone, making it extremely difficult to document discussions, obtain clear answers, or hold them accountable for their responses. Due to a lack of support from Ford, I was forced to borrow my mother’s vehicle for two weeks while mine was being serviced, as there were 17 other customers on a waitlist for a loaner vehicle at the dealership. Despite these serious problems, I still don't have a vehicle and I no longer feel safe driving the car, and a financial burden, as I now owe more on the car than it is worth on trade-in. I have not picked up the car due to safety concerns. I believe these issues
The contact owns a owns a 2022 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH and depressing the brake pedal to come to a complete stop, the vehicle hesitated to respond and lurched forward. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure recurred while driving. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where the cause of the failure could not be determined. Additionally, the contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the instrument cluster and the infotainment system became inoperable. The contact stated that the vehicle lost electrical power. The contact veered to the side of the road. The contact stated that she was able to restart the vehicle and continued driving. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Additionally, the contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V380000 (Engine); 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 notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 3,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
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
Panoramic sun shade detached from rails and recoiled into the assembly while driving on the highway. The shade was in a static position when it happened- it was not being retracted at the time. Available for inspection, but has already been repaired by dealer. A very loud cracking noise was heard when it happened, which startled me and could have caused an accident. It is a relatively new car and had been retracted probably a total of 20 times. There was no warning, and the entire headliner, pillars, and glass had to be removed to repair. It is apparently a common occurrence due to cheap plastic clips that are used.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Interior & seats
Reports naming seats, latches, locks, linkages and interior fittings.
From owner reports, verbatim
Of the 4 bolts that secure back of back seats to floor, one securing nut is missing and other 3 are loose, only barely screwed down a few turns.
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 2022 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the High Voltage Battery and Service Engine Soon messages were displayed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to take the vehicle to the dealer for a diagnostic test. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V149000 (Electrical System, Hybrid Propulsion System); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 18,000.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Suspension
Reports naming suspension components — springs, struts, shocks, control arms and related hardware.
From owner reports, verbatim
The contact owns a 2022 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while reversing, there was a loud squealing sound coming from the rear of the vehicle. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were not contacted or notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 15,000.
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 contact owns a 2022 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
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 .