The passenger front seat handle to let the seat recline broke off. There has to be some kind of defect to the way it was put together.
- NHTSA ID
- 11697095
- Incident
- Nov 3, 2025
Owner-reported complaints naming the interior system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming seats, latches, locks, linkages and interior fittings. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2020 Ford Escape submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 61 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
The 25 most recent of 61, in the owner's own words
The passenger front seat handle to let the seat recline broke off. There has to be some kind of defect to the way it was put together.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that since owning the vehicle, the front driver’s side door was replaced by the dealer after the door failed to open. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving 25 MPH and attempting to make a left turn, the vehicle failed to respond as intended, continued driving straightforward and nearly drove off the road into a wooded area. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where a wheel alignment was performed. Additionally, the contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V467000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated and related the warning light to the recall. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the purge valve had failed, and the purge valve was replaced. The contact was also informed that the fuel injectors were in good condition, and that the vehicle was safe to drive. The recall repair was not performed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was 69,527.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Edge. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked and occupied and attempting close the driver’s side door, the door failed to lock securely. The contact also stated that the driver’s side window failed to work as intended. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The contact related the failure to Technical Service Bulletin: SSM 50150 (Cracked or Broken Spot Welds in The Left Front Door at The Check Arm Attachment Points in The Door Assembly). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 42,000.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the driver's side door was making an abnormal popping sound while opening the door. The contact stated that the door hinges had detached from the door frame. Additionally, the contact stated that the driver's side window was no longer functional and would not open or close. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 77,000.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the driver-side door popped when opened. In addition, the contact stated an abnormal sound could be heard coming from the door hinges. The window would not go up or down. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed that the chrome switch tip on the door detached. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V859000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE) and NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V191000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING) notices were received later. The contact had not experienced a failure regarding the campaign numbers. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 2,000.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the contact became aware that the driver’s side front door had detached, and the hinge on the door was inoperable. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the door had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 92,000.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a popping sound coming from the front door on the driver's side. The contact stated that the door failed to close completely as intended. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or local dealer. The contact related the failure with an unknown recall; however, the vehicle was not included. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 31,000.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the driver’s side front door failed to close properly. Additionally, when the contact opened the door, there was an abnormally loud screeching sound coming from the door and the driver’s side front window would not function properly. The dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 98,000. The VIN was not included.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the front driver's side door made clicking sounds while opening. Additionally, the front driver's side window failed to roll down, and the front driver's side door failed to latch until it was firmly pushed closed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the front driver's side door latch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 25,000.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the front driver’s side door opened unintendedly. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 62,000.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the driver’s side door failed to latch properly or remain closed and unintendedly opened while driving at various speeds. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer but was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 36,000.
The driver's seat has something protruding (seat heater?) into your tailbone which causes pain and discomfort. The constant adjusting to get comfortable (grabbing the steering wheel to pull myself forward) and slower reaction due to pain and numbness is a hazard waiting to happen. I have not addressed this with my local dealership as they had my car for 7 weeks and only fixed the recall issue (window switch) and none of the other 5 issues I took it in for.
The contact's husband owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while her husband was opening the driver's side door, there was an abnormal sound coming from the door. The contact stated that the door failed to close properly. There were no warning lights illuminated. There was an eight-inch opening in the door. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who informed him the door and the bracket needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact called the manufacturer, who opened a case and covered the repairs under the warranty coverage. The approximate failure mileage was 24,400.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while opening the driver's front door, the contact heard a popping sound. In addition, the contact stated that when the door was closed, she heard the popping sound. The contact stated that several days later, while opening the door the popping sound was extremely loud and the door was difficult to close. The contact also stated that the driver's side front door was inoperable, and the window would not go up or down. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with failed check arm welding and that the driver's side front door needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was informed that the repair would not be covered under warranty. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the front driver’s side door failed to open and close as needed. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and the contact was informed to take the vehicle to a body shop to have the door serviced. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where they discovered that the spot weld inside the door was defective, and the door needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 28,400.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the front driver's side door hinge fractured and made a popping sound while opening the door. The contact stated that previously when the door was closed, the door latch was inoperable and failed to lock the door securely. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a fractured door hinge. The contact was informed that the door hinge needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 84,000.
The contact's husband owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that after the vehicle was turned off, the contact opened the door and heard an abnormal clunking sound coming from the door. Additionally, the contact stated that while parked the door was unlatched and swung open inadvertently. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the door welds and spot welds needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 22,600.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the driver's side door failed to remain closed. The contact inspected the door and noticed three holes in the door hinge with missing screws which prevented the door from securely closing. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 104,000.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the driver’s side front door made clicking sounds while opening, and then failed to close securely. The contact stated that it took two people to close the door securely. The contact had to use the passenger’s side door to enter or exit the vehicle. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer who determined that the door needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and filed a case for the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 44,000.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the front driver's door hinge fractured. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The vehicle was diagnosed with a fractured door hinge. The door hinge needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 28,608.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that when she opened the driver's side door, the door made an abnormally loud popping sound. The contact stated that the abnormal sound had gotten louder, and additionally, the driver's side power window was moving extremely slowly, and she was afraid of opening the window. The contact stated that when the door was fully opened, it would take an abnormal amount of effort to close the door as the door appeared to be stuck. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the door latch could be repaired; however, a diagnostic test had to be completed on the driver's side window. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The contact researched online and related the failure to Technical Service Bulletin Number: SSM 50150 for Cracked Or Broken Spot Welds In The Left Front Door At The Check Arm Attachment Points (Latches/Locks/Linkages). The failure mileage was approximately 105,000.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated there was a loud cracking sound while opening and closing the front driver's side door. The contact stated that the door was difficult to close. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who determined that the safety latch and door welds had fractured at the check arm attachment point and that the door needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 40,000.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the front driver's side door became unsecured and failed to remain securely closed. The contact called the local dealer who acknowledged that the failure was a known issue with similar vehicles. The local dealer informed the contact that their facility did not have the ability to repair the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 42,000.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the front driver's side door had become unsecured and failed to remain securely closed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed and determined that the front driver's side door welding assembly had failed and needed to be repaired. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 38,000.
The seat heating element is stuck up out of the seat pushing into the person driving.
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.
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