2020 Ford Escape Other / unspecified Problems

Transmission issues, jerking, stuttering, jumping, rmp jumping, horse power acting up, pulsating

NHTSA ID

11747788

Incident

Oct 14, 2025

My car has following issues recently. 1. Tire pressure monitoring system failed for all four tires. 2. Electrical door lock systems failed. All these symptoms match the BCM recall for the model and year of my car. But my VIN is not included with the recall. I believe Ford did not include all impacted car in this recall.

NHTSA ID

11742400

Incident

May 1, 2026

when I was crossing the road to turn around in a U-turn style, the rear end of the car locked up and I slid across several lanes of traffic. This happened only one time but was terrifying! A few times since then, the emergency brake will apply on its own causing the back end to freeze up. it's VERY random.

NHTSA ID

11742324

Incident

Apr 14, 2026

The last 2 weeks my wipers have nearly quit functioning. They don’t go all the way up, will stop in the middle of the windshield, will not go down and when I use the wiper stick to try and get them to go back down the back wiper will start going as well even when I’m not hitting the switch for the back wiper. For the last year, three out of four TPS sensors have quit working as well. The dealership checked them and said they’re reading as if they’re working but the alert is on my dash and they do not read the tire pressure.

NHTSA ID

11738946

Incident

Apr 2, 2026

Tire pressure monitoring system would go out them come back them go out and now not working at all.

NHTSA ID

11696639

Incident

Jan 12, 2024

Upon starting our vehicle, we received several warning lights relating to collision control and that the AWD system had failed. This happened on a Saturday so we had to wait until Monday to bring the car in to the dealer for service. The service department told us that the diagnostic testing indicated that the AWD module and the PTU actuator motor needed to be replaced. Our vehicle is under six years and under 29,000 miles, along with being garage kept and having regular maintenance.

NHTSA ID

11692156

Incident

Oct 4, 2025

My tire sensors keep going out. I've replace them twice already. It's a concern for my especially traveling at highway speed

NHTSA ID

11687073

Incident

Sep 8, 2025

My car togs a lot. My tire sensors keep going out. I've smelt gas before while driving. It's very slow going up hill. I hear grinding sounds intermittently

NHTSA ID

11687030

Incident

Sep 1, 2025

Tire pressure default sensor keeps going on and them off after a while. Tires are not low.

NHTSA ID

11684164

Incident

Aug 28, 2025

Subject: Safety Complaint – TPMS & Trunk System Failure on 2020 Ford Escape Hybrid I’m reporting two ongoing issues with my 2020 Ford Escape Hybrid that I believe are connected to a recall I’ve seen issued for other vehicles of the same make and model year. 1. Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS): My dashboard only displays pressure readings for two of the four tires. The other two do not register at all, which makes it difficult to monitor tire safety. 2. Trunk Release Button Failure: The button to electronically open my trunk no longer works. I have to manually open the liftgate each time, which is not how the vehicle was designed to function. The last time I took my vehicle in for a recall-related service, I was told I would need to return to complete additional recall work. I never received follow-up communication, and my VIN currently does not show any active recalls, despite these ongoing issues and my earlier service visit. I have since discovered that other 2020 Ford Escape models have been recalled for failures related to the Body Control Module or related systems—which seem directly tied to my problems. I’m requesting a review of my case, as these failures could compromise vehicle safety. I’d also appreciate consideration for repair assistance or further investigation into whether my VIN should be included in the relevant recalls. Thank you for your time and attention.

NHTSA ID

11675184

Incident

Jun 1, 2025

Tire pressure monitoring system failure in rear tire. Error message states failure on dashboard. Issue began happening week of July 7, 2025. Vehicle has not been inspected by dealer or other professional.

NHTSA ID

11672746

Incident

Jul 9, 2025

Lugnuts are swollen and a flat had occurred and I couldn't remove the wheel was almost hit by on coming traffic finally gave up replenished air into tire and drove Home . Took car into Ford dealership they said all of the Lugnuts swell on newer models not just mine I asked for a replacement quote it's 300 for new Lugnuts and then labor too and hopefully they won't break a wheel removing them I said if I agreed would they replace them with the same defective Lugnuts that swell and his answer was yes .Please do something about thease dangerous swelling Lugnuts before someone's life is taken. I told the dealership not to do the replacement and done some research I can get a replacement set for entire car for 40 bucks at Autozone and called my local mechanic and they said 50 bucks to replace all of them and autozone told me thease are standard non swelling steel Lugnuts .My faith in Ford has definitely changed to zero.

NHTSA ID

11654356

Incident

Dec 15, 2024

Power Transfer Unit failure. The vehicle is only four years old with solely highway mileage. They cost to replace the PTU is $1990 which is quite a bit to pay for a manufacturer issue. I purchased this car brand new from the dealership.

NHTSA ID

11635344

Incident

Dec 13, 2024

ALL WHEEL DRIVE STOPPED FUNCTIONING IN ICY/SNOWY CONDITION. CAUSING UNSAFE DRIVING CONDITIONS. WARNING MESSAGE: Driver display indicates, "ALL wheel drive module faulty, driver assist not available. Service required!" and an orange wrench displayed >>There is already a bulletin on this issue for 2020 Ford Escapes CSB21B19, April 2021, however our VIN was not included in bulletin. >> We took the car back to the dealership for repairs and they said they are having MANY Escapes coming in with this issue whose VINs are also not included in the original bulletin >> No pre warning. The first time we saw the warning the AWD failed on snowy road. >>We contacted FORD customer service and got the run around. FORD NEEDS TO INCREASE THE LIST OF VINS INCLUDED IN THE BULLETIN SO PEOPLE CAN GET THE MODULE REPLACED TO PREVENT THE LOSS OF AWD IN SNOWY/ICY CONDITIONS.

NHTSA ID

11631159

Incident

Dec 13, 2024

I brought my vehicle into its manufacturer service center after noticing several issues. The vehicle was not maneuvering as smoothly as it used to and when it hit bumps I would feel a slight loss of control. This is extremely dangerous, especially in the coming winter months where it snows heavily where I live in the midwest. I also hear like a cracking sound underneath the vehicle. I saw several service light illuminate to include: AWD Fault Service Required, Hill Start Not Available, and Pre Collision Assist Not Available. I brought in my vehicle into the Ford Service Center and they advised me that I needed to replace the AWD module and that this has been a common trend among the Ford Escape vehicles. I conducted research online and observed that several people have also had complaints about the same if not similar issues with the same year, make, and model of my vehicle. I strongly believe that this issue should be addressed in recall, especially given the numerous amounts of complaints and known issues.

NHTSA ID

11619304

Incident

Oct 11, 2024

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and making a right turn, the vehicle failed to exceed 18 MPH. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who replaced the fuel pump, fuel rail, and the battery; however, the failure reoccurred. Additionally, while operating the vehicle, the ABS and traction control warning lights illuminated. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 12,000.

NHTSA ID

11608168

Incident

Feb 1, 2024

Mileage

12,000 mi

I just pulled in my driveway of my home open car door saw smoke and I looked under engine I saw flames that's when I close garage door and call 911 by the time they get there my car engine was burned out.

NHTSA ID

11557973

Incident

Nov 9, 2023

While driving on the highway my dash kept flashing all these different errors , my car kept changing the way it was driving . I got off went to ford dealer ! They said probably a sensor can’t look at it for 10 days and yes it is fine to drive . I did not think so ! I brought to my mechanic , replaced AWD module ! Which has been found to be an issue in this vehicle ! I felt unsafe . There have been recalls on this issue ! They say had do be built on a certain date ! Really , not if you keep searching ! It should be covered under drive train. Safety issue ! The lights going off are a distraction in itself .

NHTSA ID

11541541

Incident

Aug 18, 2023

The car seat is stuck in the most elevated front facing position when we were rotating the seat. It is stuck over the seat belt path so the car seat cannot be safety used or removed from the vehicle. The car seat is stuck in the seatbelt. I have reached out to the manufacturer and their “tips” to fix the issue are not working. This car seat was purchased in 2021 and used for an 18m old who cannot legally front face especially not at the incline the seat is stuck at. Looking across social media this is a common complaint The contact had the child seat removed by the local fire department since they were unable to do it themselves.

NHTSA ID

11479823

Incident

Aug 15, 2022

On July 3, 2022 I drove my wife's 2020 Ford Escape 4 DR SEL AWD from Ann Arbor, MI to Jackson, MI. I parked the car, with all for windows down, under a tree in the shade close to 726 N East Ave in Jackson, MI. After approximately 45 minutes after my arrival, I was alerted by a neighbor screaming "Is this your car? There is smoke coming from the windows." I ran to the street to see huge orange flames coming from all four windows. Our car apparently had caught on fire after I had shut the car off. Based on a policeman's opinion the components that had malfunctioned were located behind the dash, primarily the electrica wiring/components. The safety of my wife, myself, and any other individual riding in the car were potentially jeopardized due to the random onset of the fire; should I have been driving I potentially could've suffered burns; should I've parked the car next to a house or another car fire damage to those objects would have resulted. There has been no confirmation by the dealer of this type of fire in similar models. Ford Motor Company is conducting an investigation presently. There was no indication of malfunction at the time I exited the vehicle.

NHTSA ID

11473105

Incident

Jul 3, 2022

12/26/2020 HEAD-ON COLLISION, MOST IMPACT TO PASSENGER FRONT SIDE - PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY, DRIVERS SIDE AIRBAGS DID DEPLOYED - INJURIES SUSTAINED BY PASSENGER AND DRIVER. ACCIDENT OCCURRED ON CITY STREET (50 MPH ZONE).*DT*DT*DT*DT*DT

NHTSA ID

11386920

Incident

Dec 26, 2020

Mileage

3,000 mi

CLICKING NOISE ON OUT SIDE OF CAR GOING 50 MPH

NHTSA ID

11374409

Incident

Nov 13, 2020

Mileage

2,000 mi

THE CAR CAMERA GOES BLACK WITH SQUIGGLY LINES WHEN PUTTING CAR IN REVERSE. THE CAR HAS LESS THAN 2000 MILES. THE DEALERSHIP STATES FORD IS AWARE OF THE ISSUE AND THERE IS A HUGE BACK ORDER ON GETTING A REPLACEMENT. NOW I HAVE A WHIRLING SOUND WHEN SPEED IS BETWEEN 25 MPH - 39 MPH. ONCE YOU LET UP ON ACCELERATION IT STOPS OR ONCE THE SPEED HAS GONE BEYOND 39 MPH. WHILE DRIVING ON GROVES HIGHWAYS YOU CAN FEEL BACKEND OF THE CAR MOVING AROUND. I HAD THIS ISSUE WITH A FUSION AND HAD TO REPLACE THE TIRES WITH A DIFFERENT BRAND DUE TO NO CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE IN THE WINTER. MY 2017 ESCAPE DOES NOT DO THIS. ALSO, THE DRIVERS SIDE TRIM DOES NOT FIT SNUG, AND HAS TO BE REPLACED AND THE DEALERSHIP SAID FORD IS AWARE OF THIS ISSUE AS WELL. LASTLY, THE BRAKES MAKE A LOUD SQUEALING NOICE WITH A HEAVY MORNING DEW OR WHEN RAINING.

NHTSA ID

11344126

Incident

Aug 3, 2020

Mileage

1,200 mi

DRIVING 25 MILES PER HOUR ON RESIDENT STREET WHEN TIRE BLEW OUT.

NHTSA ID

11337783

Incident

Jul 4, 2020

Mileage

1,361 mi