2020 Ford Escape Transmission Problems

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while shifting into reverse, the vehicle drove forward instead of reversing. During the most recent failure, after starting the vehicle, the contact shifted the vehicle into park, and the vehicle collided with the contact's home. No warning lights illuminated. No air bags deployed. No injuries were sustained, and no medical attention was provided. A Police report was not filed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the valve body was binding internally, and sticking shift valves assembly had failed. The vehicle was repaired under warranty. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for further assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 33,704.

NHTSA ID

11665890

Incident

Jun 9, 2025

Mileage

33,704 mi

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the gear shifter was stuck in park(P). The contact stated that the failure occurred while the temperature was hot. The contact stated after parking the vehicle, the gear shifter remained stuck in park(P). The contact waited for 30 minutes before the gear shifter was able to be shifted to the desired gear. The vehicle was taken to several independent mechanics and to the local dealer; however, no cause for the failure was found. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHSTA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ID

11657626

Incident

Apr 9, 2024

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 50 MPH, the vehicle was hesitating and shuddering. The contact stated that there was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the shuddering was almost constant and occurred at various speeds. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the torque converter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 106,000.

NHTSA ID

11653444

Incident

Feb 8, 2024

Mileage

106,000 mi

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle downshifted with no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V550000 (Power Train). A case was opened, and the manufacturer referred the contact to the NHSTA Hotline for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.

NHTSA ID

11628928

Incident

Dec 4, 2024

Mileage

100,000 mi

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while the vehicle parked, the contact was unable to start the vehicle. The vehicle was restarted after an hour. On another occasion, while turning left, the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was turned off and restarted. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the battery needed to be replaced and codes for the PCM, and headlamp were retrieved. The vehicle was repaired. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the A/C compressor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 31,000.

NHTSA ID

11604787

Incident

May 15, 2024

Mileage

31,000 mi

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the gear shift knob was seized on several occasions. After waiting for hours, the gear shifter was able to operate as needed. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact called the local dealer, and the contact was informed that a diagnostic test needed to be performed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

NHTSA ID

11591803

Incident

May 12, 2024

Mileage

50,000 mi

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that on almost a dozen occasions while driving at approximately 60 MPH, multiple unknown warning lights illuminated, and the instrument and head unit panels turned off and on and failed to work as intended. On another occasion, while driving at an unknown speed, the vehicle started bucking and lost motive power. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the AWD module and throttle body needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 51,486.

NHTSA ID

11582519

Incident

Dec 18, 2023

Mileage

51,486 mi

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his wife was utilizing the shifter knob, she cut her hand on the chrome shifting knob. The chrome edge was very sharp. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact's spouse did not seek medical attention. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the chrome knob needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred to the NHTSA hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 19,000.

NHTSA ID

11580928

Incident

Jan 1, 2024

Mileage

19,000 mi

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the contact started the vehicle, and the power train malfunction indicator lamp warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed gear shifter module. The contact was informed that the gear shifter module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 19,000.

NHTSA ID

11567336

Incident

Jan 16, 2024

Mileage

19,000 mi

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 25 MPH, the transmission shifted earlier than designed to shift and the vehicle started shaking abnormally. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 4,800.

NHTSA ID

11467278

Incident

Dec 29, 2020

Mileage

4,800 mi

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated while at a stop light, the vehicle inadvertently shifted into reverse independently. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact also stated that the driver’s seat would go down and go forward while driving. The contact stated she could not readjust the seat after several attempts. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that no issues were found. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring while driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer several times and the dealer test drove the vehicle but could not determine the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 2,000.

NHTSA ID

11430301

Incident

Mar 15, 2021

Mileage

2,000 mi