2023 Ford Escape

My 2023 Ford Escape (with fewer than 50,000 miles) began experiencing significant mechanical issues. I noticed exhaust fumes entering the cabin that passengers and I would inhale, loud noises from under the hood, and lose power during acceleration. After inspecting the vehicle, the dealership determined that the turbocharger wastegate/flapper valve had failed mechanically, causing the turbocharger to overboost and sustain internal damage. This failure led to numerous drivability issues, including hesitation, rough shifting, delayed upshifts, loud whining noises during cold starts, slipping during acceleration, and, at times, the inability to shift beyond second gear. Ultimately, the dealership concluded that the transmission needed to be rebuilt or replaced. My vehicle remained at the dealership from January 28, 2026, through May 14, 2026, over three and a half months. The vehicle still has transmission issues and loses power at times when driving on the highway commuting to work. At this moment of time, I scheduled it to go back to the dealership on July 9th.

NHTSA ID

11748002

Incident

Jan 27, 2026

The contact owns a 2023 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH the "WRENCH Icon" was illuminated and the message "Service Gear Shifter" and the vehicle began to rapidly reduce speed. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to the shoulder of the highway road and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the transmission had failed and needed to be rebuilt. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 33,000.

NHTSA ID

11747401

Incident

Jun 10, 2026

Mileage

33,000 mi

The car started and when I went to put it in gear, turns off. Park brake limited function appeared on the dash . The car would not let me put it in gear without turning off. A month prior my dash with the speedometer was blank while driving not allowing me to see my speed . I turned the car off and on three different times. Only after sitting for several hours would the dash info reappear.

NHTSA ID

11746394

Incident

Jun 25, 2026

The contact owns a 2023 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 contact stated that the unrepaired recall repair was an inconvenience because the battery could only be charged to 80-percent. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not contacted. The contact had not experienced a failure.

NHTSA ID

11745757

Incident

Jun 22, 2026

The contact owns a 2023 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the engine unexpectedly stated revving at a high rate. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with turbo charger assembly failure. The turbo charger assembly was replaced; however, the failure persisted. The oxygen sensor was replaced, and the vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 42,616.

NHTSA ID

11745710

Incident

Jun 1, 2026

Mileage

42,616 mi

My 2023 Ford Escape is equipped with a factory-installed rearview backup camera system and SYNC infotainment system. Beginning on or around February 2026. I began experiencing a series of recurring, intermittent, and worsening failures with the rearview camera and the Accessory Protocol Interface Module (APIM) that controls it. These failures render the backup camera system unreliable or completely non-functional during vehicle operation. Specific Symptoms Observed •BLUE / BLANK SCREEN: When the vehicle is placed in reverse, the rearview camera display shows a solid blue screen or goes completely blank rather than displaying the rear camera image. This failure occurs with no warning and leaves me unable to see what is behind the vehicle while backing up. •INVERTED / UPSIDE-DOWN IMAGE: The rearview camera image displays upside-down and/or mirrored, rendering the image confusing and unsafe. Guidelines, directional aids, and proximity warnings displayed on screen are also inverted, making them unusable. •DISTORTED / CORRUPTED IMAGE: The camera feed displays visual distortion, artifacts, freezing, flickering, or corruption that makes it impossible to accurately interpret what is behind the vehicle. •APIM FAILURE: The Accessory Protocol Interface Module (APIM) — the core software module controlling the SYNC 3 display and camera feed — has failed or malfunctioned. Dealership diagnosis has identified the APIM as requiring repair or replacement. This module failure is the root cause of the camera display issues described above. The failures occur intermittently and unpredictably. The camera may function correctly for a period, then fail on the next use. In some cases, the failure is persistent across multiple ignition cycles. There is no consistent triggering condition — the defect occurs in varied weather conditions, temperatures, and after varying periods of use. Turning the vehicle off and back on sometimes temporarily restores the camera, but the defect returns.

NHTSA ID

11741427

Incident

Feb 2, 2026

2023 Ford Escape with approximately 80,000 miles. While traveling home, vehicle started shifting violently making loud bang. Lost acceleration while traveling on a two-way roadway with no shoulder. Vehicle would shift violently and allow acceleration momentarily and then would again lose acceleration. Just prior to reaching a pull off area in a safe place, the vehicle shifted violently one last time and would no longer accelerate. The service engine now warning light then came on advising of a powertrain malfunction. Vehicle was towed to Ford dealership and the technition reported that the planetary gears were locked up and a full transmission replacement would need to be done. This posed a serious safety issue on the road way due to the initial sudden speed changes becuase of the loss of acceleration and then the complete loss of ability to accelerate causing the vehilce to have to drift slowely to the shoulder while impeding traffic.

NHTSA ID

11740355

Incident

May 12, 2026

Stopped at a Light and took off thru the intersection and car made a loud bang noise then no power and kept bogging out, pulled into parking lot and stopped then car wouldn’t move. Shut car off then restarted it and put into reverse and car drive forward, put in neutral and car still drove forward, couldn’t get it to go into reverse, now the motor is tilting back to fire wall like motor mounts are broke and it’s make a grinding noise when idling.

NHTSA ID

11739386

Incident

May 12, 2026

Some 2021-2026 Ford/Lincoln vehicles may exhibit various symptoms including but not limited to the auto start/stop system not operating as intended with a "Check Charging System" message in the instrument panel cluster (IPC) while the charging system is operating properly with no charging related diagnostic trouble codes (DTC) stored. This may be due to someone using an aftermarket programmer to change the body control module (BCM) configuration to disable the auto start/stop system or perform other unsupported programming modifications. To correct this condition on F-150 and Bronco vehicles, download and run the Ford Diagnosis and Repair System (FDRS) application titled "BCM-Charging System Configuration Correction". Running this application will determine if the BCM configuration was modified by the customer and if so, provide the option to return the configuration back to factory settings. For other vehicle models exhibiting concerns related to unsupported aftermarket BCM programming, submit a Technical Support Request (TSR) requesting support to revert the BCM configuration

This bulletin supersedes 26-2194. Reason for update: update the Parts list to correct a part description " Loctite 638", update the claim quantity for the drain/fill plug, update the claim quantity of the wheel hub bolts (Corsair) and limited the parts list for Edge/Nautilus to only the rear drive unit fluid. Some of the vehicles listed in the Model statement above may exhibit all of the following conditions:  Shudder chatter condition, most noticeable at low speeds turning  No relevant diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) present This may be due to internal rear drive unit (RDU) fluid contamination.

Quality improvements include: -Updates the gear shift lock diagnostic logic to prevent false wrench lights

Some of the vehicles listed in the model statement above equipped with SYNC4 may experience a blank center display screen or black center display after welcome animation. The rear-view camera will still function when shifting the vehicle to reverse under these conditions.

Some 2020-2026 Corsair/Escape, 2021-2026 Bronco Sport, and 2022-2026 Maverick vehicles equipped with an 8F35 transmission may exhibit a shudder condition, most noticeable at speeds below 60 mph (100 km/h), with no relevant diagnostic trouble codes (DTC) stored in the powertrain control module (PCM). Sometimes, this may be perceived/felt as an engine misfire. This may be due to the torque converter. If Pinpoint Test K: Torque Converter Clutch Operation in Workshop Manual (WSM), Section 307-01 > Diagnosis and Testing > Diagnosis by Symptom directs to replace the torque converter, remove and replace the torque converter and torque converter seal. Refer to WSM, Section 307-01 > Removal and Installation > Torque Converter Seal. Remove the main control valve body. Refer to WSM, Section 307-01 > Removal and Installation > Main Control Valve Body. Overhaul and thoroughly clean the main control valve body. Refer to WSM, Section 307-01 > Overhaul > Main Control Valve Body. Reverse the removal procedure to reassemble the transmission. Install the transmission. Refer to WSM, Section 307-01 > Installation. For claim

Some of the following vehicles: 2025-2026 Mustang Mach-E vehicles built on or before 27-Jan-2026 2025-2026 Maverick/Bronco Sport vehicles built on or before 20-Jan-2026 2024-2026 Nautilus vehicles built on or before 02-Dec-2025 2023-2026 Escape/Corsair may exhibit reduced steering assist and a "Power Steering Assist Fault" message displayed in the instrument panel cluster (IPC) with the diagnostic trouble code (DTC) U2016:47 only, and no other steering DTCs stored in the power steering control module (PSCM). To correct this condition, reprogram the PSCM using the latest software level of the Ford Diagnosis and Repair System (FDRS). For claiming, use causal part 3C529 and labor operations 3504E and PSCM. If a software update is not available for the PSCM, the PSCM is already at the latest software level. Refer to Workshop Manual (WSM), Section 211-02 for normal diagnostics. If the vehicle does not exhibit any observable symptoms described above and the DTC is only present in continuous memory, this DTC should be ignored. No further service action