NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
What owners actually said
288 reportsMileage unknown · Jul 24, 2023
Forward Collision AvoidanceService Brakes
Vehicle has 32,600 miles. On start, received the following warnings. "Check Brake System", "Hill Start Assist Not Available", Pre-Collision Assist Not Available", and the ABS light was lit. The brakes were extremely hard to use. Had vehicle towed to Dealership. Dealership tested and received Code U3000. They "reprogrammed" th…
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Vehicle has 32,600 miles. On start, received the following warnings. "Check Brake System", "Hill Start Assist Not Available", Pre-Collision Assist Not Available", and the ABS light was lit. The brakes were extremely hard to use. Had vehicle towed to Dealership. Dealership tested and received Code U3000. They "reprogrammed" the ABS, PCM and IPC Modules and performed a "battery disconnect". The fix was not covered by warranty. The dealership said that this could happen again. They were vague about whether it could occur only on start or at any time. Reoccurrence at road speed would likely result in an accident as the vehicle was extremely hard to stop.
NHTSA ODI #11534192
Mileage unknown · Jul 24, 2023
StructureUnknown Or Other
Dealer advised it is a bracket inside the door that has broken, possibly due to broken welds holding said bracket. The Dealer advised that this is an unfixable issue, and the entire door needs replaced. If it is not fixed, the dealer said it will cause other issues with the door, possibly leaving it inoperable. Dealer also co…
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Dealer advised it is a bracket inside the door that has broken, possibly due to broken welds holding said bracket. The Dealer advised that this is an unfixable issue, and the entire door needs replaced. If it is not fixed, the dealer said it will cause other issues with the door, possibly leaving it inoperable. Dealer also confirmed this is a very common issue with this model and that it is not covered. The Dealer said I will need to repair at my own expense, with an estimated cost of $2,000 or more.
NHTSA ODI #11534190
19,000 miles · Jul 24, 2023
EngineFuel System, Gasoline
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V380000 (Engine) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The …
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The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V380000 (Engine) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that there was an abnormal gasoline odor inside the cabin of the vehicle. The failure mileage was approximately 19,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
NHTSA ODI #11534109
Mileage unknown · Jul 24, 2023
Structure
Driver side door kept clicking when opening or closing. At one point while opening, hinge where it is riveted in broke off and door will not close properly.
NHTSA ODI #11534099
Mileage unknown · Jul 23, 2023
EngineStructure
1 Engine Fire Safety Recall Dealer not able to fix the problem. 2 Driver's side door hinge broken window will not go down. Dealer told me this is not a manufacture problem.
NHTSA ODI #11533959
Mileage unknown · Jul 20, 2023
Structure
Drivers door check stop is creaking and snapping and exibiting all the behavior being investgated by your department as reported in the Reuters article https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/us-investigates-346000-ford-escape-suvs-over-door-issues-2023-07-11/
NHTSA ODI #11533446
Mileage unknown · Jul 20, 2023
Power Train
Transmission becomes unresponsive and unreliable in high temps and locks into whatever gear it was in IE if left in the sun in park the shifter won’t budge until enough time for it to cool down has passed
NHTSA ODI #11533384
26,000 miles · Jul 12, 2023
Engine
The contact owns 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon reversing out of his driveway, the vehicle shut off with a green LED light on the start button flashing. The contact called an independent mechanic and scheduled to have the vehicle towed. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehi…
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The contact owns 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon reversing out of his driveway, the vehicle shut off with a green LED light on the start button flashing. The contact called an independent mechanic and scheduled to have the vehicle towed. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 26,000.
NHTSA ODI #11531891
33,000 miles · Jul 12, 2023
Latches/locks/linkages
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the front driver's door arm assembly was fractured and made it hard to open and shut the door. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with a fractured door and arm assembly, and the door and arm assembly needed to be replaced; however,…
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The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the front driver's door arm assembly was fractured and made it hard to open and shut the door. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with a fractured door and arm assembly, and the door and arm assembly needed to be replaced; however, the vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 33,000.
NHTSA ODI #11531875
Mileage unknown · Jul 12, 2023
Structure
The contact's company owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the hinge detached from the front driver’s side door. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the front driver’s side door to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure recurred. The contact took t…
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The contact's company owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the hinge detached from the front driver’s side door. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the front driver’s side door to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure recurred. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the front driver’s side door to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the parts not being available. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. The contact stated the door was set to repaired again on 07/31/2023.
NHTSA ODI #11531776
NHTSA investigations
2PE23013 · Failed Door Check Arm Attachment Point
Opened Jul 7, 2023 · Closed Jan 24, 2024
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Structure:body:door ; Structure:body:door:hinge And Attachments
On July 7, 2023, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE23-013 to investigate instances of check arm bracket failure in the front doors in model year (MY) 2020-2021 Ford Escape vehicles. At the time of opening, ODI received 118 Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQs) alleging this failure. To date, ODI has received 593 VOQs alleging this failure, with a variety of reported failure conditions. The most common reported failure condition was reduced door functionality (e.g. door was more difficult to open or close) and the least common was inadvertent door opening. Other reported failure conditions include inability to latch and inability to open. Three VOQs reported injuries, one of which requiring medical attention. ODI conducted a consumer survey which yielded an additional 44 injuries (although the VOQs did not indicate any injury), none of which requiring medical attention. All these injuries were bumps/bruises from the door closing on occupants’ arms and legs while entering and exiting the vehicle. The function of the check arm system is to provide hold-open assist at specific angles and to assist with door closing energy. It does not provide vertical support of the door and is independent of the latching mechanism. This failure is progressive and detectable by vehicle occupants. Consumers commonly report hearing a popping or snapping noise when opening and closing the door. This noise is caused by some of the welds between the bracket and door structure failing and detaching. There may also be visible damage present to the welds in the door structure. Continued use of the door may result in all welds separating and the bracket fully detaching from the door structure, which could lead to increased resistance in closing and opening the door, restrained window operation, and the door freely rotating when open. ODI inspected 3 consumer vehicles in the field, and 2 test vehicles at Ford’s testing facility. The test vehicles were retrofitted with the failed component. ODI observed an increased door closing resistance, however, was unable to reproduce an inadvertent open while parked or driving, or a failure to latch or open condition. Testing also verified this failure did not affect the door ajar warning system. This system provides an audible and visual warning in the event a door did not achieve primary latch position. Ford has provided details on a one-time-repair customer satisfaction program (23B56), stating that they will provide customers with a letter, currently targeted for March 2024, to bring their vehicle to a Ford dealership for a proactive repair. Dealers will inspect the door check arm welds for damage and will either provide a rivet plate to reinforce the existing door check arm or will provide a replacement door, depending on the level of damage present. Customers will be eligible for reimbursement if they previously paid to repair this issue. In view of the high detectability of failure, low potential hazard to drivers, and Ford’s customer satisfaction program to provide a proactive repair, this Preliminary Evaluation (PE) is closed. The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist. The Agency reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by future circumstances. To review the ODI reports cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.
Additional source detail variants (2)
Structure:body:door
On July 7, 2023, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE23-013 to investigate instances of check arm bracket failure in the front doors in model year (MY) 2020-2021 Ford Escape vehicles. At the time of opening, ODI received 118 Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQs) alleging this failure. To date, ODI has received 593 VOQs alleging this failure, with a variety of reported failure conditions. The most common reported failure condition was reduced door functionality (e.g. door was more difficult to open or close) and the least common was inadvertent door opening. Other reported failure conditions include inability to latch and inability to open. Three VOQs reported injuries, one of which requiring medical attention. ODI conducted a consumer survey which yielded an additional 44 injuries (although the VOQs did not indicate any injury), none of which requiring medical attention. All these injuries were bumps/bruises from the door closing on occupants’ arms and legs while entering and exiting the vehicle. The function of the check arm system is to provide hold-open assist at specific angles and to assist with door closing energy. It does not provide vertical support of the door and is independent of the latching mechanism. This failure is progressive and detectable by vehicle occupants. Consumers commonly report hearing a popping or snapping noise when opening and closing the door. This noise is caused by some of the welds between the bracket and door structure failing and detaching. There may also be visible damage present to the welds in the door structure. Continued use of the door may result in all welds separating and the bracket fully detaching from the door structure, which could lead to increased resistance in closing and opening the door, restrained window operation, and the door freely rotating when open. ODI inspected 3 consumer vehicles in the field, and 2 test vehicles at Ford’s testing facility. The test vehicles were retrofitted with the failed component. ODI observed an increased door closing resistance, however, was unable to reproduce an inadvertent open while parked or driving, or a failure to latch or open condition. Testing also verified this failure did not affect the door ajar warning system. This system provides an audible and visual warning in the event a door did not achieve primary latch position. Ford has provided details on a one-time-repair customer satisfaction program (23B56), stating that they will provide customers with a letter, currently targeted for March 2024, to bring their vehicle to a Ford dealership for a proactive repair. Dealers will inspect the door check arm welds for damage and will either provide a rivet plate to reinforce the existing door check arm or will provide a replacement door, depending on the level of damage present. Customers will be eligible for reimbursement if they previously paid to repair this issue. In view of the high detectability of failure, low potential hazard to drivers, and Ford’s customer satisfaction program to provide a proactive repair, this Preliminary Evaluation (PE) is closed. The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist. The Agency reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by future circumstances. To review the ODI reports cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.
Structure:body:door:hinge And Attachments
On July 7, 2023, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE23-013 to investigate instances of check arm bracket failure in the front doors in model year (MY) 2020-2021 Ford Escape vehicles. At the time of opening, ODI received 118 Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQs) alleging this failure. To date, ODI has received 593 VOQs alleging this failure, with a variety of reported failure conditions. The most common reported failure condition was reduced door functionality (e.g. door was more difficult to open or close) and the least common was inadvertent door opening. Other reported failure conditions include inability to latch and inability to open. Three VOQs reported injuries, one of which requiring medical attention. ODI conducted a consumer survey which yielded an additional 44 injuries (although the VOQs did not indicate any injury), none of which requiring medical attention. All these injuries were bumps/bruises from the door closing on occupants’ arms and legs while entering and exiting the vehicle. The function of the check arm system is to provide hold-open assist at specific angles and to assist with door closing energy. It does not provide vertical support of the door and is independent of the latching mechanism. This failure is progressive and detectable by vehicle occupants. Consumers commonly report hearing a popping or snapping noise when opening and closing the door. This noise is caused by some of the welds between the bracket and door structure failing and detaching. There may also be visible damage present to the welds in the door structure. Continued use of the door may result in all welds separating and the bracket fully detaching from the door structure, which could lead to increased resistance in closing and opening the door, restrained window operation, and the door freely rotating when open. ODI inspected 3 consumer vehicles in the field, and 2 test vehicles at Ford’s testing facility. The test vehicles were retrofitted with the failed component. ODI observed an increased door closing resistance, however, was unable to reproduce an inadvertent open while parked or driving, or a failure to latch or open condition. Testing also verified this failure did not affect the door ajar warning system. This system provides an audible and visual warning in the event a door did not achieve primary latch position. Ford has provided details on a one-time-repair customer satisfaction program (23B56), stating that they will provide customers with a letter, currently targeted for March 2024, to bring their vehicle to a Ford dealership for a proactive repair. Dealers will inspect the door check arm welds for damage and will either provide a rivet plate to reinforce the existing door check arm or will provide a replacement door, depending on the level of damage present. Customers will be eligible for reimbursement if they previously paid to repair this issue. In view of the high detectability of failure, low potential hazard to drivers, and Ford’s customer satisfaction program to provide a proactive repair, this Preliminary Evaluation (PE) is closed. The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist. The Agency reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by future circumstances. To review the ODI reports cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.
DP22005 · Pedestrian Alert Sounds
Opened Jan 27, 2023 · Closed Aug 7, 2023
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Electrical System:propulsion System
NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, NHTSA opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matter described in the petition. On June 24, 2023 and as supplemented on June 25, 2023, the petitioner notified NHTSA he was withdrawing his petition. The petitioner indicated that, based on his review of data, there is no justification for asserting potential benefits that could be derived from actions sought by my petition. Based on the petitioner's withdrawal, DP22-005 is closed. Closure of this DP does not represent a determination by NHTSA regarding the subject matter of the petition.
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