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2021 Ford Escape Phev

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Limited comparison data

There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

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Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

All reported categories

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

Limited mileage data: 5 of 22 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Electrical System. Review the 8 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine. Review the 8 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 3 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

1 crash reports0 fire reports1 injury reports

What owners actually said

22 reports
Mileage unknown · Aug 24, 2026
Power Train

Power train lost during driving, suddenly the car lost the power and a light in the dashboard start blinking, it recovers after a few times turning it on and off, seems to be triggered by brake pedal press, car has been having issues since Oct 2025 after unplugged it

NHTSA ODI #11759090

Mileage unknown · Aug 14, 2026
Power TrainService Brakes

NOV 20, 2025 Manufacturer Recall Number25SC4 NHTSA Recall Number25V789 Recall StatusRecall Incomplete, remedy not yet available Summary this has been 9 months and still no remedy. this doesnt seem timely.

NHTSA ODI #11756939

Mileage unknown · May 28, 2025
Electrical System

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V954000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. …

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The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V954000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ODI #11663389

Mileage unknown · Apr 11, 2025
Electrical System

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V954000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was contacted. The manufacturer…

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The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V954000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The manufacturer stated the remedy was expected to be available second quarter of 2025; however, it could not give an exact date. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI #11654133

Mileage unknown · Apr 9, 2025
Electrical System

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V954000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The dealer was contacted. The dealer confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reaso…

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The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V954000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The dealer was contacted. The dealer confirmed that parts were not yet available. 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 and informed the contact that a second notice would be mailed when parts were available. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI #11653628

51,988 miles · Feb 27, 2025
Electrical System

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V954000 (Electrical System); 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 vehicle was towed to the dealer, b…

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The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V954000 (Electrical System); 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 vehicle was towed to the dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that after coasting out of the garage the vehicle stalled, the shifter seized in park(P), and the message “Stop Safely Now” was displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was towed to another dealer, Kendall Ford of Bend (2100 NE 3rd St, Bend, OR 97701); who diagnosed that the high-voltage battery had failed and needed to be replaced. The failure was related to the recall; however, the recall repair could not be completed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure was mileage was 51,988. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI #11645384

51,988 miles · Feb 26, 2025
Electrical SystemPower Train

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V954000 (Electrical System). The contact stated that while pulling out of the driveway, the message "Stop Safely Now" was displayed, and the vehicle inadvertently shifted into park(P) and failed to shift into the intended gear. The…

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The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V954000 (Electrical System). The contact stated that while pulling out of the driveway, the message "Stop Safely Now" was displayed, and the vehicle inadvertently shifted into park(P) and failed to shift into the intended gear. The power train warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to two dealers where the failure was unable to be duplicated. The vehicle was towed to another dealer, but the failure was not duplicated. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 51,988.

NHTSA ODI #11645045

Mileage unknown · Jun 5, 2024
Forward Collision AvoidanceVehicle Speed Control

Our 2021 Ford Escape has "Intelligent" adaptive cruise control. It has the capacity to adjust our car speed based on the highway speed limit signs it encounters. It reads all speed correctly but it also reads "black and white, square, numeric, County Road signs as Speed Signs. This is dangerous as many County Road signs have num…

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Our 2021 Ford Escape has "Intelligent" adaptive cruise control. It has the capacity to adjust our car speed based on the highway speed limit signs it encounters. It reads all speed correctly but it also reads "black and white, square, numeric, County Road signs as Speed Signs. This is dangerous as many County Road signs have numerics that drastically exceed the posted speed limit and cause the car to rapidly excellerate around a curve or in neighborhood settings. So for example, in a 35 mph speed zone, the car sees the County Road 85 sign and rapidly attempts to excelerate by 50 mph to 85 mph. This surprises you and forces you to seek the brake pedal in an attempt to avoid a casualty. We have reported this to Ford and brought our vehicle in twice now regarding the issue. On 10/5/22 Ford replaced the car's image module to help clarify highway signs for adaptive cruise. This did not remedy the problem. After nearly running over an animal because of this issue, we brought the car back to Ford on 5/8/24 to correct this issue under our nearly expired warranty. They had our vehicle for 3 weeks. We furnished them with photos of the County Road signs the car's speed was erroneously triggered by, such as Co Rd 85 or 106! After much research with Ford International, the dealer determined that this is a software bug. On a recent "on-line" Ford document, on page 289, it states "Note: The system may not detect all speed signs and may incorrectly read signs." This can occur when the county road signs are similar in shape and color to a speed limit sign. This is a limitation of the system and currently cannot be avoided or corrected." Please understand this information is not listed in our 2021 Escape Owners Manual. Furthermore, on the 2024 Escape loaner vehicle we had for 3 weeks while ours was in the shop, Ford changed out their adaptive cruise control system from "Intelligent to Predictive" which now uses GPS to compensate. Meanwhile our car remains a hazard to drive. Help!

NHTSA ODI #11592683

29,000 miles · May 3, 2024
EngineCrashInjury

The contact owned a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at 35 MPH and attempting to slow the vehicle, he became dizzy then suddenly fainted, and as a result, he briefly lost control of the vehicle and came to a complete stop after colliding with the curb. Just prior to fainting, the contact had smelled burnin…

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The contact owned a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at 35 MPH and attempting to slow the vehicle, he became dizzy then suddenly fainted, and as a result, he briefly lost control of the vehicle and came to a complete stop after colliding with the curb. Just prior to fainting, the contact had smelled burning fumes in the interior of the vehicle, to which he attributed his feeling of dizziness. The air bags did deploy. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard and deemed a total loss by the contact's insurance provider. A police report was filed, and injuries were reported. The contact was transported to an area hospital by EMT, where they performed various tests, including 2 CAT scans, a heart ultrasound, a pacemaker test, and blood work. Furthermore, the contact was treated for intestinal inflammation due to the seatbelt. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V380000 (Engine), and the VIN was included, but he was made aware that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 29,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ODI #11586824

Mileage unknown · Feb 16, 2024
Fuel/propulsion SystemStructure

I was issued a letter back in June 2023 on this recall. Parts were supposed to be available by October 2023. It is now almost March of 2024 with no remedy

NHTSA ODI #11572280

Official recalls

1

25V789000 · Electrical System:propulsion System:traction Battery

Nov 14, 2025

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2024 Ford Escape and 2021-2024 Lincoln Corsair plug-in hybrid vehicles. A manufacturing defect in one or more of the high voltage battery cells may result in an internal short circuit and battery failure.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Battery failure can cause a loss of drive power, increasing the risk of a crash. Battery failure can also increase the risk of a fire.

Remedy: Dealers will update the battery energy control module (BECM) and hybrid powertrain control module (HPCM), free of charge. Owners are advised to only use "Auto EV" mode and will be instructed by mail to limit the maximum charge of the battery until the remedy has been completed. Owner notification letters were mailed September 4, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25SC4. Vehicles in this recall were previously recalled under 24V954 and will need to have the new remedy performed. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on November 18, 2025.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.