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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 · Feb 15, 2024
Engine

My family was driving on the highway to a sports event when the engine started making a high revving sound. We were driving up a hill at around 70mph and in response to the engine noise, slowed the vehicle to a stop and turned off the engine. The vehicle was towed to a Ford service center where we were told that the engine was c…

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My family was driving on the highway to a sports event when the engine started making a high revving sound. We were driving up a hill at around 70mph and in response to the engine noise, slowed the vehicle to a stop and turned off the engine. The vehicle was towed to a Ford service center where we were told that the engine was completely out of oil and had been destroyed. We did not get any alerts or warnings from the vehicle prior to the high revving sound. According to Ford recall 23S27 and NHTSA recall 23V380, this is a known issue and could have put our family at significant risk. We spoke to many people at Ford but they denied warranty coverage due to "improper oil filter installation". We were without our vehicle for 2 months before we decided to have another mechanic give an estimate and complete the repairs. The repair was a full engine replacement costing $7,000+. Ford has since refused to reimburse us for the repair costs. The incident occurred on 10/6/23 with around 52,000 miles. The vehicle was purchased new on 10/24/21.

NHTSA ODI #11572182

Mileage unknown · Feb 11, 2024
Engine

I received a recall notice for my vehicle in June 2023 for an engine issue that could result in engine failure, including fire (recall 22V380), in which I was told to expect parts to be available for a repair in October 2023. I have placed follow-up calls with the Ford dealership and am still being told the parts for the repair …

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I received a recall notice for my vehicle in June 2023 for an engine issue that could result in engine failure, including fire (recall 22V380), in which I was told to expect parts to be available for a repair in October 2023. I have placed follow-up calls with the Ford dealership and am still being told the parts for the repair are not available and there is no updated expected time for parts to be available. At this point, it has been about 8 months since receiving notice of the recall and Ford has no knowledge of when a repair may be available. This complaint is specifically regarding the lack of information and repair available regarding this recall.

NHTSA ODI #11571342

32,200 miles · Jan 29, 2024
Electrical SystemEngine

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V380000 (Engine) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that the vehicle occasion…

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The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V380000 (Engine) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that the vehicle occasionally failed to start. The contact also stated that while driving at 20-25 MPH, the vehicle shutoff unintendedly. The vehicle was coasted to the side of the road and restarted; however, the "Check Engine" warning light was illuminated. The failure had occurred approximately 3 to 4 times. The dealer was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the battery had failed. The battery was replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact had not experienced a failure. The failure mileage was 32,200. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI #11568568

Mileage unknown · Jan 9, 2024
Engine

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V380000 (Engine) 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 manufact…

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The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V380000 (Engine) 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. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI #11564422

Mileage unknown · Dec 14, 2023
Engine

Ford issued a recall #23V380. I received a notification letter from Ford back in June 2023. To this date, Ford has not offered a resolution to this problem. I do not feel safe having a vehicle that can catch fire either driving, or in my driveway/garage. Ford needs to step up and either refund customers their money, or rep…

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Ford issued a recall #23V380. I received a notification letter from Ford back in June 2023. To this date, Ford has not offered a resolution to this problem. I do not feel safe having a vehicle that can catch fire either driving, or in my driveway/garage. Ford needs to step up and either refund customers their money, or replace the engines in these cars ASAP. Ford has a bad product here and this is unacceptable on their behalf.

NHTSA ODI #11560037

Mileage unknown · Sep 8, 2023
Engine

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V380000 (Engine) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable …

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The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V380000 (Engine) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that the part was 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 confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI #11543368

Mileage unknown · Jun 3, 2023
Air BagsEngineSeat Belts

The car shakes while the car is in idle. The car displays an illuminated crossed out child car seat and the word “on”. These two alerts do not turn off. Even though there is no one seated in a back and two adults are seated in the front seats. It also leaks fluid. I have an appointment with a ford dealer this Tuesday…

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The car shakes while the car is in idle. The car displays an illuminated crossed out child car seat and the word “on”. These two alerts do not turn off. Even though there is no one seated in a back and two adults are seated in the front seats. It also leaks fluid. I have an appointment with a ford dealer this Tuesday and I already contacted the ford corporate office. #CA********

NHTSA ODI #11525162

Mileage unknown · Apr 23, 2023
Electrical System

Stalls in traffic while in EV mode (Electric Vehicle mode). It has failed 3 times while driving in the last 10 days. This is unsafe because there is no chance to pull out of traffic.

NHTSA ODI #11518536

Mileage unknown · Sep 30, 2022
Service BrakesVisibility/wiper

Brakes are squealing very badly when in reverse, (going down a hill or when have not been used in a few days or after a rain storm). Windshield sub-stained a splintered crack after only 2 months, quality of windshield seems weak.

NHTSA ODI #11487308

Mileage unknown · Jul 4, 2022
Unknown Or Other

While driving PHEV with a nearly full charge and a full tank of gas in EV mode, when I came to a stop at stop signs and traffic lights, the car would buck once like a horse, like an engine misfiring, and would indicate drivetrain issue and oput itsself in accessory mode, and flash battery indicator light. I was unabble to shift …

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While driving PHEV with a nearly full charge and a full tank of gas in EV mode, when I came to a stop at stop signs and traffic lights, the car would buck once like a horse, like an engine misfiring, and would indicate drivetrain issue and oput itsself in accessory mode, and flash battery indicator light. I was unabble to shift or restart driving until about 3 minutes later and after multiple times turning the car off and back on. It kept asking if the car was currently being charged, it was not as I was about 10 minutes and 5 miles into my 75 min/ 50 mine journey. It seems odd that while driving in EV mode, electric motor only in use, that the car would buck/jerk while shutting off. This also happened nearly exactly 7 months ago.

NHTSA ODI #11472259

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.