NHTSA Owner Complaint Log
This page lists owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2020 Ford Escape. Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA and do not by themselves prove a defect or defect rate.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon entering the vehicle, the door latch made an abnormal screeching sound and the contact had difficulty while closing the door. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the door check arm attachment and advised that the entire door needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related it to NHTSA Action Number: PE23013 (Structure). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 39,000.
I am experiencing the piping sound on the drivers door arm as mention in the active investigation. I called the dealer and they want $4000 to put a whole new door on. The arm Barack also bust my window clips and now my drivers window will not go down as a result.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his wife was exiting the vehicle, she opened the front passenger’s side door and heard a clicking sound, and the front passenger’s side door extended open with force. The contact stated that upon entering the vehicle, he opened the front driver’s side door and heard a clicking sound. Upon inspecting the front driver’s and passenger’s side doors, he noticed that the spot welds had fractured. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was determined that the front driver's and passenger’s side doors needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was advised to call the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 43,000.
Driver's side door hinge has failed. Makes a cracking noise when opening and closing the door. Window will not close automatically if opened so now not able to open it anymore. Occasionally getting warnings that the door is not secure when the car is in Drive. Vehicle is 3.5 years old and only 46k miles so not covered by warranty.
The spot welds on the driver's door broke. This causes the door to grind when opening/closing. If left for too long, this could lead to the entire door being unusable. No one has looked at this issue other than myself.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that on several occasions after shifting into reverse, the vehicle erroneously drove forward. The contact stated that on another occasion while driving at highway speeds, the vehicle erroneously shifted into neutral. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the transmission was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The contact stated that while the vehicle was in for routine maintenance, it was discovered that there was hydraulic fluid leaking from the rear shock absorbers. The shock absorbers were replaced, and the vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 60,000.
The door hinge bracket is over extending and popping when the door is opened all the way.
Opening driver side door heard a pop, door hinge sprung causing door to open and driver side window stuck Ford will not take responsibility and fix it. The whole door needs to be replaced and they're quoting me $3000.
Radio/Bluetooth system has completely stopped working in the middle of driving. It made all the lights in the car go crazy. The car shut off and cut back on while I was driving down the interstate. Now the radio/Bluetooth will not come on and we are a hands free state. It is a hazard when I have an emergency call and cannot speak to the caller via bluetooth.
The hinge of my driver’s side door came off. I did file a complaint with Ford but a friend told me to file one here also. It is currently in the body shop getting fixed. It is going to cost over $3,000
Not reported to dealer yet but the driver door hinge welds broke and I believe the door could come off.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated while opening the front passenger’s side door, the contact heard a cracking sound coming from the door. When the contact rolled down to the front passenger’s side window, the window was difficult to roll up. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but no assistance was provided. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the vehicle needed to be diagnosed. The failure mileage was approximately 87,000.
Spot welds on driver side door where the "Check Arm" attaches to the door have come loose. Unable to close the door.
The driver's side door was making a creaking noise then a loud pop occurred. Took it to a Ford autobody shop and they said the weld on the check arm attachment broke. I can't use the window. Estimate for repair is over $2000. My car has 38659 miles and is a 2020 Ford Escape.
Driver door popping and cracking arm weld broken
The driver door started making a popping/creaking sound when I opened and closed it. The sound was quiet at first, like I wasn't even sure I heard it right, then it got really loud and stopped altogether and my window wouldn't roll down properly. The sound only lasted a week or two fron when it started to when it stopped. I took it to the Ford dealership where I bought it, and they told me the door check became UNWELDED inside the door.
Driver door doesn’t latch properly, and window won’t open/close.
The door limiter is ripped free of its mounting [inside the door] and makes keeping the door closed and/or opening it impossible at times. In addition, the broken pieces in the door damaged the window regulator, making egress through the window equally impossible. Our safety is put at risk due to the possibility of the door opening while driving as well as the safety of oncoming traffic. Both Ford dealer and independent body shop confirmed that they have seen this problem on many other Ford vehicles, and the only remedy is a complete door replacement. Prior to door failure, there was a lot of creaking and difficulty closing the door. When we first bought the car [new], the door was not closing correctly, and the dealer claimed that the weatherstripping was the issue. Now that the car is OUT of warranty, Dealer mechanic confirmed this door limiter breaking from the spot welds is a common occurance, yet not yet under recall for my VIN number.
Drivers side door hinge has failed. Makes a cracking noise when opening and closing the door. Window will not close automatically if opened so now not able to open it anymore. Occasionally getting warnings that the door is not secure when the car is in Drive. Dealer says $2-3k to replace the door. Vehicle is 3.5 years old but only 23k miles so not covered by warranty.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated there was a loud cracking sound while opening and closing the front driver's side door. The contact stated that the door was difficult to close. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who determined that the safety latch and door welds had fractured at the check arm attachment point and that the door needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 40,000.
Door latch on drivers side has begun to make popping noise every time it is opened or closed.
Driver side door is making a clanking noise when opening and closing. I also had difficulty closing and keeping the door closed. The window will not open more than 6 inches. Door hinge or door stop on the interior of the door has some welding part that my mechanic says has broken within the door's frame. He identifies this as a manufacturing problem, not something my mechanic will attempt to fix.
Driver door is creaking and not wanting to close all the way
Error message that AWD, and associated sponsors are not functioning. This is failure of AWD Module LX6Z 7P238 AANP. Ford has issued a minimum recall/service warning (but not all 2020 Escape models). All warnings and assistance related to AWD are incapacitated/not functioning, including auto parking brake.
My front drivers door started squeaking and yesterday it started making this crunching noise. I noticed that I have three holes on the inside front door panel where the hinges are. I was told by a mechanic that the door check arm on the interior of the door the weld did not hold and that was the noise I was hearing it braking. I can not open my door all the way and it gets stuck open sometimes. I called Ford and because my car is 2800 miles over warranty they will do nothing. Upon investigation I have found you have an investigation into this problem SSM 50150. I have a Ford 2020 Escape. How is it that the weld on a 3 year old car breaks? I have not had it repaired because of the cost involved. I feel this should be escalated to a recall.
Driver door hinge isnt working. Door doesnt stay open and is hard to close. Makes loud popping noise when trying to close. Driver side window doesn't go down.
When the Escape interior reaches a certain temperature (between 90-101 degrees), the gear selector (a knob-like device), will not move--you cannot move from Park into any other gear. I have to either pump the brakes OR turn on the AC to get the interior a little cooler, before I can move the gear selector. There are reports of others dealing with this, mostly 2020-2021 Escapes. If you have to move the car in an emergency, it will not be happening.
Door welds associated with the door check stop failed. Problem is the same as SSM-50150. Ford is telling me that it’s 1800$ to repair and I am on the hook for the repair.
The seat heating element is stuck up out of the seat pushing into the person driving.
The shifting mechanism failed with just 13,000 miles; the vehicle is barely 3 years old. This appears to be a manufacturing defect and I incurred costs in repair. The manufacturer denied responsibility.
Driver side door and power window malfunction
Driver side door started to make a noise while using it. Shortly after the door was hard to close and open at the same time and a pop sound happened and door could not close at all due to door arm breaking loose inside of door. I had to take the door apart and try to get the arm out which was a battle but I managed. Door swings open and closed way too easy now. Driver side window now has scratches from going up and down. I am taking my car in for a recall repair on September 15, 2023 and at that time the dealership will be looking into what they can do for me regarding the door arm repair since this happend just outside of the 36,000 mile warranty. The Ford Escape 2020 is at this moment at 38,525.
Loud popping noise when opening driver side door, feels like the door is starting to slip, at times have trouble closing, now the window when rolled down will not roll back up. Popping, cracking noise started 3+ months ago, have call into dealership at this time. Not able to use the window at all now and not sure the door will stay continue to be usable.
DRIVERS SIDE DOOR IS CLANKING/ POPPING NOISE WHEN OPENING THE DOOR. THE DOOR DOOT STAY ROD WELD IS BROKEN AND THE WINDOW WILL NOT GO DOWN. IT IS A SAFETY PROBLEM WHEN THE WINDOW WILL NOT GO DOWN TO OPEN IT AND THE DOOR HINGE WELD IS BROKEN. THIS HAS HAPPENING TO OTHERS AND THE DEALER HAS SAID IT IS A PROBLEM THEY HAVE HAD WITH THIS CAR.
This is 1 of 3 2020 - 2021 Ford Escapes that my company owns and is affected by this known issue with NHTSA and Ford Motor Company as it relates to Ford Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) SSM 50150. The spot welds at the check arm attachment points on the driver door have failed. This has lead to a horrible noise and feeling when opening and closing our door. Sometimes the door does not shut all the way making this a safety issue. The door is now hard to open and close. The window is also inoperable as it either won't roll down at all or, if it does roll down, it will now roll back up. This issue has been inspected by 2 dealerships and they are not allowing our PremiumCARE extended Warranty to cover this. We have had 10's of Escapes with 100,000+ miles and this has never been an issue. This has occurred in this 2020 Escape and 1 other 2020 Ford Escape and 1 other 2021 Ford Escape (I will file complaints separately for them so NHTSA understands this is a massive issue Ford needs to fix ASAP and reimburse any customers who have paid out of pocket to get this fixed). NHTSA needs to issue a recall immediately.
2020 ford escape in 2023 transmission started slipping amd stuttering around 60,000 miles on it. Ford service said nothing wrong. Problem persisted and now at 103,000 miles they admit need a whole new transmission. Service bulletin released in 2022 did not fix the issue and now that warranty is out they want the customer to replace it. The car is unsafe as you can't count on acceleration as the transmission slips going up inclines and oftent times when accelerating to pass or turn into traffic. Additionally a new class action lawsuit seems to state all of the same issues I have had and am having. Ford knows about the issue and refuses to recall the transmission or help monetarily with the repairs.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated while entering the vehicle on the front passenger's side, she heard an abnormal cracking sound coming from the front passenger's side door. Additionally, the contact stated that she attempted to roll down the window, but the window failed to roll down. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. There was no further information provided. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in a recall related to the failure. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 42,005.
The component or system that is failing/malfunctioning is the opening and closing of the driver side door. Yes, it is available for inspection upon request. My safety/the safety of others are put at risk should the door opens during driving or at any time without a physical being opening it. No, the problem hasn’t been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center not to my knowledge. The vehicle or component has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, or insurance representatives but has been inspected by myself and others. No, there was not any warning lamps, or messages of the problem prior to the failure. However, there was other symptoms which included a mild sounding popping noise coming from the driver door when opening it to enter and exit the vehicle. This first appeared about two days prior to the component or system complete failure/malfunction.
The left front drivers door is difficult to open and close due to broken factory spot welds on the door where it attaches to a factory mechanism. This causes the door to make a popping sound and makes it periodically difficult to both open and securely close the door.
Driver’s door started to make a loud popping sound. Found that weld spots on the door had failed. Local dealer removed the door check so now the sound is gone but need to be careful opening door in the wind. They have quoted $2,235 to replace the door! Already charged me $52 to remove the door check. I don’t feel safe driving this car being unsure if the door will stay latched. I hope there is a recall by Ford to fix this problem.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated while opening the driver's side door, she heard an abnormal popping sound. The contact stated that the failure had become constant. Additionally, the driver's side window failed to roll down. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed and had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 44,000.
DRIVER SIDE DOOR THE DOOR SPOT WELD THAT IS FOR THE DOOR ARM THAT OPENS HAS BROKEN ON 07/28/2023. TOOK IT TO LOCAL FORD DEALERSHIP NOT COVERED PAST 3 YEAR 36000 MILE WARRANTTY. THIS IS A DEFECT FROM FORD AND SHOULD BE COVERED
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the front driver's side door made abnormal clicking sounds while opening and closing. The contact's wife had difficulty closing the door securely. The contact related the failure to a faulty front driver's side door middle hinge pin. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 27,000.
The vehicle information screen "APIM" froze, went black then after re-starting the car seemed to be reset. The large screen then showed only the back-up camera while in drive. The screen display is not the same each time the vehicle is started. It could be black or show partially such as the navigation system or the radio. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer for servicing the malfunction a recall and the driver door limiter problem. the vehicle was returned with the recall corrected instructions for the door repair but the APIM is still broken. the part for repair is on back order, the timeframe for replacement is unknown.
All my warning lights came on my vehicle. Before I could get to service department, the car was making a weird sound underneath me. I knew something was wrong. I had it towed to dealer. They say my TURBO is out. The car is still in shop waiting on part, but the service man said the same make and model also is having TURBO issues. Just wanting to see if this is a common thing in this car. A recall would be great.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that when he opened the front driver’s side door, he heard a cracking sound. Upon inspecting the door, he noticed that the hinge had loosened and that the spot welds had cracked. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the contact was advised by the technician to take the vehicle to an auto repair shop. The contact was informed that the front driver's side door might need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the VIN was not included in a recall and advised to call the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 73,000.
My driver door hinge has come apart from door due to welding, which has impacted my window from going down and although i lock the doors they are still able to come unlock by pulling door handle which leaves my car vunerable to vandelism or theft. i made an appointment and got the first date available. My vehicle is a lease and out of warranty although I paid for extra miles and after showing them all the data from NHTSA they want me to pay $450-$500 and be without a vehicle for a minimum of 4 days with a max of 5 without a loaner and for me to pay for a rental car on top of paying monthly note along with repair and rental which already has inflated rates. They need to fix and have a recall. This is dangerous and can be costly considering your car door is unlock in the "lock position".
My Escape has just over 41,000 miles. Very well taken care of and after sitting in a personal garage, while on vacation, I opened drivers side door and LOUD popping noise began when opening or closing. I took to dealership where I lease from and was informed door stop is broken and only way to fixe is total door replacement. This would need to be at my own cost, I REFUSE TO PAY SINCE I DID NOTHING TO IT, and I exchange in 7 months. This is freaking ridiculous. I can now not use my window and literally am anxious to use my only care to get to and from work. They need to fix!!
Driver's side door not closing completely, making loud cracking noise. Unable to roll window down. Door not closing completely is a safety hazard while traveling, concerned the door might open while moving. Because the door isn't closing all the way, it's messing up the electronics as well. The door welds where the bracket attaches has come detached.
The AWD module failed. This was confirmed at a Ford dealership after a lengthy diagnostic. The car started to alarm by showing first a powertrain failure and then disabling AWD, pre-collison assist warnings and hill assist. This placed the car in "limp" mode while i was entering the interstate on the on ramp making it a safety issue. In my research, I am seeing others who have had the same issue in the 2020 Escape and feel this should be recalled. My car is still at the Ford dealership awaiting a part, but I am happy to submit the service report once completed.