Complaint volume
1435 consumer-submitted complaints are matched to this model year. Treat the count as a research signal, then read the actual summaries for repeated symptoms.
Complaint records
2020 Ford Escape Complaints
1435 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2020 Ford Escape, grouped by component category.
1435 Total complaints
19 Crash reports
3 Fire reports
22 Injury reports
Complaint data reflects consumer-submitted reports. A complaint is not proof
of a defect, recall, or manufacturer fault. Enriched severity fields come
from official bulk records when the complaint can be matched by ODI number.
Buyer interpretation
How to use these complaints before buying
Complaint records are most useful when they turn into inspection points, seller questions, and comparison checks against nearby model years.
Pattern to inspect
The most common categories are structure, unknown or other, power train. Use those categories as a test-drive checklist instead of judging the vehicle from the total count alone.
Severity flags
Enriched records include 19 crash reports, 3 fire reports, 22 injury reports, and 0 fatality reports. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage clue
Mileage is available on 305 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 45,215 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Questions to ask the seller
- Have you had any problems related to structure, unknown or other, power train?
- Can I see recent maintenance and repair records?
- Has the vehicle ever been towed, involved in a crash, or repaired for the same issue twice?
- Can we also check the recall record for this 2020 Ford Escape?
Used-car checklist
Use these complaints before the test drive.
Build a buyer checklist to turn these issues into questions and inspection points.
2020 Ford Escape
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.
How severe are the 2020 Ford Escape complaints?
19 Crash
3 Fire
22 Injury
0 Fatality
30 Towed
9 Medical attention
What are the most common 2020 Ford Escape complaint categories?
STRUCTURE 503
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 187
POWER TRAIN 110
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE 80
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 38
STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 34
ENGINE 30
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES 26
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 18
VISIBILITY/WIPER 18
1,435 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2025 | STRUCTURE | Driver door issue. Loud popping when opening and closing door. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2025 | ENGINE,FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the traction control, AWD, Forward Collision Assist, and several other warning lights were illuminated. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and the contact was informed that there was a recall for other model vehicles for a similar failure; however, the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the vehicle was diagnosed with a defective purge valve assembly. The contact had the part replaced; however, the check engine warning light became illuminated again. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 20,000 |
| May 2025 | POWER TRAIN | The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the chrome on the gear shifter had started to peel, creating sharp edges on the shifter knob. The contact stated that while attempting to move the gear shifter, the contact sustained minor cuts to the fingers from the peeling gear shifter. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact was informed that the VIN was not under recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 70,000 |
| May 2025 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Sunroof on the vehicle has not been used in awhile and is rarely used. Started with a vacation attempted to open it and heard a very unpleasant sound. Promptly shut it didn't think much about it as we were out of state. Over next week or so started to hear a rattling from right hind area, then sounded like something was sliding. On the way to work actually heard something above me from under the shade, felt up and felt a large peice of glass or heavy metal part. Immediately brought to the dealership. On investigation a few pieces had broken causing a panel to come loose, it's still currently at the dealer being fixed but if I hadn't had the sun shade that peice would have hurt. I could just have a lemon car but if this is a faulty parts do not want anyone else to get hurt. As of now they are having to completely rebuild the sunroof. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2025 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | The panoramic sunroof shade separates from the track and sags down to the back seat, blocking the view from the rearview mirror. This happens while driving. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2025 | STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Inside driver door rivets broke preventing door closing and latch is flopping inside door | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2025 | BACK OVER PREVENTION | The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while reversing, the rearview camera image was distorted. An unknown dealer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that a diagnostic testing fee would be charged for diagnostic testing. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 75,000 |
| May 2025 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,TIRES | The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at approximately 40 MPH, the message "Low Tire Pressure Fault" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the TPMS sensor needed to be replaced. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V635000(Electrical System, Tires); however, the dealer informed the contact that the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided the same information. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 41,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 41,000 |
| May 2025 | ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked in the garage, there was oil leaking from the vehicle. The contact stated that while stopped at a stop light, the vehicle stalled. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that after an oil change was performed, the mechanic informed the contact that the oil that was drained was like mud. The contact called the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and confirmed there was no warranty coverage on the vehicle. The failure mileage was approximately 36,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 36,000 |
| May 2025 | POWER TRAIN,STRUCTURE | Two issues. 1: transmission shakes, shudders, and loses power intermittently at shift points. 2: check arm spot welds broke loose at the door. Safety issue. Ford has a service bulletin for this SM 51553 And SM 50150 | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2025 | STRUCTURE | Door check Bracket Getting Stuck and Don't Close | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2025 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Rear lift gate or hatch fully opens then immediately and swiftly drops back down to about halfway. This has caused minor injuries by striking me as I approached the rear compartment and the hatch came back down unexpectedly. I have tried all the DIY fixes that I found online. None of them have helped. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2025 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Missing parts and bad connection of the catalyst | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2025 | POWER TRAIN | Rotary style gear shift does not go into gear on hot days. Gear shift is stuck in park and will not rotate to drive or another gear, leaving motorist stranded. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2025 | POWER TRAIN | The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact attempted to shift gear, and the vehicle jerked abnormally. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was opened. The contact was also referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 131,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 131,000 |
| May 2025 | POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact became aware of an abnormal odor on the interior of the vehicle. The contact stated that the odor was entering the interior of the vehicle through the vents. The contact stated the abnormal odor had a sweet smell. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the failure was not duplicated. In addition, the contact stated the transmission was slipping. The contact was informed that a software update needed to be performed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 43,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 43,000 |
| May 2025 | STRUCTURE | Sunroof/Sunshade - Plastic trim piece approximately 28"x5" in between the Sunroof and Shade across the middle is held in by double face tape. Tape weakens and piece falls down potentially striking a rear passenger. In addition it can get caught in the shade fabric dislodging it and falling potentially obstructing the drivers rear view. Mine has been repaired once by Ford already but has failed again. Estimated cost is approximately $2000 plus labor. This is a known defect by the Ford Motor Company and they claim it out of warranty. Basic internet search revealed it is a common problem for more that one years models. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2025 | FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE,ENGINE | The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that after refueling the vehicle, the vehicle failed to immediately restart. The contact stated that upon depressing the accelerator pedal continuously, the vehicle started. The check engine warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle was making an abnormal knocking sound. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the contact was informed that the fuel was not reaching the engine. The mechanic determined that an unknown part needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in a related recall. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 80,000 |
| May 2025 | POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | May 2025 The following fault codes illuminated on vehicle start up. * AWD FAULT SERVICE REQUIRED * Hill Start Assist Not Available * Service Advance Trac * Pre-collision Assist Not Available. Wrench light illuminated on dash board. AWD and safety features disabled intermittently. OBD Codes: - C0090:18-6C Power Transfer Unit Actuator - Circuit Current Below Threshold - C0095:18-64 Rear Diff Unit Actuator ‘A’ - Circuit Current Below Threshold - C00A2:01-6C Drive-in Control Module Power Transfer Unit Control Circuit Driver. - C00A3:01-6C Driveline Control Module Rear Diff Unit ‘A’ Control Circuit Driver - P0562:00-AF - System Voltage Low on AWD Module. Appears to be AWD module failure. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2025 | POWER TRAIN | The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 70 MPH, the message "Vehicle Shutting Down - Place Vehicle in Neutral to Restart" was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact stated that the failure had occurred several times in one day. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. In addition, the contact stated that upon further investigation, the contact noticed on the Ford App that a message "Powertrain Malfunction - Reduced Power" was displayed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 75,000 |
| May 2025 | POWER TRAIN | 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. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2025 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | the front camera/ adaptive cruise control, pre collision assist, seems to have spontanteoulsy cut out while driving- a large bump in the road seems to have shook less the coaxial cable connections for the front camera in this car. This caused a fast and immediate deceleration that almost got me rear ended by the truck that was behind me. the car is at the dealership for a faulty cable/ IPMA module. this seems to be a very common issue for these cars. there were no messages PRIOR to the failure but the messages i am getting now are the front camera fault, and pre collision assist is no longer working. Adaptive cruise and even regular cruise control are no longer working either. additionally, i am getting a system off to save battery message, even though i just installed a new battery. This faulty camera/ connection to the camera seems to be creating a parasitic draw. This car is not even 5 years old and only has 40,000 miles. Cruise control and pre collsion are massive safety features that are no longer functioning. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2025 | POWER TRAIN | The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the gear shifter was stuck in park(P). The contact stated that the failure occurred while the temperature was hot. The contact stated after parking the vehicle, the gear shifter remained stuck in park(P). The contact waited for 30 minutes before the gear shifter was able to be shifted to the desired gear. The vehicle was taken to several independent mechanics and to the local dealer; however, no cause for the failure was found. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHSTA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was unknown. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2025 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Start vehicle an error start popping up, I have to cook OK to clear them. Lots of features that are not available, including hill assist, awd, cruise control. AWD module failure Is it available for inspection upon request? Yes How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Yes awd and pre-collision assist are not available. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? No Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? Yes several errors start cycling through allowing the driver to click OK. Hill Start assist not available Pre-collision assist, not available Service advance trac AWD fault service required See Manual | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2025 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Drivers side front door hinge welds broken | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |