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 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | If the car is parked in the sun on a hot day, there are times when the car turns on but you cannot shift out of park. The knob will not turn. You are stuck until the car is able to shift. The engine and electrical will run but it is impossible to shift the car into gear. This has happened at least four times and is happening now because it is hot. Shutting the car off and restarting does not solve the problem. There appear to be other Ford Escape owners with this issue when I search online. It is not possible to replicate the issue at a mechanic because it only happens when the car is in the heat. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2024 | STRUCTURE | The front passenger side door hinge welds have failed, and the middle door hinge is loose, making the door very difficult to open or close, causing a safety problem if I had to exit the car in case of an emergency. This is due defective welds on the car door/hinge attach point. My safety is at risk due the defective welds. This just appeared with no warning one day ago. The car is available for inspection, and the problem is very obvious. The repair should be covered completely by Ford Motor Company. I have a service appointment with Heritage Ford of Modesto Ca, on [XXX], to assess the problem. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2024 | STRUCTURE | The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that after stopping to refuel the vehicle, the front driver’s side door would not fully close shut. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed that the hinges needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and was left at the local dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 64,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 64,000 |
| May 2024 | LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES | The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the driver’s side front door failed to close properly. Additionally, when the contact opened the door, there was an abnormally loud screeching sound coming from the door and the driver’s side front window would not function properly. The dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 98,000. The VIN was not included. | Crash: No Fire: No | 98,000 |
| May 2024 | STRUCTURE | The vehicle's door hinges seem to have faulty welds on the front drivers side door specifically where the check arm connects with the rest of the door assembly. It feels like the door is going to fall off while driving. I am just over the warranty mileage for repair according to kindle ford dealership. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2024 | LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES | The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the front driver's side door made clicking sounds while opening. Additionally, the front driver's side window failed to roll down, and the front driver's side door failed to latch until it was firmly pushed closed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the front driver's side door latch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 25,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 25,000 |
| May 2024 | STRUCTURE | Pop welds at front passenger door failing where check arm is attached. Dealer offered to sell us a $3000 door. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2024 | STRUCTURE | Driver side door hinge failure, dealer said driver side door needs to be replaced and passenger side needs pins. Hard to accept this isn’t a recall based on all the occurrences I’ve read on various ford blogs. Would have expected it would be. Disappointed in NHTSA, not looking after the consumer. I’ve been a life long Ford customer, but not anymore. Disappointed beyond belief | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2024 | VISIBILITY | The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon attempting to close the moon roof, the moon roof failed to close as intended. Eventually, the moonroof was able to close; however, the closing resulted in damage to the overheard liner. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 21,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 21,000 |
| May 2024 | STRUCTURE | Front driver side door check arm weld failed. Door is hard to close and window will no longer lower. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2024 | STRUCTURE,SERVICE BRAKES | Driver door welds broke / window will not roll down and brakes make noise/scrubbing when in reverse, have already took vehicle into local dealership...no warnings of said issues. Purchased vehicle in December of 2023....welds broke in February of 2024 and took vehicle in when first occurred., was told i would receive letter from Ford Motor Company when parts came available/ letter to bring it in. Still waiting on letter.... sincerely [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2024 | STRUCTURE | Drivers side door weld problem that could cause drivers side door to come open. My drivers side front door makes a creaky sound when I open it. It seems the internal weld to the door has failed. During my research to determine, if this was a national concern, I read internet articles stating this appears to be a faulty spot weld in the Drivers' side door check arm. For me, this started on [XXX], 2024. I reported the issue, to my local Ford Dealerships auto repair department, Gary Crossley Ford, Kansas City, Missouri on Friday, [XXX]. It told me Ford had not notified it of a recall, nor has it provided repair instructions. I spoke to Jennifer in Houston, TX, at the Customer Support Line 1.800.392.3673 on Friday, [XXX]. She stated parts and repair instructions were available and she was placing an order for them while, we spoke. This turned out to be false information, given the above stated information and Gary Crossley's auto repair department confirming on [XXX], 2024, it did not have the parts, nor did it have Ford how to repair instructions. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2024 | STRUCTURE | Front door started making noises about 1 week ago.05/10/2024 Door is hard to close and it seem like it is not latched or closed properly. I don't let window down because its hard to get it closed. I took car to Ford Auto Body Shop, they stated door needed to be replaced , because of broken check arm reinforcement welds. Car is 3.6 years old and has 20,000 miles on it. Ford told me to wait for recall to be initated, or I could pay about $5000 to have door replaced. No warning sign before at all. I have extended warranty but it doesn't cover body. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2024 | ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | The camshaft leaks and has been recalled, but Ford is refusing to fix it…. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2024 | STRUCTURE | Loud cracking noise in driver side door. Door does not close properly. Can not lower window. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2024 | STRUCTURE | Door chuck broke and door would not fully open had to get repaired I went to my car mechanic as I would have had to pay because I am no longer under warranty | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2024 | POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | I was driving home and all error lights came on. When I got home, my ford app said transmission failure, awd failure, hill start failure and pre collision failure. All of these are necessary to not get in an accident. I called the ford dealer and brought the car in for diagnosis ($200). Ford called a few hours later and said the AWD module is bad and needs to be replaced ($1k).My ford only has 36k miles over 4 years and I’m the original owner. The vehicle has never been off road or abused in anyway. I see hundreds of people online complaining about this module going bad at such a short time. This should be a recall since ford knew about it with the 2020 vehicles but won’t replace with their 5year 60k mile power train warranty. It’s actually affecting my cars performance as I cannot use AWD and car runs sluggish. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2024 | STRUCTURE | Driver side door hinge is broken and it had to be replaced at a cost to me. Also the passenger side is doing the exact same thing as the driver side. Safety is at risk because doors will not close properly. Vehicle was taken back to dealership when it the driver side hinge malfunctioned and passenger side door was inspected by a body shop. There was not any warning signs that the hinge was broken on either door. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2024 | ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,ENGINE | The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that coolant was leaking from the vehicle. The contact replaced the radiator cap; however, the failure recurred, and coolant was added. The contact stated that approximately 2 gallons of coolant was added. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the cause of the failure was not found. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact discovered Technical Service Bulletin: 22-2229, however, the vehicle was not included. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 69,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 69,000 |
| May 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The welded part in the door broke. Door quit staying open, would shut on your leg. Horrible noise before it broke completely. Window would not roll down after the weld broke. Front driver side door. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The driver side of door just started being hard to open, makes loud noise like the hinges are catching…. Along with that the day after that began, the window won’t go down. This was in March.a- since then the passenger door behind the driver won’t unlock and since yesterday, May 10th, I CAN’T LOCK MY CAR!!!!! Whatever is going on with the door is having a domino effect of other functions!!!! | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2024 | STRUCTURE | - My vehicle is affected by the "Broken Spot Welds In The Left Front Door At The Check Arm Attachment Points In The Door Assembly" issue. The damage in the door is becoming more significant with the normal use of the door, to the point that the cracks on the door are now visible and they are also evolving towards becoming holes. - The reference of Special Message Service (SSM) describing this issue and its resolution is: SSM 50150. - According to the ODI Resume from the NHTSA, dated 01/24/2024: "... Ford has provided details on a one-time-repair customer satisfaction (23B56), stating that they will provide customers with a letter, currently targeted for March 2024, to bring the vehicle to a Ford dealership for a proactive repair...". - Today, 05/09/2024, the Ford dealer in our city rejected to provide any service or repairs for this issue, arguing that they have not received instructions from Ford. - The Ford dealer shared with us a communication from the "Chief Engineer Recall and CIDR Service Engineering Operations Ford Customer Service Division", dated 02/22/2024 notifying that "... A complete Dealer Bulletin will be provided to dealers by the end of the 2nd quarter, 2024, to support this customer satisfaction program...". - The damage to the door gets more significant every day and, despite the existence of the Customer Satisfaction Program 23B56, our only option at the moment seems to be taking the car to an independent car body shop and to pay for this ourselves. - We were told that Ford may reimburse us in the future, however, there are no details at all about the requirements to qualify for a refund, so we have no certainty that we would get our money back. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2024 | STRUCTURE | Ford C.S.P. #23B56. The three spot welds on the drivers side door check arm broke out. We have problems opening and closing the door as the check arm sometimes gets stuck inside the panel. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2024 | STRUCTURE | Drivers door is popping. The arm attachment in the door is broken. I am told this is a known issue with the 2020 Ford Escapes. This will be costly to fix and should be recalled. If the door does not close properly, there is risk it may open when I am driving. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2024 | STRUCTURE | Front driver door spot welds failed for the restrictor arm. Ability to open drivers door and window affected. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |