Complaint volume
1436 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
1436 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2020 Ford Escape, grouped by component category.
1436 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 188
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
1,436 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 2023 | STRUCTURE | hello the driver door makes a loud clicking sound when opening all the way | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2023 | STRUCTURE | Out of nowhere my front driver side door started making this awful, loud clanking sound whenever I would open or close it. Took it to the mechanic I usually go to and they said that the "door check broke off the door because the spot weld failed" and that I would have to call a Body Shop. Called the dealership and they said that it is a well known and well documented issue with the year, make and model of my vehicle (2020 Ford Escape), but so sorry I would have to pay appr. $2600 to replace the door. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2023 | POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | AWD module needs to be replaced in my 2020 Ford Escape. Seen a bunch of other posts online with people having the same thing. Happened at 32K miles. Have a series of messages every time I start car relating to this issue: Service Advance Trac, AWD Fault Service Required, AWD Off, See Manual, Hill Start Assist Not Available, Pre-Collision Assist Not Available. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2023 | STRUCTURE | Door stop on both the driver side as well as the passenger side have broke off making it hard to actually open and close the door. As of 11/16/2023 the window is also stuck due to the door stop damaging the motor. After searching the Internet this is a very widespread issue when I took it to the dealership they said since it was out of warranty it wouldn't be covered. I don't believe this is anything but bad workmanship because the weld apparently breaks as low as 8000 miles. Well within the warranty period. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2023 | STRUCTURE | Driver's door hinges failed causing the door to swing open unexpectedly while I was trying to exit. Pulled both shoulders while trying to control it. Orthopedic surgeon says I need rotator cuff surgery - he suspects the injury was due to the door failure. | Crash: No Fire: No Injuries: 1 Medical attention | Unknown |
| Nov 2023 | STRUCTURE | Drivers door check arm broken at spot welds rendering it ineffective and making drivers door window inoperable. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2023 | STRUCTURE | Driver side door weld broke allowing door to possibly open while driving | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The left driver's door was making a popping noise. On closer inspection found that the door support bracket was broken. I took it to my local Ford dealer, and they confirmed the bracket was broken. When they replaced the part, the noise was still there. An inspection by the dealer's collision center showed a defect in the door and they stated the entire door had to be replaced. When asked if this was a known issue they replied it was an issue with the 2020 Ford Escape. I asked if my door would fall of their reply was "MAYBE". I was instructed not to push the door to hard when opening and closing the door. I phoned Ford and asked about this issue and the told me that they do not issue safety recalls on their vehicles and suggested I contact your agency. If there is a possibility that the vehicle door may fall off and it is a known issue I believe some safety recall should be issued. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2023 | STRUCTURE | My driver door started making a loud cranking sound out of the blue when opening and closing the door. After several days, it became clear that the door hinge/catch was no longer secured and was loose. This was not the result of a gist of wind forcefully blowing the door open or something like that; it just broke on its own. Now the door swings wildly when opening and the window won’t roll all the way down. My vehicle was just a few months out of warranty so Ford won’t offer any assistance for fixing the problem. I have not yet repaired it because they say the whole door needs to be replaced and, at this time, I can’t afford the expense. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2023 | STRUCTURE | The drivers front door began making a popping sound as the door opened and closed. By the next day the door began to have trouble closing fully. I noticed the weld points had broken where the door check/limiter attached to the door. It sounds like the same issue as the NHTSA investigation PE23013. In order to fully close the door the door had to be disabled and the broken part removed. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2023 | STRUCTURE | When opened front driver’s side door, heard creaking, rattling, and pop. Now door will not close as well as problems with the window not working in that door! The frame on car is also loose due to bad door pulling on the frame. I’m concerned door may open when driving. Ford dealership will not pay due to the fact warranty expired April 2023 with only 33,000 miles on vehicle. An inspection by an independent service center confirms the issue and estimates a $2,400.00 cost of repairs. Inspector indicates poor spot welding and rivets in check arm defective. Insurance will not cover any expenses since it is not a result of a collision!! There was no warning messages indicating any issue. Door noises were heard on a Saturday (11/11/2023) and on Sunday (11/12/2023) door popped and couldn’t be closed’ | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2023 | STRUCTURE | Driver side door will not close tight. Will sometime open while driving on highway | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2023 | STRUCTURE | Per the dealership the driver side door hinge is failing. It also has caused the window track to bind that resulted in window breakage. The door hinge failure is growing worse with time and I'm afraid the door may come loose at some point. The hinge problem first appeared around December 2022. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | The car stops while I’m driving isn’t the first time almost got hit couldn’t turn the wheel or press breaks engine light kept coming on and so does the battery | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2023 | STRUCTURE | Front side driver’s door starting making popping noises on Saturday. By Sunday of the same week only a day later the door made a crunching and breaking noise when opening, now the door has to be forced closed and the window will only go down about 4 inches. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2023 | STRUCTURE | The front driver's side door is making a loud popping noise when opening and closing the door. We have not yet taken the car to our local dealership yet, but have spoken with them over the phone and their body shop has confirmed that this sounds like an issue we've identified in online forums, which poses a significant safety risk, as the door may open while the car is moving. We will be taking the car in for a formal diagnostic next week. There are no warning indicators of the issue, just the noise, which has started suddenly over the past week. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER,STRUCTURE | The Check Arm Attachment on the driver side door for my 2020 broke off because of poor welding, I have read it is a common issue with the 2020 ford escape | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2023 | STRUCTURE | I have only had my car for three years and it is well taken care of, but the door suddenly started popping. The same day, my door became difficult to open and extremely hard to close once I got it open. I contacted Ford Corporate the next day. I was told my car was out of warranty because I have 38981 miles. The only thing that was covered under the 5 year warranty in regards to safety would be the seat belts and the airbags. I said, "Ford doesn't think that the car door being able to open or close in the case of an emergency is a safety issue?!?" The chat operator said she could open a case for Ford to review the issue. I asked her if that meant Ford would help with my door and she said no. They gave me case number CAS-46112899-L1F3M7 for my records. I asked how to track that case number to see Ford's response - but of course there is no way to track or check the status - making that case number useless for me. I took my car to Thoroughbred Ford to see if it could be covered under warranty and if they could also fix my radio which is now magically malfunctioning after the 3 year warranty lapsed, they told me I had to pay $155 EACH to have them to diagnose the door and radio problem before they could even give me a cost. Then I was told Ford had a TSB regarding the issue - so correction - it would be covered by Ford and the door has be replaced. I was happy - but not for long. They came back and apologize and said, no that TSB was just for rust and corrosion - they will cover that but not the popping door even though they admittedly were aware that this was a known issue. Then I was told no doors are available, so they can't quote me until it comes in so they will call me. So I look stupid in my car when I get in or out because I open just barely, turn to the side, slide in and then pray I can get it closed. Found out the window now doesn't want to come down because that door is messed up - so I could not even crawl out the window in an emergency. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2023 | STRUCTURE | The driver side door makes a cracking sound when opening and closing and doesn’t shut correctly. Feels unsafe to be driving it around because I’m worried about door popping out at anytime. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Driver side door suddenly began creaking and popping when opening and closing. Not sure if it’s safe to open or close the door, not sure what happened to it or what’s wrong. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY | The sun roof opening panel shield fell off while I was driving. It covers the divider between the front and rear sun roof glass. Luckily I didn't have the shade open so it was just sliding all around the sun shade. I did some research on the problem of the shield falling off. It seems that it is held on by 4 or 5 pieces of double faced tape. If I had had the sun shade opened, the piece could have fallen on me or a passenger in my car. It extends across the width of the car, from window to window. I brought the car to the Ford Dealership in Metairie, La. Matt Bowers Ford. My car is 3 years old with a little over 15,000 miles on it. It is no longer under warranty for this problem. I only have a remaining warranty on the Powertrain. However, Ford agreed to give me a Good Faith Discount and the repair will be $200 instead of the initial $2500 quoted to replace the sun shade and panel shield. When the Service Tech tried opening the sun shade to retrieve the panel and put it back in place, I think it hit a spring and the entire shade rolled up and was ruined. That had to be replaced too.I asked the Service Technician if they were going to install the panel shield with double faced tape again, and he said those were his instructions. I feel that the shield will come down again in time and I might not be so lucky this time and be using the sun roof, thereby possibly getting hit in the head while driving. It needs something stronger than double faced tape. In my opinion this should be a recall and Ford should figure out a better way to install this panel shield. It seems to be happening to quite a lot of Ford Escapes. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2023 | STRUCTURE | The drivers side door - the weld on the arm has fractured. Causing a loud clunking noise every time the door is opened or closed. This 'break' has caused the window to only be able to roll down about 6 inches. Also, because of the break, the interior lights don't recognize that the door is closed and will stay on as if there is a door open. When called local Ford Dealership, I was advised it is a common problem and the whole door needed to be replaced. Currently, I am out of warranty but upon investigating online, this is a very common problem in the 2020 Ford Escape Drivers side door. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2023 | STRUCTURE | Driver side door hinge/weld breaks. The metal pops, makes a loud sound, door then has to be forced shut. Due to this the window and lock does not work properly. It goes down particularly then stops. Was taken to New Brighton Ford and spoke with Dan who diagnosed the problem. Was told needed new door. The car was purchased brand new from Freeway Ford in October 2020. Was told no warranty and extended warranty does not cover body. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,STRUCTURE | 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. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2023 | STRUCTURE | A weld in the driver's side door assembly has failed. I am concerned that the door may inadvertently open while driving. The problem has been confirmed by a dealer. I had no warning of the problem until the door mechanism failed and continues to fail with each opening/closing. I do not have the funds to repair/replace the door of the vehicle. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |