2020 FORD ESCAPE Engine Problems

Turbo failed due to oil lines clogged. Failed again after repair two weeks later on highway almost causing a collision.

I have had 22 recalls to date on this vehicle and received 1 recall notice. Engine light comes on alot, makes noises and then goes away after a couple days. Windshield washer stopped working on front windshield, now back stopped working. Tire pressure monitor & sensor default stays on (previous recall) Window on driver side stopped working, back passenger door on drivers side don't shut correctly like the weld come loose. Back brakes make a crazy noise when backing up. Back up camera warning comes up. I've only had this vehicle since 09-2023 and purchased from Ford as a Ford Blue Certified and have nothing but issues. Most of these recalls risk is a fire. If I'm involved and live through a fire I will make sure FORD is held accountable. The open recall with risk of fire currently has been open since July 2025 and no repair yet. This...

The transmission shifting got increasingly rough over time, and then suddenly refused to shift into gear/reverse. The Ford shop told us it was the reverse solenoid, but it ended up requiring a full transmission rebuild. Safety of the car refusing to shift gears led to loss of power several times, unable to accelerate in traffic, until total failure occurred. Problem was inspected by Ford dealership, then repaired by independent service center due to cost. Not inspected by insurance, as it did not result in a collision. Warning lamps did not turn on until total failure occurred. Then lights on gear shift dial blinked, refused to allow us to put the car in gear. Dash lights also indicated "check engine" at that time, but no earlier.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V467000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal cracking sound coming from under the hood, and the vehicle hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. However, it was unclear if the failure was recall-related. The parts for the recall repair were not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 28,000. The VIN was not available.

This recall has been open since mid 2025 and there is still no solution. My vehicle has been smelling of fuel everyday and is having a hard time starting when I fuel up. Check engine light is on and the code is this issue. Cannot get it fixed until this recall becomes available to be fixed by Ford. It has been WAY too long. The safety of me and my family riding in the my car everyday is unsafe. I cannot afford to fix this on my own and be reimbursed God knows when Ford comes up with a solution.

Based on the current recall for the 2020 Ford Escape, fuel injectors could crack, become hot and further leading to a fire under the hood. This letter of notice was sent in August 2025, its now nearly 2026 with zero repair in order. This is a huge safety issue, having a recall for something that could cause a fire screams safety issue!! Being informed by a dealership that there is currently no update, no parts, or currently no fix to this issue. That also screams safety issue. I don't want to drive a vehicle that has a pretty major safety issue and not have any idea if or when it will be repaired. Personally I am looking for a way to trade this vehicle in or legally look at laws how this works as I have a family to transport in this vehicle and no longer want to risk our...

While driving and idling, strong exhaust fumes enter the cabin, especially when the vehicle is in park or stopped at a traffic light. Air recirculation shuts off by itself and the airflow is very weak even on high settings. Remote start caused the cabin to fill with fumes before entering the vehicle, leading to headache and difficulty breathing within minutes. Symptoms are consistent with carbon monoxide exposure. Cabin and engine air filter is brand new. Just replaced 12/13/2025. Fumes are significantly worse at idle, suggesting an exhaust manifold crack or turbo exhaust leak. This is a serious safety hazard, and I am concerned about carbon monoxide poisoning and risk of losing consciousness while driving. It was so bad I had to have all windows open and the heat off in 30 or below temperature just to breathe. I have a very small child with heart problems and I'm concerned my...

I am smelling gas every time I put gas and it won't start after putting gas there's a strong smell of gas inside my vehicle the recall has not been fixed yet I am a single mother and this is a safety risk issue how do I go forward powertrain is also still coming up I have other things popping up saying recalls were never fixed please help

Head gasket got damaged and there was coolant leakage to the engine. There was white smoke coming out of the exhaust pipes and we did not want to drive the car. So we towed the car to the Ford dealership and they confirmed the issue. Currently they are repairing the car.

NHTSA Recall 25V467 was issued in July 2025. It has been over 3 months of constant fear for under-hood fire from possible fuel injector crack. My family's safety has been at risk long enough, this needs a permanent fix please!

My car hesitates when driving forward from a stop and the rpm's jump up and down. It almost stalls when going up a steep hill. I have to leave it running when filling it up or it is very hard to start and sometimes will stall after starting. Check engine light is on and tire sensor light is on. The sound system doesn't work. Have read online about a lot of people having the same problems with their car.

My 2020 Ford Escape's 2.0 ecoboost engine suffered a catastrophic head gasket failure at only 83 thousand miles. This occurred on 10/9/2025 and was confirmed via Ford dealership (Crossroads Ford- Ravena, NY) on 10/13/2025. Prior to 10/9, there were no warning signs or known mechanical issues. The failure happened out of nowhere. In discussing the failure with the Ford service advisor, it was explained that Escape models prior to 2020 have this failure commonly reported, leading to class action lawsuits/coverage from Ford. I am reporting my occurrence so it can be documented in hopes of Ford being held accountable in the future. Such poor product quality can not only endanger the lives of customers but also cause great economic impact to customers and their families.

"engine stalls on the road after refueling the vehicle", some sort of evap issue, the purge valve leaks and pours so much vapor to cylinder with overwhelming fuel vapors, system can't handle too much fuel at once and shuts down. this happens every time when I refuel, so I started to park the car and leave it to idle every time after refueling, and even so it's rough idle. If I notice this pattern, this issue with the car for a while! I can't think of a scenario where someone on a highway middle of the night, hits the road after refueling, and if it stalls! rough idling is okay, but stalling on the road is a safety issue! please note, there is no CEL so far!

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that after refueling, the vehicle hesitated while attempting to start, with the power train warning light illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V467000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 18,474.

It appears that either the rear differential is locked up, or the traction control system has decided to lock all tires for the same rotation. When making any turns at slow speed, the tires grind and pop on the road. If turning in grass it will rip up the grass where the turn was made. In addition, the RPMs and vehicle lurch at normal cruising speed and when accelerating. I understand this as an issue with the torque converter. When the tires locked up, it put excessive force e on this component. It was stated in a similar TSB with the exact issue. There was a lack of fluid in the rear differential when it left the factory. Determination on repair was based on an inspection of the differential fluid and its levels. The cascade of failures happened after a road trip from FL to NY, I believe the miles...

On 9/15/2025, my 2020 Ford Escape SE began experiencing serious electrical and shift system issues: hard downshifting, “Shift System Fault” warning, inability to go into park, and failure to shut off without disconnecting the battery. I confirmed a related PCM recall was active and had the vehicle towed to Art Hill Ford for diagnostic and recall service. The dealership refused to perform the PCM recall, claiming my issue “didn’t match” the symptoms — despite clear electrical failure. Instead, they diagnosed a park pawl solenoid issue without scanning or physically inspecting the vehicle. I was told the issue was resolved, paid ~$1,400, and picked up the vehicle. Within 24 hours, new and dangerous transmission issues arose: harsh downshifting, loss of power, sudden high RPMs, and dashboard warnings. I became stranded in the middle of the road and had to have the car towed again. After this second visit, the dealer claimed...

The primary component that failed is the turbocharger system, which has malfunctioned five times since October 2024. Additional failures include the catalytic converter, and there is now suspected motor damage. These components are currently in possession of the dealership and are available for inspection upon request. The safety of myself and my children was repeatedly put at risk. The first turbocharger failure left us stranded in early morning traffic, with no engine power and limited ability to exit the roadway safely. Subsequent failures occurred within 24 hours of service completion. These breakdowns created dangerous roadside conditions, especially during high-traffic hours and in areas without safe pull-off zones. The problem has been reproduced and confirmed multiple times by the dealership’s service department. Each turbocharger replacement has failed within days, and the vehicle is currently awaiting its fifth turbocharger in two months. The dealership has also confirmed damage to the catalytic converter...

Car has self started in my garage 3 times in the last two weeks, just now it did it again. This is very dangerous, could hurd someone or burn my house down. This needs to be looked into.

Powertrain control module failure causing vehicle to lose power and engine to run at 5 to 6 RPMs. and transmission not shifting properly. Vehicle is going into limp mode and will also shut down while driving but the engine stays running and the cruise does not shut off. There is not remedy for the recall that I believe is causing these issues. This has been going on for 6 month. This vehicle has been nothing but a problem.

EVERY TIME I TRIED TO PUT GAS IN THE CAR IT WILL NOT START AND THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKS

1) confirmed after many service trips that a wire in the engine harness is being pinched causing my check engine light to come on or off depending on if the wire is currently pinched or not. i took my car in a couple times and was told that they could not do anything if the engine light is not currently on, even when i could read the error to them from my app. 'service engine soon due to an electrical fault' this made evething even harder because when the engine light would come on was unpredictable. after recall work my care was always returned with no engine light shining, i was hopefull those recalls was what i needed, after a short time the engine light would come on and off again. i kept bugging about the light and FINALLY they dug deeper into the issue and found the wiring harness...

2020 Ford Escape SEL was taken into Ford Service Center for oil change and to address acceleration issue that started two days prior, (check engine light had come on the day before drop off). One week after dropping my vehicle off to be assessed, I was told I needed a small part and it would be complete in 3 days. Another week went by, so I reached out and was told that I need a new engine because of a known Ford issue. Unknown to me, coolant was leaking into the engine and destroyed it. I was assured by the Ford technician that this was a known issue and the problem did not arise from something I did/did not do. I was quoted over $9k and weeks worth of work. I easily drove the vehicle to the Service Center, but was told it is now no longer drivable. I drive...

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that occasionally the vehicle was difficult to start or was idling roughly at start-up. The contact stated that while driving on a neighborhood road at various speeds and attempting to make a turn, the vehicle lost automotive power and shut shutoff. The contact stated that the electrical components remained operational. The message “Service Vehicle Soon” was displayed, and the check engine warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed, and the contact was advised that the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 95,000.

All kinds of warning lights come in and stay on, which a lot of people are having the same issue which is due to a faulty sensor module.. I almost hit a truck who pulled out of a parking lot once I was on top of him ( was trucks fault) and no warning lights were functioning properly. There's also a recall for a fuel injector issue that ford is taking their sweet time to remedy, but technically I'm driving a time bomb that st any moment this fuel injection issue could crack and leak and cause a fire. And I'm not about to lose my life because of it. I've contacted ford for a lemon law buyback and they are taking their sweet time in that. No warning lights are functioning properly causing a danger for me to drive it. But I have to have a reliable care to...

Well there is a recall for fuel injection that could cause a fire under the hood and ford has no parts and info to fix it right now. So basically I am driving a time bomb. How safe is that???? I either get my money back for purchasing this car or I will sue ford company.

I have a recall been having this problem for months told them what was going on they said nothing was wrong. Months later recall got called for the fuel injector and replacement of high fuel injectors im a single mother. Check engine came on when I gas it..it won't go or goes slowly then takes off into gear

I am the owner of a 2020 Ford escape. My vehicle falls under the recall dealing with defective fuel injectors. The dealership preformed the suggested service or installing the drain tube and updating the software. I’ve been noticing that my vehicle has a slight hesitation while accelerating in speed and I would periodically smell the strong scent of gasoline, but no check engine or warning lights ever come on. Here recently while driving, my car started slowing down unexpectedly by itself and started idling extremely rough, almost like a tractor and the check engine light came on. I pulled over in the nearest parking lot, turned the car off and looked under the hood but didn’t see anything out of the norm except a small wet spot on the engine cover and there was the slight smell of gasoline. I didn’t think anything of it because I had recently had...

Engine failure at 50,000 miles. 2020 Ford Escape needs full engine replacement due to the faulty 1.5L engine ford put in these vehicles knowing they were bad. Was driving on the highway and my engine started whining and then all of a sudden heard and felt a crash and then white smoke was coming out of the exhaust. I then lost acceleration which was dangerous on a highway.

Underneath the transmission is a part that once damaged could emit steel into the transmission which causes damage to the transmission. Small pieces of steel. My technician said it happens to all the Ford vehicles mainly the Ford Escape and Ford has not provided a recall for this and it cost $3,500.00 to be replaced. I am disgusted that this damaged part that puts pieces of steel into the transmission could not be noted by Ford as a legitimate recall. Please see what you can do. It's been reported constantly. Thank you

When I push the driver window down and when I want to roll it up. The driver window don't go up i have to play with button by pushing it up and down for about 5 to 10 minutes. I have to keep pushing the button up-and-down or turn my car off, open my door it takes a minute for it to go back up. The passenger window goes up and on its on like for example i want to let the window up it comes down by itself. Ford has fixed the driver door panel for the window, but it's doing the same thing. My tire system, it doesn't give me the tire pressure. And when I put gas in my suv, my engine is revving up-and-down, and it cuts off. And when I'm driving, he doesn't want to go I have to push on the gas to make...

The "check engine" light came on so took in to be checked. Independent mechanic indicates that there is coolant leaking into one of the cylinders as the result of a casting defect and repair requires complete engine replacement. He tells me this is a common problem. I spoke with a local Ford dealership's service person who tells me this is a known defect in other Ford models as well and, in those models, Ford has extended the warranty to cover this repair. Ford is not covering it for this model, however. Since it is the same problem -- a manufacturing defect, Ford should cover/replace since continuing to drive it will result in a complete engine falure

For 6 months, after a routine visit and safety recall preformed by ford, I have had an issue with the park brake engaging on its own. When pressing the button to disengage it, the car would not disengage and would remain locked. The only way to disengage it would be to throw the car into reverse, press the button to disengage the park brake and step on the gas pedal as fast as you could. After 6 months of trying to diagnose the issue, ford pittsville came up inconclusive, replacing multiple parts of the e-brake such as the buttons themselves, the wires connecting the brakes, and checking over the brakes. The issue itself was unrecreatable but the only common denominator was remote starting the car via the app. The most recent investigation this past month conducted by ford revealed that the pin for my brake and e brake was loose...

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.

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.

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.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the RPM increased, and the check engine and power train warning lights illuminated. In addition, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated that the failure had occurred several times. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the dealer; however, the failure was not duplicated. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 59,000.

The contact’s daughter owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving on several occasions at various speeds, she observed abnormal sounds coming from the engine compartment before the vehicle lost power. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it a diagnosed that the turbo was inoperable and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the check engine warning light illuminated approximately 10 days later. The vehicle was taken back to the same dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that a gasket needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but a week later, the check engine warning light illuminated. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 90,181.

Got the car with many problems . Last recent problems purge cvavle, leak in emission, air make loud sounds . Now it’s my door was making popping noises when closing or opening, now the door doesn’t shut at all. No incident happen, just happen by itself

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated the vehicle failed to start as intended. The contact waited for a while to restart the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was driven to O'Reilly's to be diagnosed. The vehicle was diagnosed with an undisclosed emission code. 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 approximately 106,000.

My car wasn’t producing heat it was only blowing cold air. Dealership advised of no coolant and it’s a known issue with this car.

When riding down the road once the car heats up it jerks like it's going to cut off going down the road and you can smell has it has just recently started doing this.

I had first took car to get first free Oil change from ABC Nissan and the service department couldn’t do it under 5000 miles and just topped of the oil. I had went back like few days later for an air filter replacement and they did not have to part and sent me over to ford right across the street. I had ford dealership run a code diagnostics on vehicle and found it needs computer updates and an expensive purge valve after having car for a couple days and hit me with a hefty price estimate I could not or NPP car warranty from ABC Nissan couldn’t cover for engine repairs since it wasn’t an engine issue but can affect the engine. I had went back into abc Nissan recently for a possible trade in and just got the run around from manager that help sold me the car and...

We had the car brand new and transmission with two weeks wouldn’t go in reverse. Then the door was stuck OPEN and we shut it now we can roll the window down FORD says we’re not covered it’s a new door!

There is a courtesy replacement on the main fuel injector. I just recently had to replace my turbo. No my car bogs down won't go and smells like eggs which is the catalytic converter. The injection brakes the converter which brakes the turbo and Ford is not interested in helping very much. How can

with awd module. tested power ground to the module. isolated to faulty module No hill start, AWD faulty module, new purge valve

I was driving for uber and I smelled something biting along with my passengers, we had just gone through an area with a lot of smoke, so we figured it was that. After I dropped them off I noticed smoke billowing from my engine. The next day I had noticed my car was low on coolant, so I drove to Ace Hardware to grab some. After I put the coolant in the car I went to Publix to get some groceries and when I got back I smelled the smoke again. I did some research and there was a class action lawsuit against for Ford for the Escape with 1.5L engines and the fuel injectors cracking which caused coolant intrusion damaging the engine and causing them to over heat. I had my car towed to the dealership and the ECT light came on along with a parking brake warning.. This...

This 2020 Ford Escape-with less than 67k miles on it-is mostly inoperable, as of this date. This car was financed, from a Fort Lauderdale. FL used car dealership, on or around [XXX]. The check engine light was on. I went to Autozone to see what codes this could be attributed to. I was given printouts, reflecting codes P0171 & P2BF1 [air flow ratio and/or fuel injector related issues]. Additionally, the oil life on the car was at 0%. I then checked to see if there were any open recalls. There were and on 12/3/24, 2 recall repairs were done at Grieco Ford (Oil separator Pan: 22V191; Drain Tube replacement: 22S73). The car was fine. An oil change took place on 12/14/24, where the engine coolant was topped off. There were no issues and the car was driven periodically, since its purchase, to Miami, because my Mother suffered a stroke on 10/21/24...

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a loud clanking noise coming from the engine. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the exhaust cap and catalytic converter had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the contact noticed a gasoline odor coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the purge valve had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however,...

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the contact pulled into a parking lot and the vehicle stalled. The check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who determined that the transmission fluid was black, and the transmission was replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The contact stated that after shifting to reverse the vehicle failed to respond. Additionally, while driving 35 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the catalytic converter valves were rusted. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, who opened a case, but no additional assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 118,000.

1st: water reservoir tank was empty and didn't notice it until heat was cold...inspected and filled reservoir back to max had it tested and couldn't find reason for coolant to be low...Ford tech told me to drive it because they were unable to explain.2nd issue when vehicle sets overnight when backing out of carport back brake system sounds like a scrubbing sound then after drive awhile it may or may not do it when I put it in reverse. just curious. Haven't had said vehicle but one year.