2020 FORD ESCAPE Vehicle Speed Control Problems

17 NHTSA complaints on file

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Vehicle Speed Control Issues in the 2020 FORD ESCAPE

17 vehicle speed control complaints have been filed with NHTSA for the 2020 FORD ESCAPE. Of these, 3 involved a crash, 0 involved a fire, and 2 resulted in injury.

17
Complaints
3
Crashes
0
Fires
2
Injuries
0
Deaths

All Vehicle Speed Control Complaints

#11698445 |
By dong my own research, I found out it was the AWD Module. It's not grounded correctly. There are multiple, long detailed forum posts on this. Here is one: [XXX] I verified my AWD drive module was indeed not getting enough power do to the grounding issue, which sends a cascade of other faults including the anti lock breaks, collision detection, driving modes, cruise control, auto hold, hill park assist. ALL are non-operational. Now my AWD module does not even show up with a OBD scanner. This should be a recall. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
#11694162 |
UnknownOn my dash my AWD fault warning has showed up followed by hill assist not available and traction control not available. I have looked for in formation online about it and it seems that it’s a recurring issue with 2020 Ford Escape and many others. I’ve seen that there was a customer satisfaction effective on April 9,2021 through April 30, 2022 but I have just gotten this car last year and dealer states that I am responsible for fixing a manufacturing issue. I’m not sure where my car was manufactured but my car is affected. I have about 83,600 miles and don’t seem to understand why I have to pay since in the customer satisfaction program it states that the module needs to be replaced before sale and customers that have already purchased the vehicle should have it replaced no charge to them. I’ve only just gotten this car last...
#11694193 |
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.
#11687233 | Crash
Purchased certified vehicle from Wray Ford on 2/23/24. Car was previously leased by FMCC and still listed as a Ford Fleet Vehicle in Michigan as of 9/12/25. VIN confirms it falls under Ford safety recall 24S79, which was never performed. Vehicle experienced unintended acceleration and non-responsive braking, behaving autonomously. FordPass Connect, FMCC, and Wray Ford all confirmed it was unsafe to drive based on 38 diagnostic codes from July/August 2025. June 2025 data and other dates were blacked out. No warning lights or alerts appeared in the FordPass app prior to the crash on 8/25/25.Allstate Insurance removed the vehicle from Wray Ford without authorization, falsely claimed a $10,000 salvage offer, and altered the accident date in the online portal. Damage estimates were manipulated: initial $4,500 based on five photos, later inflated to $13,195 using the same photos. Shreve Collision’s manager confirmed no estimate was performed, contradicting Allstate’s claims. Allstate appears...
#11675511 |
My vehicle had been driving great up till about three or four months ago. It started losing speed, stalling and would not accelerate unless i pressed the pedal to the floor which I had to do in order to avoid an accident. All while this was happening the service light with the 🔧 would comes on, but once I cut the car off and started it up again the next day or after running multiple errands the service light would be gone and my car would drive normal so I thought it was just a fluke and I didn’t worry about it again. Until now!!! Just today my car would not start and at the same time I would also get a warning saying, start the car or cut the engine off as I was trying to start the car so that was crazy. And in order to get it...
#11669723 |
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving and coming to a stop, the brake pedal was depressed, but the vehicle accelerated unintendedly. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 41,000.
#11657926 |
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...
#11654670 |
I was driving to work like normal this morning when an error message popped up that stated my All Wheel Drive had been turned off. It then gave another error message stating my hill parking assist had been turned off, and my cruise control is no longer functioning. Due to this I feel unsafe driving. This has happened to many other friends and family members that have owned this vehicle.
#11643623 |
AWD module not working was on screen after starting vehicle plus other codes about adaptive cruise control
#11635923 | Crash
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his wife pulling into a parking spot, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle unintendedly accelerated and crashed into the wall of a Dollar General Store. The contact stated that his wife sustained injuries and bruises to both legs from the deployment of the air bags underneath the steering wheel. Medical attention was not sought. A Police report was filed; however, the Police report number was not available. The vehicle was towed to a dealer but was not diagnosed. The contact retrieved the vehicle, and the vehicle was taken to an Auto Body Shop to be diagnosed and an estimate for the repair was provided. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was 45,000.
#11620664 |
I'm getting warnings all of a sudden that the Pre Collision Assist, Advance Trac and AWD are either not available or have a fault and need service. There were some other warnings which I don't recall as when driving I wanted to keep my eyes on the road as much as possible. Right now, it is not showing those. I have lost all safety features like backup sensors, forward sensors, lane wandering and blind spot warning. I have lost convenience features such as cruise control and parking assist. Mileage is 29,726.
#11590881 |
The car was bought at matt blatt kia in July 2023 certified pre-owned with 164 safety inspection check. 2 weeks ago the check engine light came on and it was code p0420. Kia told me to call ford and they told me I have to pay for the diagnostics and the repair. The car was smoking under the hood and didn't drive safely. It's at a shop and was told the catalytic converter needs to be replaced and it's 2300. He said ford's responsible for it because there's issues and I just found out there's an active recall from BEFORE I bought the car that was never fixed which caused the issue now. Ford refuses to fix the car and I've had to pay for a car rental the past w weeks and my car payment. The cars sitting at the mechanic. Soon as the engine light came on, I...
#11551924 |
Check engine light came on Friday and 24 hours later started making a whirring sound lost power on the highway started smoking and smelled like it was going to catch fire. Was impeding traffic and almost caused an accident. Had it towed to Ford dealership where a diagnostic test was run. They determined that it was engine failure and Ecoboost failure. Coolant was leaking into cylinders 2&3. They claim the code fired on September 9. They asked if I had taken it anywhere to clear the code. I most definitely did not. Ford Motor Company is unwilling to make this right and have quoted me almost $9000 to fix this issue. Certain makes and models of 2020 Ford Escape have had engine recalls. This is clearly a malfunction on their part.
#11537887 |
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.
#11385973 |
WHILE CRUISE IS ENGAGED WHEN DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY, IT WILL RANDOMLY GET "CANCELLED" AND THEN WILL REENGAGE RANDOMLY. THIS OCCURRED 4 TIMES IN A 5 MINUTE PERIOD EVEN WHEN THERE IS NO TRAFFIC AROUND.
#11349816 |
UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES WHEN ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE THE CAR EXPERIENCES SIGNIFICANT LAG WHICH PUTS ME AT RISK OF COLLISION. I ATTEMPTED TO ASSOCIATE IT WITH THE AIR CONDITIONING BUT IT DOES NOT SEEM TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH ANY SYSTEM. VEHICLE SEEMS TO LOST HALF THE POWER AND I AM UNABLE TO SAFELY MOVE INTO TRAFFIC.
#11342512 | Crash
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2020 FORD ESCAPE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE STOPPED AND PRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY EXPERIENCED UNINTENDED ACCELERATION AND CRASHED INTO A CONCRETE PILLAR. DURING THE CRASH FRONT END WAS SEVERELY DAMAGED BUT THE AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY. ALSO THE COLLISION ASSISTANCE SAFETY FEATURE DID NOT ACTIVATE TO AVOID THE CRASH. DURING THE INCIDENT THE DRIVER SUSTAINED AN INJURED CHEST WHICH DID NOT REQUIRE MEDICAL TREATMENT. NO POLICE REPORT WAS TAKEN. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TOWED. THE LOCAL DEALER ROYAL OAK FORD LOCATED AT 27550 WOODWARD AVE, ROYAL OAK, MI 48067. AND THE MANUFACTURER WERE NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DETERMINED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 2,000.

Other 2020 FORD ESCAPE Problem Areas

Structurebody 485 complaints Unknown Or Other 273 complaints Power Train 184 complaints Electrical System 138 complaints Engine 92 complaints Structurebodydoor 89 complaints Fuel System Gasoline 88 complaints Fuelpropulsion System 51 complaints Structure 46 complaints Structurebodydoorhinge And Attachments 36 complaints Forward Collision Avoidance Warnings 35 complaints Latcheslockslinkagesdoorslatch 30 complaints Service Brakes 27 complaints Visibilitywiper 25 complaints Forward Collision Avoidance Adaptive Cruise Control 23 complaints Latcheslockslinkages 21 complaints Forward Collision Avoidance Automatic Emergency Braking 20 complaints Steering 16 complaints Wheels 15 complaints Air Bags 10 complaints Seat Belts 10 complaints Lane Departure Blind Spot Detection 9 complaints Seats 9 complaints Suspension 7 complaints Back Over Prevention Warnings 6 complaints Engine And Engine Cooling 6 complaints Exterior Lighting 5 complaints Service Brakes Hydraulic 5 complaints Visibility 5 complaints Visibilitysunmoon Roof Assembly 5 complaints Back Over Prevention 4 complaints Lane Departure Assist 4 complaints Power Trainautomatic Transmissiongear Position Indication Prndl 4 complaints Tirespressure Monitoring And Regulating Systems 4 complaints Visibilitypower Window Devices And Controls 4 complaints Forward Collision Avoidance 3 complaints Lane Departure Warning 3 complaints Parking Brake 3 complaints Power Trainautomatic Transmission 3 complaints Structurebodyhatchbackliftgate 3 complaints Back Over Prevention Rearview System Braking 2 complaints Back Over Prevention Sensing System Camera 2 complaints Electronic Stability Control Esc 2 complaints Engine And Engine Coolingexhaust Systememission Controlcatalytic Convertor 2 complaints Firerelated 2 complaints Power Trainautomatic Transmissioncontrol Module Tcmpcmtecm 2 complaints Service Brakes Airantilockabs Warning Light 2 complaints Tires 2 complaints Electrical System12v24v48v Battery 1 complaint Electrical Systemadas 1 complaint Electrical Systemignition 1 complaint Electrical Systeminstrument Panelspeedometerodometersensorsending Unit 1 complaint Electrical Systempropulsion Systemtraction Batterymanagement Systemenergy Control Module Bmsbecmsoftware 1 complaint Electrical Systemsoftware 1 complaint Engine And Engine Coolingexhaust Systememission Control 1 complaint Engine And Engine Coolingexhaust Systememission Controlgas Recirculation Valve Egr Valve 1 complaint Equipmentelectricalnavigational Systemglobal Positioning System 1 complaint Forward Collision Avoidance Adaptive Cruise Controlsoftware 1 complaint Forward Collision Avoidance Sensing System Camera 1 complaint Fuel System Dieselfuel Injection System 1 complaint Fuel System Gasolinefuel Injection System 1 complaint Fuel System Gasolinefuel Injection Systemthrottlebodymanifold 1 complaint Fuel System Gasolinestorageevaporative Emissionscanister 1 complaint Lane Departure Lane Keep Steering Assist 1 complaint Latcheslockslinkagesdoorslock 1 complaint Latcheslockslinkagesfuelingcharging Doorhatchport 1 complaint Otheri Am Not Sure 1 complaint Power Trainautomatic Transmissioncontrol Modulesoftware 1 complaint Power Trainautomatic Transmissiontorque Converter 1 complaint Power Traindriveline 1 complaint Power Traintransfer Case 4 Wheel Drive 1 complaint Service Brakes Airantilock 1 complaint Traction Control System 1 complaint Vehicle Speed Controlaccelerator Pedal 1 complaint Visibilitydefrosterdefoggerhvac Systemair Handlerchamber Ducts And Valves 1 complaint Visibilitydefrosterdefoggerhvac Systemcompressor 1 complaint Visibilityglass Siderear 1 complaint Visibilitywindshield 1 complaint Wheelslugsnutsboltsstuds 1 complaint
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