2021 FORD ESCAPE Structurebody Problems

Sunroof cover has detached. When uncovering sunroof, panel droops and blocks rear window. This happened while driving and can pose a serious safety hazard. Component has been inspected by dealership and diagnostics include taking entire top panel apart which is quoted at 2.5k. This is a recurring problem with Ford Escape vehicles. There was no warning that this was broken, I realized while driving that it had become detached when I tried to open the sunroof and it blocked my rear window and fell on my kids sitting in the back seat.

My car was inspected two times at the dealership for the door welds possibly cracking. The second time (a year ago) they said that I would need the entire door replaced. When I’m entering and exiting the vehicle the door shuts on me. I also live in a high wind area. The window will not go up or down without the door being open. Every time I call the dealership they forward me to their service manager ‘Jonathan’ and he never answers not returns my calls. I had been dealing with this issue for nearly three years or longer. I’m scared my door is going to fall off while I’m driving.

Driver door, door check arm popping and hardly opens and closes won’t allow driver window to roll down all the way

Driver door check bracket is making loud crunching sound and making door difficult to open and close. This is cause for concern about integrity of door and ability to use vehicle. Not been inspected yet.

Drivers door popping noise when opening and closing the door, not closing properly, window not being able to roll up and down. Vehicle was brought to dealership for inspection and the problem was confirmed that there is arm bracket failure in the front door. No warning lights come on and no injury has occurred but car is not being driven for safety reasons at this time. We never received a letter about the one time repair and until the problem happened had no idea about this. We are on a list with local dealership and have been waiting for Ford to get parts and approve repair. We have no idea how many people are in front of us on this list.

The door check bracket is broken

My back passenger door will not lock. If I lock it from my ford app or key fob that back door stays unlocked. This puts my safety at risk because I’m a young female living in a big city known for sex trafficking. I could be followed to my car and I could lock the door but that door stays unlocked someone could kidnap me. Or what if I’m driving the car and the door flies open, that can cause a deadly accident. There was no warning signs or messages just a mere coincidence that I noticed it wasn’t locking. We took it into ford and they have found the issue but don’t want to cover it even though we pay for the primary care. I noticed that past models have been recalled for this issue and should be recalled again that this is something that should not be taken...

Problem Description Component/System Failed: The driver-side front door has been inoperable since April 2024, unable to open or close, linked to Ford’s Customer Satisfaction Program 23B56 (faulty door welds/hinges). Vehicle is available for inspection. Safety Risk: I must climb over the passenger seat to enter/exit, risking injury, especially in emergencies. My disabled veteran father, who shares the car, cannot drive it due to inaccessibility, severely limiting his mobility. An inoperable door could delay evacuation, endangering us both. Confirmed by Dealer: Empire Ford, New Bedford, MA, confirmed the issue in October 2024, tying it to 23B56. They quoted 2-3 weeks for parts but haven’t repaired it as of April 10, 2025. Inspections: Only Empire Ford inspected it in October 2024. They admitted to marking the work order as done without repairs, restarting the process. No other inspections by Ford, police, or insurers occurred. Symptoms/Warnings: No warning lights or messages. Around April...

Schedule repair maintenance with Spirit Ford Dundee MI on my 2021 Ford Escape on 1/16/2024 for water leaking in the spare tire compartment which created moisture to collect on interior windows and smell like mold. Spirit Ford said that it was leaking from the rear light and that was replaced. We drove the car as it was fixed and never had a reason to look back in the spare tire compartment as we thought it was fix. Last week [XXX] when the weather was started warming for a day after having snow/rainy days we noticed the car smelling again and looked in spare tire compartment to find that was full of water all the way to the top. So apparently the issue was never fixed correctly. Schedule an appointment for repair maintenance on the vehicle 03/10/2025 for issue again. As of 4pm on 3/10/25 the car had not been looked...

The left front door stopper makes an abnormal sound, a popping noise when the door comes open.

My driver side door began making popping noise and it has been discovered the weld has broken.

The check arm on my ford escape broke off at the welding attachment point which lead to me having to drive down the road for 10 miles with my door ajar in order to get home It started making a popping noise a few days ago then I opened my door tonight and it completely broke off

My door was on the recall list and needs to be replaced. I had this checked in September 2024 but the doors are on back order. My broken door is a safety hazard it is not shutting properly and has been known to open.

Front driver side door started clicking when open/closed about a month ago. Yesterday it started a loud thumping sound when opening. Upon closer investigation, four points where the door was welded to the arm mechanism have broken. The loud thumping sound is the internal brace hitting the door.

Bracket that holds the check arm device in the door broke loose. It is not properly welded to the inside of the doors. Left stranded because the door could not be shut. Other 2021 Ford Escapes are having the same issues. There was no warning to indicate a problem with the door.

A cracking sound is heard when the door is opened and closed

Door check bracket pulled off of door.

Hinge on the front driver door the weld broke loose

I HAVE TO KEEP PRESSING THE GAS HANDLE TO PUT GAS IN MY CAR BECAUSE THE [XXX] CARBON SENSOR [XXX] THINGY IS BROKE. also the door keeps clicking and TikTok says it’s going to fly off. Now that’s just dangerous. The clicky thingy is from something that is welded into the door keeps coming off of the car. Now that’s [XXX]. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The driver side door arm has broken without any reason. It now makes noise opening and closing and will need to be replaced

The spot weld on my driver's side door looks like it broke where the hinge is attached to the door. It's going to totally break.

Driver front and passenger front door hinge making noise when opening. Dealer said a lot of people are having same issue but ford is only fixing ones when door falls off when weld completely breaks. Reported this to dealer on11/11/23 and was finally notified to bring in last week. Was called yesterday and was told not fixing at this time as was not safety issue yet! They said if door falls off it would warrant repair. This vehicle is under new vehicle warranty still and should be fixed without question. Dealer agrees it needs fixed but says they cant do anything now. I consider a possible door falling off a safety issue! Hopefully my wife does not fall out of vehicle when door falls off and maybe she can put it in back and drive to dealer with no door. Way to go ford!

The drivers door check arm welds are breaking, the plate is flexing inside the door.

The door check system on the door assembly of my Ford Escape is attached to the body by three spot welds. These welds have come off and now it's not possible to lower the window. I was in a situation where I had to open the door to adjust my mirror on the road, this is very unsafe and can lead to accidents.

The six Spot welds on the driver's door failed. The hinge bracket is adrift inside the car door. Al Packer Ford body shop advised this is a common flaw in the 2021 Ford Escapes.

Door check bracket detaches from driver door when it is opened.

Door hinge on driver side front came loose from weld and won’t let window roll down.

Driver door check arm bracket welds broke in door

2-23-24 2021 Gold Ford Escape AKA Goldie Purchased on 9-8-23 Miles at purchase 52,771 Current miles 60,054 2-22-24 I took my daughter to school. When I opened the door I heard a popping noise. When I got home I open the door to get out and heard a really big POP. I went to close the door it would not close. I gently tried to close it again but stopped because I did not want to make matters worse. I called a tow truck. The driver mentioned the door check was broken. My service advisor called to let me know the spot wells and door check were broken. She said I would have to take to body shop. My escape is available for inspection. I took Goldie to body shop 2-23-24. Advisor took pictures and said he would have technician look at it then send me a quote. He mentioned...

The door stop arm welds broke on drivers side door. I cannot roll down window because of this failure on ford's part.

The door has spot wells I believe 6 total. 2 of them so far have come undone. It is the welds for the bracket that keeps the door from flying open.

Driver door hinge is not welded properly and when driving door opens

This is 1 of 3 2020 - 2021 Ford Escapes that my company owns and is affected by this known issue with NHTSA and Ford Motor Company as it relates to Ford Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) SSM 50150. The spot welds at the check arm attachment points on the driver door have failed. This has lead to a horrible noise and feeling when opening and closing our door. Sometimes the door does not shut all the way making this a safety issue. The door is now hard to open and close. The window is also inoperable as it either won't roll down at all or, if it does roll down, it will now roll back up. This issue has been inspected by 2 dealerships and they are not allowing our PremiumCARE extended Warranty to cover this. We have had 10's of Escapes with 100,000+ miles and this has never been...

Passenger door hitch weld came off. I can’t open the door all the way and the window can’t be open..

Door is cracking only at 38k miles and the thing pops when I open and shut it on drivers side sounds like it’s going to fall right off

driver side door check bracket, makes cracking , crunching noise feels /sounds like it is ready to fall off.

Drivers side “Door Check/Hinge”. Originally, the door made several loud “popping” noises and was hard to open/shut. Eventually, it wouldn’t shut properly. Vehicle repaired and then traded later. Drivers side door had the risk of coming off or not shutting completely. Yes. Yes. No. First appeared in April ‘22

My door all of a sudden started making loud cracking sounds when I tried to open it. This progressively got worse and now the door will only partially open and the window will not go down. I believe I have a broken spot weld in the left front door at the check arm attachment.

Went to get in my 2021 Ford Escape opened the door a heard a metal sound clunking noise. Happened all of a sudden. Thought maybe someone hit my door but no sign of it being hit. Then Googled Ford Escape and that noise and found this has been a problem. Why has there not been a recall for this problem.

The front door hinge spot weld and rivets have broekn loose. I called Stivers Ford in Montgomery Alabama and the Service Representative told me that my Escape was out of warranty and it was my problem to repair. I do not think this is fair as this is a structural problem in the door.

Drivers door is making a creaking/popping sound and sometimes won’t close. The window will not always go up.

Door started cracking. Next day door made a loud crack and my door would not shut. I had to take it to my garage because Ford Manderbach Ford in Hamburg PA would not cover it due to no recall. My garage put door back together and spot welded everything back together. My bill was $95.

*corporate vehicle The check arm for our driver's side door appears to have separated from the frame. Our door feels like it may fall off. If our door falls off, we feel there are safety concerns (can list later if needed). Our story seems to corroborate many other complaints on this website.

The door check in the drivers door snapped after two years. Ford is not willing to take care of the situation but this is a known issue. Since this item has to do with the door and door latching, I do not feel comfortable driving my vehicle

Drivers side front door making creaking noise upon opening and closing. Does not properly close after 3 days since initial noise was noticed. Window does not go down. Believed to be faulty spot weld due to Fords negligence

Drivers door limiter broke away from the door creating an issue opening and closing the door. Also unable to roll the drivers window down very far.

Left door weld broke. Making a popping noise. The window will not go up or down.

The door weld seems to have come off and causes the door to not latch properly and I cannot roll my window down this is a problem on both driver and passenger side. It appears there is a loose weld in the doors.

Upon opening the driver side door there was a pop. Every time the door has been opened to appx 50% full width the same popping noise occurs. The weld is popped in the hinge but this is not visible without taking the door apart. The door will close properly and the window works at this time.

Driver door popping do to spot welds broke on door check/limiter