general problems of the 2020 Ford Escape - part 1

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the brake pedal was firm while depressed, and the vehicle lost brake assist functionality. The contact stated that there was an unknown brake warning light displayed on the instrument panel. The failure worsened, and the vehicle was no longer safe to operate. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to a dealer, where a diagnostic test was performed. The contact was informed that the electric brake booster needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 53,000.

Unknown when I start my car for the 1st time that day & start to back up with my foot on the break, the back end of my vehicle makes a loud groaning sound.

Summary: failure of awd/transfer case control module causing loss of multiple safety and driveline functions. Vehicle is currently being repaired at Ford dealership so will have already been corrected. While driving, multiple dash warnings appeared: “service advancetrac,” “awd not available,” “hill start assist not available,” and “drive mode not available. ” the vehicle lost all all-wheel-drive functionality as well as traction/stability features. Dealer diagnosed an internal failure of the awd/transfer case control module. Safety impact: this failure disables critical safety systems (advancetrac stability control, hill start assist, awd traction). In poor weather or emergency maneuvers, loss of these systems could increase the risk of crash. Repair estimate: dealer quoted ~$1,070 for replacement of awd control module (parts, labor, and programming). Concern: this is a major driveline and safety system failure at only 40,000 miles. Ford previously acknowledged awd module defects in 2020 Escapes under customer satisfaction program 21b19, which suggests this may be a broader issue that warrants investigation or recall.

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 to be shielding Ford from liability. The vehicle is no longer in my possession, but documentation and diagnostic records are preserved. I believe Ford concealed a critical defect and suppressed diagnostic data, putting my safety and others at serious risk. I have contacted Ford and they are stalling and have misrepresented to me many things. They admitted that they can access Fordpass connect data remotely and their agent stated driving this vehicle is not an option. I have almost been involved in prior accidents because of hidden defect in my car. My son has audio recordings, transcripts, Ford pass connect data. We believe allstate changed the date of the accident to throw off a forensic examinator. I have proof of allstate changing the accident date and removing documents. This is really a serious breach by allstate and Ford. I am 80 years old, and if it was not for my son I would have never known this and my son is half owner of the car and is very concerned for my safety.

I went for a diagnostic test for awd module failures, and when auto zone did the test abs came back as failed and this was in July of 2025.

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.

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 be creating a parasitic draw. This car is not even 5 years old and only has 40,000 miles. Cruise control and pre collsion are massive safety features that are no longer functioning.

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.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel was difficult to steer in the intended direction, with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with metal debris on the rear brake magnet on the rear brakes. The contact was informed that the debris needed to be removed from the magnet of the rear brakes. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 19,185.

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 after they (Ford) had replaced it. They fixed the connection and delivered my car to me. I hadnt even driven the car yet, only remote started it due to the heat. When the car was started, it immediately popped up with a new issue. The powertrain had failed, with codes popping up via Fords system indicating the: park brake, brake system, gear shift, and 5 other codes that I cannot recall at the moment showing on their system. Ford diagnosed the problem, finding the gear shift itself was not engaging due to a loose pin (code: p0929:77). I was told that the car was safe to drive but there has been zero communication on when the part would be ordered or taken care of. I have tried to follow up multiple times with the dealership in the past two weeks and update them about the cars current state, including now with the error still showing, my steering feels loose and my car feels as if it is drifting while I drive.

Car experiences delayed start after depressing ignition button and then afterwards the power steering does not work.

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.

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 is totally unacceptable if they want me to keep paying for it. Thank you.

The car has awd fault along with multiple safety fault pre collision assist ,power steering stops working. Going down the road. Ford has been zero help taken car in multiple times charged 100’s off dollars only for issues to return.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to stop as intended. The contact stated that the brake pedal felt spongy. The contact stated that the brake pedal had to be pushed unusually hard to activate the brakes. In addition, the contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact was informed of customer service program: 21b19; however, the contact was informed that the VIN was not associated with the customer satisfaction program. The contact was advised to report the failure to the NHTSA hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 34,000.

Vehicle has 14,000 miles on it. Was taken to Ford garage after the awd light came on. They placed the awd module on the vehicle and then ran diagnostics again and it still pulled the errors. They determined that the abs system is bad and also needs replaced. He provided me with a notice that was sent to Ford/Lincoln dealers -customer satisfaction program 20b5 which was for vehicles manufactured in 2020 where the dealers were to replace the electronic break booster. My vehicle was manufactured in 2019, but has the same problem as this recall and unfortunately was not part of the dates where Ford would fix the issue.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon depression of the brake pedal while in reverse(r), an abnormal, squealing sound would emit from the brake pedal without warning. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where an unknown application was applied to the brake pads which stopped the noise; however, the contact stated that the failure recently returned. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and gave the contact a case number; the contact was also referred to NHTSA hotline to file a complaint. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 45 mph, the braking system abruptly stopped working properly. The contact stated that the brake pedal was abnormally stiff. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to drive a short distance to an independent mechanic. The contact stated that the independent mechanic inspected the vehicle and diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the power brake booster needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 75,200.

The driver door welds have broken. The door has been investigated by courtesy Ford, hattiesburg, ms. They stated the door would have to be replaced at a cost of $2600. No warning lamps were indicated. Also, the breaks squeal when in reverse.

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 kenneth. Kelly18@yahoo. Com.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 23v380000 (engine) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that when pressing the brake pedal while in reverse the vehicle would emit a loud howling noise. There were no warning lights. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the bolt kit and spring kit for the brakes failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired due to the parts being on backorder. The manufacturer had been made aware of the failure. The contact was referred to NHTSA to file a complaint. The failure mileage was 32,000.

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.

See attached document for complaint.

Despite repairs done under what eventually became TSB 23-2308, the brake squeal continues. I reported this originally to the dealership that sold me the vehicle in the spring of 2021. Work was done under ssm51261.

Ford Escape brakes have been a continuous issue after purchasing car 3 years ago. Brakes would make loud screeching noise when reversing car slowly. The problem seemed to get worse after it rained or the car gets wet. I’ve taken the car into the Ford dealer 3x for the same issue and they cannot seem to recreate the noise. Dealer has said the brake pads look fine. Recently, when applying brakes the car isn’t slowing down but still moving forward. After about 10seconds of “skipping” forward the car will stop.

I lost my ability to steer my vehicle. I attempted to step on the brakes and nothing happened. I hit a box truck in front of me going at least 30mph and only my shin airbag deployed.

Vehicle has 32,600 miles. On start, received the following warnings. "check brake system", "hill start assist not available", pre-collision assist not available", and the abs light was lit. The brakes were extremely hard to use. Had vehicle towed to dealership. Dealership tested and received code u3000. They "reprogrammed" the abs, pcm and ipc modules and performed a "battery disconnect". The fix was not covered by warranty. The dealership said that this could happen again. They were vague about whether it could occur only on start or at any time. Reoccurrence at road speed would likely result in an accident as the vehicle was extremely hard to stop.

The auto stop, occasionally has a fault in the system and will stop auto braking at a stop light. This is going to cause someone to get into an accident.

Pulling up to a stop sign going slowly as I was in a shopping center parking lot. When I applied the breaks they felt mushy and I had to pump the pedal. A red light flashed but quickly went out as I stopped. I believe it was the break warning light, but I was concentrating on stopping so can't be sure. Driving home all was well but the next day the break light came on and stayed on. I had the vehicle towed to the dealer, but noticed as I backed out of the driveway for the tow the break light was off. The dealer could not reproduce the issue and said there were no fault codes present.

All four brake rotors show premature signs of corrosion, rears worse than fronts, needed to have rotors replaced after 24 months.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated while reversing there was an abnormal noise detected. The contact stated that the brakes were sticking. The brake warning light was illuminated. The contact called the local dealer and an appointment was scheduled however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 4,000.

2020 Ford Escape. Consumer writes in regards to defective brakes. The consumer stated while depressing the break in parking lot, the vehicle failed to come to a stop. The vehicle struck a pole and a car before stopping. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where they could not duplicate the failure.

On quite a few occasions, while braking down hill, it felt like I lost all brakes, despite pedal feel remaining steady. It literally felt like sliding on ice. Most recently, I recently experienced it on a hill where regenerative brakes would normally decelerate vehicle. It felt like the brakes gave out in the middle of the hill. Thankfully had no one in front of me so I was able to pump brakes and barely got vehicle to stop safely. Then waited a few minutes - the brakes resumed normal operation. Spoke with the dealer and they advised no knowledge of any such issue, and suggested I drop the car off so they could try to replicate the issue. Not eager to have my wife drive the car, as this could lead to a serious accident. Can clearly see from blogs and fb page on this vehicle that others have experienced the same - really thought I was alone on this.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon depression of the brake pedal, an abnormal grinding noise would intermittently emit from the vehicle without warning. The contact also stated that vehicle would intermittently hesitate upon depression of the accelerator pedal also with no warning. The contact had taken the vehicle to the dealer for repairs on two separate occasions; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 2,800.