Ford Escape owners have reported 1,824 problems related to electrical system (under the electrical system category). The most recently reported issues are listed below. Also please check out the statistics and reliability analysis of Ford Escape based on all problems reported for the Escape.
The seat stopped working. The Ford almost gave out on me multiple times today. On the highway and twice on the road. Apparently this vehicle has been recalled plenty of times. It has something to do with bush wiring. The seat will not adjust or move forward and the windshield wipers don’t work. It basically gave out and will not reverse.
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My battery light has been on for about a week it will come off and on thos morning as I was pulling into work I notice the power steering wasn't working right!.
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My 2023 Ford edge caused burns to the back of my legs. I was unaware until my grandma informed me that something was wrong with my legs. I noticed when I got the car 2 months ago level 3 of the seat warmer was way to hot like I felt it burning. So I only used on setting 1 or 2 and did not feel the burning sensation like when used on 3 but somehow my legs are burned.
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Our bcm stopped working the first sign was both of our head lights randomly would not turn on. This was confirmed by two other mechanics and the Ford service center had to replace the entire thing. The second part the fail was part of the engine. Something happened where we were told coolant was in our cylinder number 3 and they want to replace the entire engine with no symptoms other then low coolant levels because they stated it is a risk of fire.
For the second time now (first time was also reported to NHTSA) the backup camera froze on display touch screen and stayed there while driving forward down the road. No functions requiring the touch pad can be accessed while backup camera frozen. Car was shut off for couple hours and when restarted was still frozen on screen it did reset next day and has worked fine since. Checked with Ford and no known recall yet for this car though Ford has recalls for several other models with same problem. My 2023 maverick had the same problem, was recalled. Waiting for recall on this car but nothing yet.
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The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the local dealer for an unstated recall repair. Upon retrieval of the vehicle, the pre-collision, driver assist, and cross traffic systems were inoperable. The vehicle was taken back to the local dealer, where the modules were updated, but the failure persisted. The tire pressure fault message was displayed, and the rear bumper sensors were inside the vehicle. The manufacturer was contacted and informed the contact about diagnostic testing, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 65,188.
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When the interior of the car gets hot, the gear select dial will not rotate out of park. This has occurred on 5 separate occasions. Eventually the interior of the car cools down enough to shift, but that can take anywhere from minutes to hours, leaving the vehicle and its passengers stranded until the selector shifts. This same problem has been reported by several others on the Ford Escape forum.
For years the rear back up camera has failed to engage or turns on and off intermittently when the vehicle is put in reverse. This can lead to a potentially hazardous driving issue which could lead to property damage or potentially in the extreme loss of life. There are recalls for exactly this same issue on literally millions of similar Ford vehicles, but they refuse to acknowledge this issue and fix it for the 2014 Ford Escape thank you.
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Whenever I got the vehicle at the middle of 2025 I had issues with the shocks hub assembly axle motor mount electrical issues trunk was opening and closing by itself. Recent recently I drive it to savannah and the vehicle started to skip and would not switch gears while I was driving down a 70 mph road. I almost wrecked due to an issue with the vehicle I have looked up the recalls that hasn't been repaired on the vehicle and I believe it has something to do with unrepair recalls or maybe there is a recall that wasn't found or reported because I've seen a lot of recall information about the transmission. I also had a incident with the door unlocking and locking while my nephew was in the vehicle after stepping out the doors automatically locked but I still had the driver door open. My nephew freaked out cuz he can't get out the vehicle. The vehicle has some other issues that I do not know how to explain and if there is any possible way that the unrepared recalls has something to do with the repairs that the vehicle need now then I would like something done immediately. There is 19 recalls on a 2014 Ford Escape. Now out of those 19 only two have been reported for my VIN number but I believe due to the car being sold five different times within a short period of time no one had the time to actually report the issues wrong with the vehicle I think people were just trying to get rid of it because they knew something was wrong with it.
I’ve seen others report on the same issues and hopefully this brings something up for a recall. At first it was a misfire in the engine, and oil getting into the spark plugs. Then coolant leaking. Then overheating. I looked into the codes and took it into the shop and it’s going to cost me 8-12,000 to fix due to the same issue that other people all seem to be having.
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I turned in a safety problem on my 2020 Ford Escape yesterday (tracking number 11688297), and now, with the same door (driver door), the electrical window is not working. I received a letter on 9/11 stating that this issue was known. Is there a recall to fix the door and repair, if any, electrical issues within the door?.
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.
The contact owns a 2022 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while the vehicle was stopped, the contact attempted to use the gps system via he infotainment screen; however, while depressing the source button, the screen failed to respond as intended. The contact was only able to turn the screen on and off. The contact added that the screen was jittery and changed inadvertently. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 91,190.
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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 there were metal shavings in the transmission and now says I need a full transmission replacement (~$10,000). These shavings were not reported during their first transmission disassembly — which is highly suspicious and may indicate the damage was caused during or after their service. Replacing transmission fluid on high-mileage vehicles (mine has ~132,000 miles) is known to be risky and can cause internal failure if not done carefully. My transmission had no mechanical problems prior to this visit. I now believe the dealership’s misdiagnosis, failure to perform the pcm safety recall 1st, and service caused a safety-critical failure that they are refusing to take responsibility for. I am a veteran with a pregnant wife — we depend on this vehicle. Ford corporate has not provided assistance. This situation has left me without transportation and potentially with catastrophic repair costs due to service-related damage.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at 40 mph, the instrument panel turned off and failed to display pertinent vehicle information. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the instrument panel. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 15v406000 (electrical system), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 127,000. The VIN was not available.
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Camera keeps cutting out even in the middle of backing up.
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The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 mph, the vehicle started shuddering intermittently. The contact stated while driving at various speeds and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to two independent mechanics, where it was diagnosed with alternator and pistons failure. The second mechanic replaced the alternator; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the second mechanic, where the contact was informed that there was oil and coolant dilution, and metal shavings were found inside the engine. The dealer and the manufacturer were not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 134,003.
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.
Back up camera glitches, shows images upside down, or not at all. This has been happening for at least 6+ months. Component has not been inspected. There is a current recall on edge and expedition in the same years as mine but the Escape was not included in in the recall.
My Ford currently has 80k miles on it with no accidents and all recalls fixed by the dealer. This morning when I was driving my kids to school, a light I've never seen appeared on the bottom right hand side of the drivers screen. The light was a red triangle with an exclamation point inside of it. Not long after I noticed the light, we started to smell something burning and our car began loosing power. I pulled over immediately and turned the car off. I googled the meaning of the light. Apparently, it was a "stop safely now" light. The various reasons online could not pinpoint any reason I could come up with. I popped the hood, checked the oil, coolant, and I checked that the hybrid battery located in the trunk had a good connection. Everything was fine, as far as I could tell. When I restarted the car, after about 15 mins of investigations and online research, the light was gone and so was the smell. However, now I am super nervous to drive this car on the highway. What if that light comes on again and I loose power when all the cars around me are driving 70 mph? the chances of getting rear ended and seriously hurt are a very real possibility. What if my kids are in the car? I'm scared.
When using automatic start stop I get a message to put in park and restart.
Vehicle has active alerts for powertrain control module, and low boost pressure with the turbocharge along with emissions codes p0299, p0496 and p0456. The vehicle is constantly going into deep sleep mode. While driving the vehicle started to enter safe mode. And displayed an alert that said please turn ignition on. The dash and screen went black like vehicle was off but it was still running. This happened multiple times. My vehicle also will not start after pumping gas so I have to leave vehicle running every time I pump gas. My vehicle will not pass NY state inspection because of the recalls.
My car is having a coolant intrusion/ head gasket failure. There is a recall already for my car which was code csp 21n12 for this issue. Yet when I put in my VIN for csp coverage it shows no recalls for my vehicle. I have a 2017 Ford Escape eco boost 1. 5l. It matches the make , year, and engine for the problem. My car is misfiring, white smoke from exhaust from cold start , and having coolant loss with no dripping on the ground.
My adaptive cruise control, blind spot warning, rear cross traffic warning, pre collision warning all quit working and just flash across the screen, my light indicators for blind spot on my side mirrors quit working, my back up camera just has a bluescreen, there is no audio so no alerts can be heard and my sync doesnt work it has the screen but wont let you hear anything so yes I drive a bit away to work not having these features has been a major safety concern I have almost backed into someone because they were in my blind spot and no warning lights or warning sounds I have perviously went to a dealership for four active recalls they only look at the powertrain one there was one about spot welds nothing was done about either they broke like within the first few months of me having the car I have never received anything on extending my warrenty partly because I moved I guess but they basically told me when I was there for the recalls I would have to come back and pay for them to look at the rest which I said I wasn't aware that I had to pay for something that was a safety concern so then I contacted the place where I purchased the car that was 2 weeks ago they still have not contacted me back after several attempt and no response I then got on chat with Ford gave them a list of what was going on and they have yet to respond either but it was read just being ignored at this point and I'm at the end of my patience these are major safety issues I haven't even had this car a maybe a year if that and no one care to help I was told there was nothing wrong with anything basically I would have to wait for something to happen when I went for the recalls.
Backup camera display had lines then went blue and black. Backup camera no longer detected.
Stop /start button would kill the car would need a jump. Coolant leak in engine blew a gasket. Need a new engine. 54,000 moles on a 2019 fors Escape.
Around the 38,000 mile mark on our 2020 Ford Escape we received many different errors (awd fault, abs, advancetrac service, hill assist, etc). I found out via NHTSA and other forums that this is a common issue in the vehicle from the awd module, and although it is awd related, it is not eligible for the powertrain warranty per Ford because it is an electrical component. I declined the $1200 repair at the dealership so I could first call Ford customer service, at the recommendation of the dealership, though the service tech did mention it is a safety concern because the abs is apparently also controlled by the awd. After a couple different calls to Ford, they have refused to acknowledge that it is a manufacturer defect, or pay for the repair. With no help from Ford, I have no other option than to file a complaint here. Based on other resources online, the issue seems to stem from improper grounding of the wiring on the awd module.
All the tpms sensors have had to be replaced on the Escape with under 51k miles on them. The Ford dealer admitted this is a serious safety issue and have had numerous complaints.
I was driving the car and I was having issues with it shutting off when I was driving the car it shut off in the middle of me driving and it just wouldn't move after that until a tow truck driver came and gave me a jumpstart that happened a number of times, but in the middle of traffic was the worst and very dangerous when my kids are in the car.
The contact owns a 2025 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving 55 mph with the cruise control activated, the brakes engaged independently. The contact stated that while attempting to start to vehicle, the radio displayed a blank screen. A dealer was contacted. A warning light was illuminated; however, the contact was unable to state which warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and remained for nine days, and was diagnosed; however, the diagnostic result was unknown. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and opened a case. The approximate failure mileage was 35,000.
My 2020 Ford Escape hybrid experiences complete electrical failure - battery saving mode followed by total power loss. Ford has published technical service bulletins ssm 49990 (NHTSA mc-10199655-0001) and ssm 49574 (NHTSA mc-10187983-0001) addressing this exact issue through abs module programming. However, both my local Ford dealership and Ford customer service claim these documented tsbs do not exist in their systems. This appears to be systematic denial of safety-related warranty repairs for a known defect. According to my research, some of Ford owners could receive a 8 year hybrid component warranty through these tsbs. It seems to be a typical pattern for Ford to avoid warranty procedures by denying tsbs. I have records of the calls. I cannnot upload it from this page.
Around Aug. 3, I noticed that when I drove, the interior lights would not turn off. When the car was off, they went out as they should. But every time I started the car they came on and would not turn off. It made it very difficult to drive went it was getting dark. The dealership confirmed that it wasn't the knobs inside the car that were causing this problem. Later, I took it in for them to find out what was wrong. I scheduled an appointment and dropped off the car. That was Aug, 7. Today is September 1, and I have no idea when I might get my car back. Apparently, it needed a 'body control module'. They got a new Ford part, put it in and it solved the problem with the interior lights, but nothing else was working. They tried a second new, Ford part with the same results. So, I've been without a car, I have had a rental for a week, but will be turning it in, too expensive for me. I need a car I work mornings. What are my options now? it only has 52,000 miles. And while I am the 2nd owner, it belonged to a friend that I lived with and took care of and was the primary driver. How long before they should say we can't fix it?.
Obd communication with emissions and state safety inspection. Ford knows -- will not fix under recall.
2020 Ford Escape sunroof shade repair in my case, the curtain sags, obscuring the rear view. This is a design flaw that Ford should correct. The sunroof shade fails to operate correctly. It becomes detached, jammed, or cannot slide properly. Many owners have reported the same issue online, including in discussions such as this one: reddit discussion]. This poses a potential safety issue if the glass or shade breaks or obstructs visibility. ”.
Hazard flashers turn on by themselves any rime night or day even while driving. Transmission oil cooler leaks. Transmission shift lever bushing in shift cable broke [ thankfully while not on the road ] this car only has 25,000 miles on it.
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| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Electrical System problems | |
| Wiring problems | |
| Ignition problems | |
| Car Will Not Start problems | |
| Alternator/generator/regulator problems | |
| Ignition Switch problems | |
| Ignition Module problems | |
| Starter problems | |
| Software problems | |
| Ignition Coils Failure problems |