Ford Escape Hybrid knocking problems

Filed Jul 24, 2026 · Body, Engine · MI · fire

On 20 July 2026, my 2022 Ford Escape HEV caught fire in the engine compartment while parked. The vehicle is likely a total loss (insurance pending). On-site emergency personnel responded within minutes of the fire and the local fire department was on scene within 5 minutes of the 911 call. They cleared the incident (and d/c the 12V) within 32 minutes of arrival. Detroit Fire Department Incident: 202620101471. This vehicle was subject to Ford Safety Recall 23S27 and Customer Satisfaction Program 23N06, which address a manufacturing defect in the 2.5L HEV/PHEV engine. Under that recall, connecting rod bearing journals were not properly finished, causing premature bearing and engine failure that can release engine oil and fuel vapor into the under-hood area resulting in a fire. The recall remedy was completed on my vehicle, as were all customer satisfaction program campaigns. The dealer performed the PCM software update, which is intended to detect early signs of bearing failure through diagnostic trouble codes (P1061 and P032F) so the failure can be caught before an engine breach occurs. The engine long block was NOT replaced. Under Ford's own criteria, long block replacement was only authorized if the vehicle exhibited loud metal-to-metal clanking noises, a loss of torque, or the associated diagnostic codes. Dealership personnel assured me an engine light would illuminate and I would have time to safely move the vehicle to the side of the road. My vehicle did not have any warnings: no clanking, loss of torque, or leaks-no diagnostic warnings of any kind before the fire. The recall remedy did not prevent the exact failure it was designed to prevent--Ford's response was inadequate to protect owners. My the federal safety agency VIN lookup shows no open recalls. I completed every recall and CSP Ford issued. I have complete dealer service records for this vehicle, photos of the damage, hi-res surveillance video is saved at work, as well. The vehicle is intact and has not been salvaged.

Filed Jul 1, 2026 · Transmission · TX

Our 2020 Ford Escape Titanium began making a flutter noise at lower speeds. An independent mechanic checked for codes and none were present. He advised to drive until the check engine light comes on. Two days later the car had a knocking noise in the engine compartment. Driving home, accelerating onto a hiway the engine made a loud metallic noise as the engine started to overspeed. The car shut itself off and we pulled over to the shoulder. We were stuck on a 65 mph 4 lane hiway for 3 hours trying to work with roadside assistance for a tow. We towed it to McGraw Ford in Aransas Pass, TX and it sat in their back lot for 8 weeks with no diagnosis. We then had it towed to a Ford certified mechanic near our home and he wanted many hours of labor as the transmission needed to be removed to provide an estimate. He was throwing numbers approaching $10k as a guess. We elected to sell the car to a private party for far less than its value.

Filed Nov 26, 2024 · Transmission · SD

Vehicle started making clunking and knocking noises when switching between hybrid and gas. Thought this was due to the engine knocking issue that Ford had previously sent a recall letter about. Then the transmission started to slip or have a hard time when switching gears and makes a cracking noise. Brought to dealership and they said there was metal in the transmission but were unsure of the cause. The transmission needs to be replaced, ford will not cover because it is no longer under warranty. Vehicle is only 4 years old.

Filed Sep 12, 2024 · Engine · AZ

Had software update performed by dealer for 23S27 recall. Two weeks later sitting at a light amber box appeared that said check manual and had a picture of a wrench clicked ok to dismiss. Light changed and proceeded to make my left turn with no power. Looked back at dash and now MIL lamp (check engine) is lit. Pulled over, shut the car off and went to use rest room hoping car would reset itself. No joy car is in full blown limp mode 30 mph max. Called dealer and they said they would have to charge me a diagnostic fee. I said your are not supposed to charge a fee for a recall. Went home read the code with my own reader. P1061 was set. Googled the code and it said this code was setting on Escape hybrids after recall software update. On 9/5/24 took car to dealer said nothing was in the knock pid and reset the code and limo mode, tech noted it was likely to reappear. Sure enough two day later same code, same limo mode. I have a SAFETY concern with this recall leaving me powerless. Fortunately for me both times this happened was on city streets! I do a lot of freeway driving and if this happened on the freeway I would experience a high speed rear collision. Car is now having the long block replaced 23N06 and hopefully I never see this or experience this behavior again. I have my doubts!

Filed May 27, 2024 · Engine, Fuel system · VA

Recall 23S27 (the federal safety agency 23V‑380). I do not feel that Ford is offering owners a safe or effective repair, leaving serious risk of injury or death. 1.7/2022. Recall 22S47. “Engine oil and/or fuel vapor may leak and accumulate” which “may ignite resulting in an under hood fire, and increasing the risk of injury.” 2.8/8/22. Ford Media to UPI, “IN THE EVENT OF AN ENGINE FAILURE” above issues may occur. 3.5/26/23. Recall 23S27 acknowledges, “ENGINE COULD FAIL PREMATURELY,” leading to the above. 4.5/26/23. the federal safety agency Part 573 Safety Recall Report: CAUSE identified. “Isolated ENGINE MANUFACTURING ISSUES HAVE RESULTED IN 2.5L HEV/PHEV ENGINE FAILURES INVOLVING ENGINE BLOCK OR OIL PAN BREACH. Likely driving “final solution” (paragraph 7). “In the event of an ENGINE BLOCK OR OIL PAN BREACH, THE HEV/PHEV SYSTEM CONTINUES TO PROPEL THE VEHICLE ALLOWING THE CUSTOMER TO CONTINUE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE. AS THE CUSTOMER CONTINUES TO DRIVE AFTER A BLOCK BREACH, oil and/or fuel vapor continues to be expelled and accumulates near ignition sources”. 5.2023. “23S27 Chronology RMISC-23V380-7289,” LINKS recall 22S47 with 23S27. Vehicles WHICH HAD UNDERGONE THE REPAIR SPECIFIED BY 22S47 STILL HAD ISSUES, and Ford engineers CONFIRMED BLOCK BREACH AND CORRECT 22S47 REPAIR. “Repair” for 22S47 DID NOT FIX THE UNDERLYING MECHANICAL PROBLEM. 6.6/6/23. Autoblog: “Per Ford, the “manufacturing issues” include POOR MACHINING OF THE ENGINE CRANKSHAFT AND CONTAMINATION OF ENGINE BLOCK MATING SURFACES DURING ASSEMBLY.” “2.5-liter engines . . . with defects “could be ticking time bombs.” 7.5/24. “SOFTWARE is now available to REPAIR [affected vehicles].” Dealers will “update the Powertrain Control Module (PCM).” This will not fix the problem. I respectfully request the federal safety agency investigate and compel Ford to provide the correct and proper mechanical repairs necessary to prevent block/oil pan breach in the first place.

Filed Apr 19, 2024 · Engine · VA

Recall was issues 5/2023 for Engine Stall/Fire risk. There has been no remedy done and it's coming up on one year since this has been issued. This was expanded upon the July 2022 recall that drilled holes and removed grill shutters , but it was shown to not have alleviated this issue. The issue is a rod bearing breaching the engine block causing the potential for devastating and potential personal injury along with property damage. In reaching out to the dealer , no remedy has been issued yet....it's almost 1 year !!!

Filed Oct 17, 2023 · Engine · IL · fire

We were driving on the interstate and the car began to make a metallic clicking/ticking sound. We started to move to the shoulder as we thought it might be a tire issue when we saw an orange glow reflected on the concrete. As soon as we reached the shoulder the engine started pouring out smoke and we immediately left the car. We opened the hood and saw fire inside the engine compartment. We left the hood up and moved away from the car and called 911. It appears this issue is tied to a known, open recall for which Ford has not released any information on how to fix with no specific timeline in place to release the fix. Our safety was at risk as the car was on fire and we were standing on the side of an interstate at midnight not knowing if the fire was going to go out or the car was going to explode; luckily for us it went out. The vehicle is currently at a Ford dealership for inspection. There was an engine service warning immediately before we heard the clicking noise but that is the first notification of any issue.

Filed Jul 11, 2023 · TX

I was just sent A report on the issues with the door of the 2021 Ford Escape. I live in Dallas Tx. I purchased my Ford Escape in 2021 and in the past month I have had so many issues until I don't know where to start. One is currently the door issue; I heard a pop then a knocking, then a grinding then the door would not close. I was told the bracket needs to be replaced and that I would have to pay for the repairs. Because of what is happening with the door I can't let my window down because it either goes back up slowly or will go down when I am pushing for it to go up, or it will not go back up at all. I've been fighting with the dealership they are saying I will have to pay for the repairs. I Filed a complaint with customer relations but was not given a claim number but was told they might or might not respond back.

Filed Sep 20, 2016 · Brakes · 132,000 miles · MD

Last week I went outside and got in my car to run some errands and when I started the car the red brake light, orange ABS light, and the chimer stating "regenerative brake disengaged" "check brakes" began to light. The brakes are working (knock on wood) but are tricky to operate. This morning I took the car to the mechanic and they stated it was most likely in need of a new hcu costing around $5,000 (I am going to get the vehicle checked one more time before parking it for good). As I read the complaints on the federal safety agency's web site, it appears folks at the federal safety agency are fully knowledgeable about this safety hazard (as each page is filed with same, if not worse, complaints) and are not going to act until someone gets killed. It is also blatantly obvious that ford is not going to act either. The 2008 escape hybrid has been a great vehicle, until now (132,000 miles). The price to fix this issue is slightly less than what the car is worth and compared to all other brands made it very few miles. Now it is time to turn my outrage regarding this issue over to my state representatives. I cannot believe their are no class action lawsuits before someone gets killed (it is a matter of time, if not already the case). This issue should warrant a recall, they are brakes for god's sake. *tt *bf

Filed Feb 13, 2015 · Suspension · 135,000 miles · IL

Over a few days I heard a banging sound in the car that I could not identify. My daughter looked under the rear passenger wheel well and noticed the shock was knocking against the rusted wheel well. The next day I went to a funeral and the shock pierced through the trunk. I called my body shop/mechanic and told him what the issue was. He said he had another ford escape 2005 in his shop with the same exact issue. He said it was a manufacturer defect. Ford didn't do a recall on the 2005 models even though they recalled prior years. I had tried to contact rizza ford about the issue but received no response. In searching the internet I realized there are at least 300+ complaints written about this exact issue and ford's handling of it. My mechanic had to practically rebuild/weld the wheel well. I can't believe that ford can be allowed to get away with ripping so many people off, especially with it being such a safety issue. This was a very expensive problem to fix and I didn't have enough money to get a different car. After this, I don't think I'll ever buy a ford again. Why would I go with a company that can't even stand behind their own product and has no issues putting their customers safety at risk.