Two issues. 1: transmission shakes, shudders, and loses power intermittently at shift points. 2: check arm spot welds broke loose at the door. Safety issue. Ford has a service bulletin for this SM 51553 And SM 50150
2020 Ford Escape transmission complaints
Page 5 of 9: complaints 101 to 130 of 243, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Rotary style gear shift does not go into gear on hot days. Gear shift is stuck in park and will not rotate to drive or another gear, leaving motorist stranded.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact attempted to shift gear, and the vehicle jerked abnormally. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was opened. The contact was also referred to the federal safety agency Hotline for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 131,000.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact became aware of an abnormal odor on the interior of the vehicle. The contact stated that the odor was entering the interior of the vehicle through the vents. The contact stated the abnormal odor had a sweet smell. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the failure was not duplicated. In addition, the contact stated the transmission was slipping. The contact was informed that a software update needed to be performed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 43,000.
May 2025 The following fault codes illuminated on vehicle start up. * AWD FAULT SERVICE REQUIRED * Hill Start Assist Not Available * Service Advance Trac * Pre-collision Assist Not Available. Wrench light illuminated on dash board. AWD and safety features disabled intermittently. OBD Codes: - C0090:18-6C Power Transfer Unit Actuator - Circuit Current Below Threshold - C0095:18-64 Rear Diff Unit Actuator ‘A’ - Circuit Current Below Threshold - C00A2:01-6C Drive-in Control Module Power Transfer Unit Control Circuit Driver. - C00A3:01-6C Driveline Control Module Rear Diff Unit ‘A’ Control Circuit Driver - P0562:00-AF - System Voltage Low on AWD Module. Appears to be AWD module failure.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 70 MPH, the message "Vehicle Shutting Down - Place Vehicle in Neutral to Restart" was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact stated that the failure had occurred several times in one day. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. In addition, the contact stated that upon further investigation, the contact noticed on the Ford App that a message "Powertrain Malfunction - Reduced Power" was displayed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.
2020 ford escape in 2023 transmission started slipping amd stuttering around 60,000 miles on it. Ford service said nothing wrong. Problem persisted and now at 103,000 miles they admit need a whole new transmission. Service bulletin released in 2022 did not fix the issue and now that warranty is out they want the customer to replace it. The car is unsafe as you can't count on acceleration as the transmission slips going up inclines and oftent times when accelerating to pass or turn into traffic. Additionally a new class action lawsuit seems to state all of the same issues I have had and am having. Ford knows about the issue and refuses to recall the transmission or help monetarily with the repairs.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the gear shifter was stuck in park(P). The contact stated that the failure occurred while the temperature was hot. The contact stated after parking the vehicle, the gear shifter remained stuck in park(P). The contact waited for 30 minutes before the gear shifter was able to be shifted to the desired gear. The vehicle was taken to several independent mechanics and to the local dealer; however, no cause for the failure was found. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHSTA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was unknown.
On hot days the gear shift gets stuck in park. The car interior has to cool down before the shifter will turn in to gear.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the RPM increased, and the check engine and power train warning lights illuminated. In addition, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated that the failure had occurred several times. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the dealer; however, the failure was not duplicated. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 59,000.
AWD module failed at 20,000 miles
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from underneath the rear of the vehicle. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local Pep Boys; however, the cause of the failure was not identified. The contact stated that after the attempted diagnostic test, while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle independently swerved in various directions and hesitated while accelerating with the accelerator pedal depressed. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 78,000.
When outdoor temperatures are above 85 degrees, the interior of the vehicle becomes warm enough that the vehicle may not shift out of Park. Our most recent experience was while on vacation in Florida last week. The outdoor temperature was around 90 degrees, though likely warmer in the parking lot. The vehicle was parked on a flat surface facing the sun, wheels facing forward, no reflector in the windshield, windows closed. When starting the engine, vehicle started normally, all functions appeared normal, but could not shift out of Park. Tried rocking the vehicle back and forth, turning the wheel, brake lights functioned, no movement of the shifter- as though the round shifter of the vehicle was electronically locked. This does not seem like a safety issue, but my wife is [XXX] and could have happened in a location where she would not have help available. Forums on the Intrnet have multiple complaints. Ford told me that they do not know of an "issue" but did find that my car was misbuilt - the cable coming off of this switch is a two part cable, at least two different cable sets were used in the manufacture of the 2020 Escape. My vehicle used the A part of one set and the B part of a different set. Ford gave replacement parts for free, I paid $600 for diagnostics and labor. Latest incident happened after the correct cable set was installed. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 50 MPH, the vehicle was hesitating and shuddering. The contact stated that there was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the shuddering was almost constant and occurred at various speeds. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the torque converter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 106,000.
AWD MODULE on 2020 Ford Escape failed at 21,000 miles. There has been a customer satisfaction repair done in 2022 when it started happening to select vehicles. I drive low mileage but should have been a recall issued due to the amount of complaints and fixes online
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that overtime she became aware that there was a sharp piece on the transmission dial, causing cuts on her fingers while turning the dial. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed. The contact was informed that the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 37,000.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the message "All Wheel Drive Fault" was displayed, and the vehicle only operated in 2WD. The contact was concerned that during winter weather the vehicle was unsafe to drive in 2WD only. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer and was diagnosed with AWD module failure. The contact was informed that the AWD module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The failure mileage was 50,000.
AWD module fault. $2200 repair. Reading online many 2020 ford escape are having this issue of the part failing. Most are still under warrenty when it goes but in my case I wasn't. This part should he investigated because there shouldn't be this many reports of the part malfunctioning without a recall.
AWD module not working was on screen after starting vehicle plus other codes about adaptive cruise control
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving up an incline at various speeds, the turbo failed to operate as needed and the vehicle failed to accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated after the failure. The contact stated that the vehicle had been taken to the dealer on three separate occasions where the turbo was replaced each time only for the failure to return. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The contact was referred to the federal safety agency Hotline to report the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 75,800.
The silver base of gear selector is chipping leaving sharp plastic edges causing pain to right thumb and repeated punctures with bleeding when operating the gear selector. Ford dealer and corporate report this repair is not covered under warranty since 3 year/36,000-mile warranty has expired. The issue became known at 4.5 years/ 32,519 miles. Ford previously had a service bulletin to repair the window lever buttons for the same issue at no cost to the owner. This issue is more dangerous because it involves gear selection which may impact safety when operating the vehicle.
On a cross country road trip the vehicle started leaking transmission fluid. Took it to the dealer where they told me the Torque Converter seal has be installed incorrectly at the factory. This has been leaking since the vehicle was new. The splash shield is fabric and absorbs all the leaking fluid until it is saturated leading to possible transmission failures.
There is a courtesy replacement on the main fuel injector. I just recently had to replace my turbo. No my car bogs down won't go and smells like eggs which is the catalytic converter. The injection brakes the converter which brakes the turbo and Ford is not interested in helping very much. How can
I was driving for uber and I smelled something biting along with my passengers, we had just gone through an area with a lot of smoke, so we figured it was that. After I dropped them off I noticed smoke billowing from my engine. The next day I had noticed my car was low on coolant, so I drove to Ace Hardware to grab some. After I put the coolant in the car I went to Publix to get some groceries and when I got back I smelled the smoke again. I did some research and there was a class action lawsuit against for Ford for the Escape with 1.5L engines and the fuel injectors cracking which caused coolant intrusion damaging the engine and causing them to over heat. I had my car towed to the dealership and the ECT light came on along with a parking brake warning.. This car has been nothing but a headache, nothing but repairs since I’ve had it. There is also a CSP, Customer Satisfaction Protocol for The fuel injectors cracking and I was never told about it all the times I’ve been to the dealership. I’m thinking that’s what caused the overheating..
This 2020 Ford Escape-with less than 67k miles on it-is mostly inoperable, as of this date. This car was financed, from a Fort Lauderdale. FL used car dealership, on or around [XXX]. The check engine light was on. I went to Autozone to see what codes this could be attributed to. I was given printouts, reflecting codes P0171 & P2BF1 [air flow ratio and/or fuel injector related issues]. Additionally, the oil life on the car was at 0%. I then checked to see if there were any open recalls. There were and on 12/3/24, 2 recall repairs were done at Grieco Ford (Oil separator Pan: 22V191; Drain Tube replacement: 22S73). The car was fine. An oil change took place on 12/14/24, where the engine coolant was topped off. There were no issues and the car was driven periodically, since its purchase, to Miami, because my Mother suffered a stroke on 10/21/24 and was in her 2nd intensive rehab. As her only child, I am her POA and advocate. However, on [XXX] serious overheating occurred, when I drove less than 1.5 miles away from home, and no engine coolant was in the reservoir. The car was sputtering and losing power. I had to pull over several times just to make it back home. Additionally, a seemingly oily/milky substance was around the radiator. As of [XXX], the motor mounts are worn causing the engine to violently shake and the original radiator is warped due to potential oil/coolant leaks the vehicle could have experienced, well before these recall repairs were executed. Also, there is another recall on this vehicle regarding fuel injector leaks. Ford has failed at any meaningful strides in fixing the litany of engine malfunctions; electrical system failures; and this car's computers disconnect in diagnosing issues adequately. I found out all of these AFTER financing this car due to limited options had due to a Chapter 7 bankruptcy. I already paid $270 for January's-full coverage-insurance payment & have to pay a $410 CAR PAYMENT ON A CAR I CAN'T DRIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
While driving on the highway, the engine started to sputter when gas pedal was depressed, turned around and drove it straight to a mechanic. At the mechanic, they were unable to shift the car out of park, and noted the transmission had "catastrophic failure, irrepairable" We called Ford, and they said while there is a recall for 2020 Ford Escapes, this one was built in a different factor and was not covered.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a loud clanking noise coming from the engine. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the exhaust cap and catalytic converter had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the contact noticed a gasoline odor coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the purge valve had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the gasoline odor was still present. Additionally, the contact stated that the AWD warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the AWD system failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 95,000.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle seized in gear. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to reverse. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to shift into park or drive. The check engine warning light flashed on and off. The wrench symbol was displayed. The powertrain inactive message was displayed. The contact stated that the failure was related to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 24V330000 (Power Train). The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where an unknown diagnosis was completed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, opened a case, but no additional assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 103,635.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle downshifted with no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not included in the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 20V550000 (Power Train). A case was opened, and the manufacturer referred the contact to the NHSTA Hotline for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.
CVT transmission is faulty and the gears shudder and slip. It also lags between shifting, causing near accidents. My local ford dealer tried to fix it last year and couldn’t, it seems like they don’t even know how to fix it. It should be a recall, it makes driving frustrating and unsafe.
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