U.S. public vehicle records

2020 Ford ESCAPE HYBRID: complaints, problems and recalls

Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.

Key facts

287 owner complaints analyzed

1 distinct recall campaigns

28,000 mi median reported failure mileage

Scope: 2020 model year. Data snapshot: 2026-09-12 (September 12, 2026). 67 complaints include usable failure mileage.

Owner-reported patterns

Most common problems

Structure:Body is the most frequently named component, appearing in 82 of 287 complaints (28.6%). A complaint can name multiple components.

Recurring terms in complaint narratives
Topic	Matching reports	Share of complaints
Electrical and battery issues	27	9.4%
Braking behavior	16	5.6%
Transmission and shifting	9	3.1%
Engine operation	8	2.8%
Steering behavior	4	1.4%
Fuel system concerns	3	1.0%

Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.

Component breakdown

Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.

Structure:Body

Engine

Unknown Or Other

Electrical System

Power Train

Structure:Body:Door

Visibility/Wiper

Fuel/Propulsion System

Structure:Body: 82; Engine: 64; Unknown Or Other: 63; Electrical System: 39; Power Train: 28; Structure:Body:Door: 13; Visibility/Wiper: 6; Fuel/Propulsion System: 5

Reported problems by failure mileage

Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.

Under 25,000

25,000 to 49,999

50,000 to 74,999

75,000 to 99,999

100,000 to 149,999

150,000 and above

Under 25,000: 31; 25,000 to 49,999: 20; 50,000 to 74,999: 7; 75,000 to 99,999: 6; 100,000 to 149,999: 2; 150,000 and above: 1

Under 25,000 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (31). 220 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.

Complaints over time

Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.

2020

2021

2022

2023

109

2024

103

2025

2026

2020: 14; 2021: 24; 2022: 20; 2023: 109; 2024: 103; 2025: 6; 2026: 11

Pattern summary

Structure:Body leads the component reports. Electrical and battery issues appears in 27 complaint narratives. Braking behavior appears in 16 complaint narratives. Transmission and shifting appears in 9 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.

Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.

Examples from the source records

Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.

Owner report 11299378 · 2020-01-14 (January 14, 2020)

WHILE STEADILY DRIVING AT 40 MPH ON A TWO-LANE HIGHWAY, I SUDDENLY LOST ENGINE POWER AND SIMULTANEOUSLY RECEIVED A WARNING MESSAGE ON THE DRIVER'S DISPLAY TO STOP VEHICLE SAFELY NOW. I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE TO WHERE ROAD HAD A SHOULDER, BUT THE CAR'S SPEED WAS LIMITED TO MAYBE 10 MPH EVEN WITH THE ACCELERATOR PRESSED. (THE CAR IS A HYBRID, BUT HAD ONLY VERY LIMITED PROPULSIVE POWER IN WHAT SEEMED TO BE AN ELECTRIC MODE.) THE GAS ENGINE DID NOT KICK IN EVEN WHEN THE ACCELERATOR WAS PRESSED. AFTER UNSUCCESSFULLY TRYING TO TROUBLESHOOT THE PROBLEM …

Owner-reported narrative. 475 miles reported. Look up ODI 11299378 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 11316185 · 2020-03-04 (March 4, 2020)

UNEXPECTED "STOP SAFELY NOW" WARNING APPEARED ON INSTRUMENT CLUSTER WHILE TRAVELING ON THE INTERSTATE. ENGINE LOST POWER AND WAS ON BATTERY-ONLY (HYBRID VEHICLE). PULLED OVER, AND ENGINE SHUT OFF COMPLETELY. UNABLE TO RE-START ENGINE IMMEDIATELY AFTER. DEALERSHIP STATED "ENGINE/DRIVETRAIN FAULT" BUT FOUND NOTHING. THAT WAS ON FEBRUARY 14TH A 1,875 MILES ON THE ODOMETER, AND THE WARNING/LOSS OF POWER HAPPENED AGAIN ON MARCH 2, 2020 WITH 2,003 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. ALSO NOTE: THERE ARE ADDITIONAL 2020 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID OWNERS REPORTING THIS…

Owner-reported narrative. 1,875 miles reported. Look up ODI 11316185 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 11318338 · 2020-03-16 (March 16, 2020)

MULTIPLE TIMES VEHICLE HAS SAID STOP SAFELY NOW WHILE DRIVING AND LIMITED ME TO ENOUGH POWER TO MAINTAIN 15MPH AT THE MOST. THIS HAS HAPPENED AT HIGHER SPEEDS AND HAS REQUIRED PULLING TO THE SHOULDER.

Owner-reported narrative. 1,700 miles reported. Look up ODI 11318338 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 11322117 · 2020-04-24 (April 24, 2020)

I RECEIVED A NOTOFICATION FOR A "FIELD SERVICE ACTION" 20B14 FOR A POWETRAIN CONTROL MODULE UPDATE ON MY 2020 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID DUE TO "STOP SAFELY NOW" AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND DTC'S P0340 AND P0340 I TOOK IT IN TO THE DEALERSHIP ON 23 APRIL 2020 FOR THE UPDATE, I WAS THEN INFORMED MY MY SERVICE ADVISOR THAT THIS UPDATE IS NOW ON INDEFINITE HOLD DUE TO THE UPDAYE CAUSING ADDITIONAL FAULT CODES ON THE ELECTRONIC POWER STERRING AND OTHER SYSTEMS. HE ALSO PROVIDED ME WITH A LETTER FROM DAVID J. JOHNSON DIRECTOR SERVICE ENGINEERING OPERATIONS…

Owner-reported narrative. 1,500 miles reported. Look up ODI 11322117 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 11330866 · 2020-06-25 (June 25, 2020)

VEHICLE HAS <500 MILES ON IT. HEADLINER DROPPING BELOW DOOR TRIM ON BOTH FRONT DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 500 miles reported. Look up ODI 11330866 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 11330875 · 2020-06-25 (June 25, 2020)

VEHICLE PURCHASED 5/12/20. ON 5/22/20, AT ODO 84 MILES, ON STARTUP, VEHICLE DISPLAYED POWERTRAIN FAULT - ILLUMINATES WHEN A POWERTRAIN OR AWD FAULT HAS BEEN DETECTED. CONTACT YOUR AUTHORIZED DEALER AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. VEHICLE FLAT BED TOWED TO SUNSTATE FORD WEST COLONIAL DR ORLANDO FL (PURCHASE DEALERSHIP). SERVICE TEAM HAD VEHICLE 5 DAYS. CLEARED CODES U0131, U0100, U0140, U0155, U0198, U0253, U0257, P0919, U0212, U023A, U0103, U0111, U0121, U013F, U0159, U0232, U0233, U0293, U0401, U0415, U0420, U0424, U0531, U0101, U0418, U0429, U01…

Owner-reported narrative. 84 miles reported. Look up ODI 11330875 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 11331444 · 2020-06-29 (June 29, 2020)

WHILE DRIVING DOWN HIGHWAY AT APPROXIMATELY 45MPH A WARNING APPEARED "STOP SAFELY NOW" WITH A HAZARD SIGN. THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY AND UNEXPECTEDLY LOST POWER AND SLOWED TO APPX 5MPH. WAS UNABLE TO REGAIN SPEED AND ACCELERATOR DID NOT RESPOND. APPROXIMATELY 30 SECONDS LATER AN ONCOMING AMBULANCE APPEARED OVER THE HILL IN THE OPPOSITE LANE AND PROCEEDED PAST. POWER STILL WAS NOT RESTORED. CONTINUED SHORT DISTANCE UNTIL ABLE TO SAFELY PULL OVER TO SIDE OF ROAD. UNABLE TO SHUT OFF VEHICLE. ARRANGED FOR VEHICLE TO BE TOWED TO DEALER FRIENDLY FORD…

Owner-reported narrative. 5,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 11331444 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 11350126 · 2020-08-18 (August 18, 2020)

VEHICLE ROLLS BACKWARDS ON INCLINE WHILE IN DRIVE. AFTER COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP THEN REMOVING FOOT TO PUT ON GAS THE VEHICLE ROLLS BACK AS IF IT WERE IN NEUTRAL. WE ALMOST ROLLED BACK INTO A LADY THAT WAS PUSHING A STROLLER. FORD SAYS THEY HAVE NO REPAIR FOR THIS PROBLEM. I CAN PROVIDE VIDEO.

Owner-reported narrative. 1,500 miles reported. Look up ODI 11350126 at NHTSA ↗

Recall history

1 distinct campaigns affect this selection. Announcement dates below are different from vehicle model years. A campaign may cover multiple years.

25V881000 · Power Train:Automatic Transmission:Control Module (Tcm/Pcm/Tecm)

Reported: 2025-12-18 (December 18, 2025)

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2022-2024 Maverick Hybrid and 2020 Escape Hybrid vehicles. The Hybrid Powertrain Control Module (HPCM) software may cause the vehicle to shift into neutral unexpectedly, causing a loss of drive power.

Consequence: A loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will update the HPCM software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 12, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 24S33. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning January 15, 2026. This is an expansion of Recalls 24V330 (24S33) and 25V133 (25S16).

NHTSA campaign record ↗