Problems · by component
2020 Ford Escape Hybrid engine problems
64 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2020 Ford Escape Hybrid cite engine, 22% of all 290 complaints for this model year.
Complaints
64
22% of all complaints
Crashes
0
Reported by owners
Fires
1
Reported by owners
Injuries
0
Reported by owners
What owners say about the engine
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“Sluggish acceleration, car would not go faster than 37 MPH at full throttle, appeared to be running on hybrid motor only, not on engine power. 2020 Ford Escape Hybrid. 2.5 L engine. Only got 1 mile, returned home. No smoke, no fire, just not accelerating. Car was completely fine the day before. Got towed to Ford dealer next morning.”
“The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH on the highway, the vehicle decelerated unintendedly. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that after driving a short distance and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle responded as needed. The vehicle was driven to the intended destination. The contact stated that the incident was significantly frightening. An unknown dealer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact referenced recall NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V380000(Engine); however, the VIN was not associated with the recall. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 37,400.”
“I have received 2 letters from manufacturer, than I had appointment dealer service, I went there and worker sad to me we don't have it, than I tried another services , they same answer, than I contacted ford, ford told to me car is good condition don't need replacement”
“Upon purchasing and receiving the car from a dealership, I attempted to drive it around my neighborhood and after about 1 minute received a warning saying "safely stop now!" and the steering wheel locked and the power shut off in the middle of the street. The car would not turn back on and had to be towed to the dealership. The dealership (not Ford) already replaced the battery and that did not fix the issue. They are having to take it to Ford service to get it looked at. This poses a very significant safety risk because it could have happened on the highway, as some Ford Escape users have reported on forums. Before purchasing the car, all available recalls were addressed and "resolved", but clearly not all issues have been fixed.”
“We were traveling to Springfield MO and just before Strafford our 2020 Ford Escape Hybrid SE flashed a wrench warning on our screen and immediately went into limp mode in rush hour traffic on I-44. We were in the passing lane going up a hill at the time passing a commercial truck and our speed dropped significantly. Luckily the vehicles behind us to were able slow down in time.”
“The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape Hybrid. The contact stated that the vehicle had been repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V380000 (Engine). The contact had taken the vehicle to a dealer and stated that the dealer only updated the powertrain control module, and had not inspected the engine. The contact stated that there was still a risk of an engine compartment fire. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 72,000.”
Showing 6 of 64 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 8, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.