2023 Ford Escape Problems, complaints & recalls

I was driving to work and the transmission faltered, grinded, tried to shift, and I thought the vehicle was going to crash. There were cars around me, and I was going about 30 to 35 miles per hour. I was able to pull over and turned off the car. I then drove it to an auto shop and the mechanic stated that it is the transmission. My Ford Escape 2023 has 68,000 miles. It has stalled twice on the road at a stop light/stop sign since August 2026 also. I no longer trust that the vehicle is safe.

The transmission failed while driving around [redacted] near the Legends in [[redacted]]. Restarting from a stop the transmission clunked and after parking it would no longer go in reverse. Safety was a concern because the incident happened in a heavy traffic area. There were no other warnings from the car itself. The day before it had a little difficulty starting but it worked fine once driving began. In retrospect, that may have been a sign. Now, the company Kansas Municipal Utilities has had three Escapes from...

The contact owns a 2023 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle decelerated unintendedly. Additionally, the transmission was unable to be shifted in reverse(R). An unknown warning light flashed briefly. The contact stated that after the transmission was shifted in reverse to reverse out of the driveway, the vehicle jerked abnormally. The dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was contacted by phone and made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 63,000.

While driving, multiple unrelated warning lights and warning messages appeared on the dashboard. Odometer changed to display dashes instead of mileage. Speedometer got stuck displaying an incorrect value (such as '0' when the vehicle was in motion, or '59' when the vehicle was as a complete stop). Warning messages displayed while vehicle was in motion included "Park brake fault Service now", "Pre-Collision Assist not available", "Service AdvanceTrac", "Cross-Traffic System fault", and several more. Ford mobile app...

About a month ago, my vehicles dash lit up and the car told me to shut it off. I had it towed to the dealership who then completed module updates and said I was all set. 20 minutes after picking it up, all of the lights came back on the dash and I brought it back. They again completed some kind of update with little to no information on what they did or the steps they took. Once again, I picked up my vehicle and immediately had a lit up dash. It was brought back and they had my car for 2 weeks before installing a...

The liftgate hinge cover flew off of my car on the highway and hit the car behind me. Other Escape years have been recalled, but the 2023 year was skipped.

Ford issued notice 25SC4 then issued another one, 26N15 about the risk of fire with the high voltage battery in my car. These notices state a potential for a short circuit in the battery which they say could result in "increasing the risk of a crash" , "increasing the risk of injury", and it "can progress to a vehicle fire". These are all unacceptable risks to me and my family. Their software "remedy" is to reduce the charging limit to 80% (12% of the electric driving range.) This is not acceptable to me. And the remedy only reduces the risk of a fire, it does not eliminate it. I think to best and safest resolution is to replace the batteries.

**On August 19, 2026, while driving my 2023 Ford Escape on Interstate 57 (I-57), with approximately 35,575 miles on the vehicle, the vehicle suddenly accelerated unexpectedly. I immediately attempted to apply the brakes, but the vehicle did not respond as expected and I could not stop it immediately. I became very frightened and started sounding the horn and turned on the hazard warning lights. I noticed that the lane immediately to my right was relatively clear, so I moved into that lane and applied the brakes...

My 2023 Ford Escape (with fewer than 50,000 miles) began experiencing significant mechanical issues. I noticed exhaust fumes entering the cabin that passengers and I would inhale, loud noises from under the hood, and lose power during acceleration. After inspecting the vehicle, the dealership determined that the turbocharger wastegate/flapper valve had failed mechanically, causing the turbocharger to overboost and sustain internal damage. This failure led to numerous drivability issues, including hesitation, rough...

The contact owns a 2023 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH the "WRENCH Icon" was illuminated and the message "Service Gear Shifter" and the vehicle began to rapidly reduce speed. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to the shoulder of the highway road and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the transmission had failed and needed to be rebuilt. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 33,000.

The car started and when I went to put it in gear, turns off. Park brake limited function appeared on the dash . The car would not let me put it in gear without turning off. A month prior my dash with the speedometer was blank while driving not allowing me to see my speed . I turned the car off and on three different times. Only after sitting for several hours would the dash info reappear.

The contact owns a 2023 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V789000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the unrepaired recall repair was an inconvenience because the battery could only be charged to 80-percent. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not contacted. The contact had not experienced a failure.

The contact owns a 2023 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the engine unexpectedly stated revving at a high rate. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with turbo charger assembly failure. The turbo charger assembly was replaced; however, the failure persisted. The oxygen sensor was replaced, and the vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 42,616.

My 2023 Ford Escape is equipped with a factory-installed rearview backup camera system and SYNC infotainment system. Beginning on or around February 2026. I began experiencing a series of recurring, intermittent, and worsening failures with the rearview camera and the Accessory Protocol Interface Module (APIM) that controls it. These failures render the backup camera system unreliable or completely non-functional during vehicle operation. Specific Symptoms Observed •BLUE / BLANK SCREEN: When the vehicle is placed...

2023 Ford Escape with approximately 80,000 miles. While traveling home, vehicle started shifting violently making loud bang. Lost acceleration while traveling on a two-way roadway with no shoulder. Vehicle would shift violently and allow acceleration momentarily and then would again lose acceleration. Just prior to reaching a pull off area in a safe place, the vehicle shifted violently one last time and would no longer accelerate. The service engine now warning light then came on advising of a powertrain...

Stopped at a Light and took off thru the intersection and car made a loud bang noise then no power and kept bogging out, pulled into parking lot and stopped then car wouldn't move. Shut car off then restarted it and put into reverse and car drive forward, put in neutral and car still drove forward, couldn't get it to go into reverse, now the motor is tilting back to fire wall like motor mounts are broke and it's make a grinding noise when idling.

[Recurring No-Start Issue with Multiple Warning Alerts - Safety Concern] I am reporting a recurring vehicle issue involving failure to start, which I believe may pose a safety risk. The issue has occurred five times: August 11, 2023 April 12, 2025 June 13, 2025 December 12, 2025 April 1, 2026 During these incidents, the vehicle failed to start and displayed multiple warning messages on the dashboard. On some occasions, the vehicle only started after several hours. The vehicle becomes completely inoperable when...

1.engine failed and my infotainment system turned off 2.i feel like I was scared because I didnt know if I was going to come back on 3. No 4. No

The contact owns a 2023 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the message "Battery Issue, Pull Over" displayed, and the battery, check engine, and master warning lights illuminated. The contact pulled over and contacted the dealer, who instructed him to turn off and restart the vehicle. After following the dealer's instructions, the failure was resolved. The contact later received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V091000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the...

While pulling into a residential parking space at low speed, the vehicle (2023 Ford Escape) suddenly accelerated unexpectedly without additional throttle input. The acceleration was abrupt and forceful, and I was unable to stop the vehicle before it struck the structure in front of the parking space. The incident occurred at very low speed and under normal driving conditions. The driver was applying the brake at the time of the unintended acceleration. Airbags deployed upon impact. There were no prior warning lights or indications of a mechanical issue before the incident. The vehicle sustained significant front-end damage.

The contact owns a 2023 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the radio displayed a blank screen. A dealer was contacted. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact stated that the failure had occurred on several occasions. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 34,756.

The left rear liftgate hinge cover flew off in the car wash during the drying cycle. The same thing has happened to my 2020 Escape and that vehicle is covered under a recall but this 2023 Escape is not. I feel it should be because it has the same issue for the same part.

I am reporting a recurring safety issue involving sudden loss of power while driving in my 2023 Ford Escape. The vehicle has experienced multiple incidents where, while accelerating or pulling into traffic, it suddenly loses power, hesitates, or fails to respond to the accelerator. In some cases, the RPM drops unexpectedly, and the vehicle will not move or respond for several seconds. After this delay, the vehicle may jerk or surge forward suddenly. This creates a dangerous situation, especially when entering busy...

The contact owns a 2023 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V789000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

Reporting Long term safety defect and manufacturer behavior. There was no single incident. This is an ongoing safety defect related to multiple battery recalls that now limit my vehicle to 80% charging (in the past, no plug in charging), now going on nearly three years. My Ford Escape PHEV has been subject to limited charging due to these multiple recalls, and I am concerned Ford may close the recall with a software-only fix that cannot truly validate battery safety, especially if modeled on limited and not real...