FORD ESCAPE PHEV · model year

2021 FORD ESCAPE PHEV

28 NHTSA complaints, 1 crash report, and 1 active recall for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2021FORDESCAPE PHEV carries 28 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 1 crash, 0 fires, 1 injury, and 0 fatalities. For crash performance, NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program gave this cohort an overall Not Rated/5 rating, with Not Rated/5 front crash, Not Rated/5 side crash, and Not Rated/5 rollover scores derived from standardized barrier and dynamic tests.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2021 ESCAPE PHEV is electrical system with 8 filings, followed by engine (8) and structure:body:hatchback/liftgate (1). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability. This model year has 1 active recall campaign, which means the manufacturer is obligated to remedy the covered defect at no charge for the life of the vehicle — the full NHTSA campaign numbers are listed below.

NHTSA currently has 177 investigation files overlapping the 2021 ESCAPE PHEV, and 8 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

28
Complaints
1
Crashes
0
Fires
1
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

28 filings

Crashes Reported

1 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

NHTSA NCAP overall: Not Rated/5 — Not rated · Front: Not Rated/5 · Side: Not Rated/5 · Rollover: Not Rated/5

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM8
ENGINE8
STRUCTURE:BODY:HATCHBACK/LIFTGATE1
HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM1
UNKNOWN OR OTHER1
SERVICE BRAKES1
VISIBILITY/WIPER1
AIR BAGS1
SEAT BELTS1
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM1
STRUCTURE:BODY1
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL1
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL1
POWER TRAIN1

Recalls (1)

25V78900014/11/2025

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM:TRACTION BATTERY

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2024 Ford Escape and 2021-2024 Lincoln Corsair plug-in hybrid vehicles. A manufacturing defect in one or more of the high voltage battery cells may result in an internal short circuit and battery failure.

Recent Complaints

20250528ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V954000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

20250411ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V954000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The manufacturer stated the remedy was expected to be available second quarter of 2025; however, it could not give an exact date. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

20250409ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V954000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The dealer was contacted. The dealer confirmed that parts were not yet available. 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 and informed the contact that a second notice would be mailed when parts were available. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

20250227ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V954000 (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 vehicle was towed to the dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that after coasting out of the garage the vehicle stalled, the shifter seized in park(P), and the message “Stop Safely Now” was displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was towed to another dealer, Kendall Ford of Bend (2100 NE 3rd St, Bend, OR 97701); who diagnosed that the high-voltage battery had failed and needed to be replaced. The failure was related to the recall; however, the recall repair could not be completed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure was mileage was 51,988. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Mileage: 51,988

20250226ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V954000 (Electrical System). The contact stated that while pulling out of the driveway, the message "Stop Safely Now" was displayed, and the vehicle inadvertently shifted into park(P) and failed to shift into the intended gear. The power train warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to two dealers where the failure was unable to be duplicated. The vehicle was towed to another dealer, but the failure was not duplicated. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 51,988.

Mileage: 51,988

20250226POWER TRAIN

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V954000 (Electrical System). The contact stated that while pulling out of the driveway, the message "Stop Safely Now" was displayed, and the vehicle inadvertently shifted into park(P) and failed to shift into the intended gear. The power train warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to two dealers where the failure was unable to be duplicated. The vehicle was towed to another dealer, but the failure was not duplicated. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 51,988.

Mileage: 51,988

20240605VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

Our 2021 Ford Escape has "Intelligent" adaptive cruise control. It has the capacity to adjust our car speed based on the highway speed limit signs it encounters. It reads all speed correctly but it also reads "black and white, square, numeric, County Road signs as Speed Signs. This is dangerous as many County Road signs have numerics that drastically exceed the posted speed limit and cause the car to rapidly excellerate around a curve or in neighborhood settings. So for example, in a 35 mph speed zone, the car sees the County Road 85 sign and rapidly attempts to excelerate by 50 mph to 85 mph. This surprises you and forces you to seek the brake pedal in an attempt to avoid a casualty. We have reported this to Ford and brought our vehicle in twice now regarding the issue. On 10/5/22 Ford replaced the car's image module to help clarify highway signs for adaptive cruise. This did not remedy the problem. After nearly running over an animal because of this issue, we brought the car back to

20240605FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL

Our 2021 Ford Escape has "Intelligent" adaptive cruise control. It has the capacity to adjust our car speed based on the highway speed limit signs it encounters. It reads all speed correctly but it also reads "black and white, square, numeric, County Road signs as Speed Signs. This is dangerous as many County Road signs have numerics that drastically exceed the posted speed limit and cause the car to rapidly excellerate around a curve or in neighborhood settings. So for example, in a 35 mph speed zone, the car sees the County Road 85 sign and rapidly attempts to excelerate by 50 mph to 85 mph. This surprises you and forces you to seek the brake pedal in an attempt to avoid a casualty. We have reported this to Ford and brought our vehicle in twice now regarding the issue. On 10/5/22 Ford replaced the car's image module to help clarify highway signs for adaptive cruise. This did not remedy the problem. After nearly running over an animal because of this issue, we brought the car back to

20240503CrashENGINE

The contact owned a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at 35 MPH and attempting to slow the vehicle, he became dizzy then suddenly fainted, and as a result, he briefly lost control of the vehicle and came to a complete stop after colliding with the curb. Just prior to fainting, the contact had smelled burning fumes in the interior of the vehicle, to which he attributed his feeling of dizziness. The air bags did deploy. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard and deemed a total loss by the contact's insurance provider. A police report was filed, and injuries were reported. The contact was transported to an area hospital by EMT, where they performed various tests, including 2 CAT scans, a heart ultrasound, a pacemaker test, and blood work. Furthermore, the contact was treated for intestinal inflammation due to the seatbelt. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V380000 (Engine), an

Mileage: 29,000

20240216FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

I was issued a letter back in June 2023 on this recall. Parts were supposed to be available by October 2023. It is now almost March of 2024 with no remedy

20240216STRUCTURE:BODY

I was issued a letter back in June 2023 on this recall. Parts were supposed to be available by October 2023. It is now almost March of 2024 with no remedy

20240215ENGINE

My family was driving on the highway to a sports event when the engine started making a high revving sound. We were driving up a hill at around 70mph and in response to the engine noise, slowed the vehicle to a stop and turned off the engine. The vehicle was towed to a Ford service center where we were told that the engine was completely out of oil and had been destroyed. We did not get any alerts or warnings from the vehicle prior to the high revving sound. According to Ford recall 23S27 and NHTSA recall 23V380, this is a known issue and could have put our family at significant risk. We spoke to many people at Ford but they denied warranty coverage due to "improper oil filter installation". We were without our vehicle for 2 months before we decided to have another mechanic give an estimate and complete the repairs. The repair was a full engine replacement costing $7,000+. Ford has since refused to reimburse us for the repair costs. The incident occurred on 10/6/23 with around 52,0

20240211ENGINE

I received a recall notice for my vehicle in June 2023 for an engine issue that could result in engine failure, including fire (recall 22V380), in which I was told to expect parts to be available for a repair in October 2023. I have placed follow-up calls with the Ford dealership and am still being told the parts for the repair are not available and there is no updated expected time for parts to be available. At this point, it has been about 8 months since receiving notice of the recall and Ford has no knowledge of when a repair may be available. This complaint is specifically regarding the lack of information and repair available regarding this recall.

20240129ENGINE

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V380000 (Engine) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that the vehicle occasionally failed to start. The contact also stated that while driving at 20-25 MPH, the vehicle shutoff unintendedly. The vehicle was coasted to the side of the road and restarted; however, the "Check Engine" warning light was illuminated. The failure had occurred approximately 3 to 4 times. The dealer was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the battery had failed. The battery was replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact had not experienced a failure. The failure mileage was 32,200. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Mileage: 32,200

20240129ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V380000 (Engine) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that the vehicle occasionally failed to start. The contact also stated that while driving at 20-25 MPH, the vehicle shutoff unintendedly. The vehicle was coasted to the side of the road and restarted; however, the "Check Engine" warning light was illuminated. The failure had occurred approximately 3 to 4 times. The dealer was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the battery had failed. The battery was replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact had not experienced a failure. The failure mileage was 32,200. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Mileage: 32,200

20240109ENGINE

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V380000 (Engine) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

20231214ENGINE

Ford issued a recall #23V380. I received a notification letter from Ford back in June 2023. To this date, Ford has not offered a resolution to this problem. I do not feel safe having a vehicle that can catch fire either driving, or in my driveway/garage. Ford needs to step up and either refund customers their money, or replace the engines in these cars ASAP. Ford has a bad product here and this is unacceptable on their behalf.

20230908ENGINE

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V380000 (Engine) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that the part was not yet available. 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 and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

20230603AIR BAGS

The car shakes while the car is in idle. The car displays an illuminated crossed out child car seat and the word “on”. These two alerts do not turn off. Even though there is no one seated in a back and two adults are seated in the front seats. It also leaks fluid. I have an appointment with a ford dealer this Tuesday and I already contacted the ford corporate office. #CA********

20230603SEAT BELTS

The car shakes while the car is in idle. The car displays an illuminated crossed out child car seat and the word “on”. These two alerts do not turn off. Even though there is no one seated in a back and two adults are seated in the front seats. It also leaks fluid. I have an appointment with a ford dealer this Tuesday and I already contacted the ford corporate office. #CA********

Compare 2021FORDESCAPE PHEV to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 8 Open

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2021 FORD ESCAPE PHEV have?
The 2021 FORD ESCAPE PHEV has 28 NHTSA complaints, 1 crashes, 0 fires, 1 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What is the safety rating for the 2021 FORD ESCAPE PHEV?
The 2021 FORD ESCAPE PHEV received an overall NHTSA safety rating of Not Rated/5, front crash rating of Not Rated/5, side crash rating of Not Rated/5, and rollover rating of Not Rated/5.
Are there any recalls for the 2021 FORD ESCAPE PHEV?
Yes, the 2021 FORD ESCAPE PHEV has 1 recall(s). The most common affected component is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM:TRACTION BATTERY. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2021 FORD ESCAPE PHEV?
The most-complained component for the 2021 FORD ESCAPE PHEV is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM with 8 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ENGINE and STRUCTURE:BODY:HATCHBACK/LIFTGATE.
Is the 2021 FORD ESCAPE PHEV safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. The 2021 FORD ESCAPE PHEV has an NHTSA safety rating of Not Rated/5. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.