2021 FORD ESCAPE Power Train Problems

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to respond while in reverse(R). In addition, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. In addition, the contact received recall notification NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V467000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however ,the parts to do the recall repair were not available. The contact stated that the recall fire risk was significantly scary and made the vehicle unsafe to drive. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 81,881.

Mileage: 81,881

2021 Ford Escape. In January 2025 the turbo system failed and was replaced by a Ford dealer for about $5,903.85. Around five months later the transmission required repairs for a valve body issue, totaling roughly $3,000 in August. Two months after that repair, Firestone advised that the entire transmission now needs replacement. Each time the problem appeared, the vehicle showed violent slippage while upshifting and downshifting. When coming to a stop, the car would shake violently, slip forward several inches while my foot was still on the brake, and sometimes hesitate or lose power. Recently the vehicle will stop responding to acceleration, then suddenly surge forward without warning. These repeated transmission failures have created serious safety risks and appear consistent with ongoing problems involving the Ford 8F35 transmission used in the 2021 Escape.

Lots of owners on Facebook page 2020/2021 ford escape discussions talk about our transmissions fluttering when driving straight you can see rpm’s going from one to under one back in a straight road some have had the transitions go out. I took mine to ford at 111000 miles and was told I need to pay $500 to change fluid did that and still doing it they said everything was fine but I should look into a extended warranty because they have had a lot of issues with the transition (was told that by auto nation ford in Corpus Christi tx? We all even have issues with Rear differential going out

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V467000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that after an oil change at Firestone, the vehicle failed to operate as intended. The contact stated that the vehicle vibrated abnormally. The vehicle was taken to the dealer however, no cause for the failure was found. The failure persisted. While driving at 15 MPH, the vehicle vibrated abnormally. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, who refused to repair the vehicle, stating that the vehicle had already been repaired. The contact's son noticed that a cover was missing under the steering wheel, and an unknown part was fractured. The dealer denied any wrongdoing. The contact spoke with an employee who spoke Spanish and translated to the contact that an unknown part was damaged in the transmission. The dealer denied causing the issue. The contact stated that the dealer refused to repair the vehicle. The failure recurred, and the contact parked the vehicle. The vehicle was no longer driven due to safety concerns. 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 failure mileage was approximately 40,000.

Mileage: 40,000

On 8/18/2025, the transmission on my vehicle failed. I was only going about 35 mph when the entire vehicle went into chaos. Prior to this, no lights were on that indicated that I had a major problem. My car shut down in the middle of a busy road and I was able to get it to roll to a nearby parking lot. I have seen hundreds of people complain online and on forums about 2020-2021 Ford Eacapes having transmission issues. I had my vehicle towed to the dealership and they were able to confirm that it was the transmission. The powertrain warranty is covering the repair, but I have to pay about $1000 out of pocket. Ford needs to be made aware of their faulty transmissions. I have never, in my life, purchased a vehicle brand new (0 miles) and had to make such a repair before my vehicle even has 100K miles on it. I am highly disappointed and I regret buying it. Luckily, I was the only one in the car when it shut down because it could have been really bad. Cars were swerving around me and I was extremely afraid.

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at 50 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle hesitated to respond as needed. No warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to drive to the residence. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The manufacturer transferred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to file a safety complaint. The approximate failure mileage was 73,925.

Mileage: 73,925

I was driving my 2021 Ford Escape, that I have not yet owned for four years, that I purchased brand new from a Ford dealership. I was driving to work just as I do on a typical morning at interstate speeds, when suddenly, the car refused to upshift, slipping gears. The car became jerky. I tried to accelerate back up to speed. The car was not moving and the RPM reading shot into the red. I see a large vehicle approaching me, and I begin to feel terror that I could become the victim of a car crash, due to a faulty Ford transmission! This moment was psychologically damaging, as I feared for my life. Eventually, the car regained speed slowly and I continued on my way. Then, at stoplights, the car continued to jerk and shift gears. Once I reached my destination, the car slammed into park, throwing me toward the steering wheel. My husband towed my car home. It has been taken to a local dealership where I received a quote for a new transmission and an oil leak repair, totaling over $11,000. This car at trade-in value is worth a similar amount. The transmission fluid was tested and found to be burnt and containing traces of metal in the fluid. The dealership has been helpful in diagnosing the repair. But from Ford, this low-standard is unacceptable. I could have been killed, injured, and caused harm to others due to this faulty transmission. I have reason to believe based on a class action lawsuit that took place in March of 2024, Ford knowingly placed faulty parts and transmissions into Ford Escape models that were produced from 2009-2021. I have called Ford corporate. They offered little to no empathy, offering a small amount of assistance, which was highly disappointing.

Over the past 4 months the powertrain malfunction light has illuminated 4 times on random occasions. The first time it came on while I was driving home from shopping. I did not notice the light until I stalled in the intersection trying to get on to the interstate. Stopped at the Ford dealership and insisted they scan it while the light was on. They refused and kept it for 2 days to tell me there was nothing wrong. Two weeks later, I was again traveling at an average speed. The light illuminated. Stopped at Advanced Auto Parts as it was late evening and Ford was closed. They could not pull a code with the light on stating it could be electrical. Towed the car home on a trailer from 45 minutes away. Upon inspection we discovered the coolant was low, added coolant and light went away. No issues for 3 months after that. The third time it came on I was accelerating on to the interstate. The engine was still pretty cold. The car went into limp mode and struggled to accelerate to highway speed. I parked the car and the light went away after sitting for a few hours. I thought it could be the oil was low or dirty. Took vehicle for oil change at Ford and they could see the light triggering but no code. Light did not come back for about 3 weeks. Fourth time I was driving at an average speed. Light came on and I was able to take vehicle directly to Ford again. Ford scanned the car while running with the light on and got a code for throttle/pedal sensor issues. The throttle position sensor was changed in July 2023. The car is currently at Ford awaiting a diagnosis and replacement of the issue. The powertrain light illuminating is a repeated issue with this vehicle.

On [XXX] while driving north on [XXX] from Corpus Christi, TX to San Antonio, TX our 2021 Ford Escape started to become difficult to accelerate and as we pressed on the pedal to accelerate the vehicle didn't not go any faster it began to reach a slow speed of about 35-30mph on a highway with vehicles going over 70mph, with no other choice but to pull over to the side of the road to avoid crashing into on coming traffic we proceeded to steer the vehicle towards Exit 36 into the city of Mathis, TX at which point the vehicle entered a forced neutral condition and then automatically shifted into “Park”, at which point a warning light that looks like a wrench came on, along with multiple warning messages in the instrument panel cluster we heard an audible chime. After shifting back into Drive the vehicle went limp and had limited torque slowing down to speeds lower than 30mph it then came to an abrupt stop and refused to go into gear, as we noticed the vehicle's engine seems to shut off it seemed to suddenly enter into a neutral state and began to move slower than 30mph and we steered the vehicle into a nearby gas station, thankfully barely making it into the rest stop before the vehicle locked into an emergency brake position and wouldn't allow us to return it to drive or out of any gear other than neutral. In neutral it would move a few feet then return to an emergency braking position with all four tires locked and the emergency brake light coming on and refusing to go off even when we diseganged the emergency brake, rendering the vehicle immobile. We were lucky to be able to make it off the freeway without having anyone crash into us with vehicles passing us at speeds greater than 70mph and our vehicle dropping to lower than 30mph and locking into a neutral position, thankfully we were able to make it to the nearest exit and call for help. After numerous failed attempts to return the vehicle back into drive, not being able to do anything w INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FO

I have had multiple issues with the powertrain warning light illuminating. The first time it was decided to be low/dirty oil. This occurred about a month after purchasing the vehicle in 2021 with about 4000 miles. The second time it occurred about 6 months later. The dealer could not find a code nor replicate the issue. We thought I had bought bad gas. A year later it came on again, Ford dealership again couldn’t replicate the issue. Finally it came on and stayed on and throttle position sensor was replaced in July 2022. Light came on again in November 2024. Auto parts store and dealership could not find a code. This time I had no coolant. Added coolant and it has not come back on again.

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated and jerked while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that the vehicle had stalled with several undisclosed messages displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and was diagnosed with transmission failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but was offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 87,000.

Mileage: 87,000

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated that there was an abnormal grinding sound while driving at slow speeds. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the power transfer unit needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and informed the contact there was no coverage for the repair on the VIN and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 90,147.

Mileage: 90,147

dragging/grinding/ skipping noise when doing turns at slow speed, took to ford and they say it needs RDU(rear differential) replaced only has 66k miles of course just as soon as it is out of warranty

Front windshield is prone to crack. I have had to replace 5 windshields since I first purchased the vehicle. It is a known documented issue. Assuming aerodynamics is the issue and can cause more than the reasonable amount of cracked windshields. Valve body and transmission went out at 100,243 miles. All requested/required regular maintenance was completed.

Mileage: 100,243

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving from a complete stop, the vehicle started shuddering. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure occurred while driving at various speeds. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that there was an internal transmission failure caused by the torque converter shudder. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

Mileage: 90,000

My check engine light has come on four (4) seperate times, after being serviced three (3) times. All of which have been by a ford certified dealership. My rear brakes were making noise the week the new car was purchased. I notified to associate who sold me the car from a ford certified dealer and he made up an invalid excuse. I’ve had my car serviced 3 times for the service alert and within 2 weeks of it being serviced and the issues being fixed, it starts again resulting in my service light coming on. I’ve notified ford via mail and email and haven’t heard back. The issue is showing as a power train issue and says “AWD Fault”

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH, there was smoke coming from the vehicle, with the check engine and power train warning lights illuminated. The vehicle lost motive power however, the contact was able to pull over on the side of the road and had the vehicle towed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 55,137. The VIN was not available.

Mileage: 55,137

2021 escape purchased on 10/12/21. By the end of October my vehicle began stalling while driving. The transmission was unable to change gears when the vehicle was accelerating or decelerating. While making a right turn my vehicle almost stalled out in front of the oncoming traffic but at the last minute the car accelerated. Next the vehicle started jerking when placed in reverse. When put in reverse a loud grinding sound and jolting / jumping would occur. The jolt and noise sounded and felt like someone had rear ended the vehicle the moment it was placed in reverse. On 11/6/21 while sitting in traffic I smelled something burning and it seemed to be coming from under my hood. Once I arrived to my destination I opened my hood and looked for any signs of a fire /burning but didn’t notice anything unusual. No warnings were displayed on my vehicle so I brushed it off. Finally on 11/18/21 at 2,965 miles my vehicles powertrain failed. After starting my vehicle and putting it in reverse a loud grinding sound and jump occurred. Once in drive the vehicle began to jerk and had difficulty accelerating. By the time I exited the parking lot a power train failure notice was displayed. Ford replaced the transmission and everything was obviously under warranty. The Ford Pass service record stated the following services were performed: transmission, clutch, axel, other. It is my understanding the entire transmission was replaced. These issues were and still are very concerning given the fact a brand new car experienced power train failure after 2,965 miles. 6/15/23: brakes are ridiculously loud when braking in reverse, brakes make grinding/ scrubbing sound, black break dust on back rims, oh and a new recall for possible fuel injector crack. Rather than addressing the actual fuel injector problem Ford will install a drainage tube to divert fuel away from the engine (*if/ when the fuel injector cracks) and add engenie software to alert drivers when fuel rail pressure has dropped.

Mileage: 2,965

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, she heard squeaking and grinding sound coming from the brake pedal. The contact also stated that she smelled a burning odor throughout the vehicle and the vehicle hesitated and was pulling to the right. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer where she received a manufacturer recall regarding the transmission fluid overflow. The vehicle was diagnosed and the contact was informed the transmission was two and a half quarts over the specifications. The contact stated that the dealer drained the two and a half quarts of oil however, the contact stated that she was advised not to drive the vehicle. The contact was concerned that due to the burning odor, the vehicle could possibly explode. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where the failure could not be determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was provided a case number and a loaner vehicle. The failure mileage was approximately 10,000.

Mileage: 10,000

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated while reversing down her driveway, that as soon as she had placed the vehicle in reverse, it independently accelerated to approximately 20 MPH. The contact attempted to depress the brake pedal and did not have any brake function. The contact stated she did not notice any warning light being illuminated. The contact stated she began to drive backward with the vehicle turning in circles, and crashed into a fire hydrant. The vehicle crashed into the hydrant on the passenger rear bumper side which was crushed. The contact stated that the engine was still running but that the vehicle had been stopped by the hydrant. The police arrived on the scene and filed a report. The contact had injured her back on impact with the hydrant, however, she did not seek medical attention until later. She went to a chiropractor and not a doctor. The vehicle was taken to a body repair shop and the damage was repaired, however the vehicle had not been taken to a dealer to be diagnosed. The reverse and brake failure had not been diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 250.

Mileage: 250

The transmission automatically went into park in the middle of an intersection and was inoperable from that time and had to be towed from the intersection.