2020 Ford Escape: Recalls Worth Knowing About

Bob M
Mar 6, 2021

White 2020 Ford Escape From Driver Side

The 2020 Ford Escape has had two major safety recalls during its short lifespan. One of the recall issues was discovered in 2019 before very many units had been sold, so that recall never impacted the vast majority of new owners. Most of the issues were corrected before the popular SUV ever made it off of the dealership lots. The second recall was issued in the summer of 2020 after Ford had sold almost 85,000 of the 2020 Escape vehicles. If you want to know for certain whether your 2020 Ford Escape is affected by either of the recalls, we’ll describe how to research that question below.

2020 Ford Escape Overview

Ford jumped out of the hybrid SUV market for a few years after the sluggish sales of the 2012 Ford Escape. After eight years of going back to the drawing board, the 2020 Ford Escape was the result. The vehicle landed in the top five of most car ranking lists. While it didn’t topple the Honda CR-V from its perch at the top of the heap, the 2020 Ford Escape is a popular compact SUV that drivers have enjoyed so far.

The 2020 Ford Escape is available in a variety of trim styles:

  • Escape S
  • Escape SE
  • Escape SE Sport Hybrid
  • Escape SEL
  • Escape SE Plug-in Hybrid
  • Escape Titanium Hybrid
  • Escape SEL Plug-in Hybrid
  • Escape Titanium
  • Escape Titanium Plug-in Hybrid

The price range among the trims ranges from around $25,000 for the base Escape S trim, to around $38,000 for the Titanium Plug-in Hybrid. Aside from its stylish design, the big draw for the 2020 Ford Escape is the gas mileage of the hybrid trims, which all get 40 to 41 MPG. The gas-only versions of the Escape trims get 28 to 30 MPG city/highway. All trim versions of the 2020 Ford Escape featured Ford’s highly regarded Co-Pilot360 safety system.

The 2020 Ford Escape was a total redesign of the vehicle from the ground up. When a vehicle goes through a total redesign like this, it’s normal to expect a recall or two within its first year on the road. However, none of the recalls on the 2020 Ford Escape had anything to do with its newly designed hybrid engine. Instead, both of the recalls were related to safety features in the vehicle’s interior, as described below.

Recall #1: Manual Seat Back Recliner Mechanism

Ford Recall ID Number: 19C07

Recall Issue Date: August 29, 2019

The Recall Problem: One of the pawls that controls the recliner seat back in manually operated front driver and passenger seats was missing. Three pawls are required to meet federal guidelines, but certain 2020 Ford Escape vehicles only had two after vehicle assembly.

What’s a pawl? A pawl is a circular machine with teeth on it that looks similar to a gear. When the teeth on a pawl engage with a safety latch, the pawl (and the bar it’s attached to) cannot rotate forward or backward. In a recliner seat on a vehicle, the safety latch is released when you pull the handle to adjust the seatback. That sound when the seatback “clicks” into place is the safety latch engaging with the pawl.

Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard guidelines require that manually adjusted seatbacks must have three pawls in place in order for the seatback to have proper stability in a crash. About 9,400 of the 2020 Ford Escape vehicles assembled in Ford’s Louisville, KY plant were missing the third pawl required on the seat back mechanism.

Why It’s a Safety Issue: All of the safety features inside a modern vehicle are designed in work in concert to minimize the risks to drivers and passengers in the event of a crash. The airbags deploy in the locations where they deploy, because engineers have anticipated where the driver and passengers will be. With the third pawl missing from a manual seatback, it increases the chances that the seatback will fail in a crash. This means that the seat — and the person in it — might not be in the proper location for the airbags to protect them in a crash.

There’s good news and bad news when it comes to this recall. The good news is that the design flaw was discovered in August of 2019 before very many of the 2020 Ford Escape vehicles had even made their way to dealerships. If you happen to own a 2020 Ford Escape, there’s almost no chance that this recall will affect your vehicle.

The bad news? Ford produced tens of thousands of other vehicles with this same design flaw for several years before this issue was discovered. All of these additional Ford vehicles were subject to the same recall:

  • 2018 to 2020 F-150
  • 2019 to 2020 F-250
  • 2019 to 2020 F-350
  • 2019 to 2020 F-450
  • 2019 to 2020 F-550 Super Duty
  • 2018 to 2019 Explorer
  • 2019 to 2020 Expedition
  • 2020 Lincoln Aviator

If you own one of the vehicles on that list, you may have already received a letter from Ford about the recall notice. If not, you can check your vehicle’s recall status using the instructions below.

Recall #2: Side Curtain Airbags

Ford Recall ID Number: 20S35

Recall Issue Date: July 17, 2020

The Recall Problem: The diffuser on the side curtain airbag of some 2020 Ford Escape vehicles is not crimped properly, which results in that airbag not deploying correctly in the event of a crash.

What’s a diffuser? A diffuser is a nozzle component inside the assembly of an airbag, which connects the gas dispersal to the actual bag. When an airbag deploys, it is not really filling up with air; it’s filled with ammonium nitrate or some other gas. But the term “hot bag of exploding gas” does not sound like a safety feature, so the auto industry calls it an “airbag.”

Before that super-heated gas floods into the nylon or polyester weave of the bag, it travels through the diffuser. The diffuser directs the gas in the proper direction and also rapidly cools it, which causes the airbag to instantaneously inflate and protect the driver or passenger who is about to impact with it.

The diffuser is supposed to be “crimped” on the end that attaches it to the airbag. This effectively works to “hook” or attach the airbag to the diffuser.

Why It’s a Safety Issue: Imagine a party balloon attached to a helium dispenser. So long as the balloon stays attached to the nozzle, it will inflate. But if the balloon detaches from the nozzle, the balloon flies all over the place and you no longer have a balloon.

This is a simplified explanation for what happens when an airbag slips off of the diffuser in the assembly. An airbag that does not properly inflate, or which flies off of the diffuser because it’s not properly attached, is pretty much the same as having “no airbag at all.” When the blast of exhaust gas hits the airbag, it can simply pop off of the assembly without inflating.

Takata Airbag Recall: This specific recall on 2020 Ford Escape side curtain airbags is not related to the Takata airbag recall. Airbag manufacturer Takata has declared bankruptcy as the result of defects in tens of millions of automobiles around the world. However, that recall was related to a separate issue, and Ford is now using a new manufacturer.

Ford sent out a recall notification letter to 2020 Escape owners in early August of 2020 to notify them of this recall issue. Ford anticipates having the parts to correct the airbag issue distributed to dealerships sometime in September of 2020. A second follow-up letter will be sent to Escape owners once that is certain.

How to Check Your 2020 Ford Escape for Safety Recalls

Automakers have made it extremely simple to check to see whether your vehicle is subject to a safety recall. If you own a 2020 Ford Escape and want to check to see if it is subject to any safety recalls, here are two methods to do that.

Ford Website Method:

The simplest way to check your vehicle for a safety recall is to find the 17-digit Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) for your 2020 Ford Escape. You can find this number on your auto insurance card or on your state vehicle registration card. Then, go to the Ford Recalls and Field Service Actions website.

Enter your 17-digit VIN in the field provided and click the “Search” button. This will automatically tell you whether your specific 2020 Ford Escape is subject to a safety recall for the issues outlined above, or for any future recall items that are discovered in the years to come.

Phone Method:

You can also call Ford’s customer service line to check on safety recalls for your vehicle. The number is (866) 436-7332.

When you call the Ford customer service hotline, be sure to have your vehicle’s 17-digit VIN hand to share it with the customer service representative. If you are asking about a specific recall for your vehicle, it can be helpful to have the Ford ID number handy for that recall. Once again, here are the Ford ID numbers for the recalls listed above:

  • Manual Seat Back Recliner Mechanism: 19C07
  • Side Curtain Airbags: 20S35

Getting Recall Repairs Made to Your 2020 Ford Escape

2020 Ford Escape repairs for the recall issues listed above are completely free to owners. Other than the time required for obtaining repairs and a bit of inconvenience, the recalls will not cost you any money out of pocket. All you have to do is contact your local Ford dealership and schedule a time when you can drop your vehicle off to have the repairs made.

The Ford Recalls and Field Service Actions website also provides a method to find your closest geographic Ford dealership that can make your repairs. Simply type in your ZIP Code in the space provided and click “Find a Dealer.”

2020 Ford Escape Safety Ratings

Almost all compact SUVs are held in high regard for their high safety ratings, and the 2020 Ford Escape is no exception. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) gave the 2020 Ford Escape a five-star safety rating — its highest ranking. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) gave the 2020 Ford Escape an overall safety rating of “Good” — its highest ranking.

Both safety ranking agencies noted that the 2020 Ford Escape does not provide superior protection during a rollover crash. The NHTSA gave the 2020 Escape a four-star rating in that area, and the IIHS gave the 2020 Escape an “Acceptable” rating in rollover crashes. This was the only safety area in which the 2020 Ford Escape did not achieve a perfect safety score from the two agencies (and this is not unusual for any compact SUV vehicle, because rollover crashes tend to be so catastrophic).

Owner Reviews

accountCircle Steve S on July 16, 2021
Avoid at all cost. You will regret buying this 2020 Escape S FWD
Long story short, turns out there was a bad pin in cylinder number 1 that worked loose and was rattling inside of the cylinder against the piston. After having our "new" car over 7 weeks, they replaced the engine and updated a couple items on factory recall. All of the electronic problems that were there before they replaced the engine are still there, and we're in the process of getting a refund through an attorney because this car qualifies for it under the California Lemon Law. This car is a complete piece of junk, and the last Ford product we will ever buy.
accountCircle Mary on February 8, 2022
Too many electrical issues
Had the whole sound system go while in the middle of a trip down the east coast, no navigation, hands free or sound for a 24 hour ride. Ended up being a module issue. Now the rear hatch door won’t close when I push the button, I have to use the remote and now my gas gauge isn’t working. The gauge isn’t moving and the MPG to empty is increasing rather than decreasing. That’s an awful lot of electrical issue for a car I bought brand new with on 40,000 miles on it.
accountCircle Pam Andrews on February 2, 2024
Spot weld door hinges drivers andpassenger side
Very common problem in Ford 2020 escapes spot welds on the front driver side door and the passenger side door needs to be replaced at the cost of $3500 a door. There is no recall on this and it is very common in the 2020 Ford escape models. I have been a Ford owner all my years and I will never buy another one if they don’t fix.
accountCircle Jessica G on March 16, 2021
Safety features are nice!
The back up camera does not always work. Recall on the breaks does not affect driving, but does not affect some of the features that help conserve gas and energy. Does ride smooth and has lots of safety features for distracted drivers.
accountCircle Brian Best on April 22, 2021
2020 Escape Recall
Performance and fuel efficiency is excellent. Comfortable ride. Headliner won't adhere to metal above door frame, supposed to be a recall but not been notified yet.
accountCircle Mike H on April 10, 2021
Traveling with the 2020 ford escape titanium hybrid.
We have had one recall in the form of the back-up camera, but it was covered under warranty and fixed swiftly.
accountCircle jim kindle on September 11, 2021
Poor workmanship fit and finish
Backup camera is a maybe will work maybe not, "last trip to dealer says recall in the works".
accountCircle Raymond Zaraya on August 14, 2021
Starting to have problems
Trim panel around door out of door molding. Rear camera does not work. Recall to be done
accountCircle Connie W on April 13, 2021
New escape - it is a great vehicle!
I have had 2 recalls with this escape so that is different.
accountCircle H S on August 26, 2021
2020 escape
RECALL FOR HEATED SEAT BULGE
avatar Bob M
Bob M. is an author and award-winning speaker whose TV commercials have appeared on every news network. Whenever he’s cruising in the minivan with his large family, he’s actually daydreaming about a two-seater sports car.
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