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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
4,219 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2019 Ford Escape electrical problems

electrical problem

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2019 Ford Escape Owner Comments

problem #15

Mar 062023

Escape

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

1. The transmission "zooms" and revs higher as I'm breaking. I'm afraid that the gear will slip and I won't be able to stop - especially if it's icy on the road. 2. When the car is turned off completely, there's a mechanical sound that persists for 10min. It's not the water/cooling pump or the engine cooling down. It sounds like an ATM machine that's trying to dispense cash, but can't. I suspect this is draining the battery. 3. On my way to work yesterday, the key (and the spare key) were not recognized and I couldn't start the car. Lights came on, so I didn't think it was the battery. This morning, battery is dead. I really think it's a result of whatever is causing the sounds mentioned in #2 above. While #1 is a safety issue to myself and other motorists, the issues reported in #2 and #3 are personal safety concerns. I am a woman who commutes from gig to gig, traveling through sketchy neighborhoods, and parking in dimly lit public parking garages. If I cannot start the car or it goes dead, I could get mugged or physically hurt.

- Chicago, IL, USA

problem #14

Nov 272022

Escape

  • miles
Vehicle has 32K miles on it and both low beam headlight bulbs failed at the exact same time. My daughter had just left her house and as soon as she got away from street lights she realized this. The odd part is that the in-dash indicators showed everything working normally with NO FAULTS, so we assumed it was an electrical issue. We got it to a Ford dealer (she has an extended warranty), and they "fixed a connection that had corroded, causing both bulbs to fail." NOT covered under warranty, $250 to replace two bulbs and clean sockets. There are numerous Ford forums with the same complaints. Just felt that you folks should be made aware...

- Jamesville, NY, USA

problem #13

Feb 242021

Escape

  • 18,029 miles
The vehicle will occasionally lock and unlock itself as it is being driven. As it locks and unlocks itself, it briefly activates the hazard lights as well. The vehicle is keyless ignition, and the key fob is placed in the center console area with nothing contacting it. When it occurs, it is quite frequent, and seems to not be affected by moisture, speed or temperature, nor by city or highway driving.

- Joppa, MD, USA

problem #12

Jan 202021

Escape

  • 3,400 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I purchased my 2019 Ford Escape brand new in early spring of 2019. Shortly after purchasing my Escape I did notice some slippage of the transmission. I planned on going back to the dealer so they could check it out, but unfortunately I became ill, and therefore it slipped my mind. I was in and out of the hospital for the next several months, but as soon as I felt well enough I could not wait to drive my new car again. My first trip was actually to my oncologist office, but I was excited just to be driving. On my way there, however, my car jerked me to the left causing me to run off the road. I was right in front of my doctor's office, so I parked and went about my business. When I my appointment was over, and I came back out I noticed I had a flat tire. It really surprised me, because even though I did have the weird incident I mentioned previously, I didn't think it would cause my tire to blow out. So, I had the tire replaced, and life went on. Shortly after that, I started having problems starting my car. I had it towed to the dealer for the first time 11/19/19, my car was towed to the dealer 1/20/21 with the same problem. I admit, I do not drive my car much these days, but I do make an effort to start it almost everyday, and let run for 20 minutes. When I purchased the Escape, I was expecting to have to drive to the medical once or twice a month. I am sure everyone is driving less because of the corona virus. I really feel nervous going out because of my vehicle and corona. I have call roadside assistance more since I bought the 2019 Escape, than my own mother. One last thing. I did mention the transmission slipping the first time I had it towed back to the dealer, and they said when they test drove it after replacing the battery, it drove fine, but I recorded the mileage when I went to pick it up, and the mileage was the same as it was when I dropped it off.

- Spring, TX, USA

problem #11

May 012020

Escape

  • 8,623 miles
The contact owned a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 35 mph, when the hill assist mode independently activated without being on a hill. The contact stated the vehicle started to apply the brakes independently causing the vehicle to hesitate. The contact also stated the steering wheel seized, causing her to lose control of the vehicle and crashed into a guard rail. The air bags did not deploy. The contact stated the front driver side seat belt pretensioner failed to engage, causing her to impact the dashboard/radio with her head. The contact stated medical attention was required due to the fact that she lost consciences and suffered a concussion. The contact also stated that she has a tingling sensation in both legs and has lost sensation in both arms. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an auto shop. The contact stated the insurance company deemed the vehicle totaled. The contact called local dealer ramp motors (4869 nesconset hwy, port jefferson station, NY 11776, (631) 473-1550) and has left a voicemail of the issue. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 8,623.

- Holtsville, NY, USA

problem #10

Mar 232020

Escape

  • 14,100 miles
Driving 70+mph on freeway and the acc went out with an alert. Continued driving and the lanekeep assist had an error and ceased working, followed by an error for collision avoidance. Shortly after the speedometer and odometer went to 0 and several other errors for ABS, ESC, and others went off. This felt like the scene from apollo 13 where everything was going wrong at once. I noticed the power steering was not working and it was much more difficult to turn the wheel as I pulled into the Ford dealer. There was steam/smoke coming from my front grill.

- Farmington Hills, MI, USA

problem #9

Jan 262020

Escape

  • 1,500 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

We were driving on a 3 lane highway at night, stopped at a red light. Suddenly, the car went completely dead - no lights or power. Cars driving at between 40-50 mph were coming up behind us, but could not see us because we could not even get hazard lights on. We were locked in - the doors would not open!! after several near misses, we were lucky enough to have a stranger stop and he was able to alert oncoming cars so we would not get hit. Ends up that the negative terminal of the battery was very loose as well as the surrounding fasteners of the battery. We purchased the car 5 weeks earlier, brand new with 11 miles on it. After getting towed to the dealership, it was an easy fix, but my safety concern was the fact that the doors would not open!!! if there was a fire, we would have been trapped, and we could not get out in case we were hit by the vehicles coming up behind us, which came close a few times!

- Montclair, VA, USA

problem #8

Oct 212019

Escape

  • 7,800 miles
My car began sending my husband alerts my car had been involved in a collision as the alert read the front camera was not working, then my ABS and skid control lights went off and my speedometer went to zero, while my car was running. My car would not allow me to shut it off. Eventually I could shut it off. This happened 2 days in a row and is currently at dealership. When I finally shut it off it re set. Danger: Not knowing how fast you are going. Alerts also read collision warning not available.

- Gillette, WY, USA

problem #7

Jun 112019

Escape

  • 500 miles
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the computer systems related to the cruise control and forward collision warning malfunctioned. The forward collision warning indicator illuminated and the vehicle braked suddenly on a highway with no vehicles nearby. The failure occurred twice and the contact's vehicle was almost rear ended. The contact stated that the adaptive cruise control shut off the cruise control and the brakes activated again with no vehicle nearby. Summerville Ford (9700 dorchester rd, summerville, SC 29485, (843) 873-3550) could not replicate the failure. The contact dropped off the key and was provided an ultimatum of getting the vehicle repaired or getting a new vehicle. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 500.

- Summerview Lane, SC, USA

problem #6

Jul 012019

Escape

  • 3,000 miles
While driving a local interstate between 60 and 70 mph, our newly purchased (3,000 miles) 2019 Ford Escape sel sport completely shut down without warning in heavy traffic. Luckily, my wife was able to coast to the nearest exit and pull off the road while traffic was whizzing by us at breakneck speed. Turns out that part of the wiring harness had either loosened on its own or was never properly secured from the factory. So, the serpentine belt managed to clip this wiring harness which, in turn, pulled the harness from its socket while starting to gradually shred the serpentine belt. Instantaneous loss of power without warning created a very serious and dangerous situation. Ford needs to issue a service bulletin and/or issue a recall asap since it would only take one other incident similar to this before someone is seriously injured, or worse.

- Pittsburgh, PA, USA

problem #5

May 242019

Escape

  • 3,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

While operating the vehicle at approximately 70mph on the interstate I noticed that all instrument panel lighting, gauges, and display screens went out. The gauge needles returned to their 'home' positions. There was an error message on the main touch screen that said: Network communication failure. Worried, I took the next available exit and found a parking lot to investigate. I immediately tried to shut the engine off, figuring that if I completely shut the car down the system would somehow correct itself after a 'reboot' of the the PCM and BCM. I quickly realized that I was in trouble, the engine would not shut off. The vehicle is equipped with a 'smart keyless start system' but no matter how many times I would try pushing the button. Even though the car operated properly after the symptoms commenced I find it doubtful that all of the car's safety features would have operated as designed, if needed. If I would have gotten into in accident at the time the car was experiencing these problems would the safety restraint system work properly and deploy the applicable air bags"?? would the 'auto fuel pump shutdown' do its job if needed??? also, what if the vehicle caught fire at this time and I could not shut off the car??" not safe!!!

- Lakeville, MN, USA

problem #4

May 082019

Escape

  • 736 miles
I have had my Ford Escape for just over 30 days. About two weeks into owning it, I had stopped behind a vehicle. The start/stop engaged and when I went to accelerate again the power train fault illuminated. In order to move the vehicle, I had to put the vehicle in park and restart the vehicle. This happened 3 weeks after the first time, again today. This could cause major safety issues if the vehicle behind you does not stop in time.

- Des Moines, IA, USA

problem #3

Apr 142019

Escape

  • 800 miles
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. While driving, the vehicle suddenly shut off. Approximately two hours later, the vehicle restarted and shut off again after the contact drove home. The vehicle was towed to island Ford (3698 rt 9 South old, bridge, NJ) and unknown pins were tightened. After retrieving the vehicle and later parking it, the vehicle could not be restarted. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 800.

- Staten Island, NY, USA

problem #2

Apr 142019

Escape

  • 800 miles
I bought the car March 20th brand new. On April 14th I was driving it home and the engine stopped working. All warning lights were flashing and the car just stopped working in the middle of the road. I could not get it started and when I finally did it wouldn't move and I could not shut it off. This went on for 2 and a half hours. I finally got it home (driven by my husband) and the next morning (Monday) we got it towed to Ford dealer. The car was completely dead Monday and was not able to be driven onto the flatbed truck. We put in a claim to Ford headquarters and April 22nd Ford informed me they would not buy back or refund me the money for the car. I had the car less than 30 days. We were not given a reason for this mechanical failure. The service department informed us on Friday (April 19th) that they touched a fuse box" and now it is working. I feel this is a very unsafe car for me to drive. I was on a city street driving the car when it stopped suddenly and lost all power. I was in motion.

- Staten Island, NY, USA

problem #1

Apr 032019

Escape

  • 1,000 miles
Vehicle shuts off while driving. Steps to reproduce issue: Keyfob is inside vehicle in drivers coat pocket, mobile phone is intermittently connected to vehicle via usb cord, vehicle is on, engine running, start/stop is on, vehicle is driving then stops at a stoplight, start/stop engages and idles engine for at least 15 seconds. When foot brake is released vehicle shuts off, instrument cluster, radio, infotainment, etc turn off. To restart vehicle transmission must be placed in neutral or park and vehicle on/off button pressed. Vehicle restarts, powertrain malfunction error displays and infotainment system appears to be rebooting and displays welcome message such as before it was set up. Vehicle was immediately brought to dealer; blackwell Ford in Plymouth mi both times. Dealer could not reproduce issue or pull detailed information beyond general fault. Dealer performed 1265od eec system diagnosis quick test, 1265od45 engine module diagnostic pin point test, 12650dx1 eec system diagnosis quick test twice, road tested, ids test P164C, ppt aa in pced manual, reset kam and retest pass, and upon request checked that PCM firmware was the latest version. Dealer requested permission for extended mileage testing with skytracker installed after 2nd fault, permission was given. Issue occurs approximately every 30 days driving 2 trips/day. Issue presents a high and severe risk of fatal incident because vehicle is stopped at a green light and may be rear ended by an approaching vehicle at high speed. Because vehicle is off, airbags and other safety equipment may not activate increasing risk of fatal incident. Vehicle was bought new with 10 miles recorded on odometer in February of 2019, as of April 2019 the issue has occurred twice. Once on February 22nd and once on April 3rd.

- Redford, MI, USA

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