2020 Ford Escape Structure
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
When I attempted to open the panoramic sunroof shade, it became stuck and was drawn into the roller housing, where it is now fully lodged and cannot be retrieved. Repair estimates are in the thousands of dollars because correcting this issue requires removal of the headliner and extensive labor to access and replace the shade assembly. This failure has been reported by numerous other owners, particularly on the 2020 model year, with many describing the same outcome and similarly high repair costs. There was no indication that any component was compromised, no warning once the part detached, and no safety mechanism to prevent the shade from operating while obstructed.
Both front doors started making a severe cracking noise and are difficult to open and close. The popping noise grows more severe with time. The problem has caused major functions with the entire door alignment to include the driver's side windows to malfunction, refusing to go up or down if the door is opened or closed to often. My car is less than 5 years young with less than 27,110 local miles, one owner, purchased new 2020 and shouldn't be falling apart.
When opening the driver door, it pops and sometimes won't close or open all the way because of the door check arm bracket.
Took my 2020 Escape into dealer due to recall #23B56/23V502 . Dealer stated that the door needs replacement , this was on Oct 22 ,2025. As of Jan 30 , 2026 Ford has yet to send part. I contacted Ford Customer Service on Jan 26 , 2026 and again on Feb 2, 2026 . They can't give me a date as to when part will arrive .
Windshield glass on lift gate shattered spontaneously. Car was not on, windshield had no previous notable cracks or damage. Weather was fair, not extremely hot or cold when incident occurred.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the contact attempted to open the driver's front door, and the inside plastic door hinge and rivets detached. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
The driver side door is popping and cracking when I open it. It literally sounds like it's going to break and fall off at any moment.
My vehicle was subject to Ford Campaign 23B56 (front door check-arm reinforcement spot weld inspection). The dealership marked the campaign as completed and claimed the left front door failed inspection and was replaced. However, the door still does not close properly, and the check-arm area appears unchanged or improperly repaired. I believe the recall repair was not performed correctly or was misrepresented as completed. This is a safety concern because the door does not operate properly. I am requesting investigation of improper recall completion.
there was a door weld recall on my vehicles' door. I took it to the service shop. Was told Ford had no doors for replacement and to check back. i checked back after almost a year. service shop said Ford had indefinitely suspended fixing the door. Meanwhile, i am unable to roll down the drivers side window more than 2 inches. The recall does not show up as unrepaired, yet the door is broken. I don't know the next steps to take.
I exited my 2020 Escape and as I walked around the car to go into my house, as ai was passing the back of my car the Liftgate glass completely shattered. In the days prior I noticed the defroster was not defrosting all the way. I just got this car a month ago. Glass was everywhere thankfully no one was hurt nor were any of my kids in or around the vehicle at the time the window shattered.
Driver door broke off the hinges and is inoperable The door almost slammed on my child’s hand No warnings
Drivers door check makes loud popping sounds , hard to open door .
My front driver door started making a loud noise. And every time I would open and close the door I would get resistance. Until it really didn’t want to open or close anymore. It even started to affect my window. It wouldn’t roll down anymore.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of Customer Satisfaction Program number: 23B56. However, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the driver’s side door made an abnormal sound while opening or closing. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the door was removed and inspected. The contact was informed that the welds had failed, and the door needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The door was ordered. The contact stated that since the removal of the door, the window failed to roll down as needed; however, the sound persisted. The door failed to open all the way. 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 59,000.
I’m hearing a popping or snapping noise when I open and close my drivers side door. I also noticed a leak on the right upper side of the engine.
The driver's side door started making loud cracking noises when opening and closing
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while opening the driver's side door, there was an abnormal popping sound coming from the door. The contact became aware that the top spot weld had fractured, and the middle and lower spot welds were loose. The contact stated that the driver’s door window was only able to roll down 1/3 of the way. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed, and determined that the driver’s side door hinges needed to be replaced. The passenger’s side door was also inspected, and it was determined that the hinges had started to loosen and needed to be reinforced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 73,000.
Rear left window unable to go up or down. Ended up taking inside of door apart, putting it back on track and continue to go off track
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that after long-distance driving, there was water dripping from the bottom of the steering wheel onto the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that due to the failure, the foot on the accelerator pedal would slip off while driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was purchased and an unknown repair was performed; however, the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was not repaired. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 70,089
Front passenger side door is making a popping noise upon opening and closing. The door is difficult to close. This problem occurred suddenly. I am taking the car to the dealership.
The headliner has come loose and is drooping. So when I open it my back window is covered completely and I can’t see behind me in my windshield mirror. I think this is a big safety hazard.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the driver’s side front door made a popping sound whenever the door was left in certain positions while open. The vehicle was taken to a certified mechanic, who diagnosed a possible issue with the welding. The vehicle was taken to a body shop, which inspected the door and diagnosed that the spot welds had fractured on the door check hinge. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.
Door Hing has a bad weld and causes a loud noise and resistance when closing the Driver's door.
Driver door popping and not closing. Brought car in and check is broken inside of door.
Dislodged Door Check NHTSA Action #PE23013 All 6 rivets broke off when the wind caught the door. The door was uncontrolled by opening it and would fly open and stress the hinges. The door check fell into the door therefore I couldn't open my window. I had a body shop repair the problem for $1476.12. I was unaware of the service bulletin. There was no recall. It was not inspected by authorities. No warning lamps were available for this problem. I did have my Ford dealership inspect it after the repair on May 21, 2025
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Quick Summary
The 2020 Ford Escape has 499 Structure complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.