2021 Ford Escape Structure

Sunroof cover has detached. When uncovering sunroof, panel droops and blocks rear window. This happened while driving and can pose a serious safety hazard. Component has been inspected by dealership and diagnostics include taking entire top panel apart which is quoted at 2.5k. This is a recurring problem with Ford Escape vehicles. There was no warning that this was broken, I realized while driving that it had become detached when I tried to open the sunroof and it blocked my rear window and fell on my kids sitting in the back seat.

My car was inspected two times at the dealership for the door welds possibly cracking. The second time (a year ago) they said that I would need the entire door replaced. When I’m entering and exiting the vehicle the door shuts on me. I also live in a high wind area. The window will not go up or down without the door being open. Every time I call the dealership they forward me to their service manager ‘Jonathan’ and he never answers not returns my calls. I had been dealing with this issue for nearly three years or longer. I’m scared my door is going to fall off while I’m driving.

Schedule repair maintenance with Spirit Ford Dundee MI on my 2021 Ford Escape on 1/16/2024 for water leaking in the spare tire compartment which created moisture to collect on interior windows and smell like mold. Spirit Ford said that it was leaking from the rear light and that was replaced. We drove the car as it was fixed and never had a reason to look back in the spare tire compartment as we thought it was fix. Last week [XXX] when the weather was started warming for a day after having snow/rainy days we noticed the car smelling again and looked in spare tire compartment to find that was full of water all the way to the top. So apparently the issue was never fixed correctly. Schedule an appointment for repair maintenance on the vehicle 03/10/2025 for issue again. As of 4pm on 3/10/25 the car had not been looked at. I received a call around 5pm and was told that they ran it through the water testing and did not see anything leaking. On 03/11/2025 around 1:30pm my husband informed that the vehicle repair is now out of warranty and will not be covered and would cost $729 to replace the lift gate seal. I asked why the repair was not covered as it was never repaired correctly the first time when vehicle repair was under warranty and was told well, they replaced the light. But that 1st repair did not fix the water issue now we as the consumer is responsible for the repair when it should have been fixed correctly the first time. If the issue was never fixed the 1st time, how am I to trust them again to fix it for the $729 that I shouldn't have to pay as I stated before should have been fixed. But let's not forget Ron basically blamed us for driving it since last repair and implying that is why the water was leaking in the same place. We had to pay for a diagnostic fee of $165 to tell us that it could be the seal. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Drivers door popping noise when opening and closing the door, not closing properly, window not being able to roll up and down. Vehicle was brought to dealership for inspection and the problem was confirmed that there is arm bracket failure in the front door. No warning lights come on and no injury has occurred but car is not being driven for safety reasons at this time. We never received a letter about the one time repair and until the problem happened had no idea about this. We are on a list with local dealership and have been waiting for Ford to get parts and approve repair. We have no idea how many people are in front of us on this list.

Problem Description Component/System Failed: The driver-side front door has been inoperable since April 2024, unable to open or close, linked to Ford’s Customer Satisfaction Program 23B56 (faulty door welds/hinges). Vehicle is available for inspection. Safety Risk: I must climb over the passenger seat to enter/exit, risking injury, especially in emergencies. My disabled veteran father, who shares the car, cannot drive it due to inaccessibility, severely limiting his mobility. An inoperable door could delay evacuation, endangering us both. Confirmed by Dealer: Empire Ford, New Bedford, MA, confirmed the issue in October 2024, tying it to 23B56. They quoted 2-3 weeks for parts but haven’t repaired it as of April 10, 2025. Inspections: Only Empire Ford inspected it in October 2024. They admitted to marking the work order as done without repairs, restarting the process. No other inspections by Ford, police, or insurers occurred. Symptoms/Warnings: No warning lights or messages. Around April 2024, the door became hard to open/close, then failed completely, remaining stuck closed. No prior noises or partial issues noted. Details: In October 2024, I took my Escape to Empire Ford for the 23B56 repair. They said parts would take 2-3 weeks. After months without updates, I learned they falsely marked the job complete, forcing a restart. Six months later, the door is still broken, and they only say parts are “ordered,” offering no timeline. This aligns with NHTSA’s PE23013 investigation into Escape door welds. The delay makes the car unsafe and unusable for my father. I request NHTSA’s help to push Ford for a prompt fix or loaner vehicle.

Driver door, door check arm popping and hardly opens and closes won’t allow driver window to roll down all the way

Driver door check bracket is making loud crunching sound and making door difficult to open and close. This is cause for concern about integrity of door and ability to use vehicle. Not been inspected yet.

The door check bracket is broken

The contact called for a customer who owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while opening and closing the front driver’s side door, there was a loud banging and clucking sound coming from the door. The vehicle was taken to a certified mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the bolts on the door arm mounted onto the door assembly had fractured and detached. The contact was informed that the door assembly might need to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 22,000.

My back passenger door will not lock. If I lock it from my ford app or key fob that back door stays unlocked. This puts my safety at risk because I’m a young female living in a big city known for sex trafficking. I could be followed to my car and I could lock the door but that door stays unlocked someone could kidnap me. Or what if I’m driving the car and the door flies open, that can cause a deadly accident. There was no warning signs or messages just a mere coincidence that I noticed it wasn’t locking. We took it into ford and they have found the issue but don’t want to cover it even though we pay for the primary care. I noticed that past models have been recalled for this issue and should be recalled again that this is something that should not be taken lightly. A lock on a door is not wear and tear when it doesn’t get used.

My driver side door began making popping noise and it has been discovered the weld has broken.

The left front door stopper makes an abnormal sound, a popping noise when the door comes open.

The check arm on my ford escape broke off at the welding attachment point which lead to me having to drive down the road for 10 miles with my door ajar in order to get home It started making a popping noise a few days ago then I opened my door tonight and it completely broke off

My door was on the recall list and needs to be replaced. I had this checked in September 2024 but the doors are on back order. My broken door is a safety hazard it is not shutting properly and has been known to open.

Front driver side door started clicking when open/closed about a month ago. Yesterday it started a loud thumping sound when opening. Upon closer investigation, four points where the door was welded to the arm mechanism have broken. The loud thumping sound is the internal brace hitting the door.

The six Spot welds on the driver's door failed. The hinge bracket is adrift inside the car door. Al Packer Ford body shop advised this is a common flaw in the 2021 Ford Escapes.

This is 1 of 3 2020 - 2021 Ford Escapes that my company owns and is affected by this known issue with NHTSA and Ford Motor Company as it relates to Ford Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) SSM 50150. The spot welds at the check arm attachment points on the driver door have failed. This has lead to a horrible noise and feeling when opening and closing our door. Sometimes the door does not shut all the way making this a safety issue. The door is now hard to open and close. The window is also inoperable as it either won't roll down at all or, if it does roll down, it will now roll back up. This issue has been inspected by 2 dealerships and they are not allowing our PremiumCARE extended Warranty to cover this. We have had 10's of Escapes with 100,000+ miles and this has never been an issue. This has occurred in this 2021 Escape and 2 of our other 2020 Ford Escapes (I will file complaints separately for them so NHTSA understands this is a massive issue Ford needs to fix ASAP and reimburse any customers who have paid out of pocket to get this fixed). NHTSA needs to issue a recall immediately.

Bracket that holds the check arm device in the door broke loose. It is not properly welded to the inside of the doors. Left stranded because the door could not be shut. Other 2021 Ford Escapes are having the same issues. There was no warning to indicate a problem with the door.

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated that when the driver's side door was opened, there was a loud banging sound coming from the door. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with fractured spot welds. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 45,000.

The door has spot wells I believe 6 total. 2 of them so far have come undone. It is the welds for the bracket that keeps the door from flying open.

Door check bracket pulled off of door.

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated while attempting to close the front driver’s side door, but the door check arm was no longer attached to the door, preventing the door from closing securely. No warning light was illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer, but the vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 37,000.

The driver side door arm has broken without any reason. It now makes noise opening and closing and will need to be replaced

Door check bracket detaches from driver door when it is opened.

Driver front and passenger front door hinge making noise when opening. Dealer said a lot of people are having same issue but ford is only fixing ones when door falls off when weld completely breaks. Reported this to dealer on11/11/23 and was finally notified to bring in last week. Was called yesterday and was told not fixing at this time as was not safety issue yet! They said if door falls off it would warrant repair. This vehicle is under new vehicle warranty still and should be fixed without question. Dealer agrees it needs fixed but says they cant do anything now. I consider a possible door falling off a safety issue! Hopefully my wife does not fall out of vehicle when door falls off and maybe she can put it in back and drive to dealer with no door. Way to go ford!