2021 Ford Escape Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2021 Escape most often describe a fractured spot weld or check-arm mount in the front driver's door, which shows up as a popping or grinding sound and sometimes stops the door from closing or the window from moving. Rear brake noise while reversing is the other recurring theme, often appearing within the first few thousand miles, and a growing group of complaints covers transmission shudder or failure, fuel odors tied to pending fuel-injector recalls, and rain-driven wiper failures.

1. 1
   Body and structure

   Front door check-arm weld fracture (popping door)

   • 79 complaints (22%)
   • median 42,000 mi at 3.1 yrs old (17 state mileage)
   • filed 2023–2026

   Owners describe a loud pop, bang, or metallic grinding when opening or closing the front driver's door, and some find the door opens only partway or will not latch securely. Dealers and mechanics have diagnosed fractured spot welds or a detached check-arm bracket at the door attachment point, and several say the door or door assembly needed replacement. Some repairs were declined because of cost, and a few owners report the problem returning after a door was replaced or after weld-related service. Reported from roughly 17,000 to 100,000 miles, with many cases in the 20,000-60,000 mile range.

   Recall 25V8290002 related service bulletins

   What to check: Open and close the driver's door slowly and listen for a pop or grind, and check whether the door swings fully and latches without force. Ask whether the door check-arm reinforcement weld inspection or customer satisfaction program work has been done.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the front driver's side door made an abnormally loud popping sound while opening and closing. The dealer was made aware of the failure; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 22,000.”

   NHTSA complaint #11557383, filed 2023-11, 22,000 miles

   “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.”

   NHTSA complaint #11581880, filed 2024-04, 45,000 miles
2. 2
   Brakes

   Rear brake noise or drag when reversing

   Mentioned in 14 of 60 sampled complaints

   Complaints describe a loud screech, grind, groan, or hum from the rear brakes when the pedal is pressed while backing up, often most noticeable after the vehicle has sat overnight or in damp conditions. Several owners report dealers replacing calipers, pads, rotors, or caliper bushings, sometimes more than once, with the noise returning afterwards; a few were told the sound was weather-related or that no cause was found. Many reports come in under 10,000 miles, some within the first few hundred to a few thousand miles.

   Recall 21V922000

   What to check: Back the car up slowly with the windows down and listen for rear brake noise, and ask for service records showing whether calipers, pads, or bushings were replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while reversing and pressing the brake pedal, there was a loud screeching sound coming from the rear brakes. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who serviced the rear brake calipers and rotors but the failure continued to occur. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 1,500.”

   NHTSA complaint #11462556, filed 2022-04, 1,500 miles

   “The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while reversing, the brake pedal was depressed and there was an abnormal screeching noise detected. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who informed him the failure was due to the weather. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 6,000.”

   NHTSA complaint #11484564, filed 2022-09, 6,000 miles
3. 3
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Transmission shudder, hesitation, or failure

   • 35 complaints (10%)
   • median 81,881 mi at 4.0 yrs old (13 state mileage)
   • owner-quoted repair $5,903 (median of 7 quotes)
   • filed 2021–2026

   Owners describe shuddering or jerking from a stop or at steady speeds, hesitation when pressing the accelerator, and in some cases smoke and loss of power followed by a diagnosis that the transmission needs replacement. Some dealers identified torque converter shudder or an internal transmission fault, and a few vehicles had a powertrain software update applied with the symptom returning later. A service bulletin describes a shudder condition below about 60 mph with no stored codes on vehicles with the 8F35 transmission. Mostly reported between about 50,000 and 100,000 miles, though a few cases appear much earlier.

   Recall 24V3300006 related service bulletins

   What to check: Test drive at low speed and during light acceleration to feel for shudder or hesitation, and ask whether any transmission software update or fluid service was performed.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “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.”

   NHTSA complaint #11577252, filed 2024-03, 100,243 miles

   “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. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11486402, filed 2022-09, 10,000 miles
4. 4
   Fuel system

   Fuel odor and fuel injector leak concerns

   • 55 complaints (16%)
   • median 70,000 mi at 5.2 yrs old (13 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2021–2026

   Complaints describe a gasoline smell inside the cabin that is stronger when stopped in traffic, and some owners report stalling, a no-start, or an engine that shut off and restarted. Several received notice of a fuel-injector recall but were told parts were not yet available, and at least one had a failed injector replaced before the recall notice arrived. Some owners also describe poor accelerator response with the check engine light on. Reported across a wide mileage range, roughly 39,000 to 143,000 miles.

   Recall 25V467000Recall 25V165000Recall 22V859000Recall 21V6250001 related service bulletin

   What to check: Ask whether the fuel injector recall repairs have been completed on the vehicle and check for a fuel smell under the hood and in the cabin after a drive.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormal gasoline odor inside the vehicle. The gasoline odor was stronger while stopped in traffic. The windows were opened to lessen the odor inside the cabin of the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to a local dealer or independent mechanic, and the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11716152, filed 2026-02, 39,000 miles

   “The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal fuel odor inside the vehicle. The contact stated that the engine seized. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was restarted. The vehicle was driven to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The dealer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11733340, filed 2026-04, 40,000 miles
5. 5
   Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)

   Windshield wipers stop working

   • 11 complaints (3%)
   • median 82,500 mi at 5.1 yrs old (6 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2022–2026

   Owners report the windshield wipers failing to operate properly while driving in rain, at times leaving the view obstructed, and some link the failure to a wiper motor recall for which parts were not yet available. Several also describe blurry or black rearview camera images in reverse, sometimes tied to back-over prevention recalls. Reported mostly between about 100,000 and 143,000 miles in the sample, often noted alongside recall notifications.

   Recall 26V117000Recall 26V123000Recall 25V4420001 related service bulletin

   What to check: Run the wipers at every speed setting and check that the rearview camera image is upright and clear when reversing. Ask whether the wiper motor and rear camera recalls have been addressed.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at 35 MPH, the back over prevention camera image remained on the screen before the screen went black. There was no warning light illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted, and the vehicle was not diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 65,000.”

   NHTSA complaint #11678796, filed 2025-08, 65,000 miles

   “The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V117000 (Visibility); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that the front windshield wipers failed to operate properly. The dealer was made aware of the failure but confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure by phone. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11766428, filed 2026-09, 100,000 miles

Buying note. Check the driver's door for popping or incomplete travel and confirm the brake, wiper, camera, and fuel-injector recall work has been completed or scheduled. A low-speed test drive helps reveal transmission shudder, which shows up often enough on this year to be worth verifying before purchase.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.