2021 Ford Escape Fuel system Problems
- Complaints
- 75about this part
- Share
- 21%of 352 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 70,000miles
- Trend
- RisingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% higher than in the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 75 complaints about the fuel system of the 2021 Ford Escape, 21% of the 352 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 70,000 miles. 1 of these say a crash was involved and 4 a fire, according to the filers. 4 recall campaigns on record are filed under a similar system.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“My vehicle has had a fuel injector recall since 07/2025. My car has gradually started to idle and drop rpms. It starts when the vehicle was only in park and now it is happening when I am in drive and foot is on the brake. I am not sure what to do because of the open recall with no repair options in sight almost a year later.”
NHTSA complaint #11732959, filed 2026-04“It has a recall 25s76 that Ford says has no solution. I called Ford, and they said it did have one, and that I should take it in. Supposedly, what they did was a software update on 05/01/2025, but nothing worked. The gasoline smell inside the car persists, with a risk of fire.”
NHTSA complaint #11714953, filed 2026-02“This has been an ongoing recall for three years. They fixed my car the first time according to them and now it’s still an issue they are saying they can’t fix. I’ve went through two evap solenoids and my car still is having issues with the fuel vapor intake. I’m to the point I don’t ride in it or drive it with my children bc I’m scared it’s going to catch fire especially being in south florida. I’m very upset with ford!”
NHTSA complaint #11731164, filed 2026-04“There’s an open recall for the fuel injectors for my vehicle. I am currently unable to drive my vehicle because I can not fuel my vehicle. Each time it is fuel the engine light comes on and the vehicle either doesn’t drive or shakes violently and refuses to go. The vehicle isn’t able to pass state inspection as well. My safety is impacted by the vehicle randomly not going/stalling and not able to keep fueled.”
NHTSA complaint #11707108, filed 2025-12“Every time I get gas my engine stalls out citing an issue with the evap system — evap purge valve. This is not safe as it stalls out directly after filling the car up. The smell of gas is very prominent leading me to believe there could be a fire hazard associated with this as well.”
NHTSA complaint #11651219, filed 2025-03Related recalls
- 25V467000Jul 11, 2025Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021-2024 Bronco Sport and 2020-2022 Escape vehicles equipped with 1.5L engines. A fuel injector may crack and…Covers: Ford Escape 2020–2022, Bronco Sport 2021–2024
- 25V165000Mar 14, 2025Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Escape and 2021-2023 Bronco Sport vehicles previously repaired incorrectly under recall numbers…Covers: Ford Escape 2020–2022, Bronco Sport 2021–2023
- 22V859000Nov 18, 2022Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2023 Escape and 2021-2023 Bronco Sport vehicles equipped with 1.5L engines. A fuel injector may crack and…Covers: Ford Escape 2020–2023, Bronco Sport 2021–2023
- 21V625000Aug 10, 2021Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021 Escape, Lincoln Corsair, and 2021-2022 Bronco Sport vehicles. The fuel delivery module may leak inside the…Covers: Ford Escape 2021, Bronco Sport 2021–2022, Lincoln Corsair 2021
Related service bulletins
- 11032924May 21, 20262020-2026 Explorer/Escape/Corsair, 2021-2026 Bronco Sport/Bronco, 2022-2026 Maverick, 2024-2026 Mustang/Ranger/Nautilus vehicles equipped with a 2.0L or 2.3L EcoBoost engine may…
- 11029540Feb 28, 2026Some 2020-2026 Escape and 2021-2026 Corsair vehicles equipped with a 2.5L engine may exhibit a fuel door that won't open with diagnostic trouble code (DTC) P04CA stored in the…
- 11026929Dec 12, 2025Customer Satisfaction Program 25M02 Certain 2021-2024 Model Year Bronco Sport and 2020-2022 Escape with 1.5L Engine and 8F35 Transmission Upstream Catalytic Converter…
- 11024525Oct 21, 2025Some 2020-2026 Escape and 2021-2026 Corsair PHEV vehicles may require inspection of the high voltage battery due to rust, scratches, curb strikes, road debris, or other minor…
- 11020053Jun 25, 2025Some 2020-2023 Explorer/Aviator, 2020-2025 Police Interceptor Utility, 2020-2022 Escape/Corsair, and 2022-2024 Maverick vehicles equipped with a hybrid powertrain may exhibit an…
- 10228761Dec 16, 2022This article supersedes TSB 22-2176 to increase the labor operation allowance and update the part list. Some 2020-2022 Escape/Corsair vehicles built on or before 3-Jan-2022…
- 10214753Jun 21, 2022Some 2020-2022 Escape/Corsair vehicles built on or before 3-Jan-2022, 2020-2022 Explorer vehicles built on or before 14-Feb-2022, 2020-2022 Aviator vehicles built on or before…
- 10210746Apr 27, 2022Some 2020-2022 Escape/Corsair, 2021-2022 Bronco Sport, 2022 Maverick vehicles equipped with 4-wheel drive (4WD) may exhibit a grinding/rubbing noise from floor pan/underbody…
- 10203839Nov 1, 2021Some 2021 Corsair/Escape vehicles equipped with 2.0L or 2.3L engines and built on or after 04-Jan-2021 may exhibit a rattle/buzz noise on start-up/idle/slow speed from the back…
- 10202698Oct 19, 2021Some 2020-2021 Escape/Corsair vehicles built on or before 30-Mar-2021 and Explorer/Aviator vehicles built on or before 09-Apr-2021 may exhibit a slow fuel fill and/or spit back…
Fuel system: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2 | 8% |
| 2024 | 5 | 7% |
| 2023 | 7 | 7% |
| 2022 | 87 | 37% |
| 2021 | 75 | 21% |
| 2020 | 199 | 12% |
| 2019 | 26 | 4% |
| 2018 | 57 | 3% |
| 2017 | 94 | 3% |
| 2016 | 71 | 6% |
| 2015 | 57 | 5% |
| 2014 | 137 | 7% |
| 2013 | 287 | 10% |
| 2012 | 160 | 26% |
| 2011 | 284 | 22% |
| 2010 | 507 | 24% |
| 2009 | 203 | 12% |
| 2008 | 60 | 3% |
| 2007 | 23 | 9% |
| 2006 | 36 | 8% |
| 2005 | 62 | 4% |
| 2004 | 17 | 3% |
| 2003 | 14 | 3% |
| 2002 | 37 | 4% |
| 2001 | 55 | 6% |
Other parts of the 2021 Ford Escape
92 complaintsOther or unknown
59 complaintsBrakes
50 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
46 complaintsEngine
44 complaintsElectrical system
34 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
26 complaintsBack-over prevention (rear camera)
11 complaintsSeat belts
8 complaintsForward collision avoidance
7 complaintsSuspension
7 complaintsExterior lighting
5 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2021 Ford Escape
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 28, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology