2021 Ford Escape Phev problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Engine (7) · Electrical System (5) · Power Train (2)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Ford Escape Phev model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (1)
Electrical System:propulsion System:traction Battery 2025-11-14 · campaign 25V789000 · 20,558 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2024 Ford Escape and 2021-2024 Lincoln Corsair plug-in hybrid vehicles. A manufacturing defect in one or more of the high voltage battery cells may result in an internal short circuit and battery failure.
Risk: Battery failure can cause a loss of drive power, increasing the risk of a crash. Battery failure can also increase the risk of a fire.
Fix: Dealers will update the battery energy control module (BECM) and hybrid powertrain control module (HPCM), free of charge. Owners are advised to only use "Auto EV" mode and will be instructed by mail to limit the maximum charge of the battery until the remedy has been completed. Owner notification letters were mailed September 4, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25SC4. Vehicles in this recall were previously recalled under 24V954 a
Service bulletins (2)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Unknown Or Other 2026-08-28 · 26N15 · Other
customer satisfaction program 26n15 certain 2020-2026 model year escape and 2021-2026 model year corsair plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (phev) – high voltage battery replacement
Unknown Or Other 2026-08-18 · 25M03 · Other
customer satisfaction program 25m03 certain 2020-2025 model year escape, 2021-2025 model year corsair and 2022- 2025 model year maverick vehicles equipped with a 2.5l hybrid or plug-in hybrid engine - exhaust gas recirculation (egr) differential pressure sensor replacement, if required after dealer
What owners report
2026-08-24 · Power Train“power train lost during driving, suddenly the car lost the power and a light in the dashboard start blinking, it recovers after a few times turning it on and off, seems to be triggered by brake pedal press, car has been having issues since oct 2025 after unplugged it…”
2026-08-14 · Service Brakes“nov 20, 2025 manufacturer recall number25sc4 nhtsa recall number25v789 recall statusrecall incomplete, remedy not yet available summary this has been 9 months and still no remedy. this doesnt seem timely. …”
2025-05-28 · Electrical System“the contact owns a 2021 ford escape. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 24v954000 (electrical system); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. the local dealer was contacted. the contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the manufacturer was…”
2025-04-11 · Electrical System“the contact owns a 2021 ford escape. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 24v954000 (electrical system); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. the contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the dealer was contacted. the manufacturer was made aware of t…”
2025-04-09 · Electrical System“the contact owns a 2021 ford escape. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 24v954000 (electrical system); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. the dealer was contacted. the dealer confirmed that parts were not yet available. the contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time…”
2025-02-27 · Electrical System · 51,988 mi“the contact owns a 2021 ford escape. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 24v954000 (electrical system); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. the contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the vehicle was towed to the dealer, but the vehicle was n…”
2025-02-26 · Power Train · 51,988 mi“the contact owns a 2021 ford escape. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 24v954000 (electrical system). the contact stated that while pulling out of the driveway, the message "stop safely now" was displayed, and the vehicle inadvertently shifted into park(p) and failed to shift into the intended gear. the power train warning…”
2024-06-05 · Vehicle Speed Control“our 2021 ford escape has "intelligent" adaptive cruise control. it has the capacity to adjust our car speed based on the highway speed limit signs it encounters. it reads all speed correctly but it also reads "black and white, square, numeric, county road signs as speed signs. this is dangerous as many county road signs have numerics that drastical…”
2024-05-03 · Engine · 29,000 mi · 💥 crash“the contact owned a 2021 ford escape. the contact stated that while driving at 35 mph and attempting to slow the vehicle, he became dizzy then suddenly fainted, and as a result, he briefly lost control of the vehicle and came to a complete stop after colliding with the curb. just prior to fainting, the contact had smelled burning fumes in the inter…”
2024-02-16 · Structure:body“i was issued a letter back in june 2023 on this recall. parts were supposed to be available by october 2023. it is now almost march of 2024 with no remedy…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.