2023 Ford Escape Phev problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Electrical System (8) · Engine (2) · Fuel/Propulsion System (1)
🧭 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 (2)
Electrical System:propulsion System:traction Battery 2026-02-17 · campaign 26V091000 · 25,237 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2022-2026 Ford Escape and 2023-2026 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) software, 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. This recall expands previous recall numbers 24V954 and
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
2026-10-09 · Engine“vehicle threw code p0cff, risking thermal management failure.ford is refusing to honor the emissions/hybrid defect mandates, leaving a known thermal defect active on a high-voltage system. they're refusing to cover this under warranty for me. …”
2026-10-09 · Engine“following the 24s79 thermal safety recall remedy, the high-voltage battery pack coolant pump failed, throwing code p0cff:00:e8 in the becm network. the manufacturer is denying warranty coverage on this unique hybrid thermal safety component, leaving the high-voltage battery pack uncooled.…”
2026-08-18 · Electrical System“the contact owns a 2023 ford escape. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 26v091000 (electrical system). the local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the contact contacted another dealer, sheehy ford of richmond (10601 midlothian turnpike, richmond, va 23235); however, the vehicle was not dia…”
2026-07-28 · Electrical System“purchased a 2023 ford escape phev in may 2023. in january 2025, a safety recall 24s79, ford explicitly instructed owners to immediately stop plugging in their vehicles and to avoid using external charging cables entirely. then in february of 2026 after a year not being able to charge, recall 25sc4 was issued, advising owners to limit charging to a…”
2026-07-20 · Electrical System · 12,000 mi“the contact owns a 2023 ford escape. the contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the vehicle became inoperable. the vehicle was jump-started and the vehicle operated as intended. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 25v789000 (electrical system); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available, and t…”
2026-07-14 · Electrical System“the contact owns a 2023 ford escape. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 25v789000 (electrical system); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. the contact stated that the recall was an inconvenience because the battery could only be charged to 80 percent. the dealer was notified and informed the con…”
2026-07-07 · Electrical System“i received a recall notice for my car for the batteries. i parked my car in the garage so now i'm worried that my house is going to catch on fire and if i'm doing 70 mph down the freeway is my engine going to shut down. i'm not sure if this is part of it but my car doors lock on their own and a couple times my keys have been inside the car thank go…”
2026-06-30 · Unknown Or Other“dear ford motor company customer relationship center, we are resending our original letter (dated march, 2026), as we have still not received any response or resolution regarding this ongoing recall matter. since sending that letter, we received a notice stating the recall fix for the battery issue was finally available. despite the significant in…”
2026-06-10 · Electrical System“the contact owns a 2023 ford escape phev. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 26v091000 (electrical system); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. the local dealer was contacted and confirmed that the part was not available. the contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of tim…”
2025-03-25 · Electrical System · 24,000 mi“the contact owns a 2023 ford escape. the contact stated that while charging the battery, the battery only charged up to approximately 20%. no warning light was illuminated. 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 …”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.