Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2020 Ford Escape owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his wife pulling into a parking spot, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle unintendedly accelerated and crashed into the wall of a Dollar General Store. The contact stated that his wife sustained injuries and bruises to both legs from the deployment of the air bags underneath the steering wheel. Medical attention was not sought. A Police report was filed; however, the Police report number was not available. The vehicle was towed to a dealer but was not diagnosed. The contact retrieved the vehicle, and the vehicle was taken to an Auto Body Shop to be diagnosed and an estimate for the repair was provided. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was 45,000.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that after coming to a stop at a traffic light or stop sign, when the accelerator pedal was depressed, the vehicle nearly stalled. The vehicle then lunged forward at an excessive speed. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was at first intermittent but became more frequent. The contact had driven the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 25,000.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving and coming to a stop, the brake pedal was depressed, but the vehicle accelerated unintendedly. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 41,000.
Purchased certified vehicle from Wray Ford on 2/23/24. Car was previously leased by FMCC and still listed as a Ford Fleet Vehicle in Michigan as of 9/12/25. VIN confirms it falls under Ford safety recall 24S79, which was never performed. Vehicle experienced unintended acceleration and non-responsive braking, behaving autonomously. FordPass Connect, FMCC, and Wray Ford all confirmed it was unsafe to drive based on 38 diagnostic codes from July/August 2025. June 2025 data and other dates were blacked out. No warning lights or alerts appeared in the FordPass app prior to the crash on 8/25/25.Allstate Insurance removed the vehicle from Wray Ford without authorization, falsely claimed a $10,000 salvage offer, and altered the accident date in the online portal. Damage estimates were manipulated: initial $4,500 based on five photos, later inflated to $13,195 using the same photos. …
UnknownOn my dash my AWD fault warning has showed up followed by hill assist not available and traction control not available. I have looked for in formation online about it and it seems that it's a recurring issue with 2020 Ford Escape and many others. I've seen that there was a customer satisfaction effective on April 9,2021 through April 30, 2022 but I have just gotten this car last year and dealer states that I am responsible for fixing a manufacturing issue. I'm not sure where my car was manufactured but my car is affected. I have about 83,600 miles and don't seem to understand why I have to pay since in the customer satisfaction program it states that the module needs to be replaced before sale and customers that have already purchased the vehicle should have it replaced no charge to them. …
2020 Ford Escape is suffering from sudden, uncommanded loss of power, severe engine hesitation and violent stuttering during acceleration and problem is getting worse. Took to our service center to fix and they said the problem is a recall - NHTSA - 25V467 recall 25S76 (engine hesitant acceleration, rough idling, reduced engine power). Called Airport Ford in Florence, KY. They are saying they can't fix this issue -there is no remedy and that the program has been paused. This condition poses an immediate safety hazard. The unexpected failure of the powertrain to respond during high-demand situations - such as merging onto highways, passing vehicles or making left turns across oncoming traffic - makes me feel very vulnerable to rear-end or side impact crashes. The failure occurs at all speeds but is worse at 10-30 miles per hour. There is a Ford Recall on this issue. …
the front camera/ adaptive cruise control, pre collision assist, seems to have spontanteoulsy cut out while driving- a large bump in the road seems to have shook less the coaxial cable connections for the front camera in this car. This caused a fast and immediate deceleration that almost got me rear ended by the truck that was behind me. the car is at the dealership for a faulty cable/ IPMA module. this seems to be a very common issue for these cars. there were no messages PRIOR to the failure but the messages i am getting now are the front camera fault, and pre collision assist is no longer working. Adaptive cruise and even regular cruise control are no longer working either. additionally, i am getting a system off to save battery message, even though i just installed a new battery. This faulty camera/ connection to the camera seems to be creating a parasitic draw. …
The car was bought at matt blatt kia in July 2023 certified pre-owned with 164 safety inspection check. 2 weeks ago the check engine light came on and it was code p0420. Kia told me to call ford and they told me I have to pay for the diagnostics and the repair. The car was smoking under the hood and didn't drive safely. It's at a shop and was told the catalytic converter needs to be replaced and it's 2300. He said ford's responsible for it because there's issues and I just found out there's an active recall from BEFORE I bought the car that was never fixed which caused the issue now. Ford refuses to fix the car and I've had to pay for a car rental the past w weeks and my car payment. The cars sitting at the mechanic. Soon as the engine light came on, I tried to take it where I bought it they said I had to pay for it and ford said it's not covered and neither dealer had loaner cars for me
Check engine light came on Friday and 24 hours later started making a whirring sound lost power on the highway started smoking and smelled like it was going to catch fire. Was impeding traffic and almost caused an accident. Had it towed to Ford dealership where a diagnostic test was run. They determined that it was engine failure and Ecoboost failure. Coolant was leaking into cylinders 2&3. They claim the code fired on September 9. They asked if I had taken it anywhere to clear the code. I most definitely did not. Ford Motor Company is unwilling to make this right and have quoted me almost $9000 to fix this issue. Certain makes and models of 2020 Ford Escape have had engine recalls. This is clearly a malfunction on their part.
By dong my own research, I found out it was the AWD Module. It's not grounded correctly. There are multiple, long detailed forum posts on this. Here is one: [redacted] I verified my AWD drive module was indeed not getting enough power do to the grounding issue, which sends a cascade of other faults including the anti lock breaks, collision detection, driving modes, cruise control, auto hold, hill park assist. ALL are non-operational. Now my AWD module does not even show up with a OBD scanner. This should be a recall.
Acceleration complaints in other Escape years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2020 Ford Escape?
NHTSA has 20 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2020 Ford Escape, 1% of the model year's 1,612 complaints. The component named most often is accelerator pedal (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2020 Ford Escape acceleration problems?
No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for the 2020 Ford Escape, though it has 23 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2020 Ford Escape acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 25,000 miles, and 50% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 3 crashes, 0 fires and 2 injuries to speed control & acceleration problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.