Ford Escape Electrical Problems

Electrical complaints by model year

Which parts fail

• Ignition
  65
• Instrument cluster/panel
  42
• Wiring
  25
• 12V/24V/48V battery
  22
• Ignition › Module
  19
• Wiring › Front underhood
  17
• Alternator/generator/regulator
  11
• Instrument panel › Speedometer/odometer
  11

Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).

Mileage when the problem started

• Under 25k
  29418%
• 25k–50k
  29618%
• 50k–75k
  32520%
• 75k–100k
  25216%
• 100k–150k
  31419%
• 150k+
  1378%

What owners report

The contact owns a 2025 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at undisclosed speeds, the Forward Collision Avoidance system engaged erroneously. Additionally, the contact stated that while attempting to switch lanes at highway speeds, the Lane Departure Assist erroneously engaged and pulled the vehicle back into the initial lane, preventing the contact from switching lanes. The contact was uncertain whether a warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where the computer system was reprogrammed; however, the failure recurred soon after. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 1,500.

The contact owns a 2025 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving 55 MPH with the cruise control activated, the brakes engaged independently. The contact stated that while attempting to start to vehicle, the radio displayed a blank screen. A dealer was contacted. A warning light was illuminated; however, the contact was unable to state which warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and remained for nine days, and was diagnosed; however, the diagnostic result was unknown. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and opened a case. The approximate failure mileage was 35,000.

The contact owns a 2024 Ford Escape. The contact stated that his wife had driven approximately 500 miles during a trip from Tennessee to Michigan, where she made stops as needed. The contact stated that after his wife arrived to the destination, she noticed that she had sustained third-degree burns on the right buttock and on the right upper leg from the front driver's side seat heater. The contact stated that his wife was a nurse and was self-treating at the residence. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 14,000.

The contact owns a 2024 Ford Escape. The contact while attempting to start the vehicle, several safety features in the vehicle became inoperable. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the computer processing unit had failed, and the contact was informed to wait for the manufacturer to provide a remedy to the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that a solution was being created. The approximate failure mileage was 4,000.

The contact owned a 2023 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the infotainment center would display a black screen, and while doing so, the radio would continue to play. The contact stated that while driving at different speeds, the trunk would suddenly open, causing the contact to have to pull over and close the trunk in order to continue to drive. The failure occurred 3 times while the vehicle was parked at home. There would be a burning odor emitting from the vehicle intermittently; however, there would be no smoke or indication of where the smell was coming from. While parked at home and unoccupied, the rear window suddenly shattered, and the vehicle caught on fire. The fire department was called and extinguished the fire. The fire department and the insurance company had determined the vehicle would be totaled; however, an official determination had not been provided. …

As I was driving home with about 5 minutes to go, in my brand new (2 week old)2023 Ford Escape, I smelled something burning. I pulled over and saw smoke so I turned off the car and got out. As I got out of the car I looked under and saw fire. I got away from the car and as I did, the fire kept growing and growing from under the hood. The fire went high enough to hit the trees on the side of the roasd. The police and fire department came and were able to put out the fire but not before the car was distroyed. There were no warning lights or any other symtoms of a problem prior to smelling burning. The Ford company has not responded to me from the day my wife spoke to a representative on Monday, October 2nd. The car fire was on Saturday, September 30th. It's been 3 days. My insurance company was going to do an inspection. Ford wants nothing to do with us. …

The contact owns a 2022 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving the vehicle on many occasions, the vehicle would start up and display odd error messages. For example, if the vehicle was plugged in, it stated to go to the owner's manual. The vehicle would not move and caused the vehicle to go into park. Clearing the messages and restarting the vehicle caused it to work again. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: (25V789000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 26,000.

The contact owns a 2022 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while the vehicle was stopped, the contact attempted to use the GPS system via he infotainment screen; however, while depressing the source button, the screen failed to respond as intended. The contact was only able to turn the screen on and off. The contact added that the screen was jittery and changed inadvertently. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 91,190.

Related recalls (12)