What breaks most · 2020 to 2026 model years
Ford Escape PHEV problems by year
Owners have filed 123 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Ford Escape PHEV across model years 2020 to 2026. Three years stand out: 2022 for engine complaints, 2021 for electrical system complaints and 2023 for electrical system complaints. The quietest years are 2020 and 2024.
- Years to check closely: 2022, 2021, 2023
- Fewest complaints: 2020, 2024
- Complaints on file
- 1232020 to 2026, all trims
- Worst year
- 202278 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 20 fires · 2 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 13kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 10Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 1 | Unknown or other (1) | |
| 22 | 1 | 1 | Electrical system (8) | |
| 78 | 1 | 2 | Engine (36) | |
| 11 | 0 | 2 | Electrical system (8) | |
| 6 | 0 | 2 | Electrical system (5) | |
| 4 | 0 | 1 | Electrical system (3) | |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | Unknown or other (1) |
What fails on the 2022 Ford Escape PHEV
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 46% |
36 | 0 | Shop all engine parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 29% |
23 | 0 | Shop all electrical system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 14% |
11 | 0 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Unknown or other | 13% |
10 | 0 | — |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 9% |
7 | 0 | Shop all fuel system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 6% |
5 | 0 | Shop all body and structure parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 4% |
3 | 0 | Shop all steering parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| BrakesBrake pads, rotors and calipers | 3% |
2 | 0 | Shop all brakes parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
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this recall has been in effect for nearly 1 year & puts my car @ risk but also doesn't allow me to charge beyond 80%, greatly effecting fuel efficiency. Ford has failed to address the issue in a timely manner or offered any compensation for my additional fuel consumption or offered a realistic deadline for repair
-
Stalls in traffic while in EV mode (Electric Vehicle mode). It has failed 3 times while driving in the last 10 days. This is unsafe because there is no chance to pull out of traffic.
-
The Vehicle's Emission Control System has detected a restricted fuel vapor tube between the fuel tank pressure sensor and the fuel tank which could result in a fire. Service Engine Soon Warning
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Ford Escape PHEV years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2022, 2021, 2023 carry the most filings on the Ford Escape PHEV. The 2022 alone has 78 complaints, led by engine.
What is the most common Ford Escape PHEV problem?
On the 2022 model year, the most-reported component is engine with 36 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Ford Escape PHEV problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Ford Escape PHEV complaints that include mileage is about 13,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.