2023 FORD ESCAPE PHEV

2 recalls, 11 complaints - 5/5 safety rating

26V091000 Feb 17, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM:TRACTION BATTERY
Defect Description
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.
Consequence
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.
Remedy
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. Interim lett... Read more
25,237 vehicles affected
Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
25V789000 Nov 14, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM:TRACTION BATTERY
Defect Description
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.
Consequence
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.
Remedy
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. Interim letters, noti... Read more
20,558 vehicles affected
Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company

Complaint Statistics

11 total complaints

Top Reported Components

ComponentComplaints
ENGINE3
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM2
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING1
STRUCTURE:BODY1
LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL1
UNKNOWN OR OTHER1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Aug 18, 2026
Incident date: Jan 1, 2026
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, Ric... Read more
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION Jul 28, 2026
Incident date: Jan 3, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 GMC Canyon. The contact stated that while the gear shifter was shifted to park(P), the contact was unable to remove the key from the ignition switch. The contact stated that after turning the steering wheel to the right in a certain way, the key was able to be removed from th... Read more
ENGINE Jul 20, 2026
Incident date: Nov 15, 2024
2024 Chrysler Pacifica completely shutdown during a left turn. Engine died all electrical stopped functioning. Had to restart the vehicle to move the vehicle. This condition happened twice last week, but has not happened since. Fortunately it was a low speed situation rather than at highway spee... Read more
UNKNOWN OR OTHER Jul 14, 2026
Incident date: Dec 1, 2025
while driving the car puts itself in park, then the gear shift D starts blinking and the dashboard says put into Park. I've took it to jeep to figure it out and fix it. i got it back and while on the highway it did it again causing me to almost get hit by several cars. I was on the highway doing the... Read more
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Jul 7, 2026
Incident date: Mar 6, 2026
Instrument panel cluster failing making it difficult to determine mph, fuel in vehicle, mileage, etc. panel was flashing and blacking out while driving creating a distraction, photos could not be obtained during worst of incident because actively driving.
ENGINE Jun 30, 2026
Incident date: Mar 2, 2026
After performing the 68c recall vehicle no longer drives the way it was designed. When in hybrid mode pushing the accelerator to the floor results in a 2-6 second delay waiting for the gas motor to kick in and then it slams the power into the car. This car is extremely unsafe and impossible to merge... Read more
ENGINE Jun 10, 2026
Incident date: Jun 10, 2026
.2016 F-150 Ford Truck. Purchased from a used car dealership. While driving the truck on a freeway at about 40 MPH, accelerated to 55 MPH and changed lanes. Engine went into limp mode. Check engine light flashed. Started to deaccelerate. Moved vehicle over to shoulder. Fault codes: P0340, P0344, P03... Read more
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL Mar 25, 2025
Incident date: Jun 15, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated that the instrument cluster failed to function as intended. The instrument panel flickered intermittently and then went black, preventing the contact from safely operating the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an inde... Read more
LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST Nov 12, 2024
Incident date: Nov 12, 2024
While driving at 60 mph on highway my transmission will switch from Drive into Neutral and alternate in from Drive to Neutral randomly. Crash prevention sensors stop working at the same time. This causes safety issues for me and passengers as I am not able to control speed. It shifts out of high gea... Read more
STRUCTURE:BODY Apr 22, 2024
Incident date: Apr 21, 2024
Front hood paint bubbling, corrosion and peeling
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING Dec 29, 2023
Incident date: Jun 21, 2023
vehicle only has 14k miles and is showing an error message for "check forward safety system" and "check smart cruise control system" after some research found this is a very common issue with multiple Elantra's where the front radar goes bad causing safety systems such as automatic braking/accelerat... Read more

NHTSA Safety Ratings, 2023 FORD ESCAPE PHEV

2023 Ford Escape PHEV SUV FWD

CategoryRating
Overall Rating 5 / 5 ★★★★★
Frontal Crash 4 / 5 ★★★★☆
Frontal Crash, Driver 4 / 5 ★★★★☆
Frontal Crash, Passenger 5 / 5 ★★★★★
Side Crash 5 / 5 ★★★★★
Side Crash, Driver 5 / 5 ★★★★★
Side Crash, Passenger 5 / 5 ★★★★★
Rollover 4 / 5 ★★★★☆
Rollover Risk 14.3%

Safety Technology

FeatureStatus
Electronic Stability ControlStandard
Forward Collision WarningStandard
Lane Departure WarningStandard

Source: NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings Program. Ratings are based on crash tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

FORD ESCAPE PHEV - All Years Overview

Complete safety history for the FORD ESCAPE PHEV across all model years (2020, 2026).

10 Total Recalls
162 Total Complaints
0 Investigations
10 Reported Crashes
1 Reported Fires
0 Reported Deaths

FORD ESCAPE PHEV - Year by Year

Compare recalls and complaints across model years. Click any year to see full details.

Year Recalls Complaints
2026 1 1 View
2025 1 5 View
2024 2 7 View
2023 (current) 2 11
2022 2 106 View
2021 1 31 View
2020 1 1 View

Other FORD Models

Model Recalls Complaints
MUSTANG 1,104 11,600 View
RANGER 928 10,371 View
F-350 SD 776 2,363 View
F-450 SD 692 624 View
F-150 692 46,142 View
F-250 SD 638 3,635 View
EXPLORER 624 42,549 View
F-550 SD 578 603 View