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Ford · NHTSA safety record

2022 Ford Escape Hybrid

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

66

Complaints

3

Crashes

2

Fires

1

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2022 Ford Escape Hybrid have filed 66 safety complaints with NHTSA between July 2022 and July 2026. The most complained-about system is the engine, named in 32 of them (48%). The typical failure was reported at 41,500 miles, the median across the 10 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Complaints halved year on year: 7 in the twelve months to 2026-Q1, against 18 in the twelve before.

No recall campaign was matched to this year, make and model. That is not the same as a clean vehicle: recalls are issued against production ranges, and the only reliable check is your own VIN.

Defect investigations (1)

An investigation means NHTSA has decided a pattern is worth examining. A preliminary evaluation is often closed with no action; an engineering analysis is the stage that usually precedes a recall.

Pedestrian alert sounds

DP22005

Closed defect petition · opened January 27, 2023 · closed August 7, 2023 · led to recall 22V063000

the electrical system

NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, NHTSA opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matter described in the petition. On June 24, 2023 and as supplemented on June 25, 2023, the petitioner notified NHTSA he was withdrawing his petition. The petitioner indicated that, based on his review of data, there is no justification for asserting potential benefits that could be derived from actions sought by my petition. Based on the petitioner's withdrawal, DP22-005 is closed. Closure of this DP does not represent a determination by NHTSA regarding the subject matter of the petition.

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 66.

ENGINE 32 48%
SERVICE BRAKES 12 18%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 9 14%
STRUCTURE 7 11%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 5 8%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 4 6%
POWER TRAIN 4 6%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 2 3%
LANE DEPARTURE 2 3%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 2 3%
AIR BAGS 1 2%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 1 2%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2024 at 23.

2022 2024 2026
2022 to 2026, the last of them a part year

In owners' own words

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE

1 injured · crash · 180,000 miles

The contact owned 2022 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while her husband was driving 65 MPH uphill, another vehicle attempting to make a left turn in front of the vehicle crashed into the vehicle. The contact stated that several air bags deployed inside the vehicle; however, the steering wheel and the front passenger’s side air bags failed to deploy. The contact stated that the Forward Collision Avoidance feature failed to operate during the failure. The contact sustained injuries to the head, left hand, and the back. Medical attention was sought. The contact stated that a Police report was not filed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was

NHTSA complaint 11744452, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE

fire

We were driving on the interstate and the car began to make a metallic clicking/ticking sound. We started to move to the shoulder as we thought it might be a tire issue when we saw an orange glow reflected on the concrete. As soon as we reached the shoulder the engine started pouring out smoke and we immediately left the car. We opened the hood and saw fire inside the engine compartment. We left the hood up and moved away from the car and called 911. It appears this issue is tied to a known, open recall for which Ford has not released any information on how to fix with no specific timeline in place to release the fix. Our safety was at risk as the car was on fire and we were standing on the

NHTSA complaint 11550390, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN

fire

On 20 July 2026, my 2022 Ford Escape HEV caught fire in the engine compartment while parked. The vehicle is likely a total loss (insurance pending). On-site emergency personnel responded within minutes of the fire and the local fire department was on scene within 5 minutes of the 911 call. They cleared the incident (and d/c the 12V) within 32 minutes of arrival. Detroit Fire Department Incident: 202620101471. This vehicle was subject to Ford Safety Recall 23S27 and Customer Satisfaction Program 23N06, which address a manufacturing defect in the 2.5L HEV/PHEV engine. Under that recall, connecting rod bearing journals were not properly finished, causing premature bearing and engine failure

NHTSA complaint 11752612, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES

crash · towed

On November 12, 2022 at approximately 1:00 p.m. an incident occurred with my 2022 Ford Escape Hybrid in Columbia, MO. As I was parking in the Forum Theater parking lot, the engine surged and I had no brakes. I was at a dead stop and when I released the brake to move into a parking slot, the engine surged abruptly. When I applied the brakes, the pedal went clear to the floor with no braking occurring. I absolutely did not hit the wrong peddle causing this surging of power. As a result, the Escape jumped a curb and ran into a tree doing $14,000 damage. The airbags did not deploy nor did the seatbelts lock with the result of my granddaughters and I being thrust sharply forward. Currently the

NHTSA complaint 11495655, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

72,000 miles

The contact owns a 2022 Ford F-150. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V104000 (Electrical System, Exterior Lighting); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated upon starting the vehicle, the message " Trailer Brake Module Failure" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the integrated trailer module (ITRM) had failed and needed to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact that the manufacturer had failed to make the part available for the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the

NHTSA complaint 11752318, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VISIBILITY/WIPER
The cloth that covers the sun roof sags into the car. One side of mine still holds the cloth mostly into place, but if that side breaks, the cloth will drop into the car which will make it impossible to see anything behind me. After receiving an estimate for repair, I was told by the repair tech that this was a common problem with these sun shade assemblies.

NHTSA complaint 11741903. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL

38,000 miles

The contact owns a 2022 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the instrument panel intermittently displayed a blank screen. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and test driven, and the failure was duplicated. The vehicle was diagnosed with a defective instrument cluster, and the contact was provided an estimate for the repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and agreed to cover a partial amount of the cost of repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 38,000.

NHTSA complaint 11686082. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STRUCTURE

21,000 miles

The contact owns a 2022 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon visual inspection, there was excessive corrosion on the driver's side door panel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that there was water entering through the front body hinge pillar and down to the rocker panel. The contact was informed that the water should drain out, but instead was causing the excessive corrosion to all four doors. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 21,000.

NHTSA complaint 11682236. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Ford Escape Hybrid

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2021 121 1 —
2020 283 1 —
2012 15 0 —
2011 37 0 —
2010 59 0 —

Other 2022 Ford models

F-150 576 Maverick Hybrid 458 Bronco 363 Bronco Sport 345 Explorer 256 Escape 227 F-150 Hybrid 207 Maverick 146

Every Ford on this site — 348 vehicles, 1210 recall campaigns and 10 open investigation s.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. What each state asks for , read from the statutes.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst