The 2020 to 2021 Ford Escape is the subject of a preliminary investigation following more than 100 customer complaints lodged with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). In 25 cases, customers allege that they suffered minor injuries as a result of a bad weld that allows the vehicle’s door to open unexpectedly.
NHTSA’s Office of Defect Investigations (ODI) has opened a “Preliminary Evaluation” of the alleged problem after receiving 118 complaints relating to 2020-2021 Ford Escapes. In all, the potential defect could affect as many as 346,071 vehicles.
According to the ODI, customer reports suggest that the failures are related to the spot welds in the check arm bracket on the front doors of certain Escapes. Drivers say that when the issue presented itself to them, they could hear a popping noise as they opened the door.
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That seems to come before the bracket starts separating from the door, and could lead to a dislodged door check. That could then cause the door to not latch correctly, which may make it hard to open. It could also lead to the opposite problem, in which the door opens unexpectedly while driving. In addition, the problem could lead the windows to become hard to open, according to two NHTSA complaints found by Autonews.
ODI says it has conducted several consumer interviews as part of its preliminary evaluation, and from them received 25 reports of minor injuries and one report of minor property damage as a result of this fault. The nature of the incidents has not yet been made clear.
This preliminary investigation is not a recall, but is an early step in the process that could lead to a recall if NHTSA determines that an unreasonable risk to consumer safety exists. It is not yet clear what the root cause of this potential fault is.
Ford is in the midst of attempting to improve its quality control, following its poor performance in 2022. The automaker initiated the most recall campaigns, made the most recalled vehicles, and initiated the single largest recall last year.
