Escaping Ford Escape Trim Triggers Another Massive Recall

While other automakers sprint to hit record year-end sales targets, Ford is racking up some big numbers it definitely won’t be bragging about

Car Talk, Autos Dec 5, 2025 0 0 Add to Reading List

Escaping Ford Escape Trim Triggers Another Massive Recall

Nearly 109,000 Escapes recalled for loose liftgate hinge covers
Almost 12,000 Lincoln MKT SUVs are also shedding their trim.
Plus, Ford issued a tiny six-car recall for a cylinder head defect.

Most automakers spend the final weeks of the year frantically shoving new car keys into customer hands before December 31. Ford, however, appears to be racing toward a very different finish line, trying to avoid adding even more recalls to its 2025 total.

Naturally, the universe isn’t cooperating and has responded by handing Ford a few more.

The latest major recall affects 108,762 Ford Escapes from MY20-22 and MY25, and the problem is disarmingly low-tech. The liftgate hinge covers may not be properly secured and could detach from the vehicle.

That means the trim could fall off while parked, bounce into traffic while driving, or simply make a dramatic exit in a car wash like it has decided it deserves a fresh start elsewhere.

Ford says dealers will inspect the hinge covers and install new fasteners as needed. It is an easy fix, though the timing is painful for a company hoping to close out the year without its recall counter rolling over like an odometer in a rental car.

More Trim Trouble at Lincoln

Keeping those Escapes company in Ford dealer service bays at the start of next year will be 11,852 examples of the MY16-19 Lincoln MKT, which is having its own issues with trim detaching, in this case, plastic finishers attached to the B-pillar.

Six More Recalled Cars for the Road

And the recall parade still is not finished. Ford has also announced a third, albeit microscopic, one, covering six vehicles total across the 2026 Explorer, 2026 Mustang, 2026 Lincoln Corsair, and 2025 Maverick. In those cars, an improperly manufactured cylinder head can allow the ball plugs to fail, leading to an oil leak.

In the recall league table, Ford is head and shoulders above the worst brand, having logged 140 separate actions so far in 2025, with nearly a month still left on the calendar.

Besides eroding owner confidence, the huge number of recalls is costing Ford a fortune to put right at a time when it needs every dollar it can get its hands on to design and build the next generation of hopefully more reliable cars.