2020 Ford Ecosport: problems, recalls and reliability
3 recalls and 391 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is engine and engine cooling (48% of complaints); the 2022 model year looks more trouble-free.
Data updated weekly · 5 new complaints in the last 90 days · latest recall Jun 2025
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 391 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“My automatic transmission has a problem going into gear, slow to engage in any gear. when needing to accelerate there is no response, just the high rev of the engine but absolutely no acceleration. The car has a hard jerk and thud sound when it does go into gear, this is when driving the car.”Owner report · Power Train · Jul 2026
“I had my car fixed from a recall for an engine oil pump or something like that. After it was fixed, my car will shut off when I'm at a stop light or while I'm driving. It is not safe and scares me. My check engine light will come on and off, and my local dealership won't help unless the check engine light is on when I bring it in. This has been going on since early May.”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Jun 2026
“I was on my way home from work approaching a red light coasting to a stop, I tried to slow down then I realized the car was accelerating and I pushed the brakes and pulled into a parking lot by the time I got in the parking lot the car was surging, really trying to takeoff. It went all the way to 5,000 rpm's while I was in park.”Owner report · Fuel/Propulsion System · May 2026
Show 7 more owner reports
“It was a recall oil pump tensor bar. They fixed that blew the engine.I had to wait for them to fix what they messed up with the engine.They fixed that drove forty miles away from the dealer and the engine overheated”Owner report · Engine · Apr 2026
“My leased 2020 Ford EcoSport is at Merchant Ford of Selma, AL for three safety recalls: airbag system, engine oil pump failure, and rearview camera failure. The dealership told me they do not know how to fix the recalls, installed wrong parts, and the vehicle has been sitting for weeks without repair and without a loaner vehicle. They have stopped returning my calls. Ford has had years to remedy these recalls and cannot make the vehicle safe to drive.”Owner report · Air Bags · Mar 2026
“I took my vehicle into Apple Ford in Columbia, MD for a safety recall. They proceeded to tell me that my engine, the crankshaft, and the turbo also need to be replaced but will not cover it even though these issues were caused by the safety recall. Everything online says that with this recall the engine should be replaced under the recall. We had small issues with the car about a year ago that were taken care of. This safety recall is also unresolved according to Ford so how can i even get anything fixed?”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Jan 2026
“My concern is in regards to nhtsa recall number 20v-719, the 2020 Ford ecosport. The recall states that there are 10 ecosport vehicles that have airbag module issues where the airbags won't deploy. I have a 2020 Ford ecosport and I was just in a crash this past weekend. The airbags should have deployed because I hit some big trees. But no airbags deployed. There was Major front end damage. I have photos of everything. I believe that there could be more than just 10 vehicles involved and the mine is potentially included in that bunch. I see below in this form that I can attach files. So I will try to attach some photos there of the damage to the vehicle.”Owner report · Air Bags · Jan 2026
“The contact owns a 2020 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.”Owner report · Engine And Engine Cooling · Nov 2025
“Fuel injectors, hand brake when reversing, spuddering when push on gas, windshield crack when cleaning from the inside accidently hit rear view mirror.”Owner report · Service Brakes · Oct 2025
“The contact owns a 2020 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact stated that when the vehicle was taken to a dealer for the recall repair, it was determined that the oil pump drive belt had disintegrated and needed to be replaced; however, the part to complete the recall repair was not yet available. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 33,000.”Owner report · Engine And Engine Cooling · Oct 2025
When filing, owners marked a crash in 5 of these complaints and injuries in 6 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 3 campaigns
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2022 Transit Connect, 2019-2020 MKZ, MKX, Edge, Continental, F-150, Nautilus, Fusion, 2019-2023 Ranger, Mustang, 2020-2021 EcoSport, Expedition, Navigator, 2020-2022 Escape, F-250 SD, Corsair, 2020-2023 Aviator, Transit, 2020-2024 Explorer, 2021-2024 Bronco Sport, and 2022-2024 Maverick vehicles. A software error may cause the rearview camera to display a blank image, or the image may remain on the display after the backing event has ended.
Remedy: Dealers will update the rearview camera software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 4, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S72.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Ford Focus and 2018-2022 Ford EcoSport vehicles. The oil pump drive belt or drive belt tensioner may fail, resulting in a loss of engine oil pressure.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the oil pump tensioner assembly and oil pump drive belt, free of charge. If engine failure occurs due to a damaged oil pump belt and/or oil pump belt tensioner, Ford has authorized dealers to replace the engine assembly as an interim repair before the availability of remedy parts for the final repair. This repair will be free of charge (parts and labor). Owner notification letters were mailed August 11, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 23S64.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020 EcoSport and 2019-2020 Transit Connect vehicles. Depending on the model, either the driver side or passenger side frontal air bag modules are missing the first-stage booster propellant and sleeve. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected air bag module on either the driver or passenger side, free of charge. This recall began February 18, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20C26.
Trouble codes owners mention
OBD-II codes that appear in NHTSA complaints about this car.
How other years compare
Check your exact Ecosport by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2020 Ford Ecosport reliable?
NHTSA has 391 owner complaints and 3 recall campaigns on record for the 2020 Ford Ecosport. The most complained-about area is engine and engine cooling (48% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2020 Ford Ecosport problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 70,500 miles or less.
Does the 2020 Ford Ecosport have open recalls?
3 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning back over prevention:software. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.