[SpiderMonkey]

I had an interesting situation this afternoon.
Yesterday, my wife used my 2020 Titanium Hybrid while hers was in the shop getting a little maintenance performed.
She drove home from work, backed into the driveway and parked the car as usual. Earlier this evening, her car was ready at the dealer so we stepped out and got into my 2020, started the car, put seatbelts on, released the parking brake and went to turn the gear shift selector knob and it wouldn’t move at all, it’s like the shifter knob was stuck.
I tried shutting off the car and restarting, no joy. I tried reapplying the parking brake and releasing it again and again no joy. I tried shutting the car off and setting the parking brake, exiting the vehicle and locking the door, waiting a couple minutes and then re-entering the car again then starting it again, releasing the parking brake again and then turning the shifter knob, still no joy!

After messing with it for a bit my wife gave it a try with the same results until she decided to roll down the window to ask me something and then she said it felt like the brake pedal moved slightly and she was able to shift into gear. After that, it worked fine.

When we arrived at the dealer to pick up her car, I asked about what happened and was told that I need to keep an eye on it and if it does it again, I need to bring it in for service, was also told it could possibly be the brake switch or another sensor, he called it out but I can’t remember what sensor.

I tried to research on this site for anything about this and couldn’t find anything that would describe what I experienced.
My question is, has anyone else experienced this and is this something that I should be worried about?

I guess I’ll know in the morning if this was a fluke.

 

[jpohlman]

Foot on the brake before being able to shift is normal operation.
The fact that she said she felt the pedal move "slightly" and then could shift would lead me to the the switch on the brake arm first.

 

[SpiderMonkey]

I agree. We always have the foot on the brake before shifting.
I even tried pressing harder on the brake just in case but it didn’t help. The brake switch made sense to me when he mentioned it at the dealer.
So far, it’s a one off occurrence because I drove it to work this morning with no problem. Hopefully it was just a glitch but it did open my eyes to how much these cars are electronic control dependent.

 

[SpiderMonkey]

I guess I spoke too soon, when leaving work it was locked again. This time I gently turned it back and forth a couple times and it allowed me to select the gear.
Now, I’m not sure if it’s the knob or the brake switch. Another thing I’m wondering is if it’s associated with the heat, sounds a little out there and reaching but, yesterday when it happened and today when it happened, both times was in the afternoon after the car had been sitting in the heat all day where the temp was 98-99 degrees. This is the first spring/summer since buying the car and yesterday was the first day we have reached this temperature in this area this year. I know it sounds like a stretch but you never know.

 

[jpohlman]

I guess I spoke too soon, when leaving work it was locked again. This time I gently turned it back and forth a couple times and it allowed me to select the gear.
Now, I’m not sure if it’s the knob or the brake switch. Another thing I’m wondering is if it’s associated with the heat, sounds a little out there and reaching but, yesterday when it happened and today when it happened, both times was in the afternoon after the car had been sitting in the heat all day where the temp was 98-99 degrees. This is the first spring/summer since buying the car and yesterday was the first day we have reached this temperature in this area this year. I know it sounds like a stretch but you never know.

Just for grins and giggles....
The next time you go to park it just put your foot on the brake and hit the ignition off.
The logic will move the switch electronically to park (you'll see the led indicator move from block to block) but the knob doesn't physically turn.
This might be an "easy" way to verify the mechanical function of the dial versus the electronic.

 

[SpiderMonkey]

That’s actually a really good idea, I hadn’t thought of that.

I did that by accident not long after I bought it and the way you describe it is exactly what it did.

 

[jpohlman]

It actually does that in any Ford that has the dial.
First time I ever saw it was when the dealer service driver had picked me up from the office in a Fusion SSV so I could pick up my car.
Let me tell you, the console/dash area of a Fusion SSV looks nothing a regular Fusion.
You can see it here: Used 2020 Ford Special Service Plug-In Hybrid For Sale at Morrow Brothers Ford Inc | VIN: 3FA6P0WU3LR100023

 

[jetlifeallstar]

I saw that a post was made in this forum about the same issue a few months ago but it doesn't seem like there was any solutions to it. My girlfriend bought a 2020 Ford Escape Hybrid Titanium AWD in January 2021. The car has been great and we have had absolutely no issues until about a month ago. Car was sitting parked outside and she went to run a quick errand and the car would not shift out of park. Did everything that we would normally do (seat belts on, foot on break, doors close, car is on), but we could not shift it out of park. Everything on the dash looked normal except the external temperature reading said it was 108 outside when it couldn't have been more than 95. We ended up taking my car and after the sun went down, the car shifted out of park no problem. We then had this issue again about 2 weeks ago except this time she was at work and was stuck there for over an hour. We scheduled an appointment with our local ford dealer for service and they are unable to replicate the issue nor do they have any idea of what is going on. I don't have much detailed car knowledge but to me it seems like something is blocking the car from going into drive when the temperatures are high. Not sure if the sensor needs to be replaced for that or if the solenoid for the transmission lock needs to be replaced. We could always get the car back without them fixing anything but I am worried with fall basically here in the Mid-Atlantic area, we will not be able to replicate this until next year and even if we replicate it, it is not guaranteed that by the time a tow-truck got here and towed it to the service dealer, the issue would still exist.

Has anyone else experienced this issue and had it fixed?
Does anyone have any recommendations on what we should do?

 

[Gryffindor101]

I saw that a post was made in this forum about the same issue a few months ago but it doesn't seem like there was any solutions to it. My girlfriend bought a 2020 Ford Escape Hybrid Titanium AWD in January 2021. The car has been great and we have had absolutely no issues until about a month ago. Car was sitting parked outside and she went to run a quick errand and the car would not shift out of park. Did everything that we would normally do (seat belts on, foot on break, doors close, car is on), but we could not shift it out of park. Everything on the dash looked normal except the external temperature reading said it was 108 outside when it couldn't have been more than 95. We ended up taking my car and after the sun went down, the car shifted out of park no problem. We then had this issue again about 2 weeks ago except this time she was at work and was stuck there for over an hour. We scheduled an appointment with our local ford dealer for service and they are unable to replicate the issue nor do they have any idea of what is going on. I don't have much detailed car knowledge but to me it seems like something is blocking the car from going into drive when the temperatures are high. Not sure if the sensor needs to be replaced for that or if the solenoid for the transmission lock needs to be replaced. We could always get the car back without them fixing anything but I am worried with fall basically here in the Mid-Atlantic area, we will not be able to replicate this until next year and even if we replicate it, it is not guaranteed that by the time a tow-truck got here and towed it to the service dealer, the issue would still exist.

Has anyone else experienced this issue and had it fixed?
Does anyone have any recommendations on what we should do?

I merged your thread with the existing thread on the same topic

 

[slyda007]

I saw that a post was made in this forum about the same issue a few months ago but it doesn't seem like there was any solutions to it. My girlfriend bought a 2020 Ford Escape Hybrid Titanium AWD in January 2021. The car has been great and we have had absolutely no issues until about a month ago. Car was sitting parked outside and she went to run a quick errand and the car would not shift out of park. Did everything that we would normally do (seat belts on, foot on break, doors close, car is on), but we could not shift it out of park. Everything on the dash looked normal except the external temperature reading said it was 108 outside when it couldn't have been more than 95. We ended up taking my car and after the sun went down, the car shifted out of park no problem. We then had this issue again about 2 weeks ago except this time she was at work and was stuck there for over an hour. We scheduled an appointment with our local ford dealer for service and they are unable to replicate the issue nor do they have any idea of what is going on. I don't have much detailed car knowledge but to me it seems like something is blocking the car from going into drive when the temperatures are high. Not sure if the sensor needs to be replaced for that or if the solenoid for the transmission lock needs to be replaced. We could always get the car back without them fixing anything but I am worried with fall basically here in the Mid-Atlantic area, we will not be able to replicate this until next year and even if we replicate it, it is not guaranteed that by the time a tow-truck got here and towed it to the service dealer, the issue would still exist.

Has anyone else experienced this issue and had it fixed?
Does anyone have any recommendations on what we should do?

Was researching about this issue which happened for the first time to me. Except it's not the heat. About 60deg right now in Boston. Dial wouldn't turn to Drive. It was just stuck. I did notice the check engine light come on. After a few minutes of turning on and off, stepping on the brake while turning on and putting into Drive, it finally worked. No clue what worked, but I did the same routine several times. A little frustrating. Hopefully it's just as simple as a software update... which reminds me.... I was in the middle of a software update the night before and turned off the car before it completed. I wonder if that's it?

 

[wiz043]

Was researching about this issue which happened for the first time to me. Except it's not the heat. About 60deg right now in Boston. Dial wouldn't turn to Drive. It was just stuck. I did notice the check engine light come on. After a few minutes of turning on and off, stepping on the brake while turning on and putting into Drive, it finally worked. No clue what worked, but I did the same routine several times. A little frustrating. Hopefully it's just as simple as a software update... which reminds me.... I was in the middle of a software update the night before and turned off the car before it completed. I wonder if that's it?

You have not given any details regarding your Escape...year, model etc.
In any case I am assuming you are talking about sync software updates as these only update the media system and have nothing to do with transmission or other issues.
If you turned off the car before a sync update completed you will have to start again if you were using USB. If auto wifi it should pick up where it left off if you restart the car and are in range of your wifi.

 

[SpiderMonkey]

I saw that a post was made in this forum about the same issue a few months ago but it doesn't seem like there was any solutions to it. My girlfriend bought a 2020 Ford Escape Hybrid Titanium AWD in January 2021. The car has been great and we have had absolutely no issues until about a month ago. Car was sitting parked outside and she went to run a quick errand and the car would not shift out of park. Did everything that we would normally do (seat belts on, foot on break, doors close, car is on), but we could not shift it out of park. Everything on the dash looked normal except the external temperature reading said it was 108 outside when it couldn't have been more than 95. We ended up taking my car and after the sun went down, the car shifted out of park no problem. We then had this issue again about 2 weeks ago except this time she was at work and was stuck there for over an hour. We scheduled an appointment with our local ford dealer for service and they are unable to replicate the issue nor do they have any idea of what is going on. I don't have much detailed car knowledge but to me it seems like something is blocking the car from going into drive when the temperatures are high. Not sure if the sensor needs to be replaced for that or if the solenoid for the transmission lock needs to be replaced. We could always get the car back without them fixing anything but I am worried with fall basically here in the Mid-Atlantic area, we will not be able to replicate this until next year and even if we replicate it, it is not guaranteed that by the time a tow-truck got here and towed it to the service dealer, the issue would still exist.

Has anyone else experienced this issue and had it fixed?
Does anyone have any recommendations on what we should do?

Sounds like you and I have the exact same issue.
I haven’t had any trouble with it since my last post but then again it’s not the heat season right now either.
So far from what the dealership has told me, there have been zero other complaints on this issue and I’m the only one. I was under the impression that they were looking at the national database but am now thinking that they were only looking at local.
This is probably the only thing that bothers me because it’s random and doesn’t happen every time the temperature reaches a certain number.

 

[BethanyBenson]

I had an interesting situation this afternoon.
Yesterday, my wife used my 2020 Titanium Hybrid while hers was in the shop getting a little maintenance performed.
She drove home from work, backed into the driveway and parked the car as usual. Earlier this evening, her car was ready at the dealer so we stepped out and got into my 2020, started the car, put seatbelts on, released the parking brake and went to turn the gear shift selector knob and it wouldn’t move at all, it’s like the shifter knob was stuck.
I tried shutting off the car and restarting, no joy. I tried reapplying the parking brake and releasing it again and again no joy. I tried shutting the car off and setting the parking brake, exiting the vehicle and locking the door, waiting a couple minutes and then re-entering the car again then starting it again, releasing the parking brake again and then turning the shifter knob, still no joy!

After messing with it for a bit my wife gave it a try with the same results until she decided to roll down the window to ask me something and then she said it felt like the brake pedal moved slightly and she was able to shift into gear. After that, it worked fine.

When we arrived at the dealer to pick up her car, I asked about what happened and was told that I need to keep an eye on it and if it does it again, I need to bring it in for service, was also told it could possibly be the brake switch or another sensor, he called it out but I can’t remember what sensor.

I tried to research on this site for anything about this and couldn’t find anything that would describe what I experienced.
My question is, has anyone else experienced this and is this something that I should be worried about?

I guess I’ll know in the morning if this was a fluke.

This happened to our 2020 escape in August a month after purchase. It was a very hot day. Fast forward today same thing happened first warm 85 degree day and my husband could not get it to turn finally after an hour and half it randomly worked. I thought it has to do with the ford app. And the Bluetooth. We still don’t know the answer my husband talked to the dealer and he thinks it’s a brake sensor. The first time it happened I went down the road with my phone with a friend to get the spare key thinking that might work and when we left my other friend tried the car and the dial turned.

 

[Kathy Henn]

I had an interesting situation this afternoon.
Yesterday, my wife used my 2020 Titanium Hybrid while hers was in the shop getting a little maintenance performed.
She drove home from work, backed into the driveway and parked the car as usual. Earlier this evening, her car was ready at the dealer so we stepped out and got into my 2020, started the car, put seatbelts on, released the parking brake and went to turn the gear shift selector knob and it wouldn’t move at all, it’s like the shifter knob was stuck.
I tried shutting off the car and restarting, no joy. I tried reapplying the parking brake and releasing it again and again no joy. I tried shutting the car off and setting the parking brake, exiting the vehicle and locking the door, waiting a couple minutes and then re-entering the car again then starting it again, releasing the parking brake again and then turning the shifter knob, still no joy!

After messing with it for a bit my wife gave it a try with the same results until she decided to roll down the window to ask me something and then she said it felt like the brake pedal moved slightly and she was able to shift into gear. After that, it worked fine.

When we arrived at the dealer to pick up her car, I asked about what happened and was told that I need to keep an eye on it and if it does it again, I need to bring it in for service, was also told it could possibly be the brake switch or another sensor, he called it out but I can’t remember what sensor.

I tried to research on this site for anything about this and couldn’t find anything that would describe what I experienced.
My question is, has anyone else experienced this and is this something that I should be worried about?

I guess I’ll know in the morning if this was a fluke.

My daughter is having this exact same issue, only when the outside temp is high and the car is sitting all day at work, Ford dealer acknowlwdged it was a heat issue but Ford had told them there was no fix for this problem. Has your issue been resolved? Her car is also a 2020 Titanium

 

[ALJ]

I guess I spoke too soon, when leaving work it was locked again. This time I gently turned it back and forth a couple times and it allowed me to select the gear.
Now, I’m not sure if it’s the knob or the brake switch. Another thing I’m wondering is if it’s associated with the heat, sounds a little out there and reaching but, yesterday when it happened and today when it happened, both times was in the afternoon after the car had been sitting in the heat all day where the temp was 98-99 degrees. This is the first spring/summer since buying the car and yesterday was the first day we have reached this temperature in this area this year. I know it sounds like a stretch but you never know.

I have had the same issue 3 times this week. Temptress was in the high 80's - 90's. It happened once before, and putting the window down and waiting while fiddling with the knob got it free. I have a 2020 Ford Escape. I had to turn the AC up to max and dam the air over the shifter knob. In about 15-20 minutes I was able to shift. Called the dealership service dept, they had no recommendations or suggestions. I have a service apt. on June 1, but I don't think they'll find anything.

 

[Natasha M]

I have had the same issue 3 times this week. Temptress was in the high 80's - 90's. It happened once before, and putting the window down and waiting while fiddling with the knob got it free. I have a 2020 Ford Escape. I had to turn the AC up to max and dam the air over the shifter knob. In about 15-20 minutes I was able to shift. Called the dealership service dept, they had no recommendations or suggestions. I have a service apt. on June 1, but I don't think they'll find anything.

This same issue has happened to me three times in the last month. I have a 2020 ford Escape. Roadside assistance and the Dealer were of little to no help. All three times my car was sitting in the sun and it was over 95 degrees outside. The car started after about 30-45 minutes each time. I've also experienced issues with the console display screen when it's extremely hot outside. This is beyond frustrating, I've been stuck in the parking lot at work twice and missed an important appointment. The summer has only just started! I know Ford has to know something about this yet they are not addressing it!

 

[Gryffindor101]

This same issue has happened to me three times in the last month. I have a 2020 ford Escape. Roadside assistance and the Dealer were of little to no help. All three times my car was sitting in the sun and it was over 95 degrees outside. The car started after about 30-45 minutes each time. I've also experienced issues with the console display screen when it's extremely hot outside. This is beyond frustrating, I've been stuck in the parking lot at work twice and missed an important appointment. The summer has only just started! I know Ford has to know something about this yet they are not addressing it!

Have you tried another dealer?

 

[giraffelove93]

The same thing happened to me yesterday. I called the dealership told them my issue, they said they never heard of it and that I needed to bring it in. Towed it to the dealership for $160, they started to look at it and it shifted fine. The gear shift module didn't even register a malfunction. Looks like this is going to start being a bigger issue and hopefully Ford has a fix. I had to miss over a hour of work yesterday.