The 2020 Ford Escape marked the beginning of a new generation for this popular compact SUV, bringing with it a fresh design and updated safety features. For prospective buyers and current owners alike, understanding the safety performance of the 2020 Escape is crucial. This comprehensive guide delves into the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) ratings for the 2020 Ford Escape, providing a detailed analysis of its crashworthiness and safety technologies.
Driver-Side Small Overlap Front Crash Test: Excellent Protection
The small overlap front crash test simulates what happens when the front corner of a vehicle collides with another vehicle or a fixed object like a tree or pole. In the driver-side small overlap test, the 2020 Ford Escape achieved a “Good” rating, the highest possible.
This “Good” rating signifies excellent performance in all aspects of this challenging test. Key findings include:
- Structure and Safety Cage: Rated “Good,” indicating that the structural integrity of the Escape held up well, maintaining the occupant compartment.
- Driver Injury Measures: All injury measures for the head/neck, chest, hip/thigh, and lower leg/foot were rated “Good,” demonstrating a low risk of significant injuries in a real-world crash of this type.
- Driver Restraints and Dummy Kinematics: Also rated “Good,” this shows that the seatbelts and airbags worked effectively to control the dummy’s movement during the crash, minimizing potential injuries.
Technical measurements further support the “Good” rating. Intrusion into the occupant compartment was minimal, with maximum intrusion at the lower hinge pillar at just 2 cm. Crucially, measurements for driver injury risk were very low:
- Head Injury Criterion (HIC-15): A very low score of 80, indicating minimal head injury risk.
- Neck Tension: Just 1.0 kN, also indicating low neck injury risk.
- Chest Compression: A maximum of 24 mm, showing good chest protection.
- Femur and Tibia Forces: Extremely low forces on the femur and tibia, highlighting minimal risk of leg and foot injuries.
Passenger-Side Small Overlap Front Crash Test: Good Overall, Acceptable Structure
The passenger-side small overlap test is equally important for overall occupant safety. The 2020 Ford Escape earned an “Acceptable” rating for structure in this test, leading to an overall “Good” rating for passenger-side small overlap performance.
While most injury measures remained “Good” for the passenger, the “Acceptable” structure rating indicates a slightly higher degree of intrusion on the passenger side compared to the driver side. Key takeaways:
- Overall Evaluation: “Good,” meaning the Escape still provides strong protection for passengers in this type of crash.
- Structure and Safety Cage: Rated “Acceptable,” suggesting some areas for potential improvement in structural design on the passenger side.
- Passenger Injury Measures: All measures for head/neck, chest, hip/thigh, and lower leg/foot were rated “Good,” similar to the driver side, indicating good occupant protection.
- Driver Injury Measures: Interestingly, driver injury measures are also assessed in the passenger-side test and were also rated “Good,” reinforcing the overall robustness of the vehicle’s frontal crash protection.
Technical measurements reveal more intrusion on the passenger side compared to the driver side small overlap test:
- Lower Hinge Pillar Intrusion: 7 cm on the passenger side versus 2 cm on the driver side.
- Footrest Intrusion: 4 cm compared to 2 cm.
- Right Toepan Intrusion: 8 cm.
- Upper Hinge Pillar Intrusion: 9 cm.
Despite the greater intrusion, passenger injury measures remained low, demonstrating effective occupant protection systems.
Moderate Overlap Front Crash Test: Top Marks for Frontal Impact
In the moderate overlap front crash test, which simulates a head-on collision between two vehicles of similar weight, the 2020 Ford Escape again achieved a “Good” rating across the board. This test represents a significant portion of real-world frontal crashes.
- Overall Evaluation: “Good,” demonstrating excellent performance in a moderate frontal collision.
- Structure and Safety Cage: Rated “Good,” indicating robust structural performance in this more widespread frontal impact scenario.
- Driver Injury Measures: All injury measures for head/neck, chest, and leg/foot (both left and right) were rated “Good,” confirming excellent protection for the driver in a moderate frontal crash.
- Driver Restraints and Dummy Kinematics: Rated “Good,” showing the restraint systems functioned effectively in this type of collision.
Technical measurements confirm the “Good” ratings:
- Footwell Intrusion: While some intrusion was measured in the footwell (up to 7 cm at the brake pedal), it was well-controlled.
- Instrument Panel and Steering Column Movement: Minimal rearward or upward movement of the instrument panel and steering column, contributing to good occupant space maintenance.
- Head Injury Criterion (HIC-15): A low score of 276.
- Neck Tension: 0.8 kN.
- Chest Compression: 25 mm.
- Femur and Tibia Forces: Low forces recorded, indicating minimal leg injury risk.
Side Crash Tests: Mixed Results in Updated Evaluation
The 2020 Ford Escape underwent two types of side crash tests: the original side test and the updated side test.
Original Side Crash Test: “Good” Rating
In the original side crash test, the 2020 Ford Escape earned a “Good” rating. This test represents a traditional side impact scenario.
- Overall Evaluation: “Good,” indicating strong performance in the original side impact test.
- Structure and Safety Cage: Rated “Good,” showing the side structure effectively resisted intrusion.
- Driver and Rear Passenger Injury Measures: All injury measures for head/neck, torso, and pelvis/leg for both the driver and rear passenger were rated “Good,” demonstrating excellent protection in a side impact.
- Driver and Rear Passenger Head Protection: Also rated “Good,” confirming effective head protection from side airbags.
Intrusion measurements were well-controlled, with the B-pillar intruding -22.5 cm relative to the driver’s seat centerline, meaning the crush stopped well short of the occupant space. Injury measures for both front and rear occupants were low across the board.
Updated Side Crash Test: “Marginal” Overall Rating
The IIHS updated its side crash test to be more challenging, reflecting more severe real-world side impact scenarios involving larger SUVs and trucks. In this updated test, the 2020 Ford Escape received an overall “Marginal” rating.
While the structure and safety cage were rated “Acceptable,” and injury measures for head/neck, torso, and pelvis were mostly “Good” or “Marginal,” the critical area of driver head protection was rated “Marginal.”
- Overall Evaluation: “Marginal,” reflecting weaknesses in driver head protection in the more demanding updated side impact.
- Structure and Safety Cage: “Acceptable,” indicating reasonable structural performance.
- Driver Injury Measures: Head/neck rated “Good,” torso and pelvis rated “Marginal,” indicating some increased risk in these areas compared to the original test.
- Driver Head Protection: “Marginal,” due to the dummy’s head sliding past the side curtain airbag and hitting the window sill. The IIHS noted that a slightly different crash scenario could have resulted in a direct head impact with the barrier.
- Rear Passenger Injury Measures: Remained strong, with head/neck and rear passenger head protection rated “Good,” and torso and pelvis rated “Acceptable.”
Technical measurements in the updated side test showed greater intrusion (B-pillar intrusion of -17.0 cm) and higher injury measures for the driver compared to the original test. The key concern remains the marginal head protection for the driver in this more severe side impact scenario.
Roof Strength Test: Solid Roof Crush Resistance
The roof strength test evaluates a vehicle’s ability to withstand rollover crashes. The 2020 Ford Escape earned a “Good” rating in this test.
- Overall Evaluation: “Good,” demonstrating strong roof crush resistance.
- Strength-to-Weight Ratio: A ratio of 5.66, significantly exceeding the IIHS requirement, indicating the roof can withstand over 5 times the vehicle’s weight before significant crush.
This “Good” rating provides assurance that the 2020 Ford Escape offers robust protection in rollover accidents.
Head Restraints & Seats: “Good” for Whiplash Protection
Whiplash is a common injury in rear-end collisions. The IIHS evaluates head restraints and seats to assess their effectiveness in preventing whiplash. The 2020 Ford Escape’s power cloth seats received a “Good” rating for whiplash protection.
- Overall Evaluation: “Good,” indicating effective whiplash protection in rear impacts.
- Dynamic Rating: “Good,” based on simulated crash testing.
- Seat/Head Restraint Geometry: “Good,” indicating proper head restraint positioning.
Measurements confirmed good head restraint geometry and low neck forces during simulated rear impacts, contributing to the “Good” rating.
Headlights: Varied Performance Depending on Trim
Headlight performance is critical for nighttime driving safety. The IIHS tests headlights and rates them based on visibility and glare. The 2020 Ford Escape offers two different headlight systems, with varying ratings:
Titanium Trim Headlights: “Acceptable” Rating
The LED reflector headlights available on the Titanium trim received an “Acceptable” rating.
- Overall Rating: “Acceptable,” indicating adequate but not ideal headlight performance.
- Low Beams: Rated as providing good visibility on straightaways but only fair visibility on curves. Some glare was noted.
- High Beams: Rated as providing good visibility on straightaways and fair visibility on curves. High-beam assist helps compensate for low beam limitations on curves.
S, SE, SE Sport Hybrid, and SEL Trim Headlights: “Marginal” Rating
The Halogen projector headlights standard on S, SE, SE Sport Hybrid, and SEL trims received a “Marginal” rating.
- Overall Rating: “Marginal,” indicating less than ideal headlight performance.
- Low Beams: Rated as providing inadequate visibility on both straightaways and curves. No glare issues.
- High Beams: Rated as providing good visibility on straightaways but only fair to inadequate visibility on curves. High-beam assist helps compensate for low beam limitations.
The “Marginal” rating for the standard headlights suggests that upgrading to the Titanium trim’s “Acceptable” rated LED headlights could be a worthwhile consideration for enhanced nighttime driving safety.
Front Crash Prevention: Vehicle-to-Vehicle & Pedestrian – “Superior” & “Advanced”
The 2020 Ford Escape offers two different front crash prevention systems: standard and optional. Both systems performed well in IIHS testing.
Standard Pre-Collision Assist with Automatic Emergency Braking: “Superior” Rating (Vehicle-to-Vehicle & Pedestrian)
The standard system earned “Superior” ratings for both vehicle-to-vehicle and pedestrian front crash prevention.
- Vehicle-to-Vehicle: Avoided collisions in both 12 mph and 25 mph tests.
- Pedestrian (Day):
- Crossing Child: Avoided collisions at 12 mph and significantly reduced speed at 25 mph.
- Crossing Adult: Avoided collisions at both 12 mph and 25 mph.
- Parallel Adult: Avoided collision at 25 mph and significantly reduced speed at 37 mph with a timely warning.
Optional Pre-Collision Assist with Automatic Emergency Braking (Ford Co-Pilot360™ Assist): “Superior” & “Advanced” Ratings
The optional system, part of the Ford Co-Pilot360™ Assist package, also earned a “Superior” rating for vehicle-to-vehicle crash prevention, but an “Advanced” rating for pedestrian front crash prevention.
- Vehicle-to-Vehicle: Avoided collisions in both 12 mph and 25 mph tests, same as the standard system.
- Pedestrian (Day): “Advanced” rating, with slightly less speed reduction in some pedestrian scenarios compared to the standard system.
- Crossing Child: Avoided collision at 12 mph, reduced speed at 25 mph.
- Crossing Adult: Avoided collisions at both 12 mph and 25 mph.
- Parallel Adult: Avoided collision at 25 mph, reduced speed at 37 mph with a timely warning.
Both systems offer excellent front crash prevention capabilities, with the standard system demonstrating slightly better pedestrian detection performance in IIHS testing.
Child Seat Anchors (LATCH): “Good +” for Ease of Use
The IIHS evaluates the ease of use of LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for CHildren) systems for installing child safety seats. The 2020 Ford Escape received a “Good +” rating, the highest possible, for its LATCH system.
- Overall Evaluation: “Good + Extra LATCH positions,” indicating a very user-friendly LATCH system.
- Number of LATCH Positions: Two rear seating positions with complete LATCH hardware, plus an additional position with a tether anchor and the ability to borrow lower anchors.
- Ease of Use: All LATCH positions were rated as easy to access and use.
This “Good +” rating signifies that installing child safety seats in the 2020 Ford Escape is straightforward and convenient.
Conclusion: 2020 Ford Escape – A Safe Choice, with Areas for Consideration
The 2020 Ford Escape performs strongly in most IIHS crash tests, achieving “Good” ratings in key areas like small overlap front (driver-side), moderate overlap front, roof strength, and head restraints & seats. It also boasts “Superior” front crash prevention ratings.
However, the “Marginal” rating in the updated side crash test, specifically concerning driver head protection, is an area of concern. Additionally, the “Marginal” headlight rating for lower trims suggests considering the Titanium trim for better headlight performance.
Overall, the 2020 Ford Escape is a safe vehicle, particularly in frontal and rollover crashes, and offers excellent crash prevention technology. Prospective buyers should be aware of the “Marginal” updated side crash test rating and headlight performance variations when making their purchase decision.
