Jason Turner and his 2023 Ford Escape plug-in hybrid SUV, which can't be plugged in after a recall.Supplied
Jason Turner was thrilled when he bought his first hybrid vehicle last year – a new 2023 Ford Escape SUV. He figured Ford was the way to go after driving a 2009 Ford Ranger for nearly 15 years.
Wanting to reduce his carbon footprint and save money on gas, he paid a premium for the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), nearly $40,000, approximately $10,000 more than the gas-powered Escape. But after only nine months, Ford issued a safety recall on the battery and advised owners not to plug it in to charge. The recall affects 2020 to 2023 Ford Escape PHEVs equipped with a 2.5-litre engine, including 8,825 vehicles in Canada and 20,484 in the U.S.
Since the recall was issued on Dec. 20, 2024, Turner hasn’t been able to drive his higher-cost PHEV on electric power alone.
“I’m mad, obviously, because I can’t use my plug-in vehicle as intended. I would have saved several thousands of dollars going for a gas-powered or regular hybrid vehicle and would not have to worry about this malfunction,” said Turner, 39, of Kelowna. B.C.
The even bigger issue for him is safety. While Ford has told Turner his vehicle is safe to drive, Transport Canada cites risks.
According to the website, the problem is inside the high-voltage battery, which could cause a short circuit. If this happens, there could be a loss of power to the wheels. Or the high-voltage battery could overheat, which could create a fire risk, even when the vehicle is parked. The remedy is a battery energy control module software update, which should be available in the coming weeks. In the meantime, Ford advises drivers not to charge the vehicle until the repairs have been completed. While there are no known injuries or accidents, there are four reports of thermal venting incidents in Europe from this vehicle. None in Canada or the U.S., to date.
Still, Turner is concerned.
“I’m just really frustrated because it doesn’t make sense. We should not be driving vehicles that we know have a malfunction,” he said. “Would you get on an airplane if you were told that there was a malfunction with the plane that would increase the risk of crash or catching fire?”
Battery thermal venting occurs when a battery becomes excessively hot or damaged, which causes internal pressure to build to dangerous levels. To prevent an explosion, many batteries have a small built-in vent to release gas and heat in a controlled way, according to Olivier Trescases, an energy systems professor at the University of Toronto and the director at the school’s Electric Vehicle Research Centre.
“This process is similar to how a pressure cooker uses a release valve to let out steam when the pressure gets too high,” he explained. “During venting, the battery may release hot gases, chemical vapours and, in some cases, smoke or even flames – especially if the situation escalates into what’s known as thermal runaway.”
While venting is a safety mechanism meant to reduce the risk of an explosion, it also indicates a serious failure, such as overheating, a short circuit, mechanical damage or overcharging in the battery. Because PHEVs use much smaller battery packs than full battery electric vehicles (BEVs), they store less energy, which Trescases said could reduce the potential severity of thermal events,
Still, he said any safety recall involving high-voltage batteries should be taken seriously by vehicle owners.
“It’s important to understand that this type of recall is not uncommon in the evolving electric vehicle landscape,” Trescases said.
Last year, Toyota had a similar recall with a faulty component in the battery that affected 2021 to 2022 Toyota RAV4 Prime and 2022 Lexus NX450h+ plug-in hybrids. Owners were also advised not to plug in their vehicles because of an increase in the risk of fire.
Battery fires in EVs occur far less than in vehicles with internal combustion engines. In the Toronto area, for example, there were five EV fires in 2024, compared to 277 in internal combustion vehicles, according to Toronto Fire Services.
“Part of the fact is there’s a larger percentage of internal combustion engines as opposed to EVs on the road,” said Peter Rappos, operations platoon chief (Car 10) at Toronto Fire Services. “And most of the EVs are still fairly new – nobody is driving around a 20-year-old EV on the road that hasn’t been properly maintained.”
For now, the biggest concern Toronto Fire Services has with lithium-ion batteries is in micromobility vehicles such as e-bikes because there is no regulation on the battery construction and owners often modify batteries so they can go faster, which could damage them and make them more at risk of catching fire.
Rappos said there are warning smells and visual cues when battery thermal venting occurs including reports of a sweet cherry smell and white smoke.
“When EVs do start to go into thermal runaway before they ignite, they start to off-gas and there is what appears to be white smoke – we don’t classify it as white smoke because it is a vapour cloud that can be toxic so we recommend everybody to be outside of the vapour cloud and out of the danger zone,” he said. “And then call 911.”
Given the risks with high-voltage batteries, U of T’s Trescases believes the Ford recall should be taken seriously. He strongly advises owners follow the manufacturer’s recommendations carefully.
“This is certainly not the first – and won’t be the last – recall of this nature,” Trescases said. “Issuing a recall – even for a small number of potentially defective battery cells – is part of a robust safety protocol. These actions should reinforce, rather than undermine, confidence in the safety and reliability of EV technology.”
Since Turner received his two recall notices in the mail in January and February, he has reached out to Ford Canada’s head office, Ford customer service and his local Ford dealer and territory manager, but the response is always the same, to wait and see what happens when the remedy is available.
“I know things happen, but in my opinion, this isn’t my interior lights or my volume knob on my radio that is not working. There’s the battery, engine and brakes – the three top things in my vehicle that make it safe and work. And one of those is a known issue,” Turner said.
“The software remedy should be available super quick,” said Maria Buczkowski, manager of quality communications at Ford Motor Co. She later followed up with a written statement which said, “Ford has reviewed the matter and concluded that continuing to drive these vehicles until a remedy is provided is safe. We’ve been in contact with this customer [Jason Turner] about their concerns. The team is working hard to provide a software remedy by Q2 2025.”
That’s cold comfort for Turner, who said it’s unlikely he will buy another Ford vehicle.
“The experience has soured me,” he said.