2018 Ford Escape Liftgate acting up, anyone else?

[BeetleJuiced]

Lately, it's been misbehaving, sometimes only opening halfway or not closing unless I force it, I decided to clean sensors, check for obstructions, even did a battery reset, yet no luck. is there anyone else with a 2017–2019 escape come across something similar? , dunno what to do next, or is there even anything to be done

 

[WrongGuy]

@BeetleJuiced My gf's car had the same problem before. it turned out that the car had a hydraulic issue. maybe try to check the hydraulic fluid level

 

[Escaped]

Lately, it's been misbehaving, sometimes only opening halfway or not closing unless I force it, I decided to clean sensors, check for obstructions, even did a battery reset, yet no luck. is there anyone else with a 2017–2019 escape come across something similar? , dunno what to do next, or is there even anything to be done

You're definitely not the only one, many owners of 2017–2019 Ford Escapes have run into similar liftgate problems, such as it only opening halfway or not closing unless you push it. Usually, it's the latch actuator that's causing the trouble. Ford's TSB 19-2056 recommends adjusting the striker or the liftgate margins

It might be worth checking the actuator, as it could be to blame. If you're willing to tackle it, replacing it should do the trick, or you could always have a pro take a look

 

[Skully]

I got mine that didn't really latch coz one side was a bit further than the other causing it to stop working properly. Brought to the dealer they fixed it, problem solved.

 

[perfect paper]

Yeah, just bring it to the dealer so they can take a look.

 

[LobsterRolls]

@BeetleJuiced My gf's car had the same problem before. it turned out that the car had a hydraulic issue. maybe try to check the hydraulic fluid level

yeah, seems like this is a common problem for Escape. my 2020 Escape did something similar! It would open sometimes, then stop, or just refuse to close properly
cleaning sensors and resetting usually doesn't fix it if the core issue is the latch adjustment or a failing power liftgate motor/strut