The 2020 Ford Escape was actually able to pull up to 3,500 pounds, depending on the model that you had and to my surprise, these vehicles even had a tow package that was available. In this article, I wanted to dive into what was included in these tow packages.
I do want to mention that there wasn't a whole lot included in one of these packages, but there was just enough to get a 3,500 lb rating out of these smaller SUVs. Let's dive into what I found out!
What Is Included with the 2020 Escape Trailer Tow Package?
The 2020 Ford Escape had four different components that were included in their tow packages which was a trailer wiring harness (4 pin), a hitch receiver, an auxiliary automatic transmission oil cooler and a trailer sway control feature that was integrated into the vehicle. This was the same tow package that the 2021 and 2022 models had, along with the 2019 models as well.
I do want to point out that there was a note that I found at the top of the chart that was listed with a number three and I went ahead and included what that note applied to. The tow package for the 2020 Escapes was included for models that had the 2.0 L EcoBoost engine equipped only.
3. Included with 2.0L EcoBoost I4 only.
Trailer Wiring Harness (4 pin): The 4 pin trailer wiring harness will be mounted on your hitch or somewhere around your hitch on the vehicle and is essentially a connector that has four pins, which looks like the connection that is shown in the image and its function is to connect your vehicle's lights to your trailer's lights.
Essentially, all of your turn signals, brake lights, running lights and hazard lights would be synchronized and transferred over so your trailer would have those indicator lights as well.
Hitch Receiver: The hitch receiver is the main component in the tow package and what all of the other components are based around because it is the main piece of hardware that gets bolted to your vehicle and allows you an extension point to be able to pull additional weight behind your vehicle. I have an image of what a hitch receiver would look like when it's mounted on the vehicle and as you can see it is quite visible, but some hitch receivers have a more discreet appearance and you can hardly even notice them.
Your Hitch Class: Another important thing to keep in mind is what class your hitch receiver is rated at and this is basically just a maximum weight limit that is associated with each class.
For instance, there are class 1 hitches, class two hitches, class 3 hitches, class for hitches, class 5 hitches and even more options after that for heavier weights. The higher the class number for the hitch, the more weight it can handle.
The Hitch Receiver Dimensions: Another important detail about the hitch receiver itself that most people don't consider is the interior dimensions of the tubing itself. Nowadays, most hitch receivers will use a 2" interior dimension, but class 1 and Class 2 hitches will typically use a smaller interior dimension.
The 2020 Escape had a Class 2 hitch that used a 1-1/4" interior tubing size, so you will need to remember that when ordering accessories for your hitch receiver.
Automatic Transmission Oil Cooler: If you happen to have a model that had an automatic transmission installed and you had the available tow package, then you would have had an auxiliary transmission cooler mounted towards the front of the vehicle, close to the radiator.
These oil coolers are, in fact, just like your vehicle's radiator and helps to cool down the hot oil that runs inside of them when colder are runs across the fins of the transmission cooler. Oftentimes, you can visually check to see if you have one of these mounted on your vehicle, as they are mounted in front of the radiator and the AC condenser and will look similar to one of the two images I have shown below.
On To The Trailer Sway Control Feature: The trailer sway control feature was actually a feature on the vehicle itself, not actually an accessory like all of the other components were. The trailer sway control feature will help to reduce trailer sway if it is detected, which is what it does automatically and will try to reduce this by applying the brakes to individual wheels, along with reducing the torque output of the engine at the same time.
This is an automatic feature that the vehicle controls and it is important to note that it will help reduce trailer sway, but it will not eliminate it if improper driving techniques are being used, causing excessive trailer sway.
The Different Resources I Used for This Article
The two main resources I used when gathering the information for this particular article came from the owner's manual and from the 2020 towing guide that Ford publishes online. The towing guide was actually the more helpful resource out of the two because it contained the actual chart that I found that lists all of the components that were featured in the towing packages for the 2020 Ford Escapes.
The owner's manual was also a helpful resource and really came in handy when I needed to check some of the other technical information that the guide did not mention.