2016 Ford Escape
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Power train is the leading concern among 1,124 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 11th highest complaint count among 26 Escape model years with reports.
Of the 2016 reports, 36 involved a crash and 10 involved a fire. 19 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Equipment, electrical, engine block heaterJan 15, 2026
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2018 Focus, 2013-2019 Escape, and 2015-2016 MKC vehicles equipped with a 2.0L engine. The engine block heater may crack and develop a coolant leak, causing it to short circuit when the block heater is plugged in.
An electrical short circuit can increase the risk of a fire.
Owners are advised not to plug in their block heater until the vehicle is remedied. Dealers will replace the block heater, free of charge. Owners will also have a alternative option to replace engine block heater element with a threaded plug, and remove the block heater electrical cord. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed March 6, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S01. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on January 16, 2026.
Campaign 26V011000 on NHTSA.gov
Back over prevention, sensing system, cameraOct 13, 2025
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2019 Flex, 2015 Explorer, Lincoln MKT, Lincoln MKZ, 2015-2016 C-Max, Escape, Taurus, 2016 Fusion, 2018-2019 Taurus, 2019 Lincoln MKT, Fiesta, and 2020 Mustang vehicles. The rearview camera may display a distorted, intermittent, or blank image when the vehicle is in reverse.
A rearview camera that fails to properly display an image can reduce the driver’s view behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Dealers will inspect and replace the rearview camera as necessary, free of charge. This will be a phased campaign, with the remedy becoming available in different phases based on model and model years. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on October 25, 2025. Additional letters will be mailed once the final remedy is available on each phase. Mustang owner notification letters were mailed January 2, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25SA9. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on October 14, 2025.
Campaign 25V695000 on NHTSA.gov
Power train, automatic transmission, gear position indication (prndl)Jun 10, 2022
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2019 Escape, 2013-2018 C-Max, 2013-2016 Fusion, 2013-2021 Transit Connect, and 2015-2018 Edge vehicles. The bushing that attaches the shifter cable to the transmission may degrade or detach.
A damaged or missing bushing may prevent the vehicle from shifting into the intended gear, and cause the vehicle to move in an unexpected direction. Additionally, the vehicle may roll after the driver selects the 'Park' position. Either scenario increases the risk of a crash or injury.
Dealers will replace the under hood shift bushing and add a protective cap over the shift cable bushing, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters, informing owners of the safety risk, were mailed July 1, 2022. Remedy parts are expected to be available in 4th Quarter 2022. Owner notification letters were mailed October 27, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S43.
Campaign 22V413000 on NHTSA.gov
Air bags, knee bolsterJun 26, 2017
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016 Ford Escape vehicles. The driver's knee airbag modules installed in these vehicles were produced without the inflator gas generant material, and, as a result, the air bags may not inflate properly in the event of a crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
In the event of a crash, if the driver's knee air bag does not inflate as intended, the driver has an increased risk of injury.
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace driver's knee air bag, free of charge. The recall began on August 8, 2017. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 17C11.
Campaign 17V398000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints: back over prevention
217 reports, newest first. Show all
Back over prevention, Aug 25, 2026
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while reversing, the rear-view camera displayed a distorted image. The contact stated that the failure was persistent. However, the rear-view camera later displayed a blank image. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The contact was informed that the parts were unavailable. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and two cases were filed. The failure mileage was approximately 95,000.
Back over prevention, Aug 25, 2026
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while the vehicle was in reverse(R), the rear-view camera displayed an upside-down image or a blank image. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 87,000.
Electrical system, Back over prevention, Aug 25, 2026
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while in reverse(R) on several occasions, the rear-view camera went black and failed to operate as intended. The contact stated that the radio turned on and off independently, and the screen failed to operate as intended. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.
Back over prevention, Aug 24, 2026, crash
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while reversing out of the garage at approximately 3 MPH, the vehicle crashed into a parked vehicle directly behind it. The contact stated that while reversing, the rear-view camera displayed a blank image. The parked vehicle sustained damage to the front driver’s side fender. No air bags deployed. The vehicle was not towed. There was no warning light illuminated. A Police report was not filed. The vehicle was not destroyed. No injuries were reported. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (BACK OVER PREVENTION); as the possible cause for the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 206,000.
Other or unspecified, Back over prevention, Aug 24, 2026
This recall has been going on for almost a year. And I was having problems for at least a year or two before that it’s to the point where we’re almost every time I try to use it it says unavailable. This is a safety concern as a backup camera is a vital safety feature. Ford is taking a long time to fix this issue.
Back over prevention, Aug 21, 2026
See attached document for complaint.
Back over prevention, Aug 20, 2026
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while reversing the vehicle, the rear-view camera image was upside down or blank. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 125,000.
Back over prevention, Aug 19, 2026
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the back-over prevention camera was blank while reversing. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention). The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that the parts were on back order. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was unknown.
Back over prevention, Aug 19, 2026
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that the part was not yet available for the recall repair. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.
Back over prevention, Aug 18, 2026
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while reversing, the rear-view camera was intermittently inoperable. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.
Back over prevention, Aug 13, 2026
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while in reverse, the back over prevention camera failed to display an image and displayed a black screen. The dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 59,127.
Back over prevention, Aug 13, 2026
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while reversing, the rear-view camera displayed a blank image. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the contact was informed that the recall repair could not be completed because parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle could not be repaired until parts became available. The failure mileage was approximately 126,000.
Back over prevention, Aug 13, 2026
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the camera screen was blank. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention). The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were on back order. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.
Back over prevention, Aug 11, 2026
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while reversing, the rear-view camera was inoperable. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was determined that an unknown part needed to be replaced, but the part was u not yet available. The contact later received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer was contacted but the vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Back over prevention, Aug 11, 2026, crash
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention). The contact stated that while in reverse(R) on several occasions, the rear-view camera screen was black and blue. The contact stated that on one occasion while in reverse(R), the rear-view camera operated momentarily, but the screen then went black and blue, and the vehicle crashed into another vehicle driving by in the parking lot. The second vehicle sustained damage to the passenger’s side rear bumper. There were no injuries reported. A Police report was filed, but the information was not available. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed, and it was determined that the rear-view camera needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Back over prevention, Aug 6, 2026
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while reversing, the rear-view camera flashed on and off. The failure was persistent. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact had received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the parts were unavailable to repair the vehicle. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.
Back over prevention, Aug 5, 2026, crash
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention). The contact stated that while in reverse(R), the message “Camera not Available” was displayed and the passenger’s side rear of the vehicle side-swiped a fire hydrant. There were no injuries sustained. A Police report was not filed. The vehicle was then driven to the residence. The vehicle was taken to a dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact was informed that the camera would be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a complaint was filed. The failure mileage was 65,000.
Back over prevention, Aug 5, 2026
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the rear-view camera was inoperable. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired because the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 126,000.
Back over prevention, Aug 4, 2026
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the rear-view camera displayed a brief and intermittent image while reversing. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Back over prevention, Aug 3, 2026
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact received notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the rearview camera displayed a blank image intermittently while reversing. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were unavailable for the recall repair. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000.
Back over prevention, Aug 3, 2026
The contact owns a 2016 FORD Escape The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000(BACK OVER PREVENTION) However, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.
Back over prevention, Aug 3, 2026
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while attempting to park the vehicle and shifting into reverse, the rear-view camera displayed a blank image. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer to be diagnosed, and the contact was advised that the rear-view camera was inoperable. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign number: 25V695000 (BACK OVER PREVENTION). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 95,000.
Back over prevention, Aug 3, 2026
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the camera was turning on and off independently. The contact stated that it was difficult to reverse without the camera being operational. While reversing, the camera became inoperable. There were no warning lights illuminated. An unknown local dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available to repair the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 113,000.
Back over prevention, Aug 3, 2026
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while reversing, the rearview camera displayed a distorted image. The dealer was made aware of the failure but confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 128,000.
Back over prevention, Jul 31, 2026
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while reversing, the rear-view camera displayed a distorted screen. The contact stated that the failure was persistent. In addition, the contact stated that the rear-view camera later displayed a blank screen. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact later received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 106,000.