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, Nov 4, 2025
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 not contacted. 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, Nov 4, 2025
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 rearview camera was inoperable while reversing. The local 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 issue. The failure mileage was unknown.
Other or unspecified, Back over prevention, Sep 15, 2025
Rear camera image is distorted in a manner probably similar to 25V-270 and 25V-272. This is one of the few vehicles where a flipping of the image or no display occurs on reverse.
Back over prevention, Sep 15, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while reversing, the rear-view camera image was displayed upside down, or there was a solid black screen displayed without an image. The contact stated that the failure caused a visibility hazard for the driver. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 60,000.
Electrical system, Back over prevention, Sep 14, 2025
Camera keeps cutting out even in the middle of backing up
Back over prevention, Sep 10, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while in reverse, the rearview camera image intermittently failed to display as intended. No warning light was illuminated. In addition, the contact stated that the navigation system was displayed instead of the image of the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was determined that the rear-view camera needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to parts not being available. The contact related the failure to an unknown NHTSA Campaign however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 112,000.
Electrical system, Back over prevention, Jul 11, 2025
When I put the car in reverse the back up camera glitches. It freezes, flips upside down, turns black, sometimes all of those things. The beeping sound does not warn when objects are near when this is happening. It happens about 95% of the time. The camera is only functional about 5% of the time. Due to this issue I have been in several near accidents
Back over prevention, Jul 3, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while attempting to reverse, the rearview camera image was upside down and the image was flickering. There were no warning lights illuminated or messages displayed. Neither a dealer nor an independent mechanic was contacted. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 25161000 (BACK OVER PREVENTION); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and informed the contact that the VIN was not included. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 75,000.
Back over prevention, Jul 3, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated while attempting to reverse, the rearview camera failed to display an image. The message “Camera Unavailable” was displayed. The contact stated that neither a dealer nor an independent mechanic was contacted. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V161000 (BACK OVER PREVENTION); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact requested a letter for the vehicle to be repaired; however, the manufacturer refused to assist. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 110,000.
Back over prevention, Jul 3, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated while reversing, the rearview camera image was intermittently black; however, the pedestrian alert system sounded as designed. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Action Number: RQ21002 (Back Over Prevention). The failure mileage was approximately 148,000.
Electrical system, Engine, Back over prevention, Jun 26, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the back over prevention camera was turning on and off continuously while driving. The contact stated that the failure was causing a distraction while driving. The contact stated that the back over prevention camera was inoperable while reversing. Additionally, the infotainment system was inoperable. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not covered under recall, and a case was filed. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 119,000.
Other or unspecified, Back over prevention, Jun 3, 2025
When I put my Escape in Reverse, sometimes the rear view camera works and sometimes it doesnt
Back over prevention, Jun 2, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that occasionally while shifted into reverse, the back over prevention camera displayed an image that was not clear. The contact stated that the message "Rearview Camera Not Available" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined the back over prevention software needed to be updated. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.
Back over prevention, May 30, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated while reversing at an undisclosed speed, the rearview camera screen was intermittently upside down or darkened and failed to return to normal operation. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the residence. The contact researched and was made aware of an unknown recall; however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.
Power train, Back over prevention, May 30, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated that the transmission was slipping while shifting gear and the vehicle jerked abnormally. In addition, the contact noticed a grinding sound and a burning odor coming from the vehicle. No warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure began shortly after the vehicle was purchased. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where the vehicle was purchased. The contact was provided an option to trade the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The contact stated that while reversing, the back over camera system displayed a black screen and became disabled. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic regarding the back over camera system failure and the vehicle was diagnosed with an electrical systems failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 54,500.
Other or unspecified, Back over prevention, May 30, 2025
While in reverse gear, during operation rear view camera stopped working and shows error that back up Camera is not available. Screen shows blue screen. It is very dangerous as it can cause an accident.
Back over prevention, May 28, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while attempting to reverse out of a parking lot, the image displayed from the rear-view camera was flipped upside down. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted, and the vehicle was not diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 56,000.
Back over prevention, May 2, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while reversing, the rearview camera displayed a distorted or blank image. The message "Camera Unavailable" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V273000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was 41,495.
Back over prevention, Nov 7, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while attempting to reverse, the back-over prevention camera failed to operate as designed and displayed a blank image on the screen. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic but was not diagnosed. The vehicle was repaired with the passenger’s side door being replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 118,000.
Other or unspecified, Back over prevention, Apr 12, 2024
Rear view camera displayed view upside down or blurry lines flashing on the screen. Entire camera assembly replaced due to failure.
Back over prevention, Mar 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the rearview camera was inoperable while reversing. Additionally, the contact stated that the infotainment system screen would turn black inadvertently while driving and using the navigation system. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed, and the dealer determined that the Accessory Protocol Interface Module (APIM) and the rearview camera needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 81,289.
Other or unspecified, Back over prevention, Sep 21, 2023
Back Over Prevention ( backup camera), started acting up in Feb 2023, shows black screen, flips image, does not come on, (radio is displayed) when it does come on its granny and has black vertical lines, warning beeps stop working when this happens or don't sound off untill your on top of the person or object behing you. Contacted 2 Ford dealerships and they tell me other Escapes are on recall just not my year and no replacement camera is available.
Back over prevention, Sep 8, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated while reversing, the back over prevention camera screen went blank. The message "Rearview Camera Not Available" message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that the rearview camera needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to parts not being available. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 73,000.
Back over prevention, Sep 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, she noticed the back over prevention feature was inoperable. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and confirmed that the back over prevention feature was inoperable. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure had occurred several years ago. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Back over prevention, Aug 10, 2023
Back up camera does not work. Screen either goes black or multitude of colors. Sometimes it flips to just see ground.