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: electrical system
92 reports, newest first. Show all
Electrical system, Jul 7, 2025
Rear view Camera not displaying when put in reverse frequently or camera displaying but goes blank in the middle of backing up. This has been occurring for at least 3-4 months. It is very frightening as it takes my mind a second or two to comprehend the rearview camera has gone blank in the middle of backin up. The camera does not always have a problem but is too frequent. I have been I’ll so have not driven too much last 2 months but I am better now. Please add my vehicle to the Rearview recall.
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.
Electrical system, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Jun 17, 2025
a couple of years ago my car started having problems when accelerating, it would not accelerate or almost get to stall without warning, a couple times I got the message " engine fault - service now" . I took my car to the dealership and they could not find the root cause because the message would disappear when turning the car off and on again, therefore they could not reproduce the issue but my car had this same episode 3 times over the past 8 years without resolution from the dealership. finally a few days ago the issue came back but this time the message is not going away after turning off the car, I used a code reader and the error code reads: P0236. I am trying to get an appointment at the dealership to have my car looked at and finally have the repair done. but I believe my ford escape should be part of recall No. 14V495000 for Ford Escape MY 2013-2014 along with other Ford escapes model year 2016.
Electrical system, Jun 9, 2025
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while attempting to register the vehicle, it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 116,000 and at the time of registration, it was discovered that the mileage was 159,759.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Jun 3, 2025
I saw a recall for newer years of Ford products where the camera wasn't working and it is a safety hazard. My 2016 Escape rear camera has not been working properly for many years. It appears to me that it is a software problem because the camera will be upside-down OR roll upside down. I updated the firmware on my car, but it still doesn't work. There are Youtube videos out there, because it is a common problem with the Escape. [XXX] Please add the 2016 Escapes to your current recall. Here is a link to the recall for the newer Ford Products.[XXX] I have attached recent still pics of my car-cam upside down and I tried to attached a (short )14 second video of it rolling upside down, but your website does not allow videos to be uploaded? So I made the video into a .gif and uploaded it so you could see the rolling camera that happened today. The rolling camera problems does happen a lot, but not as much as the upside down feed. As you can see from the photographs, the directional lines that are supposed to show the direction a driver is backing up, are NOT present either. A person backing up, using the upside down feed, will NOT see the direction they are backing up. The attached photos were all taken within the last couple days, you can check the date and time they were taken on each photo. Please contact me if you want me to send you the original video that I took today. Please help me with this problem. I am not the sole person to have this problem with older Ford products. Please enlarge the recall to older vehicles, this problem has been going on a long time. I appears to be a software problem that needs to be addressed. Having the back up camera feed be upside down or rolling so that nothing is visible in the camera, is a danger to others standing behind the car INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Apr 30, 2025
Backup camera intermittently stops working. Some days, it works fine. Other days, whenever shift to reverse, the screen is either black or blue with the message that the camera is not available. It will sometimes go to the black/blue screen while I am reversing into/ out of my driveway, parking spot, etc. Shifting to park or neutral and then to reverse doesn't correct the problem. It started out as an occasional problem, but now happens multiple times a day. This is an extremely unsafe situation. If someone/something is behind me when I am reversing, it is likely that I would not have enough time to react to prevent an injury or worse.So many other Ford vehicles have a recall for backup camera issues, why is the Escape not included?
Electrical system, Apr 18, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH, he noticed the instrument panel displayed a blank image. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed that the instrument panel cluster had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified and provided the contact with the recall number. The contact was relating to the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V406000( ELECTRICAL SYSTEM); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 73,000.
Electrical system, Engine, Mar 30, 2025
While diving the vehicle hesitates. I have had it checked and it seems that the turbo is bad. After speaking to others this seems to be an issue with this vehicle. With the electrical issues, my back up camera, radio, speakers, navigation all do not work. Also while driving my flashers will randomly flash and my speedometer as well as my RPM gage will go crazy. While driving down the road my speakers blared white noise so loud that it almost caused me to wreck because it scared me so badly. I had to have the fuse taken it in order to get it to stop.
Electrical system, Mar 20, 2025
Numerous warning lights and chimes activated at once while driving including Hill Start Assist, Traction Control, etc. This has happened randomly while driving under various conditions and reports of such on forums may be related to an ECM or a 4WD module not grounded properly. Some owners have had to have software and hardware updates to solve issue or replacement of modules.
Electrical system, Jan 7, 2025
Since October 2022, we have had to replace the front signal wiring harnesses on the car four (4) times due to the wiring being coated with a substance that rodents are being attracted to. It seems that is has happened again. We have not yet taken it to our repair shop for confirmation this time, but we had an incident with our Kia (Vin [XXX] ) in November 2024. In this case the clutch assembly wiring had been chewed and the assembly had to be replaced. We had the Kia towed to the dealer for repair, so all incidents are documented by repair shops. Not having proper signaling can cause accidents, but I think chewing of other wiring such as the clutch assembly can be an even greater cause for concern. What part will be chewed next. With the clutch assembly we were shown a check engine light and with the signals, the signals sounded different. I know from being on the Next Door website that other people in the area have had the same problems. I think this problem of the coating on wiring should be checked before it causes a serious accident. I put the date of the Kia incident on the bottom because I considered this the most serious. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Electrical system, Visibility/wiper, Nov 21, 2024
The rear backup camera intermittently cuts in and out. The touch screen also intermittently turns black and is unresponsive. After it died, I replaced the infotainment touchscreen computer. The rear backup camera is still intermittent and unreliable. Other owners have complained online about poor seals in the rear wiper assembly, which leads to leaks that corrode the camera's wiring harness and cause an intermittent video signal. I feel this is a known problem that Ford is choosing to ignore and is dangerous when the backup camera cuts out while backing up.
Power train, Electrical system, Engine, Nov 17, 2024
My car overheated when I pulled over I noticed my engine coolant low. I had a mechanic add more fluids then a day later car shuts off why I was going 65 on a highway . I was pushing down on the gas peddle but my car would not go. It was barely moving no matter how far I pushed gas peddle. I finally found a somewhat area to pull over . I almost died or was seriously injuried in a few close call accidents this day. Had someone look at it from a garage in town he said it was a fuse and a cylinder misfire. No engine light no issues then my car over heated again no warning just shut down but the car still on Emmy lights didn’t work my turn signals didn’t work . Then my car stopped dead in a busy roadway over heated smoking . Now I’m time I need an engine replacement Let me add my car only has 60000 miles on it and is in great maintained condition I am a single mother of 3 young kids and take care of my mom. Not employed due to a bad relationship and trying to get back on my feet and now this . Coolest leaks into cylinder causing over heating and catastrophic engine damage , so upset over this and ford won’t even diagnose my car with out a 200 dollar charge to start with . It’s pathetic
Electrical system, Visibility/wiper, Nov 15, 2024
Backup camera fails intermittently and unpredictability. Often just a blank blue screen appears, sometimes an error message over a video image appears, and other times the camera works at first but fails after a few seconds. It can work one minute, and the next time the car is shifted into reverse (such as when parallel parking) it may not work (or vice-versa). OBDII fault codes indicate a possible communications/electrical issue. Online reports reveal that there are scores of other owners of model year 2014-2019 Ford Escapes with the same or similar issues with their back-up cameras (one mentioned having theirs replaced at least _4 times_ while the car was still in its warranty period). No other warning lamps are available. The alert text that (only sometimes) appears on the display screen when the camera fails is non-specific (e.g. “Camera not available.”). This has been occurring for at least the last 3 or 4 years. For all intents and purposes, since this fault is so unpredictable, I can no longer consider this car to possess a back-up camera. Safety: while I have never had a serious, another driver could easily fail to see and possibly collide with property or individuals while reversing (especially when the camera image disappears in the middle of an in-progress reversing operation). I am more than happy to make my vehicle available for inspection upon request. Ford has issued a recall for the seemingly identical issue for 2020 model year vehicles, but not for my 2016 Ford Escape (nor, to my knowledge, many other model years using an identical camera and display design).
Electrical system, Oct 29, 2024
ABS module is obsolete and unavailable from Ford
Electrical system, Aug 11, 2024
The rear back up camera works intermittently and the car will not start intermittently cannot find the issue it has left stuck at places because it would not start. Changed the battery and all electrical checked out ok.
Electrical system, May 1, 2024
Auto was purchased from a dealership on 5/31/2023. We drove less than a mile down the road and a warning for "hood ajar" came on. We immediately pulled over only to find the hood was latched. Over the next few months there were numerous other warning/electrical items that came up: trunk ajar warning, problems opening the trunk, back up camera would often go black when car was in reverse, car would start honking like the alarm was going off when it was just sitting in garage with nobody near the car. The car was brought to the dealer on 6/14/23 for a separate recall issue and an electrician was supposed to look at these issues but they weren't at the dealership when we arrived for our scheduled appt. Couldn't get a new appt for a few weeks so went to our local auto shop who confirmed the issues and felt we could try a new battery which he put in on 6/30/23. Went to the Ford dealership on 8/31/2023 and they said we needed to have the APIM replaced and the rear park aid camera and latch. We couldn't afford these repairs. Since then we have taken the car in for tire rotation/oil change. This past week the car will not start unless we jump it with a battery cable. We looked into recalls and found out our VIN isn't under the recall. Obviously, these are safety issues that we had hoped would be covered by the recall. Your help would be greatly appreciated.
Electrical system, Mar 2, 2024
Rear backup camera works intermittently. One time display screen was solid white, the next time it was solid green, abd the third time it was solid purple. Yet the reverse guidelines still showed all three times. Fuses are good and recently had battery replaced at dealership.
Electrical system, Nov 10, 2023
In Aug. 2021 my 2016 Ford Escape’s Sync/NAV stopped connecting to my iPhone. I went to Fullerton Ford in Somerville, NJ and a Service Advisor (SA) determined that Sync would not connect with his iPhone or mine. Another SA connected with his Android phone and it worked perfectly. Everything else related to the Sync/NAV was working. I did research online on connecting Sync with iPhone, and was finally able to reconnect to Bluetooth, but never able to connect with the Sync/NAV system. After weeks of trying get the Sync/NAV to work I had it diagnosed by Fullerton Ford. On Sept. 29, 2021 I paid a $100 diagnostic fee to assess the problem. I spent 7 hours waiting while it was worked on. They talked with the technical “hotline” but were unable to determine why the Sync/NAV worked with the Android but not the iPhone. They suggested the problem “could be” the APIM which would cost $866.16 to replace, but told me that they could not guarantee that replacing the APIM would solve the problem. Without a guarantee that spending $966.16 would solve the problem I declined. It was noted on the invoice that the APIM had given a faulty reading but the Service Advisor never told me that or what else could happen if the APIM failed. I suffered with the iPhone issue until Nov. 6, 2023 when I brought the car to Ciocca Ford in Flemington, NJ for service. I’d learned there was an update to the Sync system so I asked them to do that upgrade. When the car was “finished” the SA advised me that the whole Sync/NAV system had been disabled because the 3 attempts to do the Sync upgrade completely blew out the APIM module, and that it would cost $1,100 to replace it! Now I have no Sync/NAV system at all; no radio, clock, NAV, reverse parking support, or Bluetooth. In addition, the phone charging ports and upper vents of the heating system don’t work and I don’t know what else isn’t working. Other Ford owners have made complaints about APIM module failures to the NHTSA, so Ford should do a recall.
Electrical system, Nov 5, 2023
outside key pad is making sounds of door locks locking and unlocking with flashers coming on driving down the rd second time after replacing outside keypad in 2021 at a ford dealership in northern michigan the problem has returned 11-1-2023.i tapped on the outside of the door keypad surface, the problem hasnt came back in the last few days, i believe it will reappear at some point though
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Oct 3, 2023
The rear view backup camera is faulty and doesn't always work. Sometimes it comes on, but most of the time it just doesn't turn on. There is no specific set of circumstances that dictates if it will work or not.
Electrical system, Sep 12, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated while operating the vehicle, the instrument cluster had become inoperative, and the screen failed to display any information, including the speedometer. The contact stated that during the failure, the screen had displayed an extremely bright white light which created a visibility hazard for the driver. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 130,000.
Electrical system, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Aug 15, 2023
Vehicle check engine light goes on usually during hot weather. Vehicle stalls and hesitates on acceleration causing unsafe conditions with traffic, intersections, etc.
Electrical system, Jul 4, 2023
My hazard lights start blinking Turn signals start blinking Doors lock and unlock all without warning Have not had checked out at dealer It costs $139.00 per hour to diagnosis BOUGHT CAR 5/25/23 The car had been in accident before I bought it
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Jun 28, 2023
Rear camera dosnt always want to work at times when backing up, there will be times where it comes on and cuts out , or it cuts out and comes back on on all pixelised (distorted) , or it dosnt come on at all , then there are times where it works , ive had my mechanic look into it and couldnt figure out the issue ...i did buy an oem backup camera from the junkyard off an escape 3 years newer then mine but didnt fix the issue
Electrical system, Lane departure, Back over prevention, Jun 28, 2023
I order a nav upgrade from Ford $299, was unable to install it Ford said go to dealer, car was going to dealer for abs sensor bad and vehicle collision sensor bad, dealer fixed other two problems but couldnt upgrade nav and while dealer tried they killed the whole radio/sync/nav/handsfree turn the touch screen black and unresponsive. Now they want $1000 plus for APIM replacement. I could live without the navigation update but now Ford's sync update killed my APIM/sync/radio/handsfree and I cannot live without that.