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: other or unspecified
151 reports, newest first. Show all
Other or unspecified, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Oct 24, 2023
While driving the car shuddered and then shut off. The transmission light came on with a warning about 5 minutes after it shut off. So there was never a warning and we were unable to get it to go back into any gear.
Other or unspecified, Oct 16, 2023
The APIM failed. This is a safety issue in this day and age of cell phones. We are not to use our cell phones while driving.
Power train, Other or unspecified, Oct 10, 2023
I was driving home in 2016 Ford Escape and I noticed the RPM's getting higher and higher, but car's speed was actually declining. All maintenance work has been done at Maxwell d in Austin TX. Never had any problems with the transmission and no warning lights, nothing. Until this day....Transmission fault, Service Soon. I was close to being home, so somehow I made it. Be then, everybody wanted know what was going on so did i. I called the dealership, talked to Andrew and made arrangements for car to be towed to Ford on Tuesday, October 3rd. They finally looked at it the car on Monday the 9th....new transmission and labor, almost $8,000. I can not afford that. Having it towed to another repair shop. Getting an estimate from second shop. Why is this not a recall. It should be. Call me [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Other or unspecified, Oct 8, 2023
Rear door inner panels will not allow the doors to be opened. I replaced them and it is doing it again. Ford says replace them again and save receipt in case it gets recalled. I can not let my grandchildren or any one else for that matter ride in the back they would be trapped in an accident!!
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.
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.
Other or unspecified, Aug 28, 2023
Code p2111 Dealership said throttle body needs to be replaced. Vehicle has only 67,336 miles. Was driving and the warning on the dash appeared “service engine now.” I lost the ability to accelerate. Coasted out of traffic with what little ability the vehicle had left. Would have caused an accident in heavier traffic. Vehicle was towed to Ford dealership where diagnosed. This same problem occurred on earlier years
Other or unspecified, Aug 4, 2023
Backup camera glitches and goes to the radio screen mid-reverse. I’ve nearly hit a tree. This has begun happening frequently. Sometimes the camera won’t even turn on.
Other or unspecified, Aug 4, 2023
I know Ford issued a recall for the backup cameras failing on 2020 year models, including the Ford Escape. However, I have consistently had this same issue with my 2016 Escape. In the middle of backing up, the camera will go completely out, and I am not able to see anything behind the car. This is extremely dangerous, as I have 4 young grandchildren, not to mention other kids in our neighborhood who ride bikes, etc. This should also be addressed in the Ford recall for backup cameras. This issue occurs every time I drive the car - it works for about 5 - 10 seconds, then stops working. So the date below is just today's date, but it happens almost every day.
Other or unspecified, Jul 31, 2023
Car wouldn’t shift properly. Had to drift off to side of road. Could then shut car off and restart but could only go a little bit and problem reoccurred. It was dangerous if other cars were around and not able to get to side of road. Check Transmission came on dash. Car has 68000 miles on this shouldn’t happen. Escape should have been recalled like other 2016 transmission problems! Needed to be towed! Dealer says new transmission is needed $7000! This is my 3rd escape and never had this problem. Car isn’t driven hard - pleasure use The consumer stated that this is a known issue with other 2016 Ford Escapes.
Other or unspecified, Jul 11, 2023
The lug nuts on all of my tires are swollen beyond the size of the provided tire iron. This makes it impossible to change a flat tire and causes the nuts to become damaged when they tires get balanced and rotated. Two tire technicians have explained that this is common on Ford vehicles. I now have to buy replacements for all of my tires.
Other or unspecified, Jul 2, 2023
My engine light came on today and the code P0299 popped. It’s for the turbo. I’m reading that this happens a lot and they have had to replace the turbo completely
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
Other or unspecified, May 30, 2023
Rear passenger door came open while driving with my granddaughter in vehicle. No warning just flew open while driving. Vehicle is at dealer getting door latch replaced. There were recalls for the exact same problem on several ford escapes but apparently mine is not in that recall. I want this looked into please. As this could have caused injury or death if my granddaughter had not been properly restrained. Do not have any report from dealer as is still in shop being repaired.
Other or unspecified, Apr 15, 2023
i had just got done driving for about an hour and stopped for about 5 minutes. i left the car running and came back out to it. when i put it in reverse it wasn’t going so i put it back in park and waited a few minutes. i tried it again and it worked a little bit but it still wasn’t shifting right. i was able to get reversed but when i shifted to drive and it wouldn’t drive/shift. So i decided to just park it and leave it.
Other or unspecified, Jan 14, 2023
Anytime I run the heat and the car is idling, there is a very strong gas smell. I am guessing that when the car is moving, the air flow pushes/pulls it out as it's not as strong then. It's strong enough to make you cough and I would guess make you sick if you didn't turn the heat off. It's been occurring since October and happens every time I try to use the heat. I took it to Gaplin Ford in Prescott to get it looked at. Instead of being honest and saying they couldn't figure out what the problem was and reaching out to Ford corporate, they lied and said the smell went away. It in fact did not go away. They 100% lied about the smell going away. After picking up my car, I no sooner got to the stop light at the edge of their property and the gas smell was there. I'm guessing they can't find a leak, but a gas smell is nothing to just brush off. I just took the car in this past week, I work from home and we don't always use my car so we didn't realize this was an actual issue until recently, and the car didn't just get gas spilled on it or run over spilled gas at a gas station.
Other or unspecified, Nov 27, 2022
Hi, we have a 2016 Ford escape ecoboost Titanium that upon ramping up speed to get on a highway, hesitates and loses power. Our son who was driving felt multiple tugs from the steering wheel and then very quickly had to get to the side of the road as a message appeared “loss of power”, the car was going into limp mode. He turned the car off but it was weird in that it didn’t seem to be fully off. We think the battery may be involved here but can only tell you that when police arrived we could not roll down windows or do anything electrical - when we outside, only one hazard light was flashing. We took it into the Van Horn Ford in Sheboygan, Wisconsin where it is currently. We’ve had it towed 3 times. The first 2 times the dealership said there were no codes to go by. Since it happened 2 times after stopping for gas then getting on highway we thought maybe it was the gas. We had the fuel tank emptied and flushed, the fuel injectors flushed and were returned the car. This last time, I had driven 2 hours to Madison, parked the car for an hour then started back. I was ramping up speed and I felt tugging on the steering and was terrified. I decided not to stop to get gas but see if I could make it home (2 hours). I did. After letting the car rest I went 1 mile to get gas at our local gas station. The battery light came on and the car wasn’t shutting down properly. I filled up with gas and got the car back to my garage. It would not start the next day, so we had it towed. Dealership said that because multiple codes came out due to battery failure. New battery installed and dealer was able to recreate problem with no codes. We are pulling our hair out. The info I find online seems EXACTLY to match problems that ford owners have resolved with a new ELECTRIC THROTTLE BODY. We haven’t tried this yet. This is a dangerous situation. Please advise. Our Ford person is [XXX] [XXX] please call him. [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
Other or unspecified, Nov 15, 2022
Received a Recall letter notice 22S43/NHTSA Recall22V413 on my 2016 Escape Titanium about the damaged transmission shifter cable bushing damaged or missing. Said I would get letter when parts came in but never got a letter to schedule an appt. with dealership and I received the letter in July 2022. Can you please check on this and email me at rpile@wilsonmuirbank.com..thank you. Rose Pile
Other or unspecified, Oct 21, 2022
Recvd a recall letter in July '22. No part available yet!!?? Come on! This is serious! The transmission shifter cable bushing is damaged, or worse yet, missing??!! I call that critical! When will this be fixed!!!??
Other or unspecified, Sep 26, 2022
I received the recall on my car for the transmission shifter cable in July. When I went to get my oil changed in August I had asked about getting it fixed. However they just highlighted the portion that said parts aren’t available until 4th quarter. Moving forward on Sept 21, my shifter cable broke. I didn’t know that was the problem and brought it to the closest car mechanic due to safety. I never received any mail or notification that the parts were in stock yet but surprisingly Ford had it in stock to ship to the Expert Car Care my care was at. If I had known I could have fixed it this issue would have been avoided. I’m requesting a reimbursement for the amount I paid to get it fixed. I have a copy of the receipt. Thank you.
Other or unspecified, Engine, Aug 25, 2022
My coolant leaked into the cylinders of my engine causing a complete engine failure. When this occurred, there was no warning lights, indicators or check engine notices to notify me that there was a problem with my engine. I was driving down the street & white smoke started billowing out of the back of my car. I was able to make it home but had to have it towed to the dealership. This is a known issue with Ford, with a current lawsuit pending, due to the design of the engine. I have been advised that there are technical bulletins distributed within Ford and the dealer acknowledged there was nothing I could have done to prevent this from happening. My engine was already replaced due to the same defect when it had 34,000 miles on it. This was covered under warranty and the engine was replaced at a Ford dealership. The first time this happened, I was traveling on the freeway and my lights and power completely shut down while I was driving at night and my engine almost started on fire. I also had no warning lights, overheating or check engine notices when that happened. It now has 94,500 miles. This means I have needed 2 engine replacements for the same defect in less than 100,000 miles. The Price Ford dealership in Turlock, CA has quoted me $10,600 to replace the engine, which I am responsible to pay, and advised me to call corporate when I told them of the lawsuit. Ford's Corporate Office advised me that there isn't anything they can do because there isn't a recall issued yet, even though this a known documented issue of their defected engine design.
Other or unspecified, Aug 16, 2022
To Whom It May Concern: I am the owner of a 2016 Ford Escape and received a recall notice in July of 2022. The notice stated that the issue is: “On your vehicle, t may be possible the transmission shifter cable bushing is damaged or missing.” My vehicle has 97,000 miles on it. On Monday, August 8, I was driving on Interstate 480E. All of sudden my car began driving erratically and went from 70 mph to 60 mph and down to 40 mph with it feeling as though it was going to stall. Fortunately, I was able to move over two lanes and get it on a berm and immediately turned it off and activated my hazards. I called the Garfield Heights, Ohio, Police Department and was told I would be sent a police cruiser for safety reasons. I also called a tow truck since I was about 30 miles from my home. I had the car towed to Lakeside Certified Auto, 38525 Lakeshore Boulevard, Willoughby, Ohio. The technician that inspected the vehicle called to tell me that the transmission had a broken clutch and that it would be extremely expensive ($5,500 for a used transmission with 60,000 miles or $6,500 for a remanufactured transmission with a 3-year unlimited mileage warranty) repair. I have had an Extended Warranty on my vehicle which (unfortunately) had expired in May 2022. I am sending this email just to see if I am covered for this unfortunate occurrence. I can only be thankful that my car did not stall on the freeway and that I did make it to safety. The alternative is unthinkable! Thank you for your time and consideration.
Other or unspecified, Aug 4, 2022
Transmission light coming on (service now). First started 7/29/2022 this was the first time a diagnostic was done 8/4/2022 by a certified transmission shop was advised this is a pre-warning of greater problem. Was told that this issue occurs in Ford Escapes, Fusion etc.
Other or unspecified, Jul 25, 2022
The transmission begin to go out. It would not drive even though the car was running when we stopped at a stop light. Also an transmission fault error came on.
Other or unspecified, Jul 25, 2022
My shift control cable broke in someone’s driveway when I was picking up something for free by road. I was stuck in reverse and had to call a tow truck and with everything, cost me more than $700 with fixing my car and towing. Please help me get reimbursed! My email is [XXX]. Just a girl trying to pay off school and then a newly recalled part on my car broke back in April. I called Ford when it happened and there was not a recall then. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).