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
1,124 reports, newest first.
Power train, Jan 16, 2026
My 2016 Ford Escape 1.6L AWD had a total transmission failure rendering my car unmovable in the road while driving, putting both mine and other drivers safety at risk. The issue has been diagnosed and confirmed by a local shop. The transmission oil has been changed and vehicle serviced without any issues for the whole of the vehicles lifespan. Slow gear shifts and acceleration started only days prior to the total loss of the ability to accelerate or shift into any any gear including reverse.
Back over prevention, Jan 15, 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 image was distorted, or the screen was black. Additionally, the back over prevention system failed to audibly alert the contact when objects and or a person was behind the vehicle. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that the part was not yet available. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was unknown.
Back over prevention, Jan 12, 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 back-over prevention camera displayed a distorted image. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that the camera needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 47,000.
Back over prevention, Jan 12, 2026
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while attempting to reverse, the rearview camera became inoperable. The contact stated that the rearview camera image fluctuated on and off, with the message “Rearview Camera Not Available” displayed. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the parts to do the recall repair were not yet available. The dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The approximate failure mileage was 76,000.
Back over prevention, Jan 12, 2026
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while reversing, the rear-view camera screen displayed a blank image. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The dealer was contacted; however, the contact was informed that parts were not available. In addition, the contact stated that the manufacturer had enough time to fix the vehicle. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.
Engine, Jan 9, 2026
Coolant intrusion into the ecosystem turbo. It is a known issue, but not disclosed and now the engine has to be replaced at a cost of what the vehicle is worth?!
Back over prevention, Jan 8, 2026
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the parts to do the recall repair were not yet available. The 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, Jan 8, 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 local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that 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 made aware of the issue. The contact stated that while reversing, the back-over prevention camera failed to display an image of the rear of the vehicle, creating a rear visibility hazard for the driver. Additionally, while driving forward, the rear-view camera erroneously activated and displayed the rear image on the screen. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who diagnosed that the back-over prevention camera was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact later received the recall notice related to the failure. The failure mileage was 39,000.
Power train, Jan 6, 2026
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his wife was attempting to reverse into the garage, the vehicle failed to respond as intended while in reverse(R). The contact stated that upon test-driving the vehicle, the vehicle responded as needed. The contact stated that while driving at 50 MPH, the vehicle felt like the transmission had shifted to neutral, and the vehicle started losing power. The contact stated that the failure occurred several times while driving to an independent mechanic. The contact pulled over as needed. The contact was able to drive to Gateway Automotive Experts, where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure, and the contact requested assistance in prorating the vehicle; however, the request was denied. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The contact stated that upon listing the vehicle for sale on Facebook Marketplace, the contact noticed that other Ford vehicles with the same transmission were listed with transmission failure. The contact stated that the mileage range of the Ford vehicles with defective transmissions was 75,000-125,000. The failure mileage was approximately 99,000.
Back over prevention, Jan 6, 2026
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while in reverse(R), the rearview camera image displayed a blank image. Additionally, the rearview camera failed to alert the driver when an object or vehicle was nearby. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. Several dealers were contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available. 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 approximate failure mileage was 58,000.
Back over prevention, Jan 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 unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.
Back over prevention, Jan 2, 2026
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while reversing, the rear-view camera displayed a snowy image. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or a dealer. The dealer was made aware of the failure; however, the contact was informed that parts were not available. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, parts were not available for the recall repair. The contact stated that the unrepaired recall was very dangerous because she was unable to see anything behind the vehicle while reversing. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 45,000.
Engine, Dec 31, 2025
My car set a code , and the engine misfired. I took all the necessary steps, but the code reappeared. I have Car Shield, and they are saying its cracked block but refuse to replace the head gasket. My mechanic believes it's the head gasket, so a cracked block seems common in these cars, as does a bad head gasket. What should I do, and whom should I contact to fight Car Shield and Ford?
Vehicle speed control, Dec 30, 2025
My 2016 Ford escape cannot accelerate even I pressed the pedal. It just has 74000 miles but showing transmission issues. It's so dangerous and threaten my life and others.
Back over prevention, Dec 29, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while in reverse(R), the rearview camera image was blank. Additionally, the rearview camera failed to alert the driver when an object or vehicle was nearby. 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 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 approximate failure mileage was 96,000.
Other or unspecified, Dec 25, 2025
The Ford SYNC infotainment system failed and produced no audio and no hands-free phone functionality. This created a safety risk because the driver could not use hands-free calling and could not hear navigation prompts, warning chimes, or system alerts, increasing distraction while driving. A Ford dealer diagnosed internal failures in the APIM and Audio Control Module (ACM). The APIM was replaced and programmed, but audio did not return until the ACM was also replaced. The issue was repaired. This report is submitted to document a safety-related failure of the Ford SYNC system for review of potential defects affecting other vehicles.
Power train, Dec 24, 2025
Complete loss of power and the transmission just going out, there was no warning or indication that something was wrong with the transmission prior to it going out on the highway. Car has 120K miles on it. It was diagnosed as needing a new transmission, and cooler. The pump may have needed to be replaced as well. But the transmission was pushing fluid out into the engine. If the car was fixed, I would likely need a new engine as well. This was a platinum edition 2016 Ford Escape.
Back over prevention, Dec 17, 2025, crash
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while reversing, the rearview camera became inoperable and crashed into an unknown Pontiac. The bumper was damaged, and there was no insurance coverage. The contact received the recall notification letter for NHTSA Campaign Number 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention) after the crash. A police report was filed. There were no reported injuries, air bag deployment or fires. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified about the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,345.
Back over prevention, Dec 12, 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 intermittently displayed a black screen while the vehicle was in reverse(R). The contact stated that the failure obstructed the driver's visibility, which prevented the driver from safely operating the vehicle. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. 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 made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was unknown.
Back over prevention, Dec 12, 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 displayed a black image while the vehicle was in reverse(R). The contact stated that the failure obstructed the driver's ability to see the roadway. The contact was unaware of any warning light was illuminated. The local dealer was contacted. 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 made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 54,000.
Back over prevention, Dec 8, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while shifted in reverse(R), the rearview camera system failure message was displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was not available. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Engine, Dec 5, 2025
Escape has developed water intrusion in cylinder #2 of the 2.0 ECOBOOST engine, with under 80,000 miles. continued driving of the car could cause overheating due to low coolant and potential motor seizing. check engine light has come on, with cylinder misfire but no low coolant warnings. Potential engine seizing will be a safety concern if the vehicle is in motion, causing loss of control and damage to passengers and other motorists. I have footage of the cylinder leak via inspection camera if needed.
Back over prevention, Dec 5, 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, and the vehicle was parked. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.
Service brakes, Hydraulic, Power train, Nov 24, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the ABS warning light illuminated intermittently. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the ABS was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to parts not being available. Additionally, while driving approximately 40 MPH, there was an abnormally loud sound coming from the engine compartment and the vehicle shuddered and lost motive power. The vehicle was steered to the side of the road, where a passerby assisted the contact in disconnecting and reconnecting the battery, and the vehicle was restarted but lost motive power while attempting to accelerate. The vehicle was steered to the side of the road and the vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was then towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be rebuilt, and that the ABS system was defective and needed to be replaced. The transmission was replaced but the ABS system was not replaced because the part was discontinued by the manufacturer. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Engine, Nov 22, 2025
Car has been checked for coolant loss and pressure tested coolant system. Was told coolant is leaking internally. Car is at 120,000 miles.