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.
Steering, Aug 5, 2025
My steering wheel became loose on my 2016 Ford Escape while driving the car. I went home due to this safety hazard so not to cause a major accident. I went online to see if there was a recall on my car for this safety item. I found out my car had no recalls however, the 2014-2018 Ford Fusion and the Lincoln MKZ were recall for steering wheels detachments. I went to Coggin Ford (Jacksonville, FL) to inspect my car. Ford did not find a recalls on my car and found the steering wheel bolt that holds the steering wheel to the steering column was loose. They removed the bolt and installed lock-tight just like in the recall of the other vehicles. I have a video of the loose steering wheel prior to delivering the car to Ford, Ford sent a video on the required service to fix the loose steering wheel, and I have invoice showing Ford repaired the loose steering wheel. I scanned the invoiced into the system. Ford service video is in an MP4 format and unable to change, if you give me an email address, I can forward the service request video to you to view. I took a video of the loose steering wheel with my cell phone however, the video is too large to forward in this document. If I could get a cell number, I could forward this video to you.
Engine and engine cooling, Jul 22, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that coolant intrusion into various cylinders had resulted in damages to the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N12. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 70,000.
Engine, Jul 18, 2025
The engine light came on so we took it to a mechanic. The diagnostic said "coolant leaking in cylander 1". We were told the engine was allowing coolant to leak into it (because of a design flaw known to Ford) and the only option was to completly replace it. That engine is no longer being manufactured and Ford won't help me in any way. My car has less than 70,000 miles on it and is undriveable. Total engine failure due to head gasket leak.
Visibility/wiper, Jul 16, 2025
Faulty Switch. Windshield wipers don't work when I try to turn them on. While driving, they will randomly turn on by themselves and will not cut off until the vehicle is turned off. Waiting for a mechanic to get the part.
Power train, Jul 14, 2025
The contact called on behalf of her father who owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon her father starting the vehicle, the transmission failed to shift into drive, with the “Service Vehicle Soon” warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a local independent mechanic where the vehicle was diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the transmission assembly was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 90,000.
Fuel/propulsion system, Jul 13, 2025
While driving my vehicle my vehicle would suddenly stall while in motion. This stalling happens while driving and has stalled in the middle of intersections causing passing vehicles to slam there breaks to avoid hitting me. In addition my vehicle has stalled and almost causing rear end collisions. There would be no warning signs or no lamps that turn on when it first stalls. After the initial stalling of the vehicle it would rough idle, tug and continue to stall. Until I get to a destination. A check engine lamp may turn on once in awhile but not always. If the mechanic shop is closed and I try to take my car the next day the lamp would be off and it would not stall anymore until I use it further. I have taken my car to a Napa when the engine lamp turned on and pulled a code for fuel pump. Although when I get it to my mechanic the light has turned off and they cant get a code from it. This has been happening for approximately a year now. It also seems to happen when fuel gets to quarter tank or less. This happens multiple times approximately 1-2 times everyb2 weeks.
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
Other or unspecified, Jul 7, 2025
Ford has a huge recall of Escapes due to back-up cameras malfunctioning. My 2016 has been working and not working intermittently for some time now. I would like the 2016 Escapes to be included in the recall as well, but I believe they have only included those going back to 2020. A generic diagnostic machine has picked up the issue repeatedly. I will be having a Ford diagnostic service appointment this Friday for a different issue. The dashboard has begun to intermittently read "temporarily disabled" and "4-wheel drive" at which time the car acts like it is not in the right gear. The Ford Dealership has stated that they will also look at the back-up camera. Thank you.
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.
Engine and engine cooling, Jul 3, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his wife was driving 25 MPH, she noticed white smoke coming from the exhaust. The driver pulled over into a gas station and called her husband to inform him of the failure and drove the vehicle to the dealer. The vehicle was taken a dealer and was inspected, and the technician became aware of a leak; however, the technician was unable to determine the location of the leak. The vehicle was then taken to another dealer where it was diagnosed with coolant leaking into cylinder #1. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The contact related the failure to Technical Service Bulletin: 22-2229 (Eco boost 2.0L Engine Failures); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure and opened a case. The failure mileage was 132,000.
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.
Power train, Vehicle speed control, Other or unspecified, Jul 2, 2025
The vehicle experienced multiple critical system failures within one week of purchase: Transmission failure (slipping, delayed shifting, and stalling during acceleration) Braking system malfunction (brakes jump or pulse when pressed, inconsistent stopping) Fluid leakage inside the cabin near the gas and brake pedals (believed to be either brake fluid or transmission fluid) The vehicle is currently undrivable and can be made available for inspection upon request. The vehicle became a severe safety hazard while I was operating it with my infant child in the car. The brakes were unresponsive and unpredictable, creating near-miss situations when trying to stop. The transmission failure caused stalling at intersections and hesitation when accelerating, putting me at risk of being rear-ended. The fluid leak near the pedals presents a possible fire hazard or the risk of further brake failure. I feared for my life and my child’s safety. The problem has not been confirmed by a mechanic yet because the dealership, Platinum Auto Sales in Arlington, VA, refused to take the vehicle back or inspect it after I reported the issues. I was dismissed when I returned to report the failures. I am currently seeking an independent inspection, but I want this formally documented as an urgent safety matter. I am in the process of filing reports with the Federal Trade Commission, state consumer protection, and local police regarding fraud and sale of a dangerous vehicle. I can make the vehicle available for inspection by NHTSA or a certified safety inspector. There were no warning lights or error messages at the time of purchase. The problems appeared within 24–48 hours of driving the vehicle: Difficulty shifting and hesitation when accelerating began almost immediately Brake issues and pedal fluid leakage appeared by Day 3 By Day 5, the vehicle became unsafe to drive altogether
Engine and engine cooling, Jun 30, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated and the engine overheated. The vehicle was driven to the shoulder of the road and the contact turned off the vehicle. The vehicle was restarted and driven to the residence. The contact was aware of white smoke coming from the exhaust pipe with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with a cracked engine block. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. In addition, the vehicle was scheduled to be taken to the dealer for an upcoming diagnostic test. 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 105,000.
Engine, Jun 29, 2025
We have 2016 Ford Escape Ecoboost 1.6L that has the very same issues as in the recall for the car but our vin number was not included in the recall. This car was taken to the Ford dealership for all services, recommend services, oil changes. I have all the receipts for this. In August of 2023 I took the car in for oil change and they said everything passed inspection. Copy of record to follow. Then in October of 2023 the transmission had error code and had to be towed to dealership. Was told transmission had to be replaced. Fords cost took to another transmission shop they verified transmission needed to be replaced. Paid 4,000 for it to be done. Then in December of 2023 another light came on in the car...check engine light...car again had to be towed to Ford dealership...this time engine needed to be replace at the cost of nearly 10,000 dollars...and then the most recent issue....turbocharge has blown seals with oil leak as told before...but not a totally different reason..for engine problems so with oil leak also need manifold replacement..these 2 things $6,140.50 plus the $17,755.88 for transmission and engine repair would cost $23.896.38. Something needs to be done about this Escape. I do not know why it was not included in the very limited recall that Ford issued for this call. But, it seems very obvious that it should be. The car new was $28,300.00. Please help....this car is in need of being replaced by Ford not repaired at this point since not included in the originally recall when as you can see certainly should have been. Let me know if there is anything that can be done by yall to help solve this issue.
Other or unspecified, Engine, Jun 28, 2025
Eco boost failure recommended replacement referred to a Ford dealership for service 1500.00 to 2000.00 for replacement
Power train, Jun 27, 2025
The contact's husband owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated while her husband was accelerating from a complete stop, the vehicle jolted and felt as if it was rear-ended. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended and rolled forward. The driver was able to pull over to the side of the road. The driver turned off and restarted the vehicle, and resumed driving; however, the failure recurred after driving 100 ft. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the failure was related to the transmission, and the driver was informed that it was a common failure. The mechanic informed the contact that the vehicle could not be serviced because the transmission was electric. The contact was referred to the dealer for assistance. The transmission warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was driven to the residence; however, the failure recurred increasingly while driving. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 83,000.
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.
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.
Other or unspecified, Jun 17, 2025
The rear back up camera invert and turn the vision upside down. I understand that there was a recall for this year and model for that problem, but mine does not show up on the recall, but my camera rear facing camera does not work because it inverts all the images upside down. I bought the car used with 128,000 miles on it so I don’t know actually how long this problem had been going on before I purchased the car but the rear backup camera now shows everything upside down.
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.
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
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)
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.