KnownCarProblems2016 Ford Escape Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 1,160 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 Ford Escape, most often about the transmission (28% of complaints, typically around 88,000 miles). It is 11th of 27 Escape model years by number of complaints and has 4 recalls.
Most common 2016 Ford Escape problems
Transmission
321 complaints · 28%Half of these problems showed up before 88,000 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission, driveline.
My Escape has exactly 88,000 miles in it . I was driving home from work and my transmission started slipping. I was driving 50 MPH and then it dropped to 10mph jerking me hard. Then it reved up on its own and started going like 60 MPH. I was at a stop light with my foot on the brake and it was going in reverse there…
Failure of the shift interlock cable. Car will not go into park or reverse. Vehicle was at a hospital parking lot and my wife thought it was in park removed the keys from the ignition, exited vehicle and the vehicle rolled backwards into the parking lot traffic. She immediately jump back in the car and applied the…
Engine
247 complaints · 21%Half of these problems showed up before 80,000 miles. Parts named most often: cooling system, engine, exhaust system.
I just bought this 2016 Ford Escape in october, 2018. It made it until mar. 2019. No warning light, nothing. It has 78,000 miles and the transmission blew. They are telling me at the jensen Ford dealership that it will cost 6,508.00 due to all that is wrong with the transmission. When it gets hot it leaks transmission…
My car stopped while driving on a side street. Autonation Ford claimed there was a malfunction which LED to the transmission failure. They wanted $7k to repair. I took it elsewhere for repair and within 1 week after repair the car engine caught on fire while driving. I had been on the interstate but had just exited to…
Backup camera
241 complaints · 21%Half of these problems showed up before 86,000 miles. Parts named most often: rearview system braking, sensing system, warnings.
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 image was initially blurry and then became inverted while in reverse(r). The…
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the back over prevention camera failed to display the rearview of the vehicle correctly. The image appeared upside down or was flashing the image quickly. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer who was not able to find the cause of the failure. The…
Other or unspecified
156 complaints · 13%Half of these problems showed up before 62,000 miles.
I believe the same issue with previous models of Ford escapes and other models with the recall based on the coolant leaking into the engine and causing burning and fires is still a relevant issue in models further. I bought my 2016 Ford Escape a year ago from carmax with 61k miles. Within one month and constant…
The contact owned a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated when attempting to park, the steering wheel locked and the engine accelerated independently fast. As a result, the contact crashed into a curb, over a snow-bank, down the ditch, and came to a stop crashing into a tree. There were no injuries sustained. A police…
Electrical
95 complaints · 8%Half of these problems showed up before 43,500 miles. Parts named most often: instrument cluster/panel, instrument panel.
This complaint is a follow-up to one filed earlier (11181564). The problem is now solved this wire issue is not the one in the tsb and not currently in a recall. This vehicle at approximately 43,000 miles produced the same symptoms as the tsb 13-12-12. Motor suddenly stalling, backfire sometimes, rough running, loss…
While driving on 85n in atanta, ga, while roughly driving at a speed of 65mph in the middle lane at 7am on friday, january 12, 2018, the battery light came on and the car shut completely off and with no warning! I take excellent care of the car with routine maintenance and have approximately 51k miles on it. For this…
Steering
73 complaints · 6%Half of these problems showed up before 42,000 miles. Parts named most often: rack and pinion, hydraulic power assist.
Steering made creaking noise. When I took it into the dealership it was determined that the brac and pinion steering had failed. The vehicle has 46,000 miles. There have been nearly 200 reports of this failure.
Car started normally when leaving the home with autostarter. Drove to a gas station, parked, went inside, came back out and the car prompted with a "power steering assist fault" error. Attempted to drive, no power steering. Turned off car, restarted and issue remained. Upon getting the car to a mechanic, reported full…
Fuel system
71 complaints · 6%Half of these problems showed up before 69,000 miles. Parts named most often: storage, delivery.
Vehicle was in motion going speed limit when it started to shut down. It became more frequent and lasted longer to start and to stay running. When shut down for 10 minutes it would travel about 20 miles before having issues once again. Found out when the fuel has under a half a tank the problem becomes more frequent.
Vehicle was in motion going speed limit when it started to shut down. It became more frequent and lasted longer to start and to stay running. When shut down for 10 minutes it would travel about 20 miles before having issues once again. Found out when the fuel has under a half a tank the problem becomes more frequent.
Wheels and tires
34 complaints · 3%Half of these problems showed up before 44,500 miles. Parts named most often: lugs/nuts/bolts/studs.
Bought new tires at 44,500 miles (mush sooner than expected ) and installer could not remove lugs as they were "swollen". Went to sam pack Ford, lewisville, tx where I bought vehicle. Was told by service advisors "swollen" lug nuts were a known issue and the dealers used special 19 1/2 metric sockets to remove them.…
Got a certified preowned 2016 AWD Ford Escape with original manufacturer jack and lug wrench. Got a flat on driving on a well maintained gravel road going 20 MPH. There was less then 2000 miles on the new kelly as 235/55 r17 wheels (no road hazard! Just gravel). Tmps system worked, pulled over right away and watched…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2016 Ford Escape recalls
Equipment: engine block heater
Risk: An electrical short circuit can increase the risk of a fire.
Fix: 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 b
Full defect summary
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.
Backup camera: camera
Risk: A rearview camera that fails to properly display an image can reduce the driverâs view behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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 bec
Full defect summary
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.
Transmission: shift linkage/cable/rod
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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.
Air bags: knee bolster
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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."
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
Questions about the 2016 Ford Escape
- What are the most common problems with the 2016 Ford Escape?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: transmission (321 complaints, typically around 88,000 miles); engine (247 complaints, typically around 80,000 miles); backup camera (241 complaints, typically around 86,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2016 Ford Escape have?
- 4 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from January 15, 2026 (equipment). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2016 a bad year for the Ford Escape?
- It is 11th of 27 Escape model years by number of complaints, with 1,160 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.