NHTSA Owner Complaint Log
This page lists owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2016 Ford Escape. Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA and do not by themselves prove a defect or defect rate.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Eco boost failure recommended replacement referred to a Ford dealership for service 1500.00 to 2000.00 for replacement
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to the local mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The local dealer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 67,839.
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.
Coolant leak into cylinder head. Upon start up a cloud of white smoke came from the exhaust.
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?!
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer and was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the engine. The dealer recommended that the engine be replaced. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal rumbling sound coming from the engine compartment, after which the vehicle lost motive power. The contact was able to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the transmission. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. 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 80,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 58 MPH in the rain, the sunroof glass panel exploded and shattered. The contact continued driving. The contact had not sustained any injuries. The dealer was notified of the failure and provided an estimate for the repair. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and transferred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 119,500.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the temperature gauge indicated that the engine was overheating, prompting the contact to discontinue driving the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that there was coolant intrusion into several cylinders, resulting in damage 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 but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 88,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving approximately 10 MPH, the vehicle jerked and stalled. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The local dealer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 92,000.
The back-up camera is not functioning properly. The majority of the time the screen is black and I get a message saying camera is unavailable. Occasionally the screen will light up but it has distorted lines of odd colors on the screen. I am unable to see what is behind me when I put my car in reverse. This has been going on for several months and with the many recalls for this issue I have been waiting for my car to be added to the recall for the back-up camera but, this does not appear to be happening.
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.
I bought the 2016 Ford Escape and 2 weeks after the purchase the check engine light came on. I took it to Auto Zone and they said it was a spark plug. I had a full tune up done 2 days after the purchase so I called the garage and they replaced the spark plug. The light came back on a few hours later so I then took it to the Ford dealership and paid over 500.00 to have it fixed, along with the camera glitching. The day I picked up my car the check engine light came back on so I immediately took it back. They re-evaluated it and said that it is a manufacturing defect and that there is nothing they can do unless I want to replace the engine and that there was no guarantee that the new engine would not have the same issue. Apparently there are holes all throughout the engine and the antifreeze is mixing with the oil. I only drove it a total of 6 months before it completely died. Because I bought it from a buy here pay here lot he wouldn’t take it back even though I only had it 2weeks. My extended warranty would not cover the engine because it’s a manufacturing defect and I was stuck with a car note plus full coverage insurance on a car I could not drive. Ford never reimbursed me for the camera glitch that I paid for that is still not fixed and when I called Ford to see if there was anything that they could do to help me they said unfortunately they are in a lawsuit in California over the same issues I was having so no help is available at the time. The craziest part is the clerk at the Ford dealership told me to hurry up and trade it in at a different dealership that’s not Ford owned because I have a “Ford Pass” all Ford dealership can see the history of the car. And let it be someone else’s problem.
My Rearview camera works sporadically. I have had trouble backing into tight spots because of my camera not working p
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while attempting to reverse out of a parking lot, the image displayed from the rear-view camera was flipped upside down. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted, and the vehicle was not diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 56,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the driver became aware that the electric power steering was not functioning properly, which required the driver to increase the efforts to steer the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure had been recurring while driving. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by the dealer or an independent mechanic. The contact related the failure to an unknown recall that did not include the year of the vehicle. 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 122,000.
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 rear-view camera displayed a distorted image while the vehicle was in reverse(R). The contact stated that the failure obstructed the vision of the driver, preventing the driver from safely operating the vehicle. The message "Rear-view Camera Unavailable" was displayed on the screen. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, the front passenger’s side seat belt retractor failed to function as intended. The contact stated that after unbuckling the seat belt buckle, the seat belt failed to retract. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. Recently, while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled with the check engine warning light illuminated. After several attempts, the vehicle was restarted, and there was an abnormal fuel-burning odor entering the vehicle through the A/C vents. The contact stated that the engine was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The vehicle was refueled, and the contact checked the oil dip stick, and the oil level was extremely low. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic to be 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 issue. The failure mileage was unknown.
The contact's wife owned a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at approximately 45 MPH on the right lane and merging into the left lane, another vehicle violently crossed several lanes, causing the front of the vehicle to crash into the front driver's side of the other vehicle. The collision was mentioned to be a severe front-end impact, and the air bags did not deploy. The contact's wife sustained head, knee, stomach, chest, and neck injuries that required medical attention. The other vehicle's occupant received medical attention as well via the emergency room, but the injuries sustained were unknown. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a garage and then taken to the residence. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 156,000.
Head gasket failure, coolant is leaking into the engine causing combustion and potential fire
Engine 1.6l needs replaced with less than 100k miles because of coolant leaking into cylinder causing misfire, only fix is a new engine for 8k! Serviced every 3000k miles by the local ford dealer
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated while the vehicle was stationary, the vehicle became hard to shift into gear. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact's daughter took the vehicle to a dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the canister purge valve, valve cover, oil pan gasket, engine, and turbo needed to be replaced. The contact had received an unknown recall notification for the transmission. The contact authorized the canister purge valve to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 119,500.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated while reversing at an undisclosed speed, the rearview camera screen was intermittently upside down or darkened and failed to return to normal operation. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the residence. The contact researched and was made aware of an unknown recall; however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.
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.
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.
Our 2016 Ford Escape had a check engine light come on and populated a code for a #4 cylinder misfire. I took it to the mechanics shop and he found that there was coolant intrusion into the cylinder and the engine would need to be replaced. He had knowledge of finding this issue in the past. The car only has 58000 miles on it and has had all of its regular maintenance. It seems Ford is aware of these issues yet doesn't do anything about it. absolutely terrible to not stand behind the equipment that they charge a premium for. This puts families at risk when these things die with such low mileage stranded them on highways or God knows where.
Service engine warning came on/ tester indicated low pressure fuel system. On 02282025 the lower pressure fuel senor(Part#BU5Z*9F972*B was replaced at Landers Ford/Collierville, TN. On [XXX] Service engine warning came on. I contacted the dealership, and was advised to bring it in to get checked. Tester indicated that cylinder #4 was not working. So part# BM5Z*12029B (NS COIL A) and Part# CYFS*13Y*RCX(100 SPARK) were both ordered and replaced. When I went to pickup Mr car on [XXX], it was missing very bad. I was told that Anti-freeze was shooting into the motor, and that the motor was not repairable, and that I could replace it or trade my car in. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
There is already an existing recall for the model vehicle I have (Recall/CSP Number: Ford's number for this program is 22N12). My vehicle is sitting at the local Ford dealer with a cracked flex plate/broken flywheel, just as described in the recall. However my VIN does not show as part of this recall…I need to get it added.
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 while shifted in reverse(R), the rearview camera image displayed was not clear on the screen. The local dealer was 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 failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.
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 while in reverse, the rear-view camera failed to display a clear image. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 86,000.
On march 13th I was coming home and my transmission stopped working I had to have it towed and now it’s being replaced
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle shuddered abnormally with the check engine warning light intermittently illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. 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 failure mileage was unknown.
Backup camera works intermittently, often going to blank blue or black screen. Other ford vehicles have received a recall from ford for this same issue but not mine.
While I was driving, suddenly check engine light pop up. After investigating and troubleshooting by mechanic it shows need to replace Evap canister purge valve. Vehicle has just 68000 miles and this component should not be failed this early in life cycle.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked in the garage, the contact used an electrical starter and became aware that there was heavy white smoke coming from the exhaust pipes. While opening the vehicle, the contact became aware of a strong chemical odor coming into the cabin of the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to duplicate the failure. The dealer replaced the cabin air filter. The vehicle was returned to the dealer, who performed extensive pressure testing. The dealer suggested that due to the contact noticing the coolant levels were extremely low, the vehicle should be taken in regularly to check the coolant level. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 76,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact’s wife was able to coast to the side of the road. The contact was called and went to the site of the failure. The contact opened the hood and checked the fluids. The contact stated that the coolant reservoir was empty. The contact refilled the coolant reservoir. A dealer was not contacted, and the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 106,647. The VIN was not available.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the transmission was slipping. The contact stated that the RPM increased, and the vehicle decelerated. The vehicle was shifted into neutral and pushed out of the roadway. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the third gear had an incorrect ratio. The fluid condition was filled with material, and an overhaul of the transmission was recommended. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.
When shifting the gear shifter to reverse the back up camera is distorted and flickers and changes into color like green and static lines. The back up sound to alert something is behind the car will delay the sound to let u know something is there. It’s not every time this happens but 6 out of 10 times I put it in reverse daily it does what I explain above.
The vehicle's transmission failed without warning while my wife was driving the vehicle. It died in the middle of a busy road.
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 distorted image while the vehicle was in reverse(R). The contact stated that the failure obstructed the driver's ability to safely drive the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated, or messages of failure displayed. 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 approximately 90,000.
Coolant leaked into my engine, causing engine failure and the need to be replaced at a cost of close to $10k. This is a known issue that the mechanic had seen several times, with a class action lawsuit ongoing and many cases know for the 2013-2019 Ford Escapes. It is not under recall or warranty. Only 70,000 miles on my car. Feel like I've been penalized even though I took good care of my car. This was Ford's fault as it was a defect in their car and yet I am the one that is out $10k. This should be under recall, I feel like I got taken advantage of by Ford. Please consider making Ford put a recall on this, so the consumer (me and many others) rightfully gets the value that they paid for. I am pretty angry, and think a right to be. The company (or person) that makes a mistake should be the one who takes responsibility for it. This is the rule of law we operate under in this country, and why it is such a great country. In the case of this known engine coolant leak for 2013-2019 Ford Escape, it is Ford's fault but I am getting penalized for it. This goes against the basic principles of our country. I'm angry for myself and many others who have had this issue, and have been taken advantage of by Ford. Please force them to do the right thing and put a recall on this issue.
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.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026