10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
4 / 2
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
20,030 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2016 Ford Escape:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #72

Oct 032023

Escape

  • miles
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.

- Green Bay, WI, USA

problem #71

Feb 032023

Escape

  • miles
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.

- Fort Mill, SC, USA

problem #70

Aug 242023

Escape

  • miles
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

- Columbus, GA, USA

problem #69

Jul 012023

Escape

  • miles
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.

- Westport, MA, USA

problem #68

Aug 042023

Escape

  • miles
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.

- Kenvil, NJ, USA

problem #67

Jul 242023

Escape 4-cyl

  • miles
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.

- Fleetwood , PA, USA

problem #66

Jul 102023

Escape

  • miles
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.

- Lakeland , FL, USA

problem #65

Jul 022023

Escape

  • miles
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

- Harvard, IL, USA

problem #64

Aug 182020

Escape

  • miles
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

- Champlin, MN, USA

problem #63

May 172023

Escape

  • miles
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.

- Wildwood, FL, USA

problem #62

Apr 152023

Escape

  • miles
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.

- Ellsinore, MO, USA

problem #61

Oct 152022

Escape

  • miles
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.

- Prescott Valley , AZ, USA

problem #60

Nov 142022

Escape 4-cyl

  • miles
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).

- Kohler, WI, USA

problem #59

Jul 012022

Escape 4-cyl

  • miles
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

- Bardstown, KY, USA

problem #58

Jul 272022

Escape

  • miles
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!!!?"

- Derry, PA, USA

problem #57

Sep 212022

Escape

  • miles
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.

- Winter Park, FL, USA

problem #56

Aug 242022

Escape

  • miles
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.

- Modesto, CA, USA

problem #55

Aug 082022

Escape

  • miles
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.

- Willowick, OH, USA

problem #54

Jul 292022

Escape

  • miles
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.

- Ellenwood, GA, USA

problem #53

Jul 252022

Escape

  • miles
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.

- Calumet City , IL, USA

Read the next 20 complaints »