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 determine that the canister purge valve was stuck in the open position. 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.
2016 Ford Escape complaints
Owner reports filed with NHTSA about this vehicle, newest first and reproduced as filed. They are unverified accounts: one proves nothing, and a pattern across many is the thing worth reading. Back to the full 2016 record →
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle intermittently hesitated while accelerating. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that the engine block was cracked, and that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, there was thick white smoke coming out of the exhaust pipes, and the engine was running rough while driving. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the cylinders. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 63,500.
Transmission faulty
The rear backup camera intermittently cuts in and out. The touch screen also intermittently turns black and is unresponsive. After it died, I replaced the infotainment touchscreen computer. The rear backup camera is still intermittent and unreliable. Other owners have complained online about poor seals in the rear wiper assembly, which leads to leaks that corrode the camera's wiring harness and cause an intermittent video signal. I feel this is a known problem that Ford is choosing to ignore and is dangerous when the backup camera cuts out while backing up.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle failed to properly accelerate with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that there was a coolant intrusion in cylinder #1. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The local dealer and manufacturer were not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 135,000.
Ford is aware of a design flaw with the 2.0 Ecoboost engines. It impacts Escapes, Fusions, Edges, and some Lincoln vehicles. They issued TSB # 22-2229 about this. According to Ford, the only fix is to replace the engine. The engine block has a design flaw that causes the head gasket to blow and cause severe coolant leakage into either cylinder 2 or 3. Ford says to replace the Long block. My vehicle had less than 70k miles on it and started having issues just a month or so after the warranty expired. An engine should last much longer than this. Now our vehicle may be worth $500 instead of about $9,000. Ford knows this is an issue and there is significant information on the Internet about this. Ford should have been forced to recall these engines. From a safety standpoint, our engine fails to start at times. The cylinder is so full of coolant at times, the engine won't turn over for a while. We have to keep bumping the starter to get it to finally turn over. We purchased this vehicle new from a Ford dealership. The vehicle is otherwise in excellent condition and has had the oil changed every 4,000 miles, much less miles than required by Ford.
My car overheated when I pulled over I noticed my engine coolant low. I had a mechanic add more fluids then a day later car shuts off why I was going 65 on a highway . I was pushing down on the gas peddle but my car would not go. It was barely moving no matter how far I pushed gas peddle. I finally found a somewhat area to pull over . I almost died or was seriously injuried in a few close call accidents this day. Had someone look at it from a garage in town he said it was a fuse and a cylinder misfire. No engine light no issues then my car over heated again no warning just shut down but the car still on Emmy lights didn’t work my turn signals didn’t work . Then my car stopped dead in a busy roadway over heated smoking . Now I’m time I need an engine replacement Let me add my car only has 60000 miles on it and is in great maintained condition I am a single mother of 3 young kids and take care of my mom. Not employed due to a bad relationship and trying to get back on my feet and now this . Coolest leaks into cylinder causing over heating and catastrophic engine damage , so upset over this and ford won’t even diagnose my car with out a 200 dollar charge to start with . It’s pathetic
2016 Ford Escape rearview camera works only intermittently and sometimes not at all. On screen when the camera doesn't work it says Camera not available. Why is this vehicle not included in the Ford recall of faulty rearview cameras? The $165M penalty should be broadened to cover these failures in earlier model years. It is not just 2021 models.
Backup camera fails intermittently and unpredictability. Often just a blank blue screen appears, sometimes an error message over a video image appears, and other times the camera works at first but fails after a few seconds. It can work one minute, and the next time the car is shifted into reverse (such as when parallel parking) it may not work (or vice-versa). OBDII fault codes indicate a possible communications/electrical issue. Online reports reveal that there are scores of other owners of model year 2014-2019 Ford Escapes with the same or similar issues with their back-up cameras (one mentioned having theirs replaced at least _4 times_ while the car was still in its warranty period). No other warning lamps are available. The alert text that (only sometimes) appears on the display screen when the camera fails is non-specific (e.g. “Camera not available.”). This has been occurring for at least the last 3 or 4 years. For all intents and purposes, since this fault is so unpredictable, I can no longer consider this car to possess a back-up camera. Safety: while I have never had a serious, another driver could easily fail to see and possibly collide with property or individuals while reversing (especially when the camera image disappears in the middle of an in-progress reversing operation). I am more than happy to make my vehicle available for inspection upon request. Ford has issued a recall for the seemingly identical issue for 2020 model year vehicles, but not for my 2016 Fo
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that after parking in the vehicle, the odor of fuel was present inside the garage. Upon inspection, the contact discovered fuel leaking from under the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the fuel lines had rusted and failed causing a fuel leak. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 23,000.
I paid to repair transmission. It kept dropping into gears really hard. It rolled backwards while in drive, if I took my foot off of brake. A year later, I'm going through it again The get engine checked light came on and it just stopped moving.
My Ford mechanic states that my lug nuts are swollen. This would make it impossible for me to change my tires if something happened and I had a flat tire on the road. This seems a like a clear manufacturing defect and should be addressed at their expense not mine. Ford is quoting a price of $276 (without taxes) to replace all lug nuts. This is ridiculous.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle jerked and hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that the traction control and brake warning lights were illuminated. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was 120,022.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while attempting to reverse, the back-over prevention camera failed to operate as designed and displayed a blank image on the screen. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic but was not diagnosed. The vehicle was repaired with the passenger’s side door being replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 118,000.
ABS module is obsolete and unavailable from Ford
65,000 miles, coolant intrusion into #1 cylinder confirmed by Ford service center. First signs were Check Engine Light, rough idle. Replaced all spark plugs and coils. Check engine light returned the following day with loss of coolant in tank. Engine runs rough and overheats with coolant loss and continued intrusion into engine, endangering occupants
Throttle body and motor was replaced twice due to engine keep stalling issues on the roads intermittently. Had faced life threatening occasions multiple times because the car engine stalled while car was driving on the roads. I brought the car to the local Ford service center several times and got the DTC P2112 code each visit. Ford service center approved the throttle body replacement on 2/10/2020 (car mileage 26688) but the same issue came back a few months later. P2112 was detected again on 4/30/2023 (mileage 40215) It was not very frequent but it happened once per month or every other month. I brought this car once again to the same local Focal service center and they diagnosed the throttle body and motor to be defect again (mileage 46476) and replaced it on 10/15/2024.
The vehicle flashed to move it to park, which i did and then the vehicle proceeded to die in the middle of a busy intersection. My children were in the vehicle on an incredibly hot day, surrounded by lots of traffic, making it incredibly dangerous for us. I had my vehicle towed to my home, where my husband, who is a mechanic, was able to figure out that the 50 amp fuse in the fuse box had blown, but it never registered on the scanner, that the fuse was the issue. He changed the fuse, thus fixing the issue. I would just like other owners of this type of vehicle to know, that hopefully this could also be their issue, and a simple fix.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the transmission shifted gear independently with the "Shift to Park" message displayed on the instrument panel. The contact stated that several icons on the instrument panel were blinking intermittently. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 121,312.
Ford Escape is experiencing multiple symptoms: * Fuel smell in the cabin * Sluggish acceleration * Hard start (cranks several seconds without ignition) after refueling * (RARE) Engine stall when coming to a stop.
Transmission suddenly loosing power without any signs on highway , car has only 93k miles , at highway speed I lost all power without warnings .
I was driving on a highway. All of a sudden the transmission fail light came on and my vehicle almost came to a complete stop. I NO warning. I was scared to death!!!! I see I am not the only one. I see several similar reports online.
The component that malfunctioned was my transmission according to the mechanic. I was driving and all the sudden my car stopped and wouldn't go, then the accelerator started going to the max but nothing happened. My first thought was a flat tire and after I checked my tires it wasn't flat. I started my car back up and it did the same thing eventually stalling and not moving at all. The wheel locked and would not move to steer or release. I had to get it towed. This is a huge safety issue concern because it stopped in the middle of the road while I was driving putting my life and others at risk. It's available for inspection upon request.The problem was confirmed by a mechanic in which he said there was a recall at some point on the transmission for my vehicle but he was unsure if it was still active. There were no warning lamps or signs and there still isn't present on my dash. Thus making there being no warning signs at all a safety issues for myself and others.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted to first gear. Additionally, the contact stated while attempting to drive from a complete stop, the vehicle rolled backwards while in drive(D). The contact stated that the vehicle responded as needed and shifted to first gear after a while. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road. The contact stated that an unknown transmission message was displayed. The contact stated that after restarting the vehicle, the vehicle failed to shift into gear. The vehicle was towed to the residence. An independent mechanic was contacted and informed the contact that the torque converter might have failed, causing the transmission filter to be clogged. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 101,700.
The car was running fine, but check engine light came on. Took it to the dealer to have it checked out. They told me there is coolant intrusion into engine cylinder 2 (I think number 2) and the engine needs to be replaced. Apparently this is a known issue that can lead to overheating, “catastrophic” engine failures and potential engine fires. They quoted me roughly ten thousand dollars to have it replaced. I told them it was still running fine. They said I could maybe keep driving it but there is no way to know what will happen and when but it needs to be replaced. I am only now seeing page after page of consumer complaints regarding the same issue.
Power reduced to lower engine temperature message appeared on the dashboard. Stopped and saw coolant seemed empty. I filled it up to the max line. The next day it was empty again. It’s been 2 days and I filled it again today.
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. After a visual inspection of the engine compartment, the contact observed that the coolant reservoir was abnormally low, even though the coolant reservoir had recently been refilled. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined there was coolant intrusion into cylinders#3 and #4, resulting in engine damage. 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 and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 86,000.
Transmission, currently available for inspection. Vehicle stalled in traffic. Yes, confirmed by dealership No other inspections On occasion it did seem to stay in low gear too long. Dash message said Transmission Fault on September 10, 2024 but no other warnings prior. While driving "Transmission Fault" displayed on dash after revving up, gearing down, and apparently shifting into neutral while driving causing it to stall in traffic. It was towed to dealership and diagnostics showed a transmission replacement was needed but the cost was book value of the vehicle, $9100+. Vehicle has 111,000 miles.
Catastrophic engine failure. "Engine skipped timing; timing codes coolant intrusion in cylinder#1 inside cylinder head". Car towed to Portland Oregon Ford dealership and remains there. When warning lights appeared saying "engine failure pull over safely", the driver pulled over; it was not a safe area to be parked indefinately. The Escape vehicle has needed towing twice for related engine /coolant problems including driver being on a road out of town alone and needing to take a bus back home from the rural area. Engine/vehicle is available at dealership for inspection. Problem has been recreated and the Ford mechanic has given the above description.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while cold starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the vehicle. In addition, the contact stated that the check engine warning light intermittently illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was initially taken to an independent mechanic where a diagnostic test was performed on the vehicle. The mechanic discovered a misfire in cylinder #2 due to coolant intrusion into the engine. The dealer and an independent mechanic informed the contact that the engine needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle went into LIMP Mode, with the "Engine coolant over Temperature" message on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where a diagnostic test revealed that there was coolant intrusion into an engine cylinder and the contact was provided an estimate for the repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to file a complaint. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 124,500.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his nephew who is a mechanic was replacing the front passenger’s side ball joint, he observed that the radiator was hanging down and the support brackets were rusted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 160,000.
Ive had my vehicle since February 27, 2024 and around May time the engine began to overheat. Itook it to Pepboys and they said it was possibly a head gasket issue, but didnt check the coolant levels. I tried to fill it up and it all dumped on the ground at my apartment. I filled it up again the next day and it held for about 2 months. 1 week ago, while driving to work I the engine had reduced power to precent overheating. Ever since sincr each time I go fill the overflow tank with coolant it dumps completely on the ground.
After riding around with a friend one afternoon, we went to a drive-thru for a snack and my car began to notify me that it was overheating. The dashboard stated that I should pull over and immediately shut off the engine for it to cool down. Upon doing so, I checked the coolant level, and upon releasing pressure, I noticed the coolant was low. I drove to the nearest Autozone and appropriately filled the coolant levels as needed. After that, the engine never overheated again, but it began to have issues accelerating, as well as running rough upon starting the engine and while in idle. A couple days later, the check engine light came on so I took my vehicle to the nearest Ford Dealership to see what was going on. Ford concluded that coolant was leaking into the 2nd cylinder of my engine. Due to this, the entire engine needs replaced at only 160,000 miles on a not even 10 year old vehicle. After investigating online, I noticed that thousands of other Ford vehicle owners with the same make, model, and year, are having this exact same issue. Ford knew that they were mass producing engines with faulty head gaskets and now their customers are paying for it out of pocket. Ford needs to make this right for their customers and issue a recall on the entire engine.
Rear gate comes down unexpectedly.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine overheated. In addition, the vehicle was consuming excessive amounts of coolant. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into cylinders #3 and #4, causing engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 86,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated that the engine misfired and the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to another dealer where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into cylinder #1, and engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure had been persistent for a year. In addition, the contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the previous dealer several times due to the failure; however, the failure could not be duplicated. The contact stated that the check engine warning light illuminated intermittently. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline and report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.
There were issues with shifting in the cars transmission. The mechanic that fixed it claims there were faulty parts in the original transmission.
The following all occurred in just the past year. The following is a report from this May 2024: Performed Cooling System Pressure Test, Discovered Coolant to Be Leaking From Behind Engine Next to Firewall, Continued Diagnosis and Performed Physical Inspection Removing Wiper Cowl to Get a Better View of Behind the Engine, Once Wiper Cowl Was Removed Discovered Rear Heater Hose to Be Leaking Coolant Causing Customers Concern. Recommend Replace Heater Hose and Perform Cooling System Service During the Courtesy Inspection Aaron Noted: ***Coolant Fluid Very Low Due to Coolant Leak, Recommend Perform Cooling System Service with Hose Replacement ***Vehicle is Equipped With Timing Belt, Check Customers Records For Previous Replacement - The inital issues was the purge valve stuck open, which lead to a misfire code, so they mechanic had a replacement of purge valve chassy and replace spark plugs. - 2 weeks following this event, we were told the engine would need to be replaced due to an internal coolant leakage that resulted from a broken gasket. The vehicle does not even have 200,000 miles.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, there was an abnormal rattling sound coming from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that while depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to accelerate as needed. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where the vehicle was diagnosed with transmission failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that there were no recalls on the vehicle. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline to file a complaint. The failure mileage was approximately 148,000.
At 116k miles the Turbo had to be replaced, immediately following by the transmission failed and needs to be fully replaced.
The car has less than 100,000 miles and has been diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the engine. This is a known issue and Ford has not recalled this particular model for the same issue it has done recalls for. It is discussed in TSB 19-2208. The only known repair according to Ford is to replace the engine which is unacceptable for a car of this age and mileage. We have brought it in to check on the engine light and have been replacing coolant and have just found that the issue is that the engine has to be replaced according to a service station and Ford dealership. There are numerous social media accounts and class action suits filed for this very issue, and even Ford said that there "could" be a recall but so far there is not.
Vechile showing transmission not in park
The rear back up camera works intermittently and the car will not start intermittently cannot find the issue it has left stuck at places because it would not start. Changed the battery and all electrical checked out ok.
The liftgate just opens on it's own! It'll say it's ajar while driving and will completely open on it's own while parked and while the key fob is just sitting on a table with nothing touching it.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the engine overheated and an alarm sounded. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the thermostat was replaced; however, the failure recurred while driving 23 MPH. The contact pulled to the side of the road. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the engine block had fractured, causing coolant intrusion in the cylinders. The mechanic determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to an unknown recall. The dealer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the manufacturer for assistance. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 121,000.
There was a flat on the left rear tire last Friday, Aug 2. It had to be changed at home because it was ruined and could not be aired up. When I tried to take the lug nuts off, the plastic coating on the nuts (whose stupid idea was that!!) made it impossible to get the Ford lug wrench on the nuts. Since my options at that time were very limited, I hammered the lug wrench on by force and finally got the nuts off. It did not improve their looks or usefulness a bit. After buying a new tire I went to the Ford dealer to get some usable lug nuts. They had nothing to offer, but did say their mechanics frequently complained that the lug nuts were faulty. Who would have ever imagined a manufacturer would ever screw up something as basic as lug nuts!! Next car or truck I buy will not have such nonsense or I won't buy it.
Checked the Ford Sync and Navigation Updates webpage to see if there was an update available for my car that would enable Apple CarPlay and the associated safety benefits in interacting with the infotainment console. The website indicated an update was available. I attempted to connect the car via WiFi to my phone in order to process the update, but even with the automatic updates button on it would not update. I took the vehicle into a Ford garage and asked them to update it for me while getting my oil changed. When I received it back, the software was the same. I then called a different Ford garage and asked if they could update it. They said that they could so I made a second appointment. I took it in and they at first took it back but then a technician came to talk with me about the multitudinous problems that were likely to occur if they updated my software to the newest version (screen going black, car not starting, electrical issues, driving issues) and said that if any of those occurred it would then be thousands of more dollars to replace the messed up components. I asked if he had a software version prior to the most recent one that wouldn’t cause those problems, and he said no he did not. He asked if I wanted to continue with the upgrade, with it implied that I would be responsible for any further issues that occurred because of the update. I did not want to risk something happening to the car while I was driving by applying the update.
Uncontrollable acceleration increase; Difficult and rough starting; Engine overheating warning lights and message alerts; Coolant empty and no visible leak; Continued loss of coolant; Copious moisture smelling of anti freeze coming from exhaust; Check engine light codes: P1450, P1450 pd, PO302
Reading these
NHTSA publishes every complaint as the owner wrote it and investigates only a fraction. Spelling, capitalisation and judgement are the filer’s own. What carries weight is repetition: the same component failing the same way across many filings, and whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
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