2016 Ford Escape complaints

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 local dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair, and the vehicle was parked. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

Escape has developed water intrusion in cylinder #2 of the 2.0 ECOBOOST engine, with under 80,000 miles. continued driving of the car could cause overheating due to low coolant and potential motor seizing. check engine light has come on, with cylinder misfire but no low coolant warnings. Potential engine seizing will be a safety concern if the vehicle is in motion, causing loss of control and damage to passengers and other motorists. I have footage of the cylinder leak via inspection camera if needed.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the ABS warning light illuminated intermittently. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the ABS was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to parts not being available. Additionally, while driving approximately 40 MPH, there was an abnormally loud sound coming from the engine compartment and the vehicle shuddered and lost motive power. The vehicle was steered to the side of the road, where a passerby assisted the contact in disconnecting and reconnecting the battery, and the vehicle was restarted but lost motive power while attempting to accelerate. The vehicle was steered to the side of the road and the vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was then towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be rebuilt, and that the ABS system was defective and needed to be replaced. The transmission was replaced but the ABS system was not replaced because the part was discontinued by the manufacturer. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

Car has been checked for coolant loss and pressure tested coolant system. Was told coolant is leaking internally. Car is at 120,000 miles.

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 unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while in reverse, the back-over prevention camera failed to display the image behind the vehicle. The failure became more persistent over time and caused additional electrical failures. The contact was unable to connect devices to the vehicle, and the radio failed to operate as needed. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that the part for the recall repair was not available. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 17,000.

Water leaking into cylinder number 3, causing misfires and loss of coolant/ overheating

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 visibility, which prevented the driver from safely operating the vehicle. In addition, there was an abnormal sound coming from the camera. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, after the vehicle was purchased, the liftgate failed to function as intended. The liftgate occasionally opened and closed independently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, the message "Transmission Fault - Service Now" was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact had the transmission fluid changed. However, the message was displayed again. 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 unknown.

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 driving 60 MPH, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. In addition, the vehicle vibrated abnormally. The message "Motor Work Required" was displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that three weeks after the vehicle was purchased, the transmission failed to operate as intended. The contact replaced the transmission. The contact stated that the failure persisted. 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 owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while reversing, the rear-view camera system failure message was displayed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or a dealer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was not available. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

I went to the dealership to clear my recall with Ford for my 2016 Ford Escape. It has been 30 days but Ford has still not cleared the recall with NHTSA to clear my vehicle.

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 visibility, which prevented the driver from safely operating the vehicle. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, the alarm activated independently. The alarm was unintentionally activated during the day or night. Most recently, while the front driver’s side door was opened or closed, the alarm activated until the key was inserted into the ignition. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic; however, no cause for the failure was found. 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 unknown.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon opening the liftgate, the liftgate started closing unintendedly and struck the contact on the head. There was no injury sustained. The dealer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

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 rearview camera displayed a black image while reversing. The message "Camera Unavailable" was displayed. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not 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 failure. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon refueling the vehicle and resuming driving 55 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power in bumper-to-bumper traffic. The contact was unable to pull over to the side of the road. The contact shifted to neutral(N) and shifted back to drive(D), but the vehicle failed to respond and started rolling backwards on leveled road surface. The contact activated the hazard lights and continuously depressed the brake pedal while steering the vehicle on the busy road. The contact was able to coast to the side of the road. The contact stated that the vehicle made two abnormal loud popping sounds and came to a complete stop. The vehicle was towed to Firestone, where the contact was informed that the failure could be related to the transmission, and that the transmission could not be serviced. The vehicle was then towed to Autohub, where it was diagnosed with transmission failure, and the contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The auto warranty company was contacted and confirmed that the vehicle was no longer covered. Additionally, the contact stated that the rearview camera image was inverted and distorted while reversing. 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 vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failures. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the message "Transmission Fault" was displayed once. Additionally, the contact stated while driving approximately 60 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed, but the vehicle failed to respond as needed and shuddered abnormally. The contact stated that the vehicle decelerated and jerked forward while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to the residence. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the transmission was replaced; however, the vehicle hesitated to shift into gears while driving. The contact stated that prior to the failure, the vehicle was repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000(Power Train), which the contact related to the failure. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

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.

With no warnings the automatic transmission went into like limp mode. Shifted hard then no acceleration when pressing on gas. Faulty transmission light came on. I bought extended warranty when I purchased this car in 2020 from dealer. The warranty expired in August 2024. The transmission tore up in Oct. 2024. Took it to transmission guy who put it on code reader. 3 codes came up and he said it was bad. I bought the car at 55,000 miles and it tore up at 104,000 miles. Don't know if dealer ever changed fluid before I bought it but they never said anything to me about changing the transmission fluid. Transmission guy told me the filter was internal and couldn't be changed. The dealer said fluid should be changed around 50 to 60,000 miles and I guess they didn't do it. I went to them for 4 years for servicing and they never mentioned it to me. I lost my husband in 2021 so I was uneducated on things of that nature. I feel Ford should have to fix it or compensate for it.

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 was inoperable while reversing. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not 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 fuel injector and the one of the cylinders has gone bad and has been available for inspection. My safety has been put to rest due to engine overheating. The vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer police or any insurance representative. The check engine light did appear on November 1, 2025. The car started overheating on November 4, 2025. According to other owners that I have spoken to, this is a constant problem with this make and model. I believe it is a manufacturer defect since so many other owners are experiencing the same issue.

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 local dealer was not 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 issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

Transmission failed at 62,000 miles with no prior issues or indication to this matter.

After 104,000 miles Experienced Transmission issues. Been told this happens to several Ford Escapes' after 100k miles.

The transmission failed at 88,000 miles with no warning. The transmission started whining, and suddenly started slipping, and ultimately gave out, leaving me stranded on the side of the highway. After contacting a transmission specialist, I was informed this is a common problem with this vehicle, and they had seen multiple of the same model for the same issue, saying it was a manufacturer defect. I had to spend 6,000 dollars to have the transmission rebuilt. The check engine light came on after the transmission had completely failed.

My review camera goes in and out and says unavailable

Transmission failed while driving vehicle.

This is not a report of an incident but is a report of an ongoing failure of the rear back up camera system. Recently there has been recalls (two that I’m aware of) of specific Ford vehicles for this specific problem, however, my vehicle has not been included as of yet. I have checked on your website for my vin number but it only says no recalls due. I have had a failure of this nature for at least 6 months with the camera saying it is not available, within seconds showing upside down flashing images, etc. it is unusable as a reliable guide. It has been inspected with an advisory to take it to Ford dealership which I am not able to afford at this point.

2016 escape rear camera displays upside down. Ford motor just recalled over a million of their vehicles due to safety hazard, Mine is not listed in recall but has exact same safety issue. Contacted FMC and said it's not on the recall list. I ask them to repair just like the others that are being recalled. We bought this new in 2016. They refused although it is an identified safety issue. Thanks [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

My Rearview camera works sporadically. I have had trouble backing into tight spots because of my camera not working p

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.

My back up camera doesn't always work, sometimes blank, sometimes black screen. Once I shift to drive it tells me Back up camera not available. I was hoping I'd be included in the camera recall.

Rear camera keeps blinking out. Multiple times when shifting into reverse.

Rear camera screen will turn black and not work for days at a time, or will sometimes display for a second and then as I’m backing up, it’ll turn black. Then for a day it’ll work just fine, then the next day be back to not working again out of the blue. I have been in no accidents. It once even displayed my view upside down. Yes it’s available for inspection upon request. I would say people are very at risk because I can’t trust it to work and I might hit someone if the screen goes black on me while I’m backing up. I haven’t brought it to a dealership or others because of cost and time. This has been going on for years, I’m not sure when it first started… maybe around the 80,000 mile marker?

Back up camera goes blank or displays upside down. Tail lights goes out frequently but the dealer says it's okay.

Coolant leak into cylinder head. Upon start up a cloud of white smoke came from the exhaust.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while reversing, the rear-view camera image was displayed upside down, or there was a solid black screen displayed without an image. The contact stated that the failure caused a visibility hazard for the driver. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 60,000.

Rear camera image is distorted in a manner probably similar to 25V-270 and 25V-272. This is one of the few vehicles where a flipping of the image or no display occurs on reverse.

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.

Camera keeps cutting out even in the middle of backing up

Backup camera shuts off and on when backing up at first. Then would get lines across the screen when backing up after a few weeks. Now does not turn on at all and if it pops on for a second the screen is blue or says not detected.

Rear view camera is not working properly. Will either flicker on & off while reversing, display upside down, or just show a black screen. This has been going on for a while. There seems to be a recall for this malfunction for several Ford models, however not one for my model.

While using my rear backup camera, because the car was set to reverse, the image will be distorted, flip and distorted, or not display at all.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while in reverse, the rearview camera image intermittently failed to display as intended. No warning light was illuminated. In addition, the contact stated that the navigation system was displayed instead of the image of the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was determined that the rear-view camera needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to parts not being available. The contact related the failure to an unknown NHTSA Campaign however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 112,000.

Rear view camera fails and gives blank display. Problem has happened for more than two years and Ford will not fix it. says it is not required, but it is a huge safety risk.

Reverse camera works intermittently. 90% of the time it either doesn't work or appears distorted.

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.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who determined that there was coolant intrusion in cylinder #3, 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, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 54,000.

Transmission abruptly failed on train tracks no warning nothing

Around Aug. 3, I noticed that when I drove, the interior lights would not turn off. When the car was off, they went out as they should. But every time I started the car they came on and would not turn off. It made it very difficult to drive went it was getting dark. The dealership confirmed that it wasn't the knobs inside the car that were causing this problem. Later, I took it in for them to find out what was wrong. I scheduled an appointment and dropped off the car. That was Aug, 7. Today is September 1, and I have no idea when I might get my car back. Apparently, it needed a 'body control module'. They got a new Ford part, put it in and it solved the problem with the interior lights, but nothing else was working. They tried a second new, Ford part with the same results. So, I've been without a car, I have had a rental for a week, but will be turning it in, too expensive for me. I need a car I work mornings. What are my options now? It only has 52,000 miles. And while I am the 2nd owner, it belonged to a friend that I lived with and took care of and was the primary driver. How long before they should say we can't fix it?

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The vehicle decelerated and failed to exceed 4 MPH. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled, and eventually the engine seized. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact restarted the vehicle; however, the engine seized again. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, and the failure was linked to a recall that was performed on the vehicle in 2022. The vehicle was towed to the residence. In addition, the vehicle had been parked and inoperable since. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The contact stated that in 2022, a recall notification for the power train was received. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the recall repair was performed, but the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact stated that in 2022, when the initial failure occurred, a case was filed and then closed. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The contact was advised to ask NHTSA about approving the unknown recall to be performed again because of the recurring failure. The failure mileage was approximately 104,362.

We were driving on the expressway in our 2016 Ford Escape in the far left lane (4 lanes) and when my husband pushed on the gas, it revved up. Then it seemed like we started to lose power. A red exclamation point error came up on the dashboard, but I couldn't tell what it said. My husband was somehow able to get us across the highway (in busy traffic) to the right lane, where we wer able to get off the exit and pull into a parking lot. If the car has lost full power on the interstate, there's no telling what would have happened. Our car was towed to the shop and they're saying the transmission needs replacing ($7200). There is a known recall for 2013-2019 Ford Escapes concerning the power train / transmission. Our VIN is not listed, but I find it highly suspect because we had no warning messages or symptoms before hand.