85 complaints reported

2016 Ford Escape UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.

Reports
85
Crashes
3
Fires
1
Injuries
0

Complaint Timeline

Chronological view of owner reports

May 2024

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.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2016 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: May 2024
May 2024

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.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2016 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Apr 2024
Mar 2024

There were issues with shifting in the cars transmission. The mechanic that fixed it claims there were faulty parts in the original transmission.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2016 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jul 2024
Nov 2023

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.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2016 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Oct 2023
Oct 2023

The APIM failed. This is a safety issue in this day and age of cell phones. We are not to use our cell phones while driving.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2016 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Dec 2023
Oct 2023

I was pulling out onto a major highway and my car quit shifting. Which caused me to be stranded in the middle of a busy highway.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2016 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Oct 2023
Aug 2023

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

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2016 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Aug 2023
Aug 2023

Rear door inner panels will not allow the doors to be opened. I replaced them and it is doing it again. Ford says replace them again and save receipt in case it gets recalled. I can not let my grandchildren or any one else for that matter ride in the back they would be trapped in an accident!!

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2016 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Aug 2023
Jul 2023

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.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2016 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jul 2023
May 2023

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.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2016 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: May 2023
Apr 2023

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.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2016 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Apr 2023
Apr 2023

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.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2016 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jan 2023
Apr 2023

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.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2016 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Apr 2023
Feb 2023

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

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2016 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Feb 2023
Jan 2023

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.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2016 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Oct 2022
Nov 2022

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).

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2016 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Nov 2022
Nov 2022

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 [email protected] you. Rose Pile

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2016 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jan 2022
Oct 2022

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!!!??

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2016 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jul 2022
Sep 2022

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.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2016 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Sep 2022
Aug 2022

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.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2016 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Aug 2022
Jul 2022

My shift control cable broke in someone’s driveway when I was picking up something for free by road. I was stuck in reverse and had to call a tow truck and with everything, cost me more than $700 with fixing my car and towing. Please help me get reimbursed! My email is [XXX]. Just a girl trying to pay off school and then a newly recalled part on my car broke back in April. I called Ford when it happened and there was not a recall then. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2016 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Apr 2022
Jul 2022

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.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2016 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jul 2022
Jul 2022

Speed is slow when Pressing gas and it makes a roaring sound they stops driving

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2016 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jun 2022
Apr 2022

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.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2016 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jul 2022
Feb 2022 Crash

The contact owned a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated when attempting to park, the steering wheel locked and the engine accelerated independently fast. As a result, the contact crashed into a curb, over a snow-bank, down the ditch, and came to a stop crashing into a tree. There were no injuries sustained. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an impound lot. The vehicle was totaled. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 60,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2016 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: May 2022

Trend Over Time

Complaints by year

Quick Summary

The 2016 Ford Escape has 85 UNKNOWN OR OTHER complaints on file. 3 crashes have been reported. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.