NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
Engine And Engine Cooling complaints
56 reportsClear category filter96,000 miles · Nov 8, 2023
Engine And Engine Cooling
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle experienced rough starts, overheating and the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who determined that there was coolant present inside the engine cylinders and that the engine needed to be replaced. T…
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The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle experienced rough starts, overheating and the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who determined that there was coolant present inside the engine cylinders and that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 96,000.
NHTSA ODI #11554125
123,000 miles · Oct 27, 2023
Engine And Engine Cooling
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the check engine warning light remained illuminated, with the engine overheating and the message Cylinder Number One Misfire was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that coolant was present inside cylind…
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The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the check engine warning light remained illuminated, with the engine overheating and the message Cylinder Number One Misfire was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that coolant was present inside cylinder #1 and the engine needed to be repaired. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 123,000.
NHTSA ODI #11552211
130,000 miles · Aug 22, 2023
EngineEngine And Engine Cooling
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle started overheating. The contact pulled over on the side of the road and waited until the vehicle cool down and added coolant to the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who stated that the engine neede…
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The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle started overheating. The contact pulled over on the side of the road and waited until the vehicle cool down and added coolant to the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who stated that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NTHSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 130,000.
NHTSA ODI #11540116
78,000 miles · Jul 27, 2023
Engine And Engine Cooling
The contact's daughter owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced excessive coolant consumption. Additionally, upon starting the vehicle, the contact's daughter noticed a significant amount of smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was tak…
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The contact's daughter owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced excessive coolant consumption. Additionally, upon starting the vehicle, the contact's daughter noticed a significant amount of smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that that there was coolant intrusion into the cylinders and the head gasket had failed. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to TSB Number: 19-2375. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 78,000.
NHTSA ODI #11534750
100,000 miles · May 26, 2023
EngineEngine And Engine Cooling
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated while his wife was driving approximately 35 MPH and accelerating to highway speeds, the vehicle started to overheat. The contact stated that the high engine temperature warning light was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact stated that coolant was added, and the v…
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The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated while his wife was driving approximately 35 MPH and accelerating to highway speeds, the vehicle started to overheat. The contact stated that the high engine temperature warning light was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact stated that coolant was added, and the vehicle was able to be driven to the intended destination. The vehicle was turned off and was unable to be restarted. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who informed the contact that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and opened a case. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 100,000.
NHTSA ODI #11524024
100,000 miles · Apr 17, 2023
Engine And Engine Cooling
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the message "Transmission Fault - Service Now" was displayed and the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was later towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that engine coolant had leaked into the engine cylinder causing severe damage to…
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The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the message "Transmission Fault - Service Now" was displayed and the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was later towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that engine coolant had leaked into the engine cylinder causing severe damage to the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The contact stated that the vehicle was previously serviced for the same failure and the transmission and engine was replaced. The failure mileage was 100,000.
NHTSA ODI #11517353
102,000 miles · Mar 31, 2023
Engine And Engine Cooling
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, or while starting the vehicle, the vehicle would shudder and shake. The contact stated the shaking was intermittent but became constant. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicl…
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The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, or while starting the vehicle, the vehicle would shudder and shake. The contact stated the shaking was intermittent but became constant. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that coolant had leaked into cylinder #2, and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 102,000.
NHTSA ODI #11514857
69,000 miles · Dec 29, 2022
Engine And Engine Cooling
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed as a coolant intrusion into the engine cylinders. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the …
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The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed as a coolant intrusion into the engine cylinders. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 69,000.
NHTSA ODI #11499317
80,000 miles · Dec 7, 2022
Engine And Engine Cooling
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle started to emit white smoke from underneath the hood and into the cabin of the vehicle. The contact pulled off the road and turned off the vehicle and opened the hood. The contact saw that coolant had spilled onto the engine. …
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The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle started to emit white smoke from underneath the hood and into the cabin of the vehicle. The contact pulled off the road and turned off the vehicle and opened the hood. The contact saw that coolant had spilled onto the engine. The contact stated that the temperature gauge had been moving from hot to cold randomly. The contact restarted the vehicle however, the overheating and smoke returned. The contact had the vehicle towed to a dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.
NHTSA ODI #11496387
157,000 miles · Sep 29, 2022
Engine And Engine Cooling
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 10 MPH, the engine started to sputter and the vehicle almost stalled. The contact stopped and placed the vehicle into park (P). The contact stated that the check engine light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had been intermitt…
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The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 10 MPH, the engine started to sputter and the vehicle almost stalled. The contact stopped and placed the vehicle into park (P). The contact stated that the check engine light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had been intermittent at first but gradually became constant. Additionally, the contact stated that white smoke was coming from the exhaust. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced due to coolant leaking into an engine cylinder. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 157,000. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired by their local dealer but within two to three weeks, the transmission went out again. The vehicle was returned to the dealer for an oil leak caused by the repair.
NHTSA ODI #11487145
Official recalls
4Jan 15, 2026
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2018 Focus, 2013-2019 Escape, and 2015-2016 MKC vehicles equipped with a 2.0L engine. The engine block heater may crack and develop a coolant leak, causing it to short circuit when the block heater is plugged in.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: An electrical short circuit can increase the risk of a fire.
Remedy: Owners are advised not to plug in their block heater until the vehicle is remedied. Dealers will replace the block heater, free of charge. Owners will also have a alternative option to replace engine block heater element with a threaded plug, and remove the block heater electrical cord. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed March 6, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S01. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on January 16, 2026.
Oct 13, 2025
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2019 Flex, 2015 Explorer, Lincoln MKT, Lincoln MKZ, 2015-2016 C-Max, Escape, Taurus, 2016 Fusion, 2018-2019 Taurus, 2019 Lincoln MKT, Fiesta, and 2020 Mustang vehicles. The rearview camera may display a distorted, intermittent, or blank image when the vehicle is in reverse.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A rearview camera that fails to properly display an image can reduce the driver’s view behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the rearview camera as necessary, free of charge. This will be a phased campaign, with the remedy becoming available in different phases based on model and model years. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on October 25, 2025. Additional letters will be mailed once the final remedy is available on each phase. Mustang owner notification letters were mailed January 2, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25SA9. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on October 14, 2025.
Jun 10, 2022
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2019 Escape, 2013-2018 C-Max, 2013-2016 Fusion, 2013-2021 Transit Connect, and 2015-2018 Edge vehicles. The bushing that attaches the shifter cable to the transmission may degrade or detach.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A damaged or missing bushing may prevent the vehicle from shifting into the intended gear, and cause the vehicle to move in an unexpected direction. Additionally, the vehicle may roll after the driver selects the 'Park' position. Either scenario increases the risk of a crash or injury.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the under hood shift bushing and add a protective cap over the shift cable bushing, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters, informing owners of the safety risk, were mailed July 1, 2022. Remedy parts are expected to be available in 4th Quarter 2022. Owner notification letters were mailed October 27, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S43.
Additional source detail variants (2)
Power Train:shift Linkage/cable/rod
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2019 Escape, 2013-2018 C-Max, 2013-2016 Fusion, 2013-2021 Transit Connect, and 2015-2018 Edge vehicles. The bushing that attaches the shifter cable to the transmission may degrade or detach.
Consequence: A damaged or missing bushing may prevent the vehicle from shifting into the intended gear, and cause the vehicle to move in an unexpected direction. Additionally, the vehicle may roll after the driver selects the 'Park' position. Either scenario increases the risk of a crash or injury.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the under hood shift bushing and add a protective cap over the shift cable bushing, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters, informing owners of the safety risk, were mailed July 1, 2022. Remedy parts are expected to be available in 4th Quarter 2022. Owner notification letters were mailed October 27, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S43.
Power Train:automatic Transmission:gear Position Indication (prndl)
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2019 Escape, 2013-2018 C-Max, 2013-2016 Fusion, 2013-2021 Transit Connect, and 2015-2018 Edge vehicles. The bushing that attaches the shifter cable to the transmission may degrade or detach.
Consequence: A damaged or missing bushing may prevent the vehicle from shifting into the intended gear, and cause the vehicle to move in an unexpected direction. Additionally, the vehicle may roll after the driver selects the 'Park' position. Either scenario increases the risk of a crash or injury.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the under hood shift bushing and add a protective cap over the shift cable bushing, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters, informing owners of the safety risk, were mailed July 1, 2022. Remedy parts are expected to be available in 4th Quarter 2022. Owner notification letters were mailed October 27, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S43.
Jun 26, 2017
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016 Ford Escape vehicles. The driver's knee airbag modules installed in these vehicles were produced without the inflator gas generant material, and, as a result, the air bags may not inflate properly in the event of a crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: In the event of a crash, if the driver's knee air bag does not inflate as intended, the driver has an increased risk of injury.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace driver's knee air bag, free of charge. The recall began on August 8, 2017. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 17C11.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗