The transmission failed at 116,00 miles with no warning. The warning light went on after the transmission failed and the car would not move. The dealer replaced the transmission at a cost of $5600. Also, the lug nuts swelled and could not be removed with the lug wrench supplied by Ford.
2016 Ford Escape
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2016 Ford Escape do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 996.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Escape years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
612 reports with mileage · 503 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Power Train. Review the 320 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Back Over Prevention. Review the 206 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine. Review the 199 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
Power Train complaints
320 reportsThe contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his daughter was stopped at a stop light, she depressed the accelerator pedal however, the vehicle failed to respond. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission failed and needed to be repl…
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The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his daughter was stopped at a stop light, she depressed the accelerator pedal however, the vehicle failed to respond. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact then stated that he received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train). The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where the recall repair was completed; however, the failure recurred. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, she heard an abnormal sound under the hood. The contact then instructed his daughter to steer the vehicle off the roadway. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the transmission failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the vehicle was not included in a recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was provided the number to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle was not shifting correctly. The contact stated that the service transmission warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to pull over and turn off the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the dealer stated that the trans…
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The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle was not shifting correctly. The contact stated that the service transmission warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to pull over and turn off the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the dealer stated that the transmission needed to be replaced and that NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train) was repaired properly and that the recall repair was not the cause of the transmission failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and a case was filed and the contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was 118,000.
Defect in the coolant system which caused leaking into my cylinders
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. Additionally, several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the transmission was replaced twice; however, the failure recurred. The contact related the failure to …
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The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. Additionally, several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the transmission was replaced twice; however, the failure recurred. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle and attempting to drive the vehicle, the transmission would hard shift, and the vehicle would hesitate while accelerating. The transmission fault warning message was display on the instrument panel. While driving approximately 70-75 mph, the …
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The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle and attempting to drive the vehicle, the transmission would hard shift, and the vehicle would hesitate while accelerating. The transmission fault warning message was display on the instrument panel. While driving approximately 70-75 mph, the transmission failed causing the contact to have to coast to the side of the road. The contact waited for a while and restarted the vehicle to see if the transmission would operate correctly. The contact stated that the transmission was shifted into reverse however, the vehicle drove forward instead; and while shifted to drive, the vehicle reversed instead. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who acknowledged that the vehicle was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train) however, the transmission failed and needed to be replaced. The contact was told that the transmission was not covered under warranty due to the warranty mileage being exceeded. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and opened a case. The approximate failure mileage was 150,000.
As I was driving going approximately 35 mph, the transmission suddenly disengaged and I nearly got in a serious car accident which could have resulted in serious injuries. My vehicle has only approximately 80,000 miles on it. I called several dealerships and was told by multiple Ford dealerships that it is likely transmission f…
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As I was driving going approximately 35 mph, the transmission suddenly disengaged and I nearly got in a serious car accident which could have resulted in serious injuries. My vehicle has only approximately 80,000 miles on it. I called several dealerships and was told by multiple Ford dealerships that it is likely transmission failure and specifically torque converter failure. All the dealerships say this shouldn't be happening and they are fixing many of these, but this is ultimately Ford's problem and there is nothing that they can do. I had vehicle towed to one dealership that I trust and they confirmed the diagnosis and suggested I call Ford because "I have seen many of these unfortunately and it shouldn't be happing with your mileage". Other mechanics and transmission specialists confirmed the same thing, that it is a known Ford Escape defect. Multiple identical cases exist on NHTSA and internet. This is a widespread and known manufacturing defect issue. Other similar Ford years and models were recalled for the same transmission failure. The 2016 Ford Escape hasn't yet for some reason. I called Ford who said there is nothing they can do because there is no recall.
Shot up to 5k RPM several seconds after I let off the gas pedal, then dropped down to 1k, then fluttered between 2k and 3k for a few seconds. I managed to get onto the first side road on and completely lost any power in drive or reverse for several minutes. It finally shifted super hard into reverse, I got turned around, shifted…
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Shot up to 5k RPM several seconds after I let off the gas pedal, then dropped down to 1k, then fluttered between 2k and 3k for a few seconds. I managed to get onto the first side road on and completely lost any power in drive or reverse for several minutes. It finally shifted super hard into reverse, I got turned around, shifted hard into drive, got to a stop sign, hit the gas, nothing for a few seconds until it jerked really hard and shot forward. Diagnosed at local Toyota dealership with supporting documentation as my partner works for them. Scheduled to be taken to and diagnosed again at the Toyota dealerships partner Ford Dealership in April and hopefully repaired, however I have owned the vehicle less than 8 months and between both dealerships have spoken to 3 people who know of or have worked on 4-6 of the same model with the same exact issue.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle started losing motive power. The contact stated that she depressed the accelerator pedal and the engine revved, but the vehicle failed to properly respond. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact was a…
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The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle started losing motive power. The contact stated that she depressed the accelerator pedal and the engine revved, but the vehicle failed to properly respond. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. Additionally, the contact was advised that there was a recall for the vehicle under NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train). The transmission was not repaired; however, the recall repair was performed under NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train). The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 127,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer to be repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train). The contact stated that while driving 45 MPH after picking up the vehicle from the dealer, the vehicle jolted violently several times. The vehicle then reversed ind…
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The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer to be repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train). The contact stated that while driving 45 MPH after picking up the vehicle from the dealer, the vehicle jolted violently several times. The vehicle then reversed independently. Additionally, the gear shifter was stuck in drive. The brake pedal was depressed but the vehicle failed to respond. The contact turned on the hazard lights and beeped the horn continuously to prevent other vehicles from approaching her since she had lost control of the vehicle. The message “Transmission Fault. Service Now." was displayed. The vehicle then shut off. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and veered to the side of the road though the vehicle would shut off intermittently. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where she was informed that the failure was not related to the recall repair. However, the failure reoccurred while driving from the dealer location. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the transmission assembly torque converter, accumulator valve body, and PCM had failed. The dealer was notified and informed the contact that they could not assist unless she paid a diagnostic fee. The vehicle was towed the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised the contact to take the vehicle to another dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 74,426.
Official recalls
426V011000 · Equipment:electrical:engine Block Heater
Jan 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.
25V695000 · Back Over Prevention: Sensing System: Camera
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.
22V413000 · Power Train:automatic Transmission:gear Position Indication (prndl); Power Train:shift Linkage/cable/rod
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.
17V398000 · Air Bags:knee Bolster
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 ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.
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