Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
860–25K
7325–50K
13350–75K
14275–100K
141100–150K
37150K+
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.
36 crash reports10 fire reports16 injury reports
What owners actually said
1,115 reports
Mileage unknown · Nov 15, 2023
Engine
The escape has a defective EcoBoost engine that cause coolant to leak into the cylinders, increasing the risk of engine failure or car fires. The 2016 escape had coolant leak into the cylinder of the engine that caused the engine to fail needing a new engine due to this. The problem of the coolant leaking into the engine has bee…
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The escape has a defective EcoBoost engine that cause coolant to leak into the cylinders, increasing the risk of engine failure or car fires. The 2016 escape had coolant leak into the cylinder of the engine that caused the engine to fail needing a new engine due to this. The problem of the coolant leaking into the engine has been documented by a Ford dealership and some models of the escape have been recalled due to this except the year of 2016. There was no warning lights or messages showing that this issue has happened. I was driving this vehicle when the issue was occurring and mine and my child’s safety was put at risk.
NHTSA ODI #11555322
120,000 miles · Nov 13, 2023
Power Train
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his daughter was at a stop light and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle failed to move forward. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, but the vehicle was not repaired. The contact called the local dealer, b…
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The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his daughter was at a stop light and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle failed to move forward. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, but the vehicle was not repaired. The contact called the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact called three transmission specialists and was made aware of other vehicles with the same failure. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 120,000.
NHTSA ODI #11554820
Mileage unknown · Nov 10, 2023
Electrical System
In Aug. 2021 my 2016 Ford Escape’s Sync/NAV stopped connecting to my iPhone. I went to Fullerton Ford in Somerville, NJ and a Service Advisor (SA) determined that Sync would not connect with his iPhone or mine. Another SA connected with his Android phone and it worked perfectly. Everything else related to the Sync/NAV was workin…
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In Aug. 2021 my 2016 Ford Escape’s Sync/NAV stopped connecting to my iPhone. I went to Fullerton Ford in Somerville, NJ and a Service Advisor (SA) determined that Sync would not connect with his iPhone or mine. Another SA connected with his Android phone and it worked perfectly. Everything else related to the Sync/NAV was working. I did research online on connecting Sync with iPhone, and was finally able to reconnect to Bluetooth, but never able to connect with the Sync/NAV system. After weeks of trying get the Sync/NAV to work I had it diagnosed by Fullerton Ford. On Sept. 29, 2021 I paid a $100 diagnostic fee to assess the problem. I spent 7 hours waiting while it was worked on. They talked with the technical “hotline” but were unable to determine why the Sync/NAV worked with the Android but not the iPhone. They suggested the problem “could be” the APIM which would cost $866.16 to replace, but told me that they could not guarantee that replacing the APIM would solve the problem. Without a guarantee that spending $966.16 would solve the problem I declined. It was noted on the invoice that the APIM had given a faulty reading but the Service Advisor never told me that or what else could happen if the APIM failed. I suffered with the iPhone issue until Nov. 6, 2023 when I brought the car to Ciocca Ford in Flemington, NJ for service. I’d learned there was an update to the Sync system so I asked them to do that upgrade. When the car was “finished” the SA advised me that the whole Sync/NAV system had been disabled because the 3 attempts to do the Sync upgrade completely blew out the APIM module, and that it would cost $1,100 to replace it! Now I have no Sync/NAV system at all; no radio, clock, NAV, reverse parking support, or Bluetooth. In addition, the phone charging ports and upper vents of the heating system don’t work and I don’t know what else isn’t working. Other Ford owners have made complaints about APIM module failures to the NHTSA, so Ford should do a recall.
NHTSA ODI #11554584
Mileage unknown · Nov 10, 2023
Unknown Or Other
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.
NHTSA ODI #11554507
96,000 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
Mileage unknown · Nov 6, 2023
Power Train
The transmission went out suddenly while driving. My safety was at risk since it suddenly went out while the vehicle was in motion on a typically busy road. I had to pull over with my hazards on hoping no one would hit me.The car was taken to a local dealer where they determined there were metal shavings in the transmission and …
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The transmission went out suddenly while driving. My safety was at risk since it suddenly went out while the vehicle was in motion on a typically busy road. I had to pull over with my hazards on hoping no one would hit me.The car was taken to a local dealer where they determined there were metal shavings in the transmission and it needed to be replaced. A warning came up on the screen but when it came up it was determined that the cause was not need to fix immediately and did not relate to the transmission.
NHTSA ODI #11553862
Mileage unknown · Nov 5, 2023
Electrical System
outside key pad is making sounds of door locks locking and unlocking with flashers coming on driving down the rd second time after replacing outside keypad in 2021 at a ford dealership in northern michigan the problem has returned 11-1-2023.i tapped on the outside of the door keypad surface, the problem hasnt came back in the la…
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outside key pad is making sounds of door locks locking and unlocking with flashers coming on driving down the rd second time after replacing outside keypad in 2021 at a ford dealership in northern michigan the problem has returned 11-1-2023.i tapped on the outside of the door keypad surface, the problem hasnt came back in the last few days, i believe it will reappear at some point though
NHTSA ODI #11553651
87,277 miles · Nov 3, 2023
Power Train
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. An unknown warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The …
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The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. An unknown warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 87,277.
NHTSA ODI #11553474
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
Mileage unknown · Oct 27, 2023
Power Train
Randomly on10/26/23 my car started shaking while in the drive mode at a stop light. When I took off from the light the car stalled. This continued to happen all the way to my job. When I realized it would not shake when it was in neutral at a stop I would just do that. The stalls would continue. Next after one of the shake a wre…
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Randomly on10/26/23 my car started shaking while in the drive mode at a stop light. When I took off from the light the car stalled. This continued to happen all the way to my job. When I realized it would not shake when it was in neutral at a stop I would just do that. The stalls would continue. Next after one of the shake a wrench light came on saying "Engine Fault service now" I got to my destination. At lunch I went to take my car to Bobby and Erick at W.B Motors in Fairfax VA for a diagnostic thinking maybe a coil issue. I also noticed the wrench light was gone. No further lights ever came on. The evaluation from the shop was: "No codes or pending codes stored in the engine or transmission. The misfire counter shows zero misfires. Found engine idles very rough in gear. The actual slip RPMS under transmission data is less than 500 while desired is around 1000rpms. We believe the torque converter clutch may be sticking" They referred me to High Tech Transmissions. I called and spoke to a Gary before driving there. They could not get me in. Gary spoke to Bobby about the issue. I got back on the phone with Gary. He explained that I would have to leave the car. My only car had to get home. Here is where my complaint is. Gary said that he had 4 other ESCAPES IN his SHOP with the SAME issue. Being a female I didn't get into did he figure those out. I was so upset about mine. BUT 4 others. So I dropped it off at a ford dealer near my home for further diagnostic. That manager told me he has an ESCAPE with the same issue. I am guessing this isn't just an isolated problem. I will know more today on the exact issue. I feel this should be looked into. Was just confirmed I need a torque converter , valve body and solenoid.
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.
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.
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.
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 ↗