2016 Ford Escape: problems, recalls and reliability
4 recalls and 1,083 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is power train (30% of complaints).
Data updated weekly · 31 new complaints in the last 90 days · latest recall Jan 2026
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 1,083 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“recall has remedy not available since Oct 13, 2025 for the rear view camera. This has been an issue in several models of Ford vehicles. I have a 2019 FORD MUSTANG that had the same issue and the recall was completed in 5 months. the manufacturer has failed to provide a remedy for 10 months.”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Aug 2026
“Got in a wreck so bad it be t the frame she hit head on a d had seatbelt on and smacked her head on the dash the other cars airbags deployed hers did not”Owner report · Air Bags · Aug 2026
“The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while reversing at an undisclosed speed, the rearview camera was inoperative. No warning lights were illuminated. The failure had occurred on several occasions. 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 contacted and informed the contact that parts were available for the Mustang vehicles. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.”Owner report · Back Over Prevention · Jul 2026
Show 7 more owner reports
“The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while reversing at an undisclosed speed, the rearview camera was inoperative. No warning lights were illuminated. 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 contacted and stated that parts were available to repair Mustang vehicles only. 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 approximately 50,020.”Owner report · Back Over Prevention · Jul 2026
“Manufacturer (Ford) has failed to remedy the problem highlighted in following NHTSA recall. The recall was initiated by NHTSA on January 17, 2025, recall schedule proposed by FORD was "Planned Remedy Owner Notification Date: Jun 29, 2026 - Jul 03, 2026 ", which has passed and FORD still is not fixing. The schedule was already lenient and still has been ignored and they need to be held accountable for it. Manufacturer Recall Number - 25SA9 NHTSA Recall Number - 25v695 Recall StatusRecall Incomplete, remedy not yet available”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Jul 2026
“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 local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the rear-view image glitched and eventually failed to display. The failure mileage was 102,000.”Owner report · Back Over Prevention · Jul 2026
“My rear camera and therefore cross traffic and parking indications fail almost every time I turn my car on. Ford acknowledges that this is a problem and that there is a recalled part, but they do not have replacement parts and so I must continue to drive with faulty parts.”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Jul 2026
“The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the message "Power Steering Assist" was displayed. The vehicle was restarted, and the message was no longer displayed, and the vehicle operated normally. Later, while driving at an undisclosed speed, the power steering message returned, and the steering wheel became difficult to turn in either direction. Additionally, the traction control warning light was illuminated. The cause of the failures was not yet determined. The local dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 236,000.”Owner report · Steering · Jul 2026
“The rear camera first started failing intermittently, and now occurs constantly. The camera goes black on the screen. I nearly backed into a child in a grocery store parking lot.”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Jul 2026
“The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention). The rearview camera was turning on and off, but the vehicle became inoperable. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was contacted and informed the contact that parts were only available for Ford Mustang vehicles. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact called the manufacturer but was unable to navigate the prompts to speak with a representative. The failure mileage was approximately 66,000.”Owner report · Back Over Prevention · Jul 2026
When filing, owners marked a crash in 35 of these complaints and injuries in 19 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 4 campaigns
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.
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.
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."
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.
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.
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.
Trouble codes owners mention
OBD-II codes that appear in NHTSA complaints about this car.
How other years compare
Check your exact Escape by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2016 Ford Escape reliable?
NHTSA has 1,083 owner complaints and 4 recall campaigns on record for the 2016 Ford Escape. The most complained-about area is power train (30% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2016 Ford Escape problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 78,000 miles or less.
Does the 2016 Ford Escape have open recalls?
4 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning back over prevention: sensing system: camera. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.