2016 Ford ESCAPE

Problems, Recalls & Reliability Report

Avoid This Year

Quick Summary

The 2016 Ford ESCAPE has 1248 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — that's 15.6x the segment average of 80. The most common issue is transmission problems (26% of all complaints), specifically: vehicle will chatter and vibrate when going from reverse to drive mode to go forward, even when totally stopped to go forward. bangs in when applying gas light or hard trying to get out of way of on approaching traffic in street and parking spots. bought it brand new in july 2015 started from day . ⚠️ 13 fire reports filed.

13 fire reports 25 crash reports 12 injuries

1248

Total Complaints

Recalls Issued

—/5

Safety Stars

15.6x

vs Segment Avg

Known Problems

TRANSMISSION

321 complaints

26%

• VEHICLE WILL CHATTER AND VIBRATE WHEN GOING FROM REVERSE TO DRIVE MODE TO GO FORWARD, EVEN WHEN TOTALLY STOPPED TO GO FORWARD. BANGS IN WHEN APPLYING GAS LIGHT OR HARD TRYING TO GET OUT OF WAY OF ON APPROACHING TRAFFIC IN STREET AND PARKING SPOTS. BOUGHT IT BRAND NEW IN JULY 2015 STARTED FROM DAY
• VEHICLE WILL CHATTER AND VIBRATE WHEN GOING FROM REVERSE TO DRIVE MODE TO GO FORWARD, EVEN WHEN TOTALLY STOPPED TO GO FORWARD. BANGS IN WHEN APPLYING GAS LIGHT OR HARD TRYING TO GET OUT OF WAY OF ON APPROACHING TRAFFIC IN STREET AND PARKING SPOTS. BOUGHT IT BRAND NEW IN JANUARY 2016 STARTED FROM DA
• WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEED, THE CAR SHUTTERED AND FLASHED WARNING LIGHTS, THE POWER WAS DECREASED, THEN SHUTTERED AGAIN AFTER I PULLED OVER AND TURNED IT OFF

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 1 fire reports💥 6 crashes

“VEHICLE WILL CHATTER AND VIBRATE WHEN GOING FROM REVERSE TO DRIVE MODE TO GO FORWARD, EVEN WHEN TOTALLY STOPPED TO GO FORWARD. BANGS IN WHEN APPLYING GAS LIGHT OR HARD TRYING TO GET OUT OF WAY OF ON APPROACHING TRAFFIC IN STREET AND PARKING SPOTS. BOUGHT IT BRAND NEW IN JULY 2015 STARTED FROM DAY ”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ENGINE

246 complaints

20%

• LSUDDEN COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER UNEXPECTEDLY DRIVING AT LOW OR HIGH SPEED. RUFF RUNNING WITHOUT ABILITY TO ACCELERATE. WARING MESSAGE OF "HILL ASSIT" NOT ACTIVATED. VERY DANGEROUS SENARIO WHILE ON INTERSTATE. OCCURRED 3 (THREE) TIMES IN 2 DAYS. CAR WAS A HERTZ RENTAL CAR AND I WAS TOLD, AFTER COMPA
• WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS (ROUGHLY 70 MPH) MY VEHICLE COMPLETELY TURNED OFF WITH NO WARNING AND SAID "ENGINE FAULT. SERVICE NOW". BY THE GRACE OF GOD I DID NOT GET REAR ENDED. I SUCCESSFULLY RESTARTED THE VEHICLE AND MADE IT HOME. THE SAME THING HAPPENED THE NEXT MORNING, THIS TIME ON CITY STR
• TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 FORD ESCAPE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY REDUCED SPEED AND A "SERVICE ENGINE" MESSAGE WAS DISPLAYED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE THROTTLE BODY ASSEMBLY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. T

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 6 fire reports💥 3 crashes

“LSUDDEN COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER UNEXPECTEDLY DRIVING AT LOW OR HIGH SPEED. RUFF RUNNING WITHOUT ABILITY TO ACCELERATE. WARING MESSAGE OF "HILL ASSIT" NOT ACTIVATED. VERY DANGEROUS SENARIO WHILE ON INTERSTATE. OCCURRED 3 (THREE) TIMES IN 2 DAYS. CAR WAS A HERTZ RENTAL CAR AND I WAS TOLD, AFTER COMPA”

— NHTSA complaint filing

DRIVER ASSIST/CAMERAS

141 complaints

11%

• REAR VIEW CAMERA WORK WHEN THE CAR IS COLD AS SOON I START MOVING AND THE CAR ( THE MOTOR) GET HOT IS NOT WORKING ANYMORE
• THE REAR VIEW CAMERA IS NOT WORKING OR WORKS INTERMITTENTLY WHEN THE CAR IS PLACED IN REVERSE
• APIM Malfunction; 2016 Ford Escape. The vehicle’s APIM is encountering issues that are causing the SYNC system, voice command, GPS, radio, Bluetooth, audio control, USB, HVAC, and rearview camera features of the vehicle to be impaired and/or fail completely.

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 4 crashes

“REAR VIEW CAMERA WORK WHEN THE CAR IS COLD AS SOON I START MOVING AND THE CAR ( THE MOTOR) GET HOT IS NOT WORKING ANYMORE”

— NHTSA complaint filing

OTHER

138 complaints

11%

• BROUGHT 2016 IN NOVEMBER 2015 AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON AND OFF ON STREETS OR HIGHWAY AND STAYED ON ALWAYS. TRUCK BEEN IN THE SHOP SINCE 3/22/16 TIL 4/13/16 THAN 4/19/16 TIL DATE. REASONS REPLACED COMPUTER PCM, REPAIRED WIRE TWICE, REPLACE CHIPS, REPLACE WIRE AGAIN. MCCARTHY FORD AND REGIONAL
• I BOUGHT MY 2016 FORD ESCAPE BACK IN JANUARY BRAND NEW AND AT 12,000 WHILE DRIVING IT ON A BUSY STREET, THE ENGILE LIGHT COMES ON AND IT STARTS SHOWING A MESSAGE THAT SAYS "ENGINE FAULT SERVICE NOW". IT IS VERY SCARY WHEN THAT HAPPENS WHEN DRIVING IT SINCE IT JUST STARTS SHAKING AND IT WON'T GO ANYW
• I WANT TO REPORT A LIFE/HEALTH SAFETY ISSUE FOR A VEHICLE THAT I RENTED AT REAGAN NATIONAL AIRPORT ON 17 JULY 2016 AND RETURNED THE VEHICLE ON 20 JULY 2016. THE VEHICLE THAT WE RENTED IS A 2016 FORD ESCAPE RED, PLATE NUMBER NC EAL2306 AND BUDGET CAR NUMBER 45880623. WE ONLY DROVE THE CAR ON SUNDAY T

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 2 fire reports💥 5 crashes

“BROUGHT 2016 IN NOVEMBER 2015 AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON AND OFF ON STREETS OR HIGHWAY AND STAYED ON ALWAYS. TRUCK BEEN IN THE SHOP SINCE 3/22/16 TIL 4/13/16 THAN 4/19/16 TIL DATE. REASONS REPLACED COMPUTER PCM, REPAIRED WIRE TWICE, REPLACE CHIPS, REPLACE WIRE AGAIN. MCCARTHY FORD AND REGIONAL”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ELECTRICAL

83 complaints

• BROUGHT 2016 IN NOVEMBER 2015 AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON AND OFF ON STREETS OR HIGHWAY AND STAYED ON ALWAYS. TRUCK BEEN IN THE SHOP SINCE 3/22/16 TIL 4/13/16 THAN 4/19/16 TIL DATE. REASONS REPLACED COMPUTER PCM, REPAIRED WIRE TWICE, REPLACE CHIPS, REPLACE WIRE AGAIN. MCCARTHY FORD AND REGIONAL
• PERIODICALLY (COUPLE TIMES A WEEK), THE REAR CAMERA VIEW DOES NOT TURN OFF WHEN THE CAR IS IN DRIVE. DURING THE DAY, THE FAULT MEANS TEMPERATURE, AUDIO AND NAVIGATION CONTROLS CAN'T BE USED AND THE CONSTANT REAR CAMERA VIEW IN THE CENTER OF THE DASHBOARD IS DISTRACTING WHEN THE CAR IS IN FORWARD MOT
• WE DIDN'T HAVE THE VEHICLE THREE WEEKS AND HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP DUE TO NOT STARTING. THEY HAD THE VEHICLE FOR A WEEK AND COULDN'T FIGURE IT. THEY CLEARED THE CODE, AFTER KEEPING IT FOR WEEK. 6 DAYS LATER IT WAS TOWED FOR THE ISSUES, THEY CURRENTLY STILL HAVE THE VEHICLE AND THEY SA

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 3 fire reports💥 1 crashes

— NHTSA complaint filing

Estimated Repair Costs

TRANSMISSION(~50K mi)

$500

ENGINE(~50K mi)

$500

DRIVER ASSIST/CAMERAS(~50K mi)

$500

OTHER(~50K mi)

$500

ELECTRICAL(~50K mi)

$500

Estimates based on average reported repair costs. Actual costs vary by location, shop, and severity.

🔍 Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist

Based on 1248 owner complaints for this specific year, here's what to check or ask about:

☐
TRANSMISSION: VEHICLE WILL CHATTER AND VIBRATE WHEN GOING FROM REVERSE TO DRIVE MODE TO GO FORWARD, EVEN WHEN TOTALLY STOPPED TO GO FORWARD. BANGS IN WHEN APPLYING GAS LIGHT OR HARD TRYING TO GET OUT OF WAY OF ON APPROACHING TRAFFIC IN STREET AND PARKING SPOTS. BOUGHT IT BRAND NEW IN JULY 2015 STARTED FROM DAY
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
ENGINE: LSUDDEN COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER UNEXPECTEDLY DRIVING AT LOW OR HIGH SPEED. RUFF RUNNING WITHOUT ABILITY TO ACCELERATE. WARING MESSAGE OF "HILL ASSIT" NOT ACTIVATED. VERY DANGEROUS SENARIO WHILE ON INTERSTATE. OCCURRED 3 (THREE) TIMES IN 2 DAYS. CAR WAS A HERTZ RENTAL CAR AND I WAS TOLD, AFTER COMPA
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
DRIVER ASSIST/CAMERAS: REAR VIEW CAMERA WORK WHEN THE CAR IS COLD AS SOON I START MOVING AND THE CAR ( THE MOTOR) GET HOT IS NOT WORKING ANYMORE
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
OTHER: BROUGHT 2016 IN NOVEMBER 2015 AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON AND OFF ON STREETS OR HIGHWAY AND STAYED ON ALWAYS. TRUCK BEEN IN THE SHOP SINCE 3/22/16 TIL 4/13/16 THAN 4/19/16 TIL DATE. REASONS REPLACED COMPUTER PCM, REPAIRED WIRE TWICE, REPLACE CHIPS, REPLACE WIRE AGAIN. MCCARTHY FORD AND REGIONAL
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
General: Get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic ($100-$200)