Reliable Auto DB

2016 Ford Escape reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 1,118 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 Ford Escape over 11 years — 47 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Escape years here — over the median of the other years, which is 38. NHTSA has 4 recalls on file, including Engine block heater, Camera, and Gear position indicator.

Ford Escape, 2013–2016 body
Photo by Tyanroon-chan, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0
Complaints

1,118

Per year

47

Recalls

4

Years on the road

11

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Powertrain (320 of 1,118), then Back-over prevention (209) and Engine (199). Complaints that include an odometer have a median of 77,500 miles, and the middle half falls between 48,000 and 102,000 miles. Those filings include 36 that report a crash, 10 that report a fire, and 16 that report an injury.

Next to 2015 and 2017

The 2015 Escape has 1,096 complaints, 35 per year, and the 2017 has 2,679 complaints, 74 per year. The 2016 has more complaints per year than the 2015. The 2016 has fewer complaints per year than the 2017.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2016 Ford Escape. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (4)

Recall equipment, electrical, engine block heater 2026-01-15 · NHTSA campaign 26V011000
Summary 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.
Vehicles affected 116,672
Recall back-over prevention, sensing system, camera 2025-10-13 · NHTSA campaign 25V695000
Summary 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.
Vehicles affected 1,448,655
Recall powertrain, automatic transmission, gear position indicator 2022-06-10 · NHTSA campaign 22V413000
Summary 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.
Vehicles affected 2,925,968
Recall air bags, knee bolster 2017-06-26 · NHTSA campaign 17V398000
Summary 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.
Vehicles affected 3

NHTSA's count is every vehicle in that campaign. A campaign can cover other model years and other models.

Complaints by component (1118 total)

Powertrain
320
Back-over prevention
209
Engine
199
Electrical system
92
Steering
73
Fuel and propulsion system
61
Engine and engine cooling
56
Speed control
32
Wheels
32
Air bags
24
Structure
21
Service brakes
16
Visibility and wipers
14
Fuel system, gasoline
9
Electronic stability control (ESC)
8
Suspension
7
Exterior lighting
6
Seat belts
5
Visibility
5
Hydraulic brakes
4
Lane departure
3
Equipment
2
Seats
2
Tires
2
Parking brake
1
Traction control
1
Show 18 more Show less
Crash-flagged

36

Fire-flagged

10

Injury reports

16

Death reports

0

Of the 614 complaints that include an odometer reading, the median is 77,500 miles. The middle half fall between 48,000 and 102,000 miles.

Complaints filed per year

1201547201636201757201885201973202053202115720221132023122202414520252292026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "I'm complaining about NHTSA Recall 25V695. This recall letter from Ford went out in October of 2025 which was a year ago and they have still NOT fixed the issue or given any guidance about how they are going to fix it.…"
    Back-over prevention · filed 2026-09-20
  • "The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to complete the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that…"
    Back-over prevention · filed 2026-09-17
  • "The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while reversing, the rear-view camera displayed a blank image.Additionally, the rearview camera independently activated while the vehicle was driving forward.…"
    Back-over prevention · filed 2026-09-17
  • "Summary ON YOUR VEHICLE, THE REAR VIEW CAMERA COULD DISPLAY A BLANK OR DISTORTED IMAGE ON THE CENTER DISPLAY SCREEN WHEN THE VEHICLE IS IN REVERSE. YOU MAY ALSO RECEIVE A MESSAGE THAT THE REAR VIEW CAMERA IS UNAVAILABLE…"
    Unknown or other · filed 2026-09-15
  • "The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while reversing at an undisclosed speed, the rear-view camera was intermittently inoperative. The message "Rearview Camera not Available" was intermittently…"
    Back-over prevention · filed 2026-09-14

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2016 Ford Escape SUV AWD 4 stars 4 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2016 Ford Escape SUV FWD 4 stars 4 stars 5 stars 4 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
Escape all-wheel drive 1.6L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) All-wheel drive 22 29 25 MPG $2600
Escape all-wheel drive 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) All-wheel drive 21 28 23 MPG $2800
Escape front-wheel drive 1.6L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 23 31 26 MPG $2500
Escape front-wheel drive 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 21 29 24 MPG $2700
Escape front-wheel drive 2.5L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 22 30 25 MPG $2600

Specs and fitment

3rd generation, 2013–2019
Body styles SUV
Oil 5W-20 synthetic (1.6L EcoBoost/2.5L I4); 5W-30 synthetic (2.0L EcoBoost) , 5.7 qt capacity
Tire size 235/55R17 (S/SE) to 235/50R18 (SE/Titanium)

Known issues for this generation

Early third-gen years (especially 2013) also draw NHTSA powertrain filings about the shifter-cable bushing. Recall 18V-471 covers certain 2013-2014 Escapes with six-speed automatics: the bushing that attaches the shifter cable to the transmission may degrade and detach so the lever can show Park while the gearbox is not in Park, with no warning; dealers replace the bushing (Ford 18S20). Recall 22V-413 expands that bushing concern to certain 2013-2019 Escapes among other Ford models; dealers again replace the bushing. Separately, recall 17V-209 covered the 2014 Escape with the 1.6L GTDI: driving with low coolant could crack the cylinder head and leak oil onto hot parts, raising fire risk; dealers installed a coolant-level sensor. Recall 16V-643 covered 2013-2015 Escapes among about two million Ford/Lincoln vehicles for door-latch parts that may break so a door fails to latch or opens while moving; dealers replaced the latches.

Compare

Previous year 2015 Ford Escape Next year 2017 Ford Escape See every Ford Escape model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2016 Ford Escape reliable?

Owners have filed 1,118 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 Ford Escape over 11 years — 47 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Escape years here — over the median of the other years, which is 38. NHTSA has 4 recalls on file, including Engine block heater, Camera, and Gear position indicator.

What are common problems with a 2016 Ford Escape?

The complaints owners file most often name Powertrain (320 of 1,118), then Back-over prevention (209) and Engine (199). Complaints that include an odometer have a median of 77,500 miles, and the middle half falls between 48,000 and 102,000 miles. Those filings include 36 that report a crash, 10 that report a fire, and 16 that report an injury.

Is the 2016 Ford Escape more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2015 Escape has 1,096 complaints, 35 per year, and the 2017 has 2,679 complaints, 74 per year. The 2016 has more complaints per year than the 2015. The 2016 has fewer complaints per year than the 2017.

Has the 2016 Ford Escape been recalled?

The 2016 Ford Escape has 4 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2016 Ford Escape?

Owners have filed 1118 complaints about the 2016 Ford Escape with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2016 Ford Escape get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2016 Ford Escape is 24.6 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What generation is my Ford Escape?

2008-2012 is the 2nd generation, 2013-2019 is the 3rd generation, and 2020-onward is the 4th generation.

Should I avoid charging my Ford Escape's high-voltage battery?

If your 2020-2024 Escape is covered by recall 24V-954, Ford advises not charging the high-voltage battery until the recall remedy has been completed.