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
96,000 miles · Nov 16, 2021
Engine And Engine Cooling
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that after refueling the vehicle, the vehicle was difficult to start up. The vehicle was eventually restarted but after stopping at a traffic light the vehicle was there was an abnormal vibration coming from the engine compartment. The check engine warning light was illumin…
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The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that after refueling the vehicle, the vehicle was difficult to start up. The vehicle was eventually restarted but after stopping at a traffic light the vehicle was there was an abnormal vibration coming from the engine compartment. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the canister purge valve was stuck in the open position. The contact was informed that the valve lining needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 96,000.
NHTSA ODI #11440686
Mileage unknown · Nov 9, 2021
Unknown Or Other
My vehicle stopped shifting as I was on the highway. I had to pull over to the side. The vehicle had to be towed to the dealership where I bought it and I've been told the transmission needs a total rebuild. The is a 2016 Ford Escape with under 100,000 miles. There was no warning prior to this happening. Once the transmission st…
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My vehicle stopped shifting as I was on the highway. I had to pull over to the side. The vehicle had to be towed to the dealership where I bought it and I've been told the transmission needs a total rebuild. The is a 2016 Ford Escape with under 100,000 miles. There was no warning prior to this happening. Once the transmission stopped working I finally received a warning to have the vehicle checked.
NHTSA ODI #11439825
Mileage unknown · Oct 26, 2021
Unknown Or Other
Yesterday we experienced a complete engine fail in our 2016 Ford Escape because coolant leakage caused a hole in engine block. We have about 80000 miles in our vehicle and regularly maintain it. Going to cost about 6,000 to replace entire engine.
NHTSA ODI #11438202
Mileage unknown · Oct 3, 2021
Wheels
THE LUG NUTS ON MY FORD ESCAPE ARE DEFECTIVE. I DISCOVERED THIS AFTER A FLAT TIRE. THE "OVERCAP" ON THE LUG NUTS WIGGLED. THEY WERE ALSO ENLARGED AND WOULD NOT FIT ANY STANDARD LUG NUT WRENCH. THEY COULD NOT BE SAFELY REMOVED AND REPLACED ON MY VEHICLE. I HAVE SINCE HAD THEM PROFESSIONALLY REPLACED. THIS APPEARS T…
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THE LUG NUTS ON MY FORD ESCAPE ARE DEFECTIVE. I DISCOVERED THIS AFTER A FLAT TIRE. THE "OVERCAP" ON THE LUG NUTS WIGGLED. THEY WERE ALSO ENLARGED AND WOULD NOT FIT ANY STANDARD LUG NUT WRENCH. THEY COULD NOT BE SAFELY REMOVED AND REPLACED ON MY VEHICLE. I HAVE SINCE HAD THEM PROFESSIONALLY REPLACED. THIS APPEARS TO BE ALL OVER THE INTERNET.
NHTSA ODI #11435295
Mileage unknown · Sep 27, 2021
Power Train
While driving the vehicle suddenly deccelerated. Pressing the gas peddle did nothing. It acted as if it was in neutral. Transmission fault light illuminated. This blocked all traffic as there was no shoulder and no time or place to get off the road. It was an extremely dangerous situation on the curve of a road. Vehicle was t…
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While driving the vehicle suddenly deccelerated. Pressing the gas peddle did nothing. It acted as if it was in neutral. Transmission fault light illuminated. This blocked all traffic as there was no shoulder and no time or place to get off the road. It was an extremely dangerous situation on the curve of a road. Vehicle was towed to dealer. Dealer verified abundant metal particles in transmission and recommended replacement ($6,247.69). Regular maintenance was done and mileage is only 61,537 so only recently out of the 60,000 mile warranty. There was never a warning or symptoms. Light came on later during the incident.
NHTSA ODI #11434607
Mileage unknown · Sep 20, 2021
Unknown Or Other
Rear door on drivers side will not open from the inside after it has been locked and unlocked unless it has been opened already. It something is wrong with the child lock. This is a major safety issue. Someone on the outside has to open the door to let the person out. If there was an accident or some type of incident and the per…
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Rear door on drivers side will not open from the inside after it has been locked and unlocked unless it has been opened already. It something is wrong with the child lock. This is a major safety issue. Someone on the outside has to open the door to let the person out. If there was an accident or some type of incident and the person needed to get out quickly they would not be able to.
NHTSA ODI #11433649
Mileage unknown · Sep 17, 2021
Unknown Or Other
According to the dealership the throttle body is putting the vehicle in Limp mode and the car dies out because of it. Ford has had a recall on vehicles with the same issue. However, the dealership wants yo charge 469.04 for the repair.
NHTSA ODI #11433385
Mileage unknown · Sep 11, 2021
Power Train
Car suddenly would not shift and engine revved without moving in the middle of driving. This is an extreme hazard as my 2 year old son and I were pulling out into traffic. Had to turn the car off and back on and was able to get off the road. The transmission died without warning and the car is only at 55k miles.
NHTSA ODI #11432552
Mileage unknown · Sep 7, 2021
Power TrainInjury
I had driven my vehicle normally until one day I put the car into Park and it continued to roll forward. The shifter was stuck in park and would not move, but my dash indicated the vehicle was in Nuetral. The cable between the shifter and the transmission was damaged. Prior to this the sun roof has stopped working and my b…
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I had driven my vehicle normally until one day I put the car into Park and it continued to roll forward. The shifter was stuck in park and would not move, but my dash indicated the vehicle was in Nuetral. The cable between the shifter and the transmission was damaged. Prior to this the sun roof has stopped working and my backup camera started malfunctioning as well. This is after I had to get the fuel injector replaced and the turbo replaced before that.
NHTSA ODI #11431965
Mileage unknown · Aug 25, 2021
Power Train
"transmission fault - repair now" light came on. Engine went to high RPM but very little forward movement. Was able to limp short distance back to home. Transmission then would not shift into reverse. Had car towed to dealer on 8/24/2021 for repair. Dealer indicated total transmission failure had occurred and would need to be co…
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"transmission fault - repair now" light came on. Engine went to high RPM but very little forward movement. Was able to limp short distance back to home. Transmission then would not shift into reverse. Had car towed to dealer on 8/24/2021 for repair. Dealer indicated total transmission failure had occurred and would need to be completely replaced. Cost quoted at $5500.00. Transmission is a sealed unit with no way to check fluids and is recommended for service at 150000 miles. This car is at 90000 miles, way before the 150000 service call. There was no forewarning or symptoms of complete failure prior to incident.
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 ↗
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