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2016 Ford Escape: engine and transmission complaints

HIGH COMPLAINT SIGNAL
53%
571 of 1,109 relevant owner complaints are about the engine, transmission or fuel system

53% of relevant owner complaints filed with NHTSA on the 2016 Ford Escape are about the engine, transmission or fuel system. That is a model-level pattern, not bad luck.

Worse than 69% of the 1,230 model years we track (2010–2023).

NHTSA data checked September 13, 2026
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Drivetrain complaints
571
engine, transmission, fuel
Total complaints
1,109
this model year
Fires reported
10
owner-reported
Recall campaigns
4
36 crashes · 19 injuries

Complaints by component

POWER TRAIN320 · 29%
BACK OVER PREVENTION203 · 18%
ENGINE199 · 18%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER150 · 14%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM92 · 8%
STEERING71 · 6%

The years either side

2010
55%
1,149 of 2,127
2011
48%
639 of 1,353
2012
43%
249 of 613
2013
68%
1,816 of 2,752
2014
67%
1,347 of 2,080
2015
51%
538 of 1,085
2016
53%
571 of 1,109
2017
85%
2,223 of 2,669
2018
90%
1,575 of 1,783
2019
84%
470 of 582
2020
26%
458 of 1,809
2021
28%
91 of 339
2022
35%
101 of 297
2023
45%
52 of 118

Manufacturers fix things mid-generation. A bad year next to a clean one is common; the fix usually arrived in between.

Cleaner alternatives

Same car, a better year

Other compact SUVs with no elevated signal in 2016

The percentage is each model year's drivetrain complaint share. No elevated signal describes the model year, not any one car; a well-kept example of a flagged model can still be the right buy, and any of these still needs an inspection.

What owners reported

POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL08/16/2022CRASH2 INJURED
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at 25 MPH and coming to a stop at the stop light, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle accelerated unintendedly and crashed into the rear end of another occupied vehicle. The air bags deployed. The contact sustained soreness on the nec…
POWER TRAIN08/22/2022CRASH1 INJURED
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. Prior to receiving the notification, the contact stated that while driving out of a parking lot, she reversed and parked the vehicle t…
POWER TRAIN08/18/2022CRASH1 INJURED
This is an additional incident in reference to Case ID 11472499 reported 7/6 about Manufacturer Recall Number 22S43, NHTSA Recall Number#22V413. On 6/22/22, BEFORE the recall was announced, my car was in Park, began to rolled backwards in front of my home, hitting my mailbox, and ending up in a utility pole in my neig…

Three of 571 drivetrain complaints. The full report shows more, with quotes about the engine in the car you are looking at first.

Recall campaigns on this model year (4)

AIR BAGS:KNEE BOLSTER
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…
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 …
BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA
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, 2…

This does not say whether a particular car has an open, unrepaired recall. That depends on the VIN.

Before you buy a 2016 Ford Escape

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Experimental model-level information. This is not a vehicle inspection, vehicle-history report, financial advice or purchase recommendation. It describes patterns across a model year, not the condition of any individual vehicle.