What 1,037 owners told NHTSA about the 2016 Ford Escape Gas

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that on numerous occasions while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle decelerated to 20 MPH while the accelerator pedal was depressed. The contact stated that while the accelerator pedal was depressed on an incline, the engine revved but the vehicle failed to accelerate. No warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was advised to call the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 89,000.

NHTSA ODI 11536913

At about 57,200 miles, the NHTSA Safety Recall 22S43 - North America Non-FSA Multi Vehicle Line Shifter Cable Bushing was performed by Wright Ford of Redmond, OR. This recall was to prevent detachment of the shifter control line from the transmission. On July 17, 2023 at about 58,900 miles, the shift control line detached from the transmission. Thus, the exact scenario the recall was intended to prevent/fix, occurred about 1,600 miles after the work was completed by Wright Ford. The shift control line was then repaired by [XXX] Auto Repair of Baker City, OR. He said the shifter had become completely disconnected but that the parts were still intact and he was able to reconnect. He could see no reason for this disconnect to have occurred. This suggests that (1) the recall fix did not work, or (2) the recall fix work was done incorrectly by the local Ford dealer, or (3) the replacement parts from Ford were defective. There were no initial warnings other than while driving at about 25 mph we were unable to shift from S to D mode. Once we came to a full stop and turned off the engine, the shifter was moved to P. However, it would not then move to any other position. Attempts to start the engine gave a warning that the vehicle was not in Park. The brake-shift interlock reset, hidden under the shift bezel, was used to release the shifter and move it to the N position for towing 25 miles to a repair shop. The repair shop successfully reconnected the shift line at the transmission and thereafter the vehicle was able to be driven. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11533946

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated while stopped at a stop light, the contact attempted to accelerate however, the vehicle failed to move. The contact stated that there was an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle with the Transmission Fault warning light illuminated. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle however, the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The contact was able to drive the vehicle home. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and stated that the vehicle was repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train) and that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 86,914.

NHTSA ODI 11530225

My 2016 Ford Escape was in park and when I tried to put it in drive it went backwards almost into the car behind me. Luckily they saw something happening and backed up or I would of hit them. It wouldn't shift into gear. I put it in sport mode to get it to move forward then moved it into a safe location and shut it off. It was a hot day so I thought maybe it was overheating. It started fine and went about a mile before shuddering and refusing to shift into gear. I managed to get it home but the Transmission Fault Service Now light came on as I was pulling into the driveway. Had it towed to the dealership and was told it wasn't the recall bushing that went but a part inside my transmission and it would be $8200 for a new transmission. What if I had been on the highway when this happened? This is a serious safety issue which could of caused a crash and injury.

NHTSA ODI 11525962

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 50 MPH, the RPMs started to increase however, the vehicle lost motive power and decelerated to approximately 35 MPH. After restarting the vehicle, the failure persisted. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that the transmission was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 74,959.

NHTSA ODI 11525430

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle hesitated to accelerate and then lost motive power. The "Transmission Failure, Service Now" message was displayed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train) recall repair was performed; however, the dealer determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that she had not received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.

NHTSA ODI 11523239

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his daughter was stopped at a stop light, she depressed the accelerator pedal however, the vehicle failed to respond. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact then stated that he received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train). The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where the recall repair was completed; however, the failure recurred. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, she heard an abnormal sound under the hood. The contact then instructed his daughter to steer the vehicle off the roadway. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the transmission failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the vehicle was not included in a recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was provided the number to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.

NHTSA ODI 11520952

The transmission failed at 116,00 miles with no warning. The warning light went on after the transmission failed and the car would not move. The dealer replaced the transmission at a cost of $5600. Also, the lug nuts swelled and could not be removed with the lug wrench supplied by Ford.

NHTSA ODI 11520969

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle was not shifting correctly. The contact stated that the service transmission warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to pull over and turn off the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the dealer stated that the transmission needed to be replaced and that NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train) was repaired properly and that the recall repair was not the cause of the transmission failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and a case was filed and the contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was 118,000.

NHTSA ODI 11518094

Defect in the coolant system which caused leaking into my cylinders

NHTSA ODI 11517100

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. Additionally, several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the transmission was replaced twice; however, the failure recurred. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

NHTSA ODI 11516344

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle and attempting to drive the vehicle, the transmission would hard shift, and the vehicle would hesitate while accelerating. The transmission fault warning message was display on the instrument panel. While driving approximately 70-75 mph, the transmission failed causing the contact to have to coast to the side of the road. The contact waited for a while and restarted the vehicle to see if the transmission would operate correctly. The contact stated that the transmission was shifted into reverse however, the vehicle drove forward instead; and while shifted to drive, the vehicle reversed instead. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who acknowledged that the vehicle was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train) however, the transmission failed and needed to be replaced. The contact was told that the transmission was not covered under warranty due to the warranty mileage being exceeded. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and opened a case. The approximate failure mileage was 150,000.

NHTSA ODI 11514387

As I was driving going approximately 35 mph, the transmission suddenly disengaged and I nearly got in a serious car accident which could have resulted in serious injuries. My vehicle has only approximately 80,000 miles on it. I called several dealerships and was told by multiple Ford dealerships that it is likely transmission failure and specifically torque converter failure. All the dealerships say this shouldn't be happening and they are fixing many of these, but this is ultimately Ford's problem and there is nothing that they can do. I had vehicle towed to one dealership that I trust and they confirmed the diagnosis and suggested I call Ford because "I have seen many of these unfortunately and it shouldn't be happing with your mileage". Other mechanics and transmission specialists confirmed the same thing, that it is a known Ford Escape defect. Multiple identical cases exist on NHTSA and internet. This is a widespread and known manufacturing defect issue. Other similar Ford years and models were recalled for the same transmission failure. The 2016 Ford Escape hasn't yet for some reason. I called Ford who said there is nothing they can do because there is no recall.

NHTSA ODI 11512749

Shot up to 5k RPM several seconds after I let off the gas pedal, then dropped down to 1k, then fluttered between 2k and 3k for a few seconds. I managed to get onto the first side road on and completely lost any power in drive or reverse for several minutes. It finally shifted super hard into reverse, I got turned around, shifted hard into drive, got to a stop sign, hit the gas, nothing for a few seconds until it jerked really hard and shot forward. Diagnosed at local Toyota dealership with supporting documentation as my partner works for them. Scheduled to be taken to and diagnosed again at the Toyota dealerships partner Ford Dealership in April and hopefully repaired, however I have owned the vehicle less than 8 months and between both dealerships have spoken to 3 people who know of or have worked on 4-6 of the same model with the same exact issue.

NHTSA ODI 11512531

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle started losing motive power. The contact stated that she depressed the accelerator pedal and the engine revved, but the vehicle failed to properly respond. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. Additionally, the contact was advised that there was a recall for the vehicle under NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train). The transmission was not repaired; however, the recall repair was performed under NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train). The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 127,000.

NHTSA ODI 11508535

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer to be repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train). The contact stated that while driving 45 MPH after picking up the vehicle from the dealer, the vehicle jolted violently several times. The vehicle then reversed independently. Additionally, the gear shifter was stuck in drive. The brake pedal was depressed but the vehicle failed to respond. The contact turned on the hazard lights and beeped the horn continuously to prevent other vehicles from approaching her since she had lost control of the vehicle. The message “Transmission Fault. Service Now." was displayed. The vehicle then shut off. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and veered to the side of the road though the vehicle would shut off intermittently. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where she was informed that the failure was not related to the recall repair. However, the failure reoccurred while driving from the dealer location. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the transmission assembly torque converter, accumulator valve body, and PCM had failed. The dealer was notified and informed the contact that they could not assist unless she paid a diagnostic fee. The vehicle was towed the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised the contact to take the vehicle to another dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 74,426.

NHTSA ODI 11506276

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that there was as an abnormal audible alarm sounding inside the vehicle. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train) but was informed by the dealer that the recall repair would not fix the failure with the vehicle. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced and was given an estimate for repair. The contact disputed the diagnosis and believed that the failure was related to the vehicle's computer system. The manufacturer was notified of the recall and was referred to the NHTSA for assistance. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 56,000. The contact stated that the dealer that the vehicle was purchased from was aware of the defect beforehand.

NHTSA ODI 11505846

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle was jerking back and forth. There was an abnormal gasoline odor inside the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact veered to the side of the road. The contact then lifted the hood and inspected the vehicle but could not determine the cause of the failure. The contact was able to drive to his residence. The contact later received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train) and the vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the gear shifter cable bushing and the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 200,852.

NHTSA ODI 11505861

While driving transmission started to wind. Then the warning light came on and car stopped . Had car towed to local Ford dealer . This happened on 1/25/2023. I finally got a call on 2/04/2023. They said I need to replace the transmission, they quoted the cost at $6,400 .

NHTSA ODI 11505523

Severe engine noise, sounds like the engine might fail at anytime. We were worried that the engine would fail and leave us stranded, we live in a cold climate and were afraid to leave town in the car. The problem was confirmed by the dealer - a manufacturer defective flexplate NHTSA ID#: 10174407. There were no warning lamps.

NHTSA ODI 11505115

Vehicle would drop out of gear while driving or at a complete stop. I would press on the accelerator to go; however, the car would be unable to move forward. I would have to put the vehicle in park, turn off the ignition, and then restart the vehicle at which point, the car may move for about a mile before dropping out of gear again. This would be a continuous process until I could get the vehicle somewhere safe. The vehicle has stopped moving forward while driving on the highway, which causes a safety hazard for every drive on the road. Researching the problem, there are multiple people complaining of the vehicle having transmission problems and Ford has not done a recall knowing that a vehicle that is not in motion on the highway can be life threatening to many others. The vehicle was take to a Ford service facility and their comment has been "we know it is an issue but your transmission is bad and you need a new one."

NHTSA ODI 11505119

2016 FORD ESCAPE. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARD TO TRANSMISSION FAILURE. THE CONSUMER STATED THAT HE WAS UNDER THE ASSUMPTION THE DEFECTIVE PART WOULD BE COVERED UNDER THE RECALL AND FEELS THE BILL IS A LITTLE EXCESSIVE.

NHTSA ODI 11503935

My 2016 Ford Escape was included in a recall for a bushing related to the functioning of the transmission. While at home the car stopped shifting and wouldn’t move. The car was towed to the nearest Ford dealership and it was confirmed that the problem was with the recalled part. It was repaired but not even 90 days later the same thing happened only this time while driving through the mountains to my job site. It was towed again to the same dealership who is now telling us we need a new transmission. This is all very coincidental since we have had no trouble whatsoever with the transmission until this point. This vehicle is not safe to drive and we contend that it is likely due to the related recall.

NHTSA ODI 11503383

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. In July of 2022, the contact received a safety recall notification from the NHTSA under Campaign Number: 22V413 stating "the bushing that attaches the shifter cable to the transmission may degrade or detach." The owner then received another letter in October 2022 stating that remedy parts were available in which the owner took the vehicle to the local Ford dealership to have it repaired on November 17, 2022. At approximately 5:30am on December 28, 2022 the contact owner was heading to work. When the light turned green at a major intersection, the contact owner's stated the vehicle hesitated accelerating at low speeds despite being in gear (D). Fortunately, the owner pulled over at a shopping center parking lot and had the vehicle towed to the local Ford dealership. At the time of failure, no warning lights or messages were illuminated or displayed from the dashboard. Later that morning, the owner's son reproduced the issue and documented it on video. When the owner's son put the car into reverse (R) the car moved forward and when put into drive (D). The opposite occurred along with hearing a grinding (increased RPMs) and a popping noise when finally in gear. The failure mileage on the vehicle was 135,373 miles. The local Ford dealership confirmed the transmission pump had failed and would cost $1,600 out of the owner's pocket to tear down the transmission despite the owner purchasing an 3rd party extended warranty service from the local Ford dealership.

NHTSA ODI 11502009

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed on the highway, the transmission was slipping, and the vehicle stalled and lost motive power with the transmission fault warning light illuminated. The vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced after retrieving 8 transmission failure codes. The vehicle remained at the dealer awaiting the repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 83,000.

NHTSA ODI 11500537