2016 Ford Escape engine problems
255 of the 1,131 complaints owners filed with NHTSA about the 2016 Ford Escape name the engine (NHTSA’s “Engine” heading — the engine and its cooling system). Filed under the same heading: 45 manufacturer bulletins. Every figure below is a document in a federal file, linked; none is a failure rate, and none is a verdict on any one car.
What owners filed about the engine
Source: NHTSA complaint database3 of the 255 reports a crash · 6 a fire · 2 injuries. Self-reported, unverified.
Filed per year: 2016: 11 · 2017: 5 · 2018: 10 · 2019: 18 · 2020: 9 · 2021: 11 · 2022: 26 · 2023: 30 · 2024: 62 · 2025: 46 · 2026: 27
Half of the 132 owners who gave an odometer reading reported the engine problem between 55,000 and 107,000 miles. A median of reports, not the life of a part.
1,131 complaints in all about the 2016 Ford Escape, 27 filed in 2026. The whole picture, every system →
Counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many of these were sold; nothing here is a rate. NHTSA groups complaints coarsely, so “Engine” means the same area of the vehicle, not one fault.
Across model years: Ford Escape engine problems, every year on file →
In owners’ own words
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseFiled with NHTSA by the people who own these cars, about the engine. Quoted as written, with anything identifying removed; unverified reports — what was said, not a finding that it was true.
Safety hazard and serious life threatening situation exists when this problem occurs on the highway and especially in front of a semi tractor trailer truck doing the speed limit.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. While driving 20 MPH, the vehicle hesitated and the check engine indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the throttle actuator system malfunctioned. The vehicle was not repaired.
Carbon monoxide: there is a strong smell of exhaust frequently in the vehicle. I turned on a multi-gas monitor to find carbon monoxide levels as high as 100 ppm and oxygen concentrations below 19%. This occurs at idle as well as while driving.
Engine shuts down while driving and the service engine now light come on. I was in the passing lane doing 65mph this morning when it cut out. I was lucky to make it into the breakdown lane without getting hit. I put the car in park and the engine sputters like it is only running on one cylinder.
Electronic throttle body - the car stalled out on the freeway. Prior to stalling, the car was shaking and then stalled
What is on file about the engine
Source: NHTSA recalls, investigations and manufacturer communications45 manufacturer bulletins filed under this heading
- SSM 52335 Service bulletinMar 6, 2024
- For 2015-2024 Ford and Lincoln vehicles equipped with turbocharged engines and customer concern of an engine oil leak, refer to Workshop Manual (WSM), Section 303-00 for oil leak inspection and testing methods. Ford has evaluated turbochargers replaced for oil leak symptoms and although oil may collect on the external surface of a turbocharger, it is extremely rare for a turbocharger assembly to b
The 1 newest are listed; every one is on the model year’s page. Quote the document number at a service desk — it is a diagnosis the maker has already written down.
Trouble codes named on this system
P1450 P2111 P0217 P0219 P0236 P0316 P1299 P2112
Codes a bulletin or an owner’s complaint about the 2016 Ford Escape names on this model year; a code with a record of its own links it.
Other systems with a record on the 2016 Ford Escape
Source: the same files- transmission and drivetrain problems 325 complaints
- backup camera and parking sensor problems 228 complaints
- electrical problems 92 complaints
Common questions
Source: NHTSA complaint database, recalls and manufacturer communicationsAre engine problems common on the 2016 Ford Escape?
They are documented: NHTSA holds 255 owner complaints naming the engine on this model year (23% of everything owners filed about it), and 45 manufacturer bulletins are filed under the same heading. Whether it is a problem on one particular car is a diagnosis, not a count, and a count says nothing about how many were sold.
Is there a recall for the engine on the 2016 Ford Escape?
No recall campaign is filed under this heading for this model year (there are 4 filed under other headings). A bulletin is not a recall: it carries no federal duty to repair for free.
When do engine problems show up on the 2016 Ford Escape?
Owners who gave an odometer reading reported it at a median of 80,000 miles; half of them between 55,000 and 107,000. That is when reports cluster, not the life of a part.
What does NHTSA's "Engine" heading cover?
The engine and its cooling system. Owners choose the heading when they file, so it says which area of the vehicle the complaint is about, not which part failed.