2016 Ford Escape Fuel system Problems

I am the 2nd owner of my 2016 Ford Escape 1.6L ecoboost, my aunt and uncle were the original owners. Between us we have every maintenance record of every on time and professionally performed requirement the Escape has needed and it ran beautifully. Then, in February 2026 the idle started to get a bit rough and I was preparing to put in the OEM sparkplugs when 3/28/26 the engine overheated, I was stranded on the side of a 45 mph street waiting for it to cool so I could move to safety. Between that incident and 4/29/26 I went thru 9 gallons of coolant, replaced the sparkplugs, put the front end up and "burp' the system as there was constantly air bubbles being introduced from a source I could not find. I had the hoses and clamps inspected, replaced the coolant reservoir and the reservoir cap, the vehicle started to shutter upon starting even after it was warmed up and every day needed to be burped and topped off before and after driving in town but often had no coolant loss during freeway driving, finally 4/28/26 I noticed smoke from the exhaust when I started the car in the morning and that smoke was accompanied by a foul, burnt, electric smell. While burping the air and topping the coolant that morning, the engine sputtered and died 2 separate times. I decided that it was time for a cooling system diagnostics as I still could still see no evidence of an external leak. The Ford technician recorded this tech story. "The vehicle ran rough and smoked for a couple seconds after starting.the vehicle ran its self test and had p0316, b0303, p1299, and p0217. These dtcs relate to cylinder misfire on startup and cylinder misfire and cylinder 3 and over temp/protection being active. ... I suspected a possible coolant intrusion concern into cylinder 3, performed a pressure test on the cooling system and observed a drop in the pressure. I remove the spark plug and found coolant on the cylinder walls and the top of the piston in cylinder 3." Advise to replace long block assembly.

NHTSA ID

11735017

Incident

Mar 28, 2026

Transmission went out at 101k miles - transmission needed to be rebuilt which I had done at a large cost. There was no warning, the trans went out while driving. Purge valve for gas (EVAP) also went out without any warning and when I would put gas in the car, the car would not start.

NHTSA ID

11725309

Incident

Aug 20, 2024

There is already a recall on the Ford Fusion for this very same issue, they have identical engines, fuel systems etc, but code is P1450 and at times, randomly the sound of a struggling fuel pump happens, and the solution is to have the Fuel Canister Purge valve replaced, this is a known and recalled issue on the Ford Fusion but apparently not on the 2016 Ford Escape SE that the majority of those vehicles do have both issues and failures with. Ford knows about this since they already have recalled the Ford Fusion for the very same thing happening. I have a "Forever Warranty" through Ford, which they explained 100% of all moving parts having to do with the Drive Train was covered, however they know about this issue, and yet no recall is happening I told them what the code is they still insist on charging $189 to tell me what my OBDII computer already has a few times at this point. Prestige Ford in Mt Dora, FL is the dealership that I will never deal with again for anything other than to maintain the warranty I was railroaded into that they don't seem to even want to honor making me pay out $189 for a known issue with the engines that are the same engines as in the Ford Fusion. The largest issue is the car can stall at any point in time causing a severely dangerous situation for anyone inside the vehicle when it stalls in middle of a intersection or turn. And of course I have learned it can cause the fuel tank to crack as well, and become deformed also causing a dangerous situation for whoever is operating the vehicle and other people on the road driving. My son is [XXX] and just learning to drive, it's the only car we have and we really have no other choice but to try to drive as safely as we can until a recall is also put out on the 2016 Ford Escape SE. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11722235

Incident

Mar 3, 2026

Coolant leak into cylinder head. Upon start up a cloud of white smoke came from the exhaust.

NHTSA ID

11687256

Incident

May 14, 2025

While driving my vehicle my vehicle would suddenly stall while in motion. This stalling happens while driving and has stalled in the middle of intersections causing passing vehicles to slam there breaks to avoid hitting me. In addition my vehicle has stalled and almost causing rear end collisions. There would be no warning signs or no lamps that turn on when it first stalls. After the initial stalling of the vehicle it would rough idle, tug and continue to stall. Until I get to a destination. A check engine lamp may turn on once in awhile but not always. If the mechanic shop is closed and I try to take my car the next day the lamp would be off and it would not stall anymore until I use it further. I have taken my car to a Napa when the engine lamp turned on and pulled a code for fuel pump. Although when I get it to my mechanic the light has turned off and they cant get a code from it. This has been happening for approximately a year now. It also seems to happen when fuel gets to quarter tank or less. This happens multiple times approximately 1-2 times everyb2 weeks.

NHTSA ID

11673137

Incident

Aug 1, 2024

a couple of years ago my car started having problems when accelerating, it would not accelerate or almost get to stall without warning, a couple times I got the message " engine fault - service now" . I took my car to the dealership and they could not find the root cause because the message would disappear when turning the car off and on again, therefore they could not reproduce the issue but my car had this same episode 3 times over the past 8 years without resolution from the dealership. finally a few days ago the issue came back but this time the message is not going away after turning off the car, I used a code reader and the error code reads: P0236. I am trying to get an appointment at the dealership to have my car looked at and finally have the repair done. but I believe my ford escape should be part of recall No. 14V495000 for Ford Escape MY 2013-2014 along with other Ford escapes model year 2016.

NHTSA ID

11667579

Incident

Jun 14, 2025

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated while the vehicle was stationary, the vehicle became hard to shift into gear. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact's daughter took the vehicle to a dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the canister purge valve, valve cover, oil pan gasket, engine, and turbo needed to be replaced. The contact had received an unknown recall notification for the transmission. The contact authorized the canister purge valve to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 119,500.

NHTSA ID

11656418

Incident

Apr 1, 2025

Mileage

119,500 mi

Service engine warning came on/ tester indicated low pressure fuel system. On 02282025 the lower pressure fuel senor(Part#BU5Z*9F972*B was replaced at Landers Ford/Collierville, TN. On [XXX] Service engine warning came on. I contacted the dealership, and was advised to bring it in to get checked. Tester indicated that cylinder #4 was not working. So part# BM5Z*12029B (NS COIL A) and Part# CYFS*13Y*RCX(100 SPARK) were both ordered and replaced. When I went to pickup Mr car on [XXX], it was missing very bad. I was told that Anti-freeze was shooting into the motor, and that the motor was not repairable, and that I could replace it or trade my car in. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11651614

Incident

Mar 17, 2025

While I was driving, suddenly check engine light pop up. After investigating and troubleshooting by mechanic it shows need to replace Evap canister purge valve. Vehicle has just 68000 miles and this component should not be failed this early in life cycle.

NHTSA ID

11648572

Incident

Mar 1, 2025

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determine that the canister purge valve was stuck in the open position. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 80,000.

NHTSA ID

11627726

Incident

Nov 20, 2024

Mileage

80,000 mi

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that after parking in the vehicle, the odor of fuel was present inside the garage. Upon inspection, the contact discovered fuel leaking from under the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the fuel lines had rusted and failed causing a fuel leak. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 23,000.

NHTSA ID

11625255

Incident

Oct 1, 2024

Mileage

23,000 mi

Ford Escape is experiencing multiple symptoms: * Fuel smell in the cabin * Sluggish acceleration * Hard start (cranks several seconds without ignition) after refueling * (RARE) Engine stall when coming to a stop.

NHTSA ID

11618608

Incident

Sep 29, 2024

The following all occurred in just the past year. The following is a report from this May 2024: Performed Cooling System Pressure Test, Discovered Coolant to Be Leaking From Behind Engine Next to Firewall, Continued Diagnosis and Performed Physical Inspection Removing Wiper Cowl to Get a Better View of Behind the Engine, Once Wiper Cowl Was Removed Discovered Rear Heater Hose to Be Leaking Coolant Causing Customers Concern. Recommend Replace Heater Hose and Perform Cooling System Service During the Courtesy Inspection Aaron Noted: ***Coolant Fluid Very Low Due to Coolant Leak, Recommend Perform Cooling System Service with Hose Replacement ***Vehicle is Equipped With Timing Belt, Check Customers Records For Previous Replacement - The inital issues was the purge valve stuck open, which lead to a misfire code, so they mechanic had a replacement of purge valve chassy and replace spark plugs. - 2 weeks following this event, we were told the engine would need to be replaced due to an internal coolant leakage that resulted from a broken gasket. The vehicle does not even have 200,000 miles.

NHTSA ID

11610729

Incident

Aug 22, 2024

Uncontrollable acceleration increase; Difficult and rough starting; Engine overheating warning lights and message alerts; Coolant empty and no visible leak; Continued loss of coolant; Copious moisture smelling of anti freeze coming from exhaust; Check engine light codes: P1450, P1450 pd, PO302

NHTSA ID

11604055

Incident

Nov 12, 2023

While driving home going about 40 mph my Ford Escape lost acceleration and then completely shut off IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD! I was able to "limp" it to the side of the street where it would not start at all. I then placed it in reverse (as I was on a hill) to roll it backwards into a neighborhood to get it out of the way of on coming traffic. It was 10 PM at night! I waited for a few minutes and was able to get it to start but not change gears. I was able to get it to my neighborhood with hazards on going barely 10mph. It literally rolled into my driveway where it has been since (November 2023).

NHTSA ID

11563752

Incident

Nov 18, 2023

When driving the car at interstate speeds the transmission overheats after just a few minutes. When this happens it triggers the car’s information system to send a message stating “Transmission Fault Service Engine Now.” Just a moment or two later it sends another message stating “Speeds Reduced To Lower Engine Temperature.” Once that message is received you no longer have any throttle control and speed will continue to decline, speed dropped from 70 mph to 30 is maybe an minute, until you pull over and let the transmission cool down. This is especially hazardous on the interstate if your in faster moving traffic with cars behind you and you can no longer accelerate with no way to signal this to the traffic behind you except the four ways. The problem seems to be the fan to cool the transmission never gets the signal to turn on and cool down the transmission. This is an ongoing issue with this vehicle and has been since I got it, there are also multiple site and forums full of this same year make and model having the same issue.

NHTSA ID

11561730

Incident

Dec 12, 2023

On November 14th, 2023, a red alert appeared on the dash that indicated an engine temperature warning indicating that there was a high temperature warning and that I should find a safe place to pull over and immediately stop the vehicle. The temperature indicator on the dash showed the needle move instantly into the red/high area and then drop down. This happened twice, back-to-back. I checked the coolant and it was below the minimum level indicator as shown on the reservoir. A day later, the service engine light illuminated. I took the vehicle to Advanced Auto and asked to pull the service code and was told there were two, P0303 and P0304 which indicated a cylinder three misfire and cylinder four misfire. I noted that the coolant was also low once again despite seeing no fluid on the ground after allowing the vehicle to run. Bill Collins Ford inspected the misfires and coolant and found the issue to be related to a flaw in the engine design which allows coolant to leak into the cylinders. I was told this could have allowed the vehicle to overheat and catch on fire as well as causing the engine to lock up while in operation. Bill Collins Ford provided an estimate of $13,000 to repair the vehicle stating it required a new engine. I purchased this vehicle used from CarMax on August 2, 2023 and have put less than 3,000 miles on it before experiencing this issue.

NHTSA ID

11556980

Incident

Nov 14, 2023

While driving the car shuddered and then shut off. The transmission light came on with a warning about 5 minutes after it shut off. So there was never a warning and we were unable to get it to go back into any gear.

NHTSA ID

11551697

Incident

Oct 24, 2023

Stalling in the middle of highway twice

NHTSA ID

11545072

Incident

Sep 7, 2023

Vehicle check engine light goes on usually during hot weather. Vehicle stalls and hesitates on acceleration causing unsafe conditions with traffic, intersections, etc.

NHTSA ID

11538688

Incident

Aug 8, 2023

Car suddenly stalled out and stopped. Restarted and stalled again, and several more times. Diagnosed with fuel pump failure.

NHTSA ID

11536148

Incident

Jul 29, 2023

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who retrieved a code indicating a failure of the fuel separator sensor. Further investigation determined that the sensor was stuck in the open position, potentially exposing the vehicle occupants to toxic fumes. The contact stated that the diagnosis was confirmed by a second independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was 32,825.

NHTSA ID

11524716

Incident

May 18, 2023

Mileage

32,825 mi

Defect in the coolant system which caused leaking into my cylinders

NHTSA ID

11517100

Incident

Apr 3, 2021

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, she smelled an abnormally strong gasoline odor inside the cabin of the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed but no failures were found. The contact's son used the OBD reader and Ford computer system to diagnose that the fuel line originating from the engine to the fuel tank appeared to be clogged. The contact's son diagnosed that the purge valve Evap System had failed and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and opened a case. The manufacturer informed the contact that the vehicle needed to be diagnosed by the dealer, and it would then be determined whether they could assist with the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 14,000.

NHTSA ID

11497051

Incident

Dec 12, 2018

Mileage

14,000 mi

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the transmission was previously replaced. The contact stated that after refueling, the vehicle was unable to restart immediately. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal while turning on the vehicle to correct the failure. Additionally, the vehicle made abnormal sounds and would shake and then stall while driving. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the canister purge valve needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.

NHTSA ID

11493424

Incident

Aug 1, 2022

Mileage

150,000 mi