Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise, lane keeping, backup camera).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2016 Ford Escape owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that when in reverse, the back-over prevention camera would display a distorted or black screen intermittently. While reversing from an angled parking space downward, due to the failure of the back-over prevention screen, the contact was unable to view the rear of the vehicle and ended up crashing into the passenger door of another vehicle. There were no injuries sustained or medical attention required. The passenger door of the impacted vehicle was damaged. The police were not contacted, and no police report was filed. The dealer was not contacted. …
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while reversing out of the garage at approximately 3 MPH, the vehicle crashed into a parked vehicle directly behind it. The contact stated that while reversing, the rear-view camera displayed a blank image. The parked vehicle sustained damage to the front driver's side fender. No air bags deployed. The vehicle was not towed. There was no warning light illuminated. A Police report was not filed. The vehicle was not destroyed. No injuries were reported. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (BACK OVER PREVENTION); as the possible cause for the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 206,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention). The contact stated that while in reverse(R), the message "Camera not Available" was displayed and the passenger's side rear of the vehicle side-swiped a fire hydrant. There were no injuries sustained. A Police report was not filed. The vehicle was then driven to the residence. The vehicle was taken to a dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact was informed that the camera would be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a complaint was filed. The failure mileage was 65,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while reversing, the rearview camera became inoperable and crashed into an unknown Pontiac. The bumper was damaged, and there was no insurance coverage. The contact received the recall notification letter for NHTSA Campaign Number 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention) after the crash. A police report was filed. There were no reported injuries, air bag deployment or fires. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified about the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,345.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part needed to complete the recall repair was not available. The contact stated that while reversing, the rearview camera became inoperable and displayed a blank screen, resulting in a collision with the stairwell of the contact's residence. The vehicle was taken to an independent body shop for body repairs. The contact stated the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while reversing, the rear-view camera failed to display an image, causing the contact to crash into a friend's vehicle, striking the front driver's side quarter panel. The failure mileage was approximately 186,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated that the transmission was slipping while shifting gear and the vehicle jerked abnormally. In addition, the contact noticed a grinding sound and a burning odor coming from the vehicle. No warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure began shortly after the vehicle was purchased. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where the vehicle was purchased. The contact was provided an option to trade the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The contact stated that while reversing, the back over camera system displayed a black screen and became disabled. …
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon refueling the vehicle and resuming driving 55 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power in bumper-to-bumper traffic. The contact was unable to pull over to the side of the road. The contact shifted to neutral(N) and shifted back to drive(D), but the vehicle failed to respond and started rolling backwards on leveled road surface. The contact activated the hazard lights and continuously depressed the brake pedal while steering the vehicle on the busy road. The contact was able to coast to the side of the road. The contact stated that the vehicle made two abnormal loud popping sounds and came to a complete stop. The vehicle was towed to Firestone, where the contact was informed that the failure could be related to the transmission, and that the transmission could not be serviced. …
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (BACK OVER PREVENTION); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that while reversing, the back-over prevention camera failed to display an image of the rear of the vehicle, creating a rear visibility hazard for the driver. Additionally, while driving forward, the rear-view camera erroneously activated and displayed the rear image on the screen. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who diagnosed that the back-over prevention camera was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. …
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (BACK OVER PREVENTION). However, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. In addition, the vehicle vibrated abnormally. The message "Motor Work Required" was displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that three weeks after the vehicle was purchased, the transmission failed to operate as intended. The contact replaced the transmission. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. …
Related recalls
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, 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.
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.
Collision Avoidance complaints in other Escape years
Frequently asked questions
How common are collision avoidance problems on the 2016 Ford Escape?
NHTSA has 244 complaints about the driver assistance of the 2016 Ford Escape, 21% of the model year's 1,162 complaints. The component named most often is rearview system braking (18 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2016 Ford Escape collision avoidance problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 25V-695 (camera, Oct 13, 2025). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2016 Ford Escape collision avoidance problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 86,000 miles, and 3% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 8 crashes, 0 fires and 0 injuries to driver assistance problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.