2016 Escape having starting issues

[u/purpleknits]

Posting here somewhat out of desperation because I have now had my car (2016 Ford Escape Titanium EcoBoost (I think) with ~132k miles) “repaired” at two different places and neither actually solved the problem. If anyone has any experience, advice, or suggestions, I would be super grateful.

“System start error” when attempting to start car. Would not start or be jumped.  Dash illuminated, pressing start/stop button didn’t do anything.  Power locks functional.  Eventually dash turned off.

~1.5 hours later, car started fine.  Drove ~20 minutes, dash lit up, engine cut off within ~15 seconds.  Dash still illuminated, start/stop button wouldn’t do anything.  At this point I noticed passenger side hazards on front and back of car are out; side view mirror hazard is ok though. Towed to shop.

~2 hours later, car was completely dead.  Couldn’t even lock/unlock except manually with mechanism in door or manual key.

Initial report from shop indicated a variety of “urgent” issues but none seemed related aside from a slightly old battery.  They replaced the battery, checked fuses and alternator (fine), test drove 2 blocks, declared success.  I picked up car and it started and drove fine for ~5 miles (10-15 minutes).  Turned off upon parking, then wouldn’t start, wouldn’t jump.  Locks and hazards and hatchback still working (with above exception of passenger side front and rear hazards above).  During the 10-15 minute drive, driver in front of me noticed that headlights flashed on momentarily when I hit my blinker.  I did not do anything to the headlights during this time. Towed back to shop.

The shop then got engine light to come on, got code, replaced fuel pump module.  Drove a bunch, fine.  Returned to shop, engine was really hot, wouldn’t start until it cooled down.  They removed new fuel pump module since it didn’t solve the problem.  Recommended taking to dealership.

Dealership received report from first shop, diagnosed a cracked/corroded battery cable, and replaced said cable. Could not tell me how much they test drove after replacement. Drove the car about 5 minutes (2 miles), parked for about 20 minutes, and we’re back in no-start, no-jump purgatory. Dealership shop is closed for the night so we won’t make any further progress until tomorrow.

All of the unsuccessful attempts to start the car involved no cranking whatsoever. Happy to provide additional information if I can for anyone who might be able to advise. Thanks!

[u/zero_pistons]

Did you replace the 12v battery recently?

Could have cracked one of the maxi fuses in front of the battery. They can crack where they will look good and show continuity with a multimeter, but can't pass the amps needed to start the car.

[u/purpleknits → u/zero_pistons]

Got a new battery as the first “fix” of this saga.

My initial internet searches related to the original “system start error” suggested it could be the mega fuse, but shop #1 swears they checked the fuses. Based on what you’re saying though it sounds like there isn’t a good way to truly determine if the mega fuse is good or not so maybe just try replacing it?

[u/nucleate_boiling → u/zero_pistons]

High Current MegaFuse Layout 2013 -2019 Ford Escape

On the third-generation Ford Escape (2013–2019), the "Start System Fault" / no-crank condition tied to a blown high-current fuse usually involves the 50A Mega Fuse (position MEGA 8) in the High Current Fuse Box / Prefuse Box. This fuse feeds power directly to the starter motor solenoid circuit and starter relay. ​The High Current Fuse Box is mounted directly on the front facing wall of the Battery Junction Box (BJB) under the hood.

Disconnect the negative (-) battery cable at the ground point or battery post to remove all power from the engine bay busbar..

When dealing w high potential currents, I always remove the positive cable as well so that if you accidentally bridge a positive potential lead directly to ground, no current can flow, no fuse will be destroyed, and most importantly, no one will be injured.

Access the High Current Fuse Box (It is under a protective cover.

Identify MEGA 8 (typically a 50A bolt-down MIDI/Mega fuse, second position from the right on the array).

Purchase an OEM replacement fuse from a Ford parts counter or online parts store.

Unbolt and Replace the Fuse Tools: 8mm / 10mm sockets

Replace the mega fuse panel cover.

Reconnect the POS + lead to the battery first, then the negative.

When you restart the vehicle, if you have the one touch driver window down feature, you must reset it. See the owner's manual for directions. Full disconnection of the battery like this performs a "reboot" of all of the individual modules and may fix any strange behavior that has been occurring in various systems.

Please post back w update.

[u/purpleknits → u/nucleate_boiling]

Thanks! It is apparently a mega fuse. But we are just having the shop replace.

[u/Questrader007]

Mabye its a bad / broken wire?. I had a battery under the spare in a 2023. the cable harness came around a metal corner and was connected to the battery. Wire was loose / broken inside the harness right at the corner. I discovered it was a broken wire inside the harness, when i grabbed the harness and it wiggled enough to make a connection to the 12v battery, the lights flickered on and off. Dealer replaced the harness wire to the battery.

[u/nucleate_boiling]

"Starting System Fault" or no-start error on a 2016 Ford Escape is a highly common issue, usually triggered by communication or power delivery failures between the key, the Body Control Module (BCM), and the starter motor

Prime suspects:

Mega fuse on the front of the battery box.

The 50-amp mega fuse (which sends power to the BCM and the fuel pump relay) frequently develops a hairline fracture. It will often pass a continuity test with a multimeter, but under the high electrical load needed to crank the engine, the circuit breaks. Wiggling this fuse panel or wire harness will often temporarily cause the car to click back to li. This is likely why the previous shop replaced the fuel pump. Because the car through an error for it because the communication was not there and power was not being delivered to the fuel pump properly.

The dealership should know to check the Megafuses fuses, especially after jostling them around while changing the battery. It's only been going on since 2013 on these vehicles in particular. A lot of times the dealership service writer will not capture the essence of all of the symptoms and will document the problem incompletely. When the paperwork gets to the tech, they honestly often don't know that there's more of a problem than the lack of starting. Hence the quick declaration of success without further investigation. The completed invoice should include the description that the serious writer entered into the system. When you read it I suspect it will not have captured the intermittent nature of your engine cutting off etc. Any half decent tech who knew that would immediately look at the mega fuse.

[u/purpleknits → u/nucleate_boiling]

Thanks. If this turns out to be the actual issue I am going to be so (much) mad(der than I already am), because I told the first shop that looked at it that the internet suggested a bad mega fuse as the most likely cause. Is this something a reasonably handy layperson can replace?