Recall 16V643 covers 2,046,297 2012-2016 Ford vehicles for door latches that fail to secure. Repair will be free at any franchised Ford dealer once available.
Ford is recalling 2,046,297 2012-2016 Escape, Transit Connect, Mustang, C-Max, Focus, and Mkc vehicles under recall 16V643 because a door-latch component can break and leave a door unlatched. A door that is not securely latched can open while the vehicle is moving, increasing injury risk; the dealer repair will be free once Ford makes it available.
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What's wrong?
The door latch is the mechanical catch inside each door that grabs the striker on the body when the door closes. On the included 2012-2016 Escape, Transit Connect, Mkc, Mustang, C-Max, and Focus vehicles, that latch keeps the door fully closed after you pull it shut. It also lets the driver and passengers trust that a closed-looking door is actually secured.
A component inside the latch can break. When that happens, the door does not latch, or it appears closed even though the latch has not fully engaged. That creates a gap between what the owner sees and what the hardware is doing, so a door that looks shut is not the same as a door that is locked into place.
Owners can notice trouble before the latch stops working. Watch for a door that is hard to latch, rebounds when you try to shut it, or needs repeated tries before it catches.
Who's affected?
Covers six model lines across the 2012-2016 model years, all tied to the door latch.
| 2013 Ford Escape | Latch |
|---|---|
| 2014 Ford Escape | Latch |
| 2014 Ford Transit Connect | Latch |
| 2015 Ford Transit Connect | Latch |
| 2015 Lincoln Mkc | Latch |
| 2015 Ford Mustang | Latch |
| 2015 Ford Escape | Latch |
| 2016 Ford Transit Connect | Latch |
| 2014 Ford C-Max | Latch |
| 2013 Ford Focus | Latch |
| 2015 Ford Focus | Latch |
| 2013 Ford C-Max | Latch |
| 2015 Ford C-Max | Latch |
| 2012 Ford Focus | Latch |
| 2014 Ford Focus | Latch |
| Units affected | 2,046,297 |
| Field incidents | NHTSA has logged 4 field incidents to date. |
A matching year and model does not confirm inclusion. Check your VIN to confirm whether this recall applies to your specific vehicle.
What's the safety risk?
A door that is not securely latched can open while the vehicle is moving, increasing injury risk for an occupant. If a door is hard to latch, rebounds when shut, or takes repeated tries to close, treat that as a service warning and schedule the recall repair. Repair will be free at any franchised Ford dealer once available.
What should I do?
- Check your VIN to confirm your 2012-2016 Ford Escape, Transit Connect, Mkc, Mustang, C-Max, or Focus is included in this recall.
- Contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332 to confirm the latest repair timing before you schedule service.
- Reference recall number 16V643 and Ford recall 16S30 when you call the dealer or customer service.
- Schedule the free door-latch replacement with a franchised Ford dealer once Ford confirms the repair is ready.
- Bring the recall notice if Ford mailed one, and ask the dealer to replace the latch part that lets a door appear closed when it is not.
- Avoid carrying passengers next to a suspect door until the latch repair is complete.
What happens at the repair
Ford's listed remedy is to replace each covered door latch with an improved part. Once the final dealer repair is available, a Ford technician will remove the affected latches and install the improved replacements. Parts and labor are covered under the recall. Ford's standard reimbursement plan covers documented owner paid remedies before recall notification, with eligibility ending October 31, 2016. If you already paid for a related door latch repair before that date, contact Ford customer service and ask how to submit the paperwork.
| Reimbursement | Reimbursement available |
|---|
Timeline
| September 6, 2016 | NHTSA published the recall |
|---|---|
| September 6, 2016 | Dealer notification began |
| September 6, 2016 | Dealer notification ended |
| October 3, 2016 | VIN-searchable in NHTSA's database — Check your VIN to see whether this recall applies to your specific vehicle. |
| October 3, 2016 | Interim owner notification (was planned for this date) |
| January 27, 2017 | Owner notification mailed |
Frequently asked questions
What is recall 16V643?
Recall 16V643 covers 2,046,297 2012-2016 Ford Escape, Transit Connect, Mkc, Mustang, C-Max, and Focus vehicles with door-latch parts that can break. A door that is not securely latched can open while the vehicle is moving, increasing injury risk. Ford dealers replace the door latches for free.
What should I do if my 2012-2016 Ford Escape, Transit Connect, Mkc, Mustang, C-Max, or Focus is on this recall?
Check your VIN to confirm your specific vehicle is included in recall 16V643. If it is, contact a franchised Ford dealer and ask for the door-latch replacement under recall 16S30. The dealer repair is free, and Ford customer service is available at 1-866-436-7332.
Is the recall repair free?
Yes. Federal recall law requires the manufacturer to repair the defect at no cost. Ford dealers replace the affected door latches with improved parts free of charge, including parts and labor, for vehicles included in recall 16V643.
What is the safety risk?
The risk is that a door that seems closed is not securely latched. If that door opens while the vehicle is in motion, an occupant faces an increased risk of injury. Until the repair is complete, check that each door is fully latched before driving.
What if I bought this Ford vehicle used?
The free recall repair still applies. Recall eligibility follows the VIN, not the original owner. Check your VIN to confirm whether your specific Escape, Transit Connect, Mkc, Mustang, C-Max, or Focus is included, then reference recall 16V643 or Ford recall 16S30 when you call the dealer.
More information
| NHTSA campaign page | nhtsa.gov/vehicle-recalls/16V643000 |
|---|---|
| Ford customer service | 1-866-436-7332 |
| NHTSA recall # | 16V643 |
| NHTSA recall # (full) | 16V643000 |
Source documents
-
Download Misc. Document (PDF) - Download Recall Document (PDF) (PDF)
- Download Recall Document (PDF) (PDF)
- Download Owner Notification Letter (PDF)
- Download Owner Notice (PDF)
- Download Recall Report (PDF)
- Download Quarterly Report (PDF)
- Download Recall Acknowledgement (PDF)
This article is generated from NHTSA's primary recall filings and reviewed against the source on May 31, 2026. RecallNotify does not paraphrase NHTSA's consequence language; that text is reproduced as written above. Editorial standards →