2017 Ford Escape
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Engine is the leading concern among 2,686 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 2nd highest complaint count among 26 Escape model years with reports.
Of the 2017 reports, 39 involved a crash and 15 involved a fire. 56 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Visibility, power window devices and controlsJun 9, 2026
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2017 Escape vehicles previously repaired incorrectly under recall number 16V617. The power-operated windows may exert excessive force when encountering an object, before they automatically reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 118, "Power-Operated Window Systems."
A closing window that does not reverse direction as expected can pinch a driver or passenger before retracting, increasing the risk of injury.
Dealers will update the power window operating system software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 22, 2026. Owners may contact customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26C29. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov on July 6, 2026.
Campaign 26V374000 on NHTSA.gov
Equipment, electrical, engine block heaterJan 15, 2026
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2018 Focus, 2013-2019 Escape, and 2015-2016 MKC vehicles equipped with a 2.0L engine. The engine block heater may crack and develop a coolant leak, causing it to short circuit when the block heater is plugged in.
An electrical short circuit can increase the risk of a fire.
Owners are advised not to plug in their block heater until the vehicle is remedied. Dealers will replace the block heater, free of charge. Owners will also have a alternative option to replace engine block heater element with a threaded plug, and remove the block heater electrical cord. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed March 6, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S01. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on January 16, 2026.
Campaign 26V011000 on NHTSA.gov
Power train, automatic transmission, gear position indication (prndl)Jun 10, 2022
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2019 Escape, 2013-2018 C-Max, 2013-2016 Fusion, 2013-2021 Transit Connect, and 2015-2018 Edge vehicles. The bushing that attaches the shifter cable to the transmission may degrade or detach.
A damaged or missing bushing may prevent the vehicle from shifting into the intended gear, and cause the vehicle to move in an unexpected direction. Additionally, the vehicle may roll after the driver selects the 'Park' position. Either scenario increases the risk of a crash or injury.
Dealers will replace the under hood shift bushing and add a protective cap over the shift cable bushing, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters, informing owners of the safety risk, were mailed July 1, 2022. Remedy parts are expected to be available in 4th Quarter 2022. Owner notification letters were mailed October 27, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S43.
Campaign 22V413000 on NHTSA.gov
Visibility, power window devices and controlsAug 24, 2016
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2017 Ford Escape Titanium and SE vehicles manufactured October 5, 2015, to May 12, 2016. The settings for the closing-force of the power-operated windows may allow the windows to close on an object such as a body part and injure it before the windows auto-reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 118, "Power-Operated Window Systems."
If a window closes on a body part, it can increase the risk of injury.
Ford has notified owners, and dealers will update the power window operating system software, free of charge. The recall began on September 6, 2016. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 16C12.
Campaign 16V617000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints: engine
1,983 reports, newest first. Show all
Engine, Oct 12, 2025
Known issue from Ford with coolant intrusion into cylinder 2 and maybe cylinder. Addressed through TSB 22-2232. Purchased car in February 2024 with 77k on it. Dealer won't repair the issue. Needs a new redesigned engine. Dealer only covers the issue if it's under the original warranty with less than 60k miles. My car now has 131k miles on it.
Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Oct 11, 2025
Code for camshaft timing and cylinder 2 misfire. Scoped coils and performed relative compression test. Dead cylinder on number 2. Recommend manual compression test and cylinder leak down test to identify cause of low compression Performed manual compression test and confirmed cylinder has 0 compression. Performed cylinder leak down test. Air coming from crankcase. This indicates an issue with rings, cylinder wall, or piston. Engine will need to be replaced. The coolant leaked into the cylinders, which lead to engine failure.
Engine and engine cooling, Oct 9, 2025
The contact’s daughter owns a 2017 Ford Escape. While the contact’s daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle unintendedly decelerated to 17 MPH. The driver was able to pull over to the side of the road where a family member was able to tow the vehicle back to the residence. The vehicle had been parked in the driveway at the residence and was no longer drivable. A certified mechanic inspected the vehicle at the residence. The mechanic determined that there was coolant leaking into the engine due to faulty cylinder walls, causing engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that the repair was not covered under warranty or recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and referred the contact back to the dealer for assistance. The failure mileage was 134,975.
Engine, Oct 8, 2025
Engine coolant leaked into oil, car needs new engine. Research shows that this is a design flaw on Ford and needs to be remedied asap.
Engine and engine cooling, Oct 8, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that coolant was leaking from the vehicle. The engine warning light was turning on and off. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the failure was due to the power booster. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. The contact stated there was a design flaw. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was approximately 52,930. The VIN was not available.
Engine, Oct 7, 2025
My check engine light came on. Ford dealer diagnostics reveal coolant has leaked into the cylinder and ruined the engine. Now the engine needs to be replaced altogether. There is no crack in the engine block that the dealer sees and there have been no previous issues with the head gasket or cylinder heads. My understanding is that this is a problem for which Ford has created some "programs" (23N03, 22-2174, 20-2271 are the ones I found). Ford does not appear to have widened this program to include my car YET. The car has 71,100 miles, which is the same timeframe the recalled vehicles averaged their issue.I believe my car has a defect in the engine as well and this problem is a direct result of this defect.
Engine, Oct 6, 2025
Coolant leaking into cylinders 2 and 3. Engine overheating.
Engine, Oct 6, 2025
My 2017 Ford Escape SE has the original 2.0 engine, 90857 miles, no accidents. A widely known Ford engine defect called “coolant intrusion”marked by engine error code P0301, causes the car to consume coolant and overheat without notice. Issue is documented in TSV-22-2229 replacing TSV 22-2133. Byers Ford dealer, in Delaware Ohio, pressure tested the cylinder and identified the internal coolant leak with engine bore scope. Dealer service quoted an engine replacement over $9,100 as the only repair option. Ford Motor is unwilling to provide any financial assistance for this widely known defect because it’s outside of their eligibility window. I am requesting this vehicle and year be placed on a recall.
Engine and engine cooling, Oct 6, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while her son was driving approximately 65 MPH, the check engine warning illuminated. The contact’s son reported that the vehicle was shaking and vibrating abnormally, and he pulled over and turned off the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The vehicle was diagnosed, and the contact was informed that there was coolant intrusion in the engine block, causing a crack in cylinder #2. The contact was informed by the mechanic that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact researched online and related the failure to a defect in the 1.5L GTDI engines. The contact informed the manufacturer of the failure and was referred to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was 77,900.
Engine, Oct 6, 2025
When starting the engine ran very rough. Took it do a repair place to get checked out and they scoped the cylinder and found that the engine block cracked leaking coolant into #3 cylinder. Unrepairable. Requires a new engine.
Engine, Oct 4, 2025
I have a 1.5L ecoboost engine in my 2017 Ford escape. Known now for it's design flaw allowing coolant to enter the engine and cause catastrophic damage. This has happened to my vehicle and it is not covered under any recall.
Engine, Oct 3, 2025
Ford Dealer found Coolant Intrusion into cylinder 4 with 2.0L Ecoboost engine at 82,000 miles for 2017 Ford Escape. This is a well known issue that had recall issued in 2022. Ford offered no resolution or support for repair estimated at $8,000 to a well know engine flaw.
Other or unspecified, Engine, Oct 3, 2025
After visiting the mechanic 4 times in a month and half and having my spark plugs and ignition coils changed 4 times, they found my 2017 Ford escape had a coolant intrusion which was affecting the engine. Every time I turn on my car it shakes uncontrollably and when it runs it occasionally shakes or stutters. Ford knew of this issue and could of have mitigated by recalling the vehicle for repairs. Especially the financial strain many people face from being told it would cost close to 10k to get it fixed. Without many people having funds to pay for repairs or purchase a new car, it forces people to continue to use the vehicle until it finally complete shuts down. Additionally, many people don't even know of the issue until its too late and it has caused issues. This a significant concern because this issue can cause cars stalling/seizures and significant car accidents because of those stalls.
Engine and engine cooling, Electrical system, Oct 2, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle started shuddering intermittently. The contact stated while driving at various speeds and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to two independent mechanics, where it was diagnosed with alternator and pistons failure. The second mechanic replaced the alternator; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the second mechanic, where the contact was informed that there was oil and coolant dilution, and metal shavings were found inside the engine. The dealer and the manufacturer were not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 134,003.
Engine, Oct 2, 2025
While driving on the highway, car started to shutter and sputter. Engine light came on, then started flashing putting the car into limp mode and I was almost rear ended by a tractor trailer. I took the car to my local mechanic and he said cylinder 3 misfire. He went to check the plug and coil, coil good but he could not get the plug out. I then called ford and they said they would not let me talk to a mechanic or service technician. I called another place, then another. Finally one person told me that there has been issues with coolant leaking into cylinders causing people to have to replace engines and it is a known issue yet ford does not seem to care. This is the last Ford I ever buy, they have known issues that could cause you to be hurt while driving and they don't stand by their products.
Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Oct 1, 2025
I have a coolant leaking issue, that has harmed my engine and QuickLane at Bill Brown Ford in Livonia, recommended an engine change. There is a class action lawsuit about this, so it is a known defect.
Engine, Sep 29, 2025
Engine intrusion. Crack in block is allowing coolant to leak into the engine and am now being told a complete engine repair is needed. Even though it's a known issue with Technical Service Bulletin 22-2229 they are saying we need to pay the whole thing and is not covered under any recall issue and only has 70,000 miles on it.
Engine and engine cooling, Sep 26, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving 25-30 MPH uphill to the residence, the vehicle shuddered violently and went into LIMP Mode. The contact was able to drive to the residence. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the engine. The dealer determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired under the Powertrain Warranty. The contact stated that the failure had recurred while driving, causing the contact to drive through a red traffic light to pull over safely into a nearby parking lot. The vehicle was towed to [XXX] Ford [XXX] ); where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the engine. The dealer determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The contact was informed that the repair would be performed at his expense. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 29,000. The VIN was not available. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Engine, Sep 26, 2025
Coolant leaking into the motor, Ford won't cover it because it was not manufactured in a certain plant. This issue is very common in these eco boost engines.
Engine, Sep 25, 2025
The check engine light came on and is still on at this time. I was told that there is coolant in the cylinders of the engine. I was informed that the engine has to be replaced. I purchased the SUV a year ago with 60,000 miles on it and I have added another 1,000 miles. So far I have been lucky in the fact the vehicle is still running. it has been about a week now since the light came on and 3 days since I was given the information. From my research this problem is known to Ford Motor Company and has been for some time. I am aware that there is Technical Service Bulletin #22-2229. I know there is a class action suite dealing with this matter. There is also a Lemon Car suite on going. My next step will be to contact a local dealership to see if we can come to a resolution in this matter.
Engine, Sep 25, 2025
My engine is done from coolant infusion in cylinder 2. It is available for inspection upon request. Because of this known issue my engine could have stopped at anytime allowing for endless ways my family and I could have been killed. I found out about this issue when I took my car into Kerry Ford for a simple oil change and mentioned that my car had just started shaking upon starting it and until I drive for a bit. I’ve now had the engine inspected by the dealership and someone from my extended warranty. The check engine light came on after the car started shaking and my only warning was that I knew the car was shaking.
Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Sep 23, 2025
My Ford Escape 2017 at 77,000 was diagnosed with coolant intrusion, causing catastrophic damage to the engine & requiring a total engine rebuild. This is a known issue identified by Ford in CSP 21N12 by Ford and TB 22-2134, but Ford has refused to subsidize any repairs because the car warranty is over 7 years old (it is currently an 8.5 year-old car). This issue can cause overheating, engine failure, and fires & has been known by Ford since at least June 2022, but they failed to notify me via mail or otherwise & have refused all requests to grant an extension or partial coverage for the necessary engine repairs.
Engine and engine cooling, Sep 23, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving 50 MPH, the vehicle intermittently sputtered. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the engine, causing engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 144,000.
Engine, Sep 22, 2025
Coolant leak in engine as described in Ford customer service program 21N12. [XXX] ). The fact that this was not a recall or covered past November 2022 is quite frankly irresponsible and despicable from the Ford motor company. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Engine, Sep 22, 2025
I own a 2017 Ford Escape. Recently, my car issued a Engine Failure Service Now message. In inspecting the check engine code, it was discovered that coolant was intruding into the cyclinder(s.) Upon researching, this is a know problem to a series of Ford vehicles in a certain date range. It was learned that Ford knows about this problem, has not done any sort of recall or notification to owners of affected vehicles, it is not covered under any extended warranty, and the recommendation, known by Ford, is a full motor replacement, which to say is costly would be an understatement. I find this incredibly negligent and Ford has allowed this problem to not be remedied by them in bad faith.