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, Feb 19, 2025
Regarding 2017 Ford Escape: Coolant is intruding into the firing cylinder. In my case it was cylinder #3 and was confirmed by KeyScales in Leesburg, Florida. Upon speaking with a Ford Motor Company representative, they told me it was a known problem but no recalls have been issued by NHSTA even though a similar recall has been issued for 2013 Ford Escapes. I was told the engine will fail quickly and should be replaced immediately at a cost of $10,400.
Engine, Feb 19, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was driven to the residence. The contact stated that a mobile mechanic inspected the vehicle and diagnosed the vehicle with a misfire in cylinder #3. The contact was informed that the spark plugs and ignition coils needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken to another independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with a coolant leak in cylinder #3 and engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 101,854.
Engine and engine cooling, Engine, Feb 18, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while her daughter was driving out of the school parking lot at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle made an abnormal sound and stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine block was fractured, and there was coolant intrusion in cylinders #3 and #4. The mechanic determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The contact related the failure to an undisclosed TSB. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 98,000.
Engine and engine cooling, Feb 18, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, she noticed the water meter gauge was lower than normal. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local independent mechanic and was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into cylinder #3. The vehicle was not repaired because the warranty had expired. Upon further inspection, the contact related the failure to TSB 19-2172; however, the vehicle was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 100,511.
Engine, Feb 17, 2025
Coolant intrusion into the engine block. Dealer says engine needs to be replaced
Engine, Feb 15, 2025
2017 ford escape we were taking a 4 hour drive car made some strange noise check engine light came on well half way to our destination car began spitting and sputtering we pulled into a car part dealer and began changing things spark plugs air filter car continued to read mis fire we drove home car would not go over 50 black smoke pouring from it making horrible noises got it home went straight to a garage the engine had leaked coolant into had to replace engine total cost 5000 dollars
Engine, Feb 14, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while parked and attempting to start the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle hesitated while attempting to depress the accelerator pedal and failed to respond as needed. The contact stated that a dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was 91,271.
Engine, Feb 13, 2025
My 2017 Ford Escape had the check engine light come on, on Dec 15 2024, and then it went away. It came back on on Jan 7, 2025 and I took the car in to Ford and they told me after doing a pressure test on the coolant, that I need a new engine. The cost is $9800. There was a cylinder 3 misfire and coolant was low. I have the coolant intrusion issue that is a known defect. Ford Corporate is not willing to help I was told. I had a 96 month extended warranty but it ended on 11-29-2024. The car has 93K miles and all service and repairs have been done at the Ford dealership.
Engine, Feb 13, 2025
Coolant is leaking from the system into the cylinder causing a check engine light and cylinder misfire.
Engine and engine cooling, Engine, Visibility/wiper, Feb 13, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving 35-40 MPH, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that while it was raining the windshield wipers became inoperable. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who determined that the catalytic converter, windshield wiper motor, and emission coil needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.
Engine and engine cooling, Feb 12, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine briefly shuddered before returning to normal functionality; however, the failure became a regular occurrence. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that coolant intrusion into several cylinders had caused damage to the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who confirmed the diagnostic result. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N12. 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 97,000.
Engine and engine cooling, Feb 11, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle was running roughly. The engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that there was coolant in the cylinder. Additionally, the engine block was cracked. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 50,262.
Engine and engine cooling, Feb 11, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle started to vibrate and shake while depressing the accelerator pedal. The shaking of the vehicle forced the contact to pull over. The contact stated that the check engine warning light illuminated and was flashing. The contact drove the vehicle to an independent mechanic. The mechanic diagnosed the vehicle and determined that there was coolant intrusion in cylinder #2, and that the engine block was cracked near cylinder #2. The contact was advised that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 57,000.
Engine, Feb 8, 2025
At 69,500 miles, my check engine light came up on and the engine began running rough. I also saw that the coolant reservoir was low. I refilled the coolant and it was immediately low again. This is the same coolant intrusion that is a known issue with the ford ecoboost engine in the Escape.
Engine, Feb 8, 2025
Oil in coolant reservoir via engine. Engine replacement.
Engine, Feb 7, 2025
Check engine light started flashing and engine started stuttering. It is available for inspection. Safety was compromised because vehicle would not go above 35-40 mph. Engine has been inspected by the dealership and needs to be replaced. There was no prior warning.
Engine and engine cooling, Feb 7, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle started to lose power. The contact was able to continue driving and the check engine warning light was later illuminated. The contact stated that upon inspection, the contact discovered that the coolant reservoir was empty. Despite the failure, the contact drove the vehicle to an independent mechanic, and it was discovered that the coolant had leaked into a cylinder, causing the cylinder head gasket to be blown. The vehicle was diagnosed with engine failure and the vehicle was later towed to the residence. The dealer was notified of the failure and acknowledged that the failure was a known issue; however, the vehicle was not included in the recall. The contact was referred to the manufacturer and was provided the same information as the dealer. The contact was then referred to the NHTSA Hotline to file a complaint. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
Power train, Engine, Feb 6, 2025
Transmission failed at 96,000 miles requiring replacement Cracked/bad cylinder block at 110,000 requiring replacement Ford knows of engine problem (Technical Service Bulletin 22-2322) will not assist with repair Repair invoices available upon request
Engine, Feb 5, 2025
My daughter told me our 2017 Ford Escape Titanium’s engine light came on. She said the engine was sputtering and losing power. I scheduled an appointment with Ford the next day, and paid for them to do a diagnostic on the vehicle. The vehicle has 105k miles on it. They said the engine had coolant intrusion in cylinder number one. The engine needs to be replaced, it’s out of warranty, and would cost $8,000 to replace, I was expecting the vehicle to last until 200k miles with proper servicing , and the repair is more than the value of the vehicle. Now the vehicle is sitting in my driveway, since I don’t want anyone driving it on the highway with an engine that loses power and could go at any time.
Engine and engine cooling, Feb 4, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine overheated with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The contact was able to restart the vehicle; however, the failure persisted. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine overheated with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact was able to restart the vehicle, by turning off the vehicle, allowing the engine to cool down, and then adding coolant to the coolant reservoir. The contact also inspected the vehicle with a scanner and retrieved DTC: P0302 - Cylinder #2 Misfire. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with a coolant leak into the cylinders, causing engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHSTA Hotline for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 90,000.
Engine, Feb 4, 2025
Check engine light flashing, took to a local mechanic and need the whole engine replaced due to an internal coolant leak. Coolant level was low so the car overheated. Couple days later it was empty again
Engine, Feb 3, 2025
My vehicle leaks coolant and shakes while accelerating. It sometimes struggles to accelerate at all as it steadily misfires. This would put me and my family at risk even when trying to leave our driveway or turn off our street. The leaking coolant has been confirmed by a dealer and independent service center since it started in 2023. They confirmed that it is identical symptoms to what they see relating to TSB 20-2100 (19-2375 before that). Ford continues to deny that this vehicle is attached to this TSB. The vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, or insurance. There was no warning prior to the symptoms first appearance, the Check Engine light illuminated only after issues began to arise.
Engine and engine cooling, Feb 3, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing excessive coolant consumption, which required the contact to add coolant to the vehicle daily. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving at various speeds, there was white smoke coming out of the exhaust pipe. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to Trans Auto Repair, where it was diagnosed with a misfire in cylinder #3. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion in cylinder #3. The dealer determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to TSB Number: 19-2346. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 143,000.
Engine, Feb 3, 2025
I was advised by the Ford dealership that my engine needs to be replaced due to a coolant leak into the engine. This is a known issue for this vehicle. This car has a little over 98k miles on it. There is a board post about this issue TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN 2.0L EcoBoost - Coolant In Cylinders, White Exhaust Smoke And/Or Illuminated MIL 22-2229 09 June 2022 I was told there is no recall for this issue even thought they know it is an issue and the cost to replace is over 8k. I called and spoke to the corporate office as well and they told me they will not cover it. This is an issue for a lot of people and sadly there is still no recall. This is not fair that I have to pay more to get the vehicle fixed than the vehicle Is worth. The Ford company should be held responsible for an issue they know is not a fault of the customer.
Engine, Jan 29, 2025
The vehicle was bucking and shaking after turning the key in the ignition. It lurched and drove shakily, and the next time the vehicle was started, the engine failed to begin running, and an "engine fault" light instructing the driver to "service now" was displayed. At this time, a loud, liquid sloshing noise was heard coming from the direction of the dashboard. In subsequent attempts to later start the car, the car did start, and ran, but when taken to a mechanic, it was revealed that a coolant intrusion occurred without any perceptible cause, of severity enough to completely ruin the engine and necessitate its rebuild or repair.