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 and engine cooling, Engine, Aug 29, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while inspecting under the hood of the vehicle, it was discovered that there was a crack in the engine. The engine fault message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that coolant was entering the engine and because of the failure, the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 91,000.
Engine and engine cooling, Aug 29, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who sent the vehicle to a nearby mechanic where the oxygen sensor was replaced. The failure occurred. The vehicle was taken to a certified mechanic who diagnosed that the spark plugs had failed and needed to be replaced. The spark plugs were replaced; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was returned to the mechanic where it was diagnosed that cylinder # 2 had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle had been repaired but the failure persisted. The vehicle was returned to the dealer where it was determined that cylinder # 2 might be faulty and cylinder #2 was replaced again. After the repair as completed, while driving approximately 62 MPH, the vehicle stated in an audio message that the engine was overheating. The vehicle was taken to a certified mechanic and the contact was informed that the coolant level was low. The mechanic retrieved DTC code: P0302 indicating there was an issue with the fuel running lean, and the fan relays had failed and needed to be replaced. The fan relays had been replaced, the vehicle was refilled with oil, and the wheels were rotated. The contact stated that after having the vehicle repaired and driving for approximately 1 mile the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was returned to the mechanic; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not under recall. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was 141,060.
Engine, Aug 29, 2024
Started vehicle to run errands and it immediately began rough idling and the check engine light began flashing. Read the manual, immediately returned home and parked it. Made appointment with dealer. Dealer reproduced the problem and verified the concern. Dealer ran diagnostic which returned codes P0304 and P0316. Dealer found cylinder 4 misfiring. Dealer swapped ignition coils from 3-4. Misfire stayed on cylinder 4. Dealer swapped spark plug on cylinder 4. Misfire on cylinder 4 cleared up. Dealer noted coolant was not low and confirmed we had not added any. We did have it at that same dealer on 6/7/24 for oil change service which included multipoint inspection and fluid top off. Our paperwork does not note whether coolant was topped off during that service. Dealer gave us an estimate to replace the spark plugs which we approved. Dealer held the vehicle overnight to repair the following day. After sitting overnight, dealer checked cylinders for coolant. Dealer found coolant leaking into cylinder 4. Dealer revised original repair estimate. Vehicle does not need spark plugs, vehicle needs long block assembly replaced. We declined repairs at this time. Repair cost estimate $8585.03.
Engine, Aug 28, 2024
Started the vehicle to run errands and upon exiting the driveway the vehicle was rough idling and the check engine light was blinking. Immediately turned around, brought it home and checked the manual. Scheduled service with dealer and left it parked until the service date. Dealer reproduced the problem, ran diagnostics and verified concern. Diagnostic codes P0304 and P0316 returned. Dealer found cylinder 4 misfiring. Dealer swapped ignition coils from 3-4. Misfire stayed on cylinder 4. Dealer swapped spark plug on cylinder 4. Misfire cleared up. Dealer noted coolant was not low and had not been added by customer. The vehicle was in for regular oil change service at the same dealer on 6/7/24 and the service package included fluid top off, but the paperwork received did not note specifically whether coolant had been topped off. Dealer let vehicle sit overnight at dealership and checked cylinders for coolant the next day. Dealer found coolant leaking into cylinder 4. Dealer states long block assembly needs replaced due to coolant intrusion. Quoted price of repair $8585.03. Repair not covered by Ford even though it seems to be a known issue. We declined repairs at this time. Why our vehicle has not been included in the recall is a mystery. It meets the date and the final assembly plant location. It is a 2017 Ford Escape Titanium 2.0L EcoBoost engine, assembled in Louisville.
Engine, Aug 28, 2024
Engine Coolant is leaking into Cylinder #3 causing significant miss firing of said cylinder. The car is consuming gallons of coolant, which contaminates the gas and oil in the engine…which renders the car unsafe to operate. This is a long standing problem for the open head design and has caused fires. Check engine light, and low coolant warnings are evident.
Engine, Aug 27, 2024
Dealership has confirmed coolant intrusion in motor due to a faulty design of the ecoboost 1.5 engine. I have found research saying this could cause engine fire or complete engine failure while driving. This is scary since I drive my 3 year old in this vehicle.
Vehicle speed control, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Aug 27, 2024
My son was driving this car home from school and while going through a busy street, the car suddenly buckled and stalled and he was almost t-boned. Thankfully he was not hit. We later found out that this vehicle was assembled in a plant that has a known line issue with their engine blocks. This issue caused one of the cylinders to crack and fluid to leak in causing the issue that almost caused the accident. We were made aware that this is a known issue by our service person. Ford is aware of it as they have issued CSPs and TSPs regarding the issue but have yet to issue a recall and will not cover repair costs or offer to fix vehicles before they have the issue. Ford should have a safety recall to prevent possible accidents as these vehicles age and the problem occurs more regularly.
Engine, Aug 27, 2024
Coolant is somehow invading the spark plug cavity. I fill up coolant reservoir and it disappears. Car uncontrollable shaking and engine light is on with a warning the car is unsafe to continue driving.
Engine and engine cooling, Aug 27, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that there was coolant intrusion into the engine. The dealer determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 76,421.
Engine and engine cooling, Aug 27, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated on several occasions while starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that while driving on several occasions at various speeds, the vehicle was shaking violently before the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced due to coolant intrusion into cylinder #2. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.
Engine, Aug 26, 2024
2017 Ford Escape coolant leaked into engine causing vehicle to, all of a sudden, not accelerate when driving on city road. This happened at night with woman driving alone which obviously not safe! Since vehicle would not go over 2-3 mph traffic was backed up and had to put hazard lights on until could get car over. Vehicle was taken to dealer and found out the issue of coolant leaked into engine. The only way to fix the Escape would be to replace the engine. We did get the engine replaced costing $7,439. Researching this problem we have found this is a known issue but Ford has not issued a recall. This problem is not safe for anybody on the road. This should be a recall and Ford should reimburse us for the cost of repair. I do have the receipt as proof of what we paid to replace the engine. This happened in August 2023
Engine, Aug 26, 2024
Car is exhibiting symptoms of coolant intrusion into cylinder 3, but needs to be confirmed by Ford. Was getting a misfire on cylinder 3 and replaced the spark plugs and coil pack. Coolant consumption with no visible leaks has begun in the last 2 weeks. This is a known issue and Ford has not issued recalls to fix this. If Ford would like to inspect and troubleshoot the issue at no cost, I am willing to take the vehicle into the dealer. Engine seizure is a possible result of this defect and could cause an accident and even death.
Other or unspecified, Engine, Aug 24, 2024
The dealership reported that coolant was leaking into the engine cylinders, and now the whole engine needs to be replaced. They also informed us that this was a "known issue" but is not covered via a recall. This is due to a flawed design, and they do not have a way to prevent it from happening again if we were to replace the engine. We started with a check engine light, and the car had issues getting to highway speeds and reversing uphill. Then the temp warning would go off if we used the AC even for short trips.
Engine, Aug 24, 2024
This is a 2.0L ecoboost engine with known manufacturing defect that causes leak of coolant into cylinders. Check engine light came on. Diagnostics at automotive service center disclosed by Ford Technical Service Bulletin. The engine cannot be repaired it must be replaced with a new engine that has been upgraded to correct the internal defect. Cost is $7,000. This same defect occurs in other model Fords built in same year and the Fusion engine was recalled. The engine poses an imminent danger for seizure during operation, overheating and fire. The engine is scheduled to be replaced. A new upgraded engine is on order with expected delivery by August 31. The defective engine is available for inspection as well as mechanic report of duagnostics.
Engine, Aug 23, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 25 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was steered to the side of the road and turned off. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that there was coolant intrusion in the engine, and the short block needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was determined that the short block needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 46,000.
Engine and engine cooling, Aug 23, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while operating the vehicle, the message "Service Engine" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that there was coolant inside the engine cylinders, and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 67,245.
Engine, Aug 23, 2024
I have a 2017 Ford Escape with a 1.5L engine. I bought the car 4 years ago certified pre-owned from a ford dealer. Four weeks ago I brought my car to another dealer (one that was recommended) because I was experiencing problems starting my car, a pop up message saying “Engine Fault - Service Now”, and some vibrations while driving the car. But no check engine light or any other problems. That ford dealer when I brought it in said they could not duplicate the problems I was expecting after 2 days of testing and gave the car back to me. Two weeks later and I get the same problems but worse. I start seeing some smoke coming from my exhaust when starting the car, engine light came on and the last straw was a pop up message saying “High Engine Temp - stop car safely” and the car would not excel over 12 mph. So I took it to my local mechanic since I could not drive it far and they said to bring it to my dealer because they thought I needed my Powertrain Control Module repaired. I had it towed to a new dealer (closer to me) than the first one who diagnosed it saying I needed my long block engine replaced due to a coolant intrusion. They said it would cost at least $10,000 and recommended I get rid of it and offered me $500 for them to buy it. After doing my research I can see that this is a huge problem with ford and that there were 2 customer stratification programs done to fix the issue. Luckily the dealer I purchased the car from completed the first customer satisfaction program 19B37 on July 15 2020 but did not complete customer satisfaction program 21N12 prior to me purchasing it because the car was not showing any problems. Now, my car is showing those problems but Ford has told me since my warranty expired 6 months ago I am no longer able to get the repair covered. But my mileage is way under the 84,000 mileage cap. I am planning to call the three dealers I have dealt with now to see if there is anything they can do for me. Any other advice would be greatly appr
Engine, Aug 22, 2024
I have a 2017 ford escape with a 1.5L engine. My engine is having an issue with the 1.5L short block, due to coolant intrusion to the cylinder bores. This is causing my motor to misfire at cylinder 1 as well as I have to constantly add coolant to my car due to the internal coolant leak. After much research I came across something called “customer satisfaction program 21N12.” This program also references “Customer satisfaction program 19B37 – supplement #4” AND “Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) 22-2134” This program covers 2017-2019 Ford Fusion and Ford Escapes with the 1.5L engine that has the same internal coolant leak. My vehicle is experiencing exactly what this program (21N12) covers. I have called ford about this program, and they state that although this program does cover same type of vehicle and motor. However, my vin number is not associated with that recall/program. Ford customer relations informed me to contact you and make a complaint in order to add my vin number to that recall so that I can have my car’s engine replaced by ford, for a problem that is a known issue. Please add my vin number to this recall/program (21N12) so that I can have my car fixed. My vehicle was purchased new, and I am the only owner. My vehicle has approximately 74,400 miles on the odometer as I type this (8/22/24). I know for a fact that this engine has a internal coolant leak for the simple fact that I have to constantly add coolant to my vehicle every 1 - 2 weeks.
Engine, Aug 22, 2024
The engine light came on, we took it to a mechanic who replaced the spark plug and a coil. We were told it was safe to drive long distances. We drove the car about 8 hours with no issues. The car was parked for 2 days. We then turned it back on to drive home and white smoke blew out of the exhaust and the engine over heating light came on. We turned the car off and had it towed to a mechanic in the area who stated coolant had leaked and the entire engine would need to be repaired. The car has less than 60,000 miles on it, but is over 5 years old, so it is out of warranty. We have maintained it carefully. Original mechanic stated the gasket must have blown when the white smoke came out because we could not have driven 8 hours if there had been an issue when we originally brought the car in. Ford dealership quoted us $11,000 to repair/replace engine. Ford customer service stated no goodwill repairs were available. Looking into joining the class action lawsuit for the manufacturing defect in the engine that we are now painfully aware of. We are thankful that the gasket blew in a drive way and not on the highway as it easily could have.
Engine, Aug 21, 2024
Coolant leak and erosion into cylinder on 2017 Ford escape titanium 2.0L
Engine, Aug 20, 2024
Coolant intrusion into cylinder. Confirmed by independent service center. Known issue with Ford, reference Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) 22-2134
Engine and engine cooling, Engine, Aug 20, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with timing belt, water pump, and engine failure. The contact was informed that the timing belt, the engine, and the water pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact was informed that the repair was not covered under warranty or recall. The failure mileage was approximately 93,000.
Engine, Aug 20, 2024
Coolant leak causes miss fires should be a recall on this
Engine, Aug 19, 2024
A coolant leak causing cylindrical failure and engine failure. There were no symptoms before. I woke up and the light came on and the car was shaking, i took it to the dealer and they diagnosed this problem. It was unsafe to drive I had to get it towed.
Engine, Aug 19, 2024
There is a known issue with EcoBoost engines that allows coolant to leak into the cylinder heads causing engine misfires, ruined spark plugs, white smoke in the exhaust, catastrophic engine failure, and fire. This vehicle has recently had this issue but is not covered by the extremely limited recall Ford submitted (7 years OR 84,000 miles). This issue needs a full and comprehensive recall as Ford is completely aware of the problem.