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, Mar 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. In addition, the vehicle was shaking. The contact stated that the vehicle was initially driven to the dealer the first time; however, the second time the vehicle was towed to the dealer. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a coolant leak, and it was determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.
Engine, Mar 4, 2024
Their vehicle’s engine has a defect in the design created by Ford Motor Company that results in coolant leaking into the cylinders which causes engine failure, corrosion, and fire, which causes a severe safety risk to passengers and other vehicles and persons unless a new engine without the defective Ford design is placed into the vehicle. Numerous other Ford vehicle owners with vehicles containing the defective engine have reported the exact same failures and coolant leaks, as determined by Ford service technicians or other auto repair technicians. Ford as the manufacturer knows of their defective design but refuses to replace the engine through their expense by recall or other means. The check engine light is illuminated due to the engine misfiring because of the coolant leak, which causes failed emissions tests and does not allow me to be able to register the vehicle according to state and county requirements. Attached are a picture of the current engine’s defect and a new engine. The defect in the old engine is a slit cut into the wall between cylinders. This compromises the integrity of the cylinder walls and engine as a whole. The newer engines are manufactured after 2020 and they have removed the defective slit and replaced it with a drilled hole that doesn’t compromise the engine.
Engine, Engine and engine cooling, Mar 3, 2024
Brought vehicle in for check engine light. Ford mechanic stated that the engine is failing due to coolant leaking into the cylinders , and that this is a known problem. Vehicle stalled and is no longer operational.
Engine, Mar 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the engine idled rough and the engine misfired. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was flashing. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic and a diagnostic test was performed. The mechanic tested the cylinders and found a loss of compression in cylinder #2. Additionally, the cylinder wall was cracked. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 84,613.
Engine, Feb 27, 2024
In December 2023 my 2017 Ford Escape began running rough and misfiring. I took it to a Ford approved garage for inspection since I couldn't get in to the dealer until January. The garage was able to read the check engine light and found a short block coolant intrusion. When he called the Ford Company he was told there was a Customer Service Program [XXX] on this vehicle. He was also told I missed the warranty date by 15 days even though I was 30,000 miles under the mileage warranty. Ford has acknowledged this issue occurred at their Louisville plant. I received a case number from Ford - [XXX] and scheduled a diagnostic with the dealer. The soonest I could get it in was 2-6-24. They agreed with the Ford garage and told me I needed a new engine, water pump, and oil repair. The car was not safe to drive due to all of these issues. After multiple calls to Ford, they will not honor this Customer Satisfaction Program due to the warranty date of the program. The car did not act up until December 2023, so I had no reason to take it in for this problem. Each Customer Service Rep I spoke to acknowledged that this was their responsibility but they couldn't do anything to help me. They directed me to report this to the NHTA indicating it would force their hand to do the right thing. I was forced to pay almost $9000 in repairs, simply because I didn't drive my car into the ground and force the problem to the forefront. I am assuming I am not the only on with this issue. Please see the attached documents and thank you for any help you can offer. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Engine, Feb 27, 2024
Vehicles warning lights and sound went off on my wife, scaring her and my grandson. I was sick in bed so she contacted my neighbor who took antifreeze and it took a gallon to fill it up. Two weeks later it took another gallon. After inspection of the car and finding no leaks he hooked up a code reader and got misfire in #3 cylinder. I then searched the internet and found incident after incident about the 2.0 Ecoboost engines. Even on your web site I found 85 complaints about ecoboost engines. FORD should be held to their own standard and replace these engines with the newer engines that have been researched and proven to solve this issue.
Electrical system, Engine, Feb 26, 2024
Because Ford company has used peanut oil I have rodents getting into my car causing major damages
Engine, Engine and engine cooling, Feb 25, 2024
Engine light started coming on and off and it started to run rough on startup. I took it in for servicing and was told coolant was leaking into the engine. Following the inspection, car now runs very rough and I am not longer safe to drive it. The repair is $8000! Ford offered to pay $3000 of that -- not good enough considering that the car has 50910 miles on it and has had all recommended servicing and it is a known Ford defect. Yes, the car is available for inspection upon request. Yes, I feel that my safety and that of my 11year old were compromised with a known defect as I have since learned that this is well-known problem. Yes, the vehicle has been inspected by ford. The warning was the enigine light coming on.
Engine, Feb 23, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his son was driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine seized. The vehicle failed to restart, and the contact's son was stranded on the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The contact’s son checked the coolant level, and the dip stick. The dip stick had oil on it. The dealer was informed of the failure. The contact was informed about TSB: 21N12 and the contact's vehicle was not associated with the TSB. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The contact was also advised to report the failure to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.
Engine, Feb 22, 2024
Coolant is leaking into the cylinders. This seems to be because of a defect in the way the engine was cut from the manufacturer.
Engine, Feb 21, 2024
The coolant has leaked into the engine causing engine defect
Engine, Feb 20, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. In addition, the contact noticed the loss of engine power. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact was informed about TSB: 21N212. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 61,000.
Engine, Feb 19, 2024
Leaking coolant into cylinder causing misfiring and bad 1.5 liter engine. $8000 to replace ford knows of the issue with these motors but won’t do anything about it they need to be responsible for this.
Engine, Feb 18, 2024
There is a major design flaw where the coolant leak causes the engine housing to crack usually around 70,000 MI which is why I feel like I was sold a lemon because they sold this car to me without telling me anything about this at 64,000 miles throwing in a powertrain warranty I guess to cover up the rip off they probably won't even pay for the $7,000 repair. So now I pay $12,000 on this car and owe $10,000 more and only got to drive it for about a month and a half before a problem started happening and now my dealer has had my car for over a month and simply tells me every time I call that they don't know what's wrong with it even though they're being sued in 12 States for this issue and there are thousands of escape owners complaining about this very thing online. So it's obvious that Ford just doesn't want to add one more car to their phone book of course they've had to recall not to mention this is my second lemon in a row owning a contour before now where they got caught lying about the transmission that was in that vehicle were they held my car for over 6 months before fixing it. But my symptoms are my fluid is empty as soon as I put them in my engine runs hot as soon as I turn it on and shuts itself off which means I could have died if I was on the highway when this happened and now I have a car that I spent $24,000 on in the long run that I got to drive for about 2 months with it being in the shop the rest of the time. If you would like in detail information feel free just to Google The escape issue online and you will see thousands of reports from Ford owners complaining about the exact same thing happening the exact same way almost like one person wrote it and copied it a thousand times.
Engine, Feb 17, 2024
Coolant leaking into cylinders 3&4 miss fire on plugs 3&4 as well. Check engine light come on and goes off by itself quite a bit. There have been no incidents or accidents causing such a problem. The contact wants to know if his vehicle has been reviewed by anyone to determine if it fits in the criteria of getting repaired by ford.
Engine, Feb 16, 2024
TSB 22-2229. Coolant intrusion is cylinder one due to engine design flaw. Long block needs to be replaced. Please issue recall.
Power train, Engine, Feb 14, 2024
July 2022, check engine light came on. Vehicle taken to dealer where purchased (Scott Peterson Ford-Sturgis, SD). They found the code indicated #1 cylinder misfire, running and upon start up. They cleared codes and could not duplicate the misfire. Said they could not figure out the issue and sent us back on the road. The vehicle was still under factory warranty. We continued to use the vehicle with check engine light coming on and going off occasionally. The check engine light appeared in Sept 2023. We had the spark plugs changed and the coolant system flushed at our service station. The check engine light went off. It would come on again, go off, sporadically. Then in January 2024 the check engine light came on and the heater wouldn't work. We checked the coolant level and it was almost completely out. We filled coolant back up, the check engine light went off, and all seemed good. Within 2 weeks the check engine light came on again and the coolant was completely out. No leaks noticed anywhere. I researched and found lots of articles/lawsuit against Ford for this very issue. It included potential fire issue from engine overheating and more. We returned the vehicle to the dealership (now Wareing Ford Sturgis) and they indicated it was probably a leak into the engine itself, which was a known problem by Ford and the dealerships. They mentioned some customers were buying extended warranty coverage before having the dealership diagnose the problem and that it could save us a lot of money. I said that was dishonest and not something I would do. They then diagnosed the issue and they were correct, coolant was leaking into the engine and had caused engine failure. The repair estimate is $13,000. I have complaint filed w/ Ford, which is saying the car is out of warranty. They said to keep our receipts in case Ford ends up having to pay. I said I want it covered under warranty, engine only has 56k miles and we brought it in with problem while still under warranty in 2022.
Engine, Feb 14, 2024
My vehicle experienced catastrophic engine failure. This is a known issue from Ford in which coolant leaks into the engine and causes issues. They have posted bulletins about the issue but there has been no recall. I experienced no warning signs such as check engine lights or any issues that would have prompted me to bring my vehicle into a shop to get repaired. The vehicle has been inspected and confirmed by an independent service shop as well as a certified Ford dealership. The issue that occurred correspond with Ford bulletin 22-2134, 21N12, and customer program number 19B37
Engine and engine cooling, Feb 14, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the engine temperature gauge had increased to "HOT”, and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that coolant had leaked into the engine causing damage to the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 110,000.
Engine and engine cooling, Feb 14, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated while the vehicle was idling, the vehicle was jerking abnormally. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that coolant was leaking into cylinder #1. The vehicle failure related to TSB: [XXX] with NHTSA ID Number: 10214126 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and it was confirmed the VIN was not covered under [XXX] ; NHTSA ID Number: 10214126 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline to file a complaint. The failure mileage was 114,000. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Engine, Lane departure, Back over prevention, Feb 12, 2024
Engine check engine came on and found coolant low, refilled, and 2 weeks later coolant low again. I suspected coolant leaking into the engine since no coolant on the ground. Dealership confirmed this and said new engine block is required. It is a 2017 Escape with only 33,000 miles now. It is ridiculous that Ford knowingly went into production with this bad engine design which they redesigned later. I found out that there was a TSB to replace the engine block. Ford knows the engine is an issue and only fixed some of the vehicles as the issue happens. However, my SUV has no warranty and I was told engine replacement is not covered. This poses a risk to my daughter with the possibility of engine fire if coolant burns out, not to mention hesitation at lights while turning that can cause an accident. SUV is available for your inspection. I feel Ford issued a TSB to prevent a recall so they do not have to address problem with all the vehicle. NHTSA should force this recall or force Ford to expand TSB to all affected vehicles with no limit. Communication with Ford Dealership and Ford Customer Relations is available.
Engine and engine cooling, Power train, Feb 12, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle and shifting into drive(D), the vehicle failed to respond while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact had the vehicle towed to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that coolant had intruded into the engine block. Additionally, the contact was advised that coolant had also intruded into the transmission. The contact was informed that the engine and the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact researched online and related the failure to Technical Service Bulletin Number: 19-2139 Coolant Intrusion into the Cylinder (Engine and Engine Cooling; Power Train). The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
Power train, Engine and engine cooling, Feb 12, 2024
Background: My 2017 Ford Escape Titanium with a 2.0L Ecoboost engine has 65k miles. Engine light started flashing recently due to Cylinder missfire code P0301 , immediately brought it into Ford and upon their assessment they shared that my engine has a coolant leak in cylinder 1 which is causing major engine issues. This is my primary car and I need it to transport myself to and from work. I have taken diligent car of this car and have only serviced it (routine and non-routine maintenance) at Ford Dealerships to ensure that all parts and the service is the best possible to keep the vehicle in top condition. Safety: If left untreated this coolant leakage into the engine will result in a variety of hazardous and life-threating issues for the driver as well as individuals on the streets such as engine overheating, engine corrosion and ultimately total engine failure. I am not comfortable driving this car at this time as it is a ticking time bomb unless I pay for the replacement of the engine. But as I understand this will not guarantee this issue will not resurface again as the engine replacement will be with the same engine type that has the same design defect of an "open block" which is prone to coolant leaking inside. Problem reproduced: Yes, reproduced by Ford Dealership. This problem appears to be routine enough for Ford Motor Company to issue a TSB regarding this issue [XXX] with the only fix being a total replacement of the engine, with an illogical cost of 10k. Vehicle inspected by manufacturer: Yes, I have brought the vehicle into the Ford dealership that I bought the vehicle at and they shared the issue along with the TSB that describes the issue I am having along with the expected resolution and cost. Warning lamps: Yes, the engine light turned on randomly and immediately began flashing. The next day I brought it into the Ford Dealership. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Engine, Engine and engine cooling, Feb 12, 2024
Engine warning light came on while driving. Vehicle is operable but service department has indicated coolant intrusion needs new engine short block replaced to operate the vehicle. This is our only transportation and we have been advised not to drive the vehicle as the engine could seize up at any time.
Engine, Feb 11, 2024
Vehicle was being driven. All of a sudden the vehicle made a shudder, started misfiring, and the check engine light came on. Because of the power loss, the vehicle behind me almost rear ended us, because we were at full speed (60 mph) and on a steeper inclined road. The incident happened on 1/26/2024 and the vehicle was taken to the dealer on 1/27/2024 only to be told that the vehicle needed an engine cylinder block replacement due to a failure that Ford Motor Company was aware of. To this date, I have received no recalls or warnings of this issue. This is a. $6,000-$8,000 repair that the dealership is not even willing to do.