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, Nov 29, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, she attempted to turn on the heat; however, the heat failed to operate. The contact then stated that the temperature gauge started to increase and noticed that the engine had started to overheat. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that coolant had leaked into the combustion system and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed to take the vehicle in to be diagnosed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was advised to call the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 73,000.
Engine, Nov 22, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the vehicle started as needed but had an engine misfire. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic and was informed that cylinder #1 was misfiring, and the spark plug needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but continued to experience the failure. The contact took the vehicle back to the independent mechanic and was referred to the local dealer for assistance. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the engine to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 107,000.
Engine, Nov 22, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that after refueling the vehicle, the vehicle started and then stalled and lost motive power. The vehicle was restarted and operated as intended; however, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was notified of a possible fuel leak. The mechanic diagnosed the vehicle and determined that there was no visible fuel leak. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 73,000.
Engine, Nov 18, 2022
My 2017 Ford Escape overheated and engine failed while driving because the block was compromised due to a known manufacturing defect. See Technical Service Bulletin 19-2346. A Ford dealership diagnosed the defect, documented the case, and replaced the engine. My son's safety was compromised while he maneuvered the failed vehicle to the side of the road. This was caused because a critical vehicle component broke which had the potential to cause loss of vehicle control and injury to people inside or outside the vehicle. The failure occurred without warning.
Steering, Engine and engine cooling, Nov 16, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 20 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and overheated. Additionally, the steering wheel seized. The message that the engine was overheating and to pull over was displayed. The contact was able to pull over. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The contact called the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and notified of the failure. The contact was informed that the repair was not covered and referred her to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 89,100.
Engine, Nov 15, 2022
Coolant leaked into the engine block causing overheating. Dealership has confirmed that leak has caused the engine long block to need replacement. Vehicle is currently at dealership awaiting repairs. Parts are on backorder. Cost is quoted at over $7,000.00.
Electrical system, Engine, Nov 15, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The contact was unable to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the local mechanic who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The contact stated that the failure had occurred on several occasions. The local dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not yet notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 130,000.
Engine, Nov 9, 2022
Engine misfiring, low coolant, ingesting coolant, & overheated. Coolant does not “hold pressure” according to mechanic. Coolant going into cylinder #3. Long block needs replacing in order to fix, according to TSB 22-2229.
Engine, Nov 4, 2022
We bought 2017 Ford Escape. We are already having issues with the engine. Ford dealer and maintenance told us that we need to replace engine. Mileage is only 100,063
Engine, Nov 4, 2022
I have a 2017 Ford Escape SUV 2.0 Turbo. Mileage was around 72,000 when this all started to happen. We had experienced chugging on our car, when starting and the engine soon light came on. We took it to our local Auto Zone and had them put a computer on it and it read that cylinder #2 was misfiring. So we had all the spark plugs and wiring replaced. They then noticed that our engine coolant level was low. They filled it and told us to keep an eye on it. Within the next day it was gone and it showed no leakage of coolant on the ground or any place on the engine. We refilled and drove for a few days and our level of coolant kept going down, we kept refilling and then our engine soon light came back on. We took it to our mechanic and said he would keep it for a few days and check everything out. We got a call that there is a problem with the head gasket. We would have to have it replaced. They would have to have the vehicle for about 2 weeks, as we would not have to replace the engine but they could have it modified to make it smooth around the head gasket and reseal everything. Our Ford Escape is not that old and the mileage is fairly low for something like this to happen. I found out Ford knew about this problem but no recall was made to rectify it. So now after 4 weeks being without my car, due to some problems of getting some parts, and paying out $2672.80 out of pocket for engine repair and that is not including the plugs and wiring and other things done to fix the problem prior to finding this out, we paid out of pocket. We sit with around $3,000.00 to have this car fixed that should be out of Ford's pocket, not mine. Is there a form that I can submit to Ford's for them to reimburse me for this amount.
Engine and engine cooling, Nov 3, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while his father was driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed but the vehicle hesitated to respond. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local Pep Boys where it was diagnosed that cylinder #1 was misfiring. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic where cylinder #1 coil pack was replaced; however, the failure recurred while driving. Additionally, the contact stated that his father noticed that the coolant temperature appeared higher than normal. Upon inspecting the coolant reservoir, the contact's father noticed that the coolant level was low. The contact's father refilled the coolant reservoir; however, the coolant level was low upon inspecting the coolant reservoir for the second time. The contact stated that his father then started the vehicle and noticed white smoke coming out of the exhaust pipe. The contact became aware of Ford Customer Satisfaction Campaign Numbers: 21N12 (Short Block Replacement After Coolant Intrusion) and 19B37 - Supplement #4 that he associated with the failure; however, the VIN was not included. An unknown dealer was notified of the failure and an appointment was scheduled for the vehicle to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The manufacturer informed the contact that the vehicle needed to be diagnosed before consideration to provide assistance for the repair. The failure mileage was approximately 36,000.
Engine, Oct 28, 2022
2017 FORD ESCAPE. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARD TO ENGINE FAILURE. THE CONSUMER STATED AFTER HAVING THEIR VEHICLE REPAIRED WITH A NEW ENGINE, THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM ONLY 1 WEEK LATER.
Engine, Oct 23, 2022
Coolant is leaking into the engine at under 50,000 miles. This is a 2.0 liter engine and there has already been a recall for the 1.5 liter engine for the same problem. This has been dignosed at the Autonation Ford dealership and is costing me $7169.87.
Engine, Oct 21, 2022
It was "explained" to me by the extended warranty company that there is a cracked cam or gear head of some sort that was due to a casting issue during manufacturing. As such, the extended warranty sold to me by the dealer for my 2017 Ford Escape certified vehicle, is all but useless because the company is denying the claim, because it is a manufacturer's defect. I called Ford with the reference number as the dealer had spoken with them and advised the dealer to advise me to contact them for detail. It didn't help. Ford said they won't cover it because the vehicle is 5K outside of the their original warranty and only if it becomes a recall issue before I get rid of the vehicle, will they cover it. The dealer told me to contact you for assistance.
Engine, Oct 20, 2022
Sometime in August 2022 I began noticing smoke coming out from under the vehicle each time we started it. When the problem persisted, we took the vehicle to our Ford Dealership. A service representative said coolant was leaking into the turbocharger. He did not specifically say the car was unsafe to drive but I believe driving it would risk a fire. Repairs require a new turbocharger assembly, an oil feed pipe, a drain tube assembly, and an oil filter assembly and gasket, antifreeze, exhaust manifold gasket and and some other gaskets and fasteners. The turbocharger assembly has been on back order for more than two months since we took our vehicle in, so we have not had the use of it for that time. The service rep. said the back order is nationwide. On the internet I found that a California law firm has filed a class action lawsuit against Ford over what sounds like the same problem. I'm reporting my incident because I believe this may involve a problem with the design or assembly process on this model. BTW, attached documents show my wife Jean as the customer.
Engine and engine cooling, Oct 20, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle started to lose coolant. The contact checked and added additional coolant to the reservoir. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The parts were backordered, and the vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who referred the contact to the dealer. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that assistance would be provided for the repair. The approximate failure mileage was 50,300.
Engine, Oct 19, 2022
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 the cylinder, coil, and head gasket needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure recurred two years later. The contact then stated that while driving at various speeds or while idled, he noticed white smoke coming from the exhaust pipe and the engine hesitated. The check engine warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where the contact was informed that the failure was internal, and the engine needed to be disassembled to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was advised to call the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 2,000.
Engine, Oct 18, 2022
My 2017 Ford Escape was starting up rough and the check engine light was on, so I took it to a repair shop (Gere Auto Repair LLC in Snoqualmie, WA). They said there was a serious problem with the engine - there was a breach between cylinder 2 & cooling system, combustion gases were getting into cooling, there was a cylinder 2 misfire, the engine failed a block test, and there could've been a cracked cylinder head. I then took the car to a Ford dealership (Evergreen Ford in Issaquah, WA) and they said that they see this engine issue often with Ford Escapes - there's a defect in engine construction. There were slits in the engine that was causing coolant intrusion into the cylinders, causing fairly severe engine damage. Since this is clearly a systematic defect in Ford Escape engines, I'm not sure why there isn't a recall out for this issue already. This is a serious and expensive issue to repair - not to mention that driving with a damaged engine is dangerous. I ultimately spent $9,679 to get the engine replaced. Ford replaced it with a new re-designed engine without slits. The fact that they've re-designed their engine specifically to address the issue I ran into tells me that Ford knows this a problem.
Fuel system, Gasoline, Power train, Engine, Oct 17, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated upon refilling the gas tank at the gas station and attempting to drive, he shifted from park (P) to drive (D), however, the vehicle failed to move. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to drive the vehicle after turning off and restarting the vehicle several times. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring after refilling the gas tank. The vehicle was taken to an unknown dealer who provided an unknown diagnostic. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact received a recall notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train), which he associated with the failure. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time to complete the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Power train, Engine, Oct 4, 2022
Engine blown due to coolant intrusion. Vehicle has 61,000 miles on it and Ford will not do anything to fix it.
Engine, Oct 2, 2022
My son's 2017 Escape just died on his trip from Idaho back home to Florida. He just had his oil changed and a complete tune up, including new spark plugs. He got an engine overheating alarm and was able to get coolant into the reservoir, which was empty at this time. Had to keep adding the coolant until he was able to stop at a friend's house in Wisconsin. The car would not start this morning. A friend of the family, who is a mechanic, told him he needs to have the head or entire egine replaced because coolant was leaking into the cylinders. We know now, this problem has been known by Ford since 2010.
Engine and engine cooling, Sep 27, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the engine misfired while driving at various speeds with the check engine warning light flashing on the instrument panel. The contact also noticed that the coolant was being consumed at an excessive rate. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who discovered that coolant was leaking into cylinder #3. The contact was informed that the engine short block needed to be replaced. The dealer and the manufacturer were informed of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not under recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 99,000.
Engine and engine cooling, Engine, Sep 26, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while the vehicle was idling, the engine was running rough. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and then to an independent mechanic. The contact stated that there was no coolant in the vehicle. The contact stated that the coolant fluid bubbled over out of the hose. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the coolant leaked into the engine and the engine misfired and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case number was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 112,000.
Engine, Sep 26, 2022
Check engine light came on just over 67,000 miles. Took vehicle to nearest Ford dealership to get checked. Service technician noted stored code P0301and found coolant in one of the engine cylinders. They performed a coolant pressure test and found no external leaks. They also noted TSB 22-2229 and recommend long block replacement. Impacts noted online from other Ford Escape owners: https://www.carcomplaints.com/Ford/Escape/2017/engine/engine_and_engine_cooling.shtml https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2022/MC-10213732-0001.pdf
Engine and engine cooling, Sep 26, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon a cold start, the vehicle would hesitate or jerk upon depression of the accelerator pedal with an unknown warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was discovered that coolant had leaked into the engine cylinders; with the engine short block malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) warning light needing to be replaced. The contact was then informed that there was a warranty on the vehicle for the failure; however, the engine size was not included in the warranty. The manufacturer was notified of failure. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 93,000.